Birth and Babies

So contractions are starting before you’re due… What should you do?

 In MANY cases, women experience early contractions that are triggered by stress/being too active or dehydration.  The best advice I have for moms, when you feel contractions that are not typical of braxton hicks and are earlier than they should be:

• Empty your bladder
• Lay down or put your feet up - or take a warm bath or shower and then put your feet up
• Drink water - 32 oz. or thereabouts
• and call your doctor if contractions occur every 10 minutes or if symptoms do not subside in about an hour.

The cramps may feel like menstrual cramps, and/or a low/dull backache, and you’ll likely feel pelvic pressure.  Contraction feeling varies between woman to woman - what did your labor contractions feel like? 

Premature labor is real for some women, so pay attention to your bodies and call your care provider if you feel you are actually in labor.

If your water breaks, you experience vaginal bleeding, become dizzy, have a fever, see spots, have sudden swelling or unexplained pain, contact your care provider right away.

Looking for labor doula, postpartum doula, childbirth educator, lactation specialist, birth photographer, midwife, birth center, breastfeeding support, etc, etc?

Birth Partners is a wonderful way to find local professionals of all sorts.

You can also search the directories of certifying organizations such as CAPPA, ALACE, DONA, ICEA.

Have you heard of Operation Special Delivery?

It is a program designed to pair up pregnant, military wives/partners who are expected to deliver while their husbands are deployed for the war.  The women are partnered up with trained, professional labor support (labor doulas) that volunteer their time to help you have a educated, positive birth experience despite not having their husbands/partners with them.

 Operation Special Delivery is available in all states, so if you are a pregnant, military wife/partner who is due to deliver while your husband is away, don’t go it alone!! 

Visit today!

As a follow up to a previous post, here are some more comfort measures you may find helpful during pregnancy.

For ITCHING SKIN you can sooth your skin with oils - particularly wheat germ, sesame, almond and safflower.  Also, eat more foods rich it vitamin E and drink plenty of water.

For LEG CRAMPS, sleep with your legs slightly elevated, avoid pointing your toes or stretching too hard - do gentle ankle circles.  Try to avoid crossing your legs or ankles, make sure your salt and calcium levels are adequate, and make sure you are getting enough exercise.

For MOODINESS, relax, talk to a friend, take care of yourself.  Remember, this is a normal part of pregnancy resulting from the hormonal changes you are going through.  This usually goes away soon after baby is born and your body begins regulating its self.

For SLEEPLESSNESS be sure to exercise, stay away from sugar and caffeine, keep your bedroom and emotions as serene as possible, avoid stressful or busy periods before bed, sleep with extra pillows to support yourself (between your legs, behind your back, by your chest/belly), take a warm bath, drink warm milk and/or chamomile tea and if you can’t sleep try relaxing activities such as reading. Avoid TV, as it will stimulate you.

For GROIN PAIN which feels like a sudden, sharp pain in the groin, also called ROUND LIGAMENT PAIN, this is generally a cramping of the round ligament or a sudden spurt of the uterus.  Do pelvic rocks, lean toward the cramped side until it eases, try to get more rest and be sure to get up and down slowly.

For STRETCH MARKS, apply oils or cocoa butter frequently on your skin, paying special attention to the areas that are likely to stretch the most: belly, buttocks, breasts, thighs).  Oils rick in Vitamin E are helpful.  Increase foods containing Vitamin E.  In many women stretch marks are unavoidable - but they usually will fade over time after the pregnancy.

For WEIGHT GAIN, try not to stress too much.  In most cases, weight gain is HEALTHY and NORMAL in pregnancies.  To be sure your weight gain is not excessive, eat a well balanced diet and eat to appetite, avoid junk food and exercise regularly.

The best type of exercise you can do while pregnant is walking and swimming!

So you’re having a baby… Have you given thought to what kind of diapers you want to use?  Most moms think disposables are the only option out there.  But there are a few - yes, your typical disposable diapers are ever present.  But you can also find cloth diapers, environmentally-friendly disposable diapers, even diapering systems that include a reusable cover and a disposable inner pad. 

My only option with my kids are cloth diapers.  Why?  They save us a ton of money (I haven’t had to buy any diapers for my second, nor my next baby!  You can re-use cloth diapers through several children), they are environmentally friendly, healthier for my baby’s skin, and make great cleaning rags when they no longer have a purpose as a diaper.  Cloth diapers of today are not what they were years ago.  Today they come in many different styles including all in ones (diaper and cover combined), diapers in which you can adjust the absorption to suit your needs, you can still find the original cloth diapers (flatfold and then prefold) in which you will need to fold, pin, and use a cover.  The options are about endless.  Want color?  GREAT!  Cloth diapers come in many colors, patterns and prints to suit your desires.

So where can you go to learn more about cloth diapers?  You can visit www.diaperpin.com or read some articles Here.  To save yourself some time you can also purchase The Do It Yourself Cloth Diapering Handbook which has all of the information you’ll need to get started in one spot. 

I use prefolded diapers on my kids during the day (speaking generally, as my daughter is potty trained, but we have another on the way and my son is still in diapers), and pocket diapers at night. The pocket diapers are great for customizing the amount of absorbency you need, especially for night or nap time.  I have bought and even made some fitted diapers (and in fact, any style of cloth diaper can be made at home - is anyone interested in how-to links and patterns?  There are some great free patterns online!).  I use a Snappi diaper fastener instead of pins, and like to use velcro-closing diaper covers, but we have also have had good luck using the pull up vinyl pants from most any store that carries baby products.

One word of warning: If you do buy cloth diapers from a baby store chain or megastore, only buy the diapers described as “DIAPER SERVICE QUALITY”, or “DQ”.  These are the best variety - the birdseye and gauze diapers are better off used as burp rags (and almost led to the demise of my childrens cloth diapering experience). To get the best quality diapers, you’ll have to buy online. 

Anyone want some great stores to buy from??  Let me know!  I also know how you can have cloth diapering products demonstrated in your own home, and you can also order from there, and there are cloth diapering classes locally in the Monroe area to help you get started.

Have you ever taken the time to see how your baby grows within you?  It is so amazing to note the incredible growth that happens especially within the first three months - and the earliest weeks (or months) you may not even know you are pregnant!  I suppose this is why it is so important to keep up with a healthy diet and lifestyle whenever there is the slight possibility that you might get pregnant - to ensure a good start to your little one!

Anyway, here are some great links about fetal development!

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/prenatal-care/PR00112 <-- Pictures and descriptions

http://www.umm.edu/pregnancy/9monthmiracle/tools/fetaltool.html <-- A very neat "slideshow" of sorts showing how your body changes and how your baby grows over 40 weeks.

http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/babygrowth/fetaldev/ <– More info on fetal development, plus a due date calculator.

I am approaching 10 weeks pregnant now, with our third, and just love thinking about what stage of development my baby is at.  I’m sure you will, too!

For some, pregnancy can be a wild ride.  From constant nausea and fatique, to aches, pains, insomnia, gashemorrhoids, constipation, heartburn, sore breasts… The list can go on.  Luckily, there are a few things you can try.

For BACKACHE you should be aware of your position, do pelvic rocks, avoid standing for long periods of time, watch how you lift, wear flat or low heels, apply hot pads to sore muscles alternating with cold to help circulation, massage, make sure mineral and Vitamin C intake is adequate.

For SORE BREASTS you should wear a well-fitted bra, or wear no bra at all, apply wet or dry heat.

For NAUSEA, see the post titled “On A Personal Note”

For HEARTBURN identify foods that increase it, and avoid them for now, try taking your supplements/vitamins at night, eat smaller, more frequent meals, don’t eat too close to bedtime, eat yogurt and honey.

For CONSTIPATION avoid straining while moving bowels, avoid laxatives, try prunes, prune juice or even carrot juice, eat high-fiber foods, eat plenty of fresh and dried fuir and veggies (except bananas), drink plenty of fluids, exercise daily, squat on the toilet or use a box/stool for elevating feet to facilitate bowel movements.

For HEMORRHOIDS put feet on a small stool while sitting on the toilet, do pelvic rocks, drink more liquids, take sitz baths, do lots of pelvic floor exercises, apply witch hazel or a commercial preperation, lay down/get off your feet for part of the day, you can also gently tuck it into your rectum with a lubricated finger for instant relief.

For GAS you can identify the offending foods and avoid them temporarily, lie down and do abdominal breathing, try pelvic rocks, check food combo’s

For FATIGUE try to get extra naps or take frequent naps, avoid overdoing exercises, check for anemia, improve your diet with more natural, energy-rich foods or safe supplements.

I will share more comfort measures in a later post!

A postpartum doula is usually a professionally trained and knowledgable person who helps you with your new baby at home during the postpartum period (usually 6-8 weeks).  Some postpartum doulas do not tae professional training, but have experience and training in related areas - many postpartum doulas are also childbirth educators, lactation professionals, and/or labor doulas and their professional training and continued education has prepared them to work with postpartum families.  The postpartum doula will help the mother if she needs physical support - walking, showering - she will offer breastfeeding suggestions and advice, help with newborn care, help with other siblings, take care of light household chores, take care of pets, and essentially her job is to make the transition and adjustment easier for the parents, so they can bond with their new baby and not worry about anything else.  The postpartum doula does not usually have medical training, and should refer to medical professionals when a medically-related problem arrises.  The postpartum doula also does not perform any medical tasks at home.