Expectant and breastfeeding moms: be sure to drink plenty of water on these hot days! Your body and your baby need it. Avoid drinking sugary drinks, pops, etc. that will depleate nutrients and contribute to dehydration. Stick with the water. If plain old water is too bland, try to liven it up with some real lemon juice or other natural flavorings.
Nursing in public may take some practice, and some moms are more comfortable with it than others. The majority of moms are afraid to nurse in public because they feel embarrassed, or are afraid they will expose themselves too much and other people will see what they are doing. This may take some time to feel comfortable with, that’s alright. The public has a false view of breasts – men think they were put on women for their pleasure, and sometimes women have to get over the fact that their breasts are to nurse their young as well. As a nursing mother you have a right to nurse in public – would you ever consider eating your dinner in a dirty public restroom? You shouldn’t expect your baby to either.
Nursing in public has several benefits. First of all, it makes feeding your baby easy. You don’t have to pack bottles or formula, you don’t have to mix anything, there are no bottles to take home and clean. Second, it reiterates to the public the real reason women have breasts. The more people are exposed to breastfeeding, the more natural it will become. Breastfeeding is natural. Breastfeeding is NORMAL. Breastfeeding is the best nutrition you can provide to your baby – formula will never, ever give you baby the many benefits breastmilk can. And, by the way, most of the time people won’t even realize you are nursing your baby. They don’t go out looking for it, and when they see a mom nursing, they might assume you are just holding your baby! In fact I have had people come up asking to see the baby - while I am nursing. They had no idea I was nursing in the first place, and just assume my baby is sleeping or being held close.
To begin nursing in public with confidence, first practice at home! Stand in front of a mirror and practice nursing your baby in public – you will see what other people will see as you latch your baby on and nurse, so you won’t have to wonder what you are exposing. You can practice nursing several different ways – by simply lifting up your shirt, unbuttoning your button up shirt from the bottom, nurse under a blanket or shawl. Receiving blankets are especially handy to nurse under – you don’t need a full size sheet to keep yourself covered up, and you certainly don’t want a blanket so heavy your baby is uncomfortable or has trouble breathing under. Some babies cannot tolerate being covered while they nurse, and if this is the case with you, try to find a way to nurse without covering with a blanket, or try using a nursing necklace to occupy your baby while he’s nursing under the blanket – sometimes a diversion is all it takes to get his attention off whatever is covering his head.
There are ways you can make life easier while nursing. For example, there are shirts made with invisible flaps or slits in the shirt for nursing moms. There is no shirt lifting, unbuttoning or otherwise with these nursing shirts (and they are available in a bunch of styles and colors!). Another example: a nursing bra can be more convenient than a sports bra. The fold down flaps prevent you from having to raise your sports bra over your breast (which may attract attention as you wrestle with yourself). There are also very comfortable “undershirts” with nursing bra’s built in, so you don’t have to worry about showing off your back or your sides while lifting your shirt up to nurse. Wear a shirt over these and when you life your shirt and fold down the nursing flap of the bra, your skin will still be covered. In fact, you can easily make a shirt like this (without the build in bra) by finding an old tank top, cutting out circles where you breasts will be, and when you prepare to nurse and fold down your nursing bra to nurse, you will still have your skin covered. This was comforting to me especially in the early weeks after having a baby when I still had flabby skin and stretch marks.
Another great option is nursing in a sling. Slings are great for not only carrying your baby close to your body (you can use a sling from the day baby is born until they are too heavy to carry – they can lay down, be carried upright, on your hip, on your back, forward facing – and they are excellent to nurse your baby so that no one can even notice you are nursing. The great thing about slings is that your baby is carried close, and baby is generally always covered by the sling – which means your breast will be too. You can adjust the sling so your baby is in a cocoon and not visible, or you can use the tail of your sling as a blanket to cover you baby with. while you nurse. There are many varieties of slings available.
Insurance companies and hospital policy limit the amount of time you can have with your OB or hospital-based midwife. Last I heard, many insurance companies only covered 15 minute appointments - but you rarely get even that much time with your care provider! Hospitals continue taking in more and more clients which reduces the amount of time your doctor or hospital based midwife can spend with you. That will carry over into labor and delivery - with fewer and shorter check-ins with the person who will be helping you birth your baby. This is one reason why it’s great to have someone experienced that you can build a relationship with during your pregnancy, such as a birth doula or labor assistant, who can be with you during your labor and birth so you can have continuous support (for you AND your partner).
People are amazed when they hear my prenatal visits (with my homebirth midwives) are at least an hour long. This is a common occurance among homebirth and free standing birth center midwives. No, insurance doesn’t cover homebirth (and rarely birth centers) however you do get the time to bond with the people who will be assisting at the birth, and sharing one of life’s greatest miracles with you! In return, they get to know you, your desires, those of your partner (yea, they actually involve your partner as much as he wants to be involved. my husband delivers our babies with a midwife watching - but he wants to be right there and not just standing off on the side waiting to cut the cord).
I do get amazed when the insurance/homebirth topic comes up. Homebirths are so much cheaper in comparison to hospital births - think of the money they’d save with the lack of intervention, medication, etc. - only what is needed is done! I was recently sent a bill for a few months of prenatal care back 2 years ago when I was pregnant with my son (why am I getting a bill in the first place? two years later?? When my insurance covered it completely? anyway - being taken care of). I had started prenatal care at a hospital before my husband and i decided for sure on a homebirth. Just for 4 prenatal visits, the bill was near $800. Nothing out of the ordinary, no ultrasound, just those early prenatal visits. Already we’re near the cost of a homebirth - including all prenatals and continual care by my midwifes during my entire labor, delivery, and a few hours postpartum at my home. And I don’t have to share them when I’m in labor :-).
Imagine there are people out there without insurance, or with insurance but they still have to pay high deductables or copays, having to pay these rates out of pocket for a hospital birth. Imagine their frusteration when they realise a out of hospital birth could have been cheaper, and it was what they wanted in the first place! I’ve talked to people like this, and it’s inspired me to bring up this option in every class I teach - I teach to all couples - those desiring a medicated birth, planning a cesarean, or wanting a natural birth. Homebirthing couples, hospital birthing couples, and birth center birthing couples. It’s never too late to change care providers, and women need to know their options. Many times I find couples never even knew homebirth was an option!
Then there is the other side of the coin - people who have insurance but have to pay out of pocket for their births and sometimes the copay/deductible of a hospital birth is far greater than that of an out of hospital birth! Amazing!
Anyway I guess this is more of a rambling than a “why do they do that” but I’m interested in hearing your thoughts either way. I don’t cover insurance issues during my classes unless asked, so I don’t know all the details surrounding it. I’d love to know why insurance won’t cover a homebirth when they’re proven safe. I can imagine there would be a lot of red tape surrounding that issue though if insurance started covering it, but then women would truley have a choice as far as where they can birth. For some, the cost of a out of hospital birth is not obtainable (though let me say this - homebirth & freestanding birth center midwives want to see women have the birth they desire. Many are willing to work out payment plans with low monthly payments, and some will even do bartering).
Why is urine collected at each prenatal visit?
It’s pretty important to give a urine sample (at least 1-2 oz) at each prenatal to help measure the levels of protein, sugar, and possible bacteria in your urine. My midwives leave the urine testing up to me by having me collect and test my own sample, however if you are at a hospital or health clinic you will be asked to urinate into a small cup and leave it in the bathroom or hand it to a nurse.
Because conditions can change throughout pregnancy, it is important to remember to drink a little extra water before each prenatal, to ensure you can contribute at each appointment 
So what is important about protein? Protein in the urine, or Proteinuria can indicate a UTI, kidney infection or a sign of pre-eclampsia later in pregnancy.
As for sugar, usually there is no sugar, or very little, in the urine. When there is sugar present, that can be a sign of gestational diabetes, where excess blood sugar spills into the urine. Generally pregnant woman are given the option to have a glucose test between 24/28 weeks to test for this.
Bacteria in the urine is a sure sign of an infection. Left untreated, a UTI can cause significant problems, even if there are no symptoms present.
Ketones are also tested for. If high levels are found it can lead to ketoacidosis Treatment for this is often in a hospital, but your doctor will investigate why the levels are there to begin with – if your eating or drinking is to blame and you are able to keep food down without a problem, hospitalization probably won’t be required.
In hospitals all over the US, umbilical cords are cut right after the baby is born.
In birth centers or at homebirths around the world, typical protocol involves letting the cord stop pulsing before it’s ever clamped and cut.
Why the difference?
First let me clarify - we’ll be talking about vaginal deliveries of full term, healthy infants. Medical reasons on the part of mother or child may require quick seperation. That being said, these are the babies who need their blood the most, and may undergo more intervention than they would have if they would have gotten all of their blood in the first place. talk to your doctor before you are in labor about this and ask about emergency protocol - there is a lot that can be done bedside while baby is still attached.
Some may argue that doctors are short on time and as a result, cords need to be clamped and cut right away. Other silly myths surround this issue including the blood draining out of the baby if you wait to clamp and cut. Another one is that the baby will get too much blood and jaundice, plethora, hyperviscosity, or polycythemia, etc. (which has been proven false) Still more research tells us to leave the cord alone until there is no activity in it - something many hospitals seem to ignore.
Delayed clamping and cutting actually holds benefits to the baby.
First of all - if the cord is still intact, is not clamped, and is still pulsing, the baby is still getting oxygen. This is one reason that a baby not breathing directly after birth isn’t a huge emergency - baby is still getting oxygen. The placenta can continue to “breathe” for the baby for about 5 minutes after birth, giving the baby time to acclimate and “unfold” its lungs before taking that first breath. The blood contains maternal antibodies, iron and other nutrients that are important for the baby.
The baby is still getting the all-important blood that is actually his or hers to begin with which helps the brain, heart and lungs. It’s not “extra” blood, “placenta” blood, or even the mother’s blood. It’s the baby’s blood that happens to be running through an organ within it’s mothers body.
Actually, delaying the cord cutting can actually help mom too - when the placenta is given time to rid it’s self of the blood within, it seperates more easily from the uterus and there is less blood loss for mom!
When the transfer of blood is complete, the cord will collapse and it is safe to cut the cord at that point. It took about 15-20 minutes when I had my son at home, but it can be longer or shorter in many instances. Most umbilical cords are around 2 feet in length, long enough for mom to hold the baby skin to skin on her chest so the baby doesn’t get cold (in fact, moms body does a better job of keeping baby warm, anyway… forgo the warmer - hold your baby!), mom can even nurse during this time and get aquainted with her baby.
Another clarification: delayed cutting of any time length has it’s benefits. Whether it’s just a few minutes, or waiting until the cord has stopped pulsing completely.
What are the risks of early cord clamping? Early cord clamping has been shown to cause: newborn anemia, respiratory distress leading to brain damage and/or death (rare, yes, but it happens), inadequate blood supply resulting in a need for transfusion, possible heart defects resulting from problems closing off the hole in the heart valves following birth, and more. There are also suggestions that the rise in autism is due brain damange resulting from early cord clamping.
There is even the possibility that early cord clamping in Rh- moms causes them to develop blood sensitization in their next pregnancies as a result of the clamp creating a backflow of sorts, of the babys blood into the maternal “wound” create by the placenta as it detaches.
Whew! Some practitioners are still stuck on the belief that early cord clamping is best and they may not budge… Luckily, there are others out there who will, or who are already doing this. Whatever you choose, be sure your care provider is someone who shares your beliefs about the type of birth YOU want to have and is willing to help make it happen. There is nothing worse than having to dread the upcoming birth because you want it to go one way and you know it simply won’t happen, even in the best of circumstances due to “protocol”, staff, care provider or otherwise…
I thought it would be fun to start a category for common and routine procedures OB’s and midwives do for their clients and explain the reason behind them.
Such as… Why do we listen to the fetal heartbeat? Why is my uterus measured at every visit? What is the importance of electronic fetal monitoring? and so on and so forth.
So check back, I plan to have a few up soon!
Ok - my computer lived and then somehow i wasn’t able to blog here for a few days due to a ‘permissions’ issue of some sort… Luckily all is well and we’re back on track now!
I know I’ve mentioned I’d blog a little about prolapsed cords a while ago in our cesarean discussions, so I thought now would be a good time.
A prolapsed cord has two main types:
How do you suspect a prolapsed cord? Obviously, if you see it, that’s an obvious sign. However sometimes it can be quite high in the vagina and you may not see or feel it. Fetal distress, especially the slowing of fetal heart tones during contractions, can be a good indication.
So whats a mom to do? If you’re not already, get to a hospital. 10 minutes is the maximum time a baby can survive cord compression - but the length of time also varies by the degree of compression.
If birth isn’t imminent, a cesarean will be done immediately.
Talk to your care provider, but in most cases mom should get into hands and knees position (even en route to the hospital if this happens at home). If the cord is outside of the vagina, someone should insert their (clean) hand into moms vagina and hold the baby’s head off the cord, if possible. The cord would be wrapped loosely in warm and moist washclothes or handtowels - avoid excess handling and letting it get cold.
A great way to avoid having a prolapsed cord is to avoid early artificial rupture of the membranes before baby is well engaged in the pelvis. As the membranes are ruptured and the water escapes, the cord may also slip ahead of the baby’s head.
I’m back after a few days of zero communication from my computer. My son threw a sippy that hit my chai (full, by the way) that was sitting on my next right next to my computer. My computer is a laptop. And it was full of chai. Thankfully the computer lives. I took it apart, cleaned the innars, let it dry in front of a fan and the only thing I lost was use of the keyboard. SO now I have an external keyboard and I’m back online.
I’ll be back to blogging tonight!
my computer died be back in a few days
I know some of you have been asking for updates, so here we go!
I’m due mid August. That means I have roughly three more months before our third arrives. This pregnancy has been a breeze since we passed the first trimester. We’ve been feeling movement very early with this pregnancy - I started feeling kicks at about 12/13 weeks LMP (since last menstrual period, which is not the gestational age). My husband started feeling movement from outside my belly at 17 weeks LMP! We were quite shocked considering he doesn’t get that pleasure ’till usually at least 24 weeks.
This baby actually responds to people talking, too. When my husband talks to my belly this baby goes CRAZY and it looks like baby is doing backflips. Perhaps this means that this baby will be a daddy’s boy or girl? Baby does backflips when my daughter talks too.
Movement has been well defined and near constant ever since the baby has started moving. I barely ever get peace! But - that is a good thing. I like to feel my babies squirming around. It’ll be interesting to see how baby responds during labor and birth. I could feel my son squirming and kicking during labor last time, and WOW is it neat to feel your body prepare to birth a baby. The changes your body goes through as your baby descends is crazy.
I’ve already pulled out all of the gender neutral newborn clothes, onesies, socks and sleepers. And the blankets and towels. I have the boy and girl clothing boxes easily accessible so hubby can pull ‘em out once we know if it’s pink or blue. I’ve never not known the gender, and thought by now I’d be pulling my hair out but I’m really not too anxious to know. Now, if I had an ultrasound planned that would be a different story. But I’m ok not knowing but I betcha when I’m in labor i’ll be going nuts!
I’ve been working much more on the computer than I’ve been wanting to. I finished revising a cloth diapering book I had published a few years ago. I just finished updating my main website, created a branch to my business for publications, and last night I installed a php shopping cart on my website… Only to make a stupid mistake this morning and POOF it’s all gone. I stayed up till 2am getting everything set the way I want it and now I have to do it all over again. Yuck. I don’t see how people who work on computers full time can do it. I’m so deflated I don’t even want to touch the darn thing, but in the process of my goof up I made some errors on my main website and had to fix that before I can leave the house! I’ll attempt the shopping cart again tonight. Maybe. I need to do something to list all of my publications for sale in a professional layout though, so I can’t just say “forget about it” like I want to do so badly!
It’s a beautiful day today, I’ll probably take the kids and the dogs for a walk. We’re getting family portraits taken today (our first ever!) and I’m really excited to get a professional picture with a BELLY! I love being pregnant, and I certainly have the belly to prove it ;-) I’ll try to post a picture when we get them back.
I hope all of the moms have a wonderful mothers day tomorrow!