Postpartum Care

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Nesting in your freezer

Friday, July 10th, 2009

One indicator of the onset of labor is termed nesting.  It is the building and creating and settling into a new space for you and your newborn.  It can consist of frantic cleaning, organizing your space and rearranging everything!  It is normal and can occur frequently throughout your pregnancy, maybe even as early as 5 months.  This urge is caused by emotional and biological factors.  Every one’s experience is different and some women don’t even note the nesting instinct.

One way to utilize this is in making you and your family homemade pre-prepared meals that you can freeze now to defrost and cook during those postpartum days when you have no energy for cooking but when good nutrition is critically important.

It really can be an easy thing to do.  You can start out with just doubling any meal (that is freezer friendly) that you make around that last month of pregnancy and freezing the second portion for later use.  If you are feeling up to it, you can also make a day of it by preparing multiple meals at once (probably not the best scenario for a pregnant woman since you will need to be on your feet for a long duration).

I did prepare freezer meals with my second child and it was so nice to have that ease of just thawing and putting something in the oven.  With my first pregnancy, when we had two incomes, we did splurge ($14-$20 per 4 person meal) a bit and went to one of those businesses (Dream Dinners was open at that time in Temperance, MI) where you assemble meals using their equipment and ingredients and then take them home with instructions on thawing and cooking.

Some meals that worked out great for our venture into freezer dinners were: No-cook noodle lasagna, Jambalaya, Frijole Pie, Breakfast Burritos and Enchilada Pie (send me a comment or email if you are interested in these recipes).  I referenced books called Frozen Assets: how to cook for a day and eat for a month by Deborah Taylor-Hough and Once A Month Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg which were accessible from my local library and they had some good recipes to try and great helpful hints for preserving the food while in the freezer.

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Babying the mother

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Most of us mothers have heard the phrase “sleep when the baby sleeps” and most of us know how great it sounds in concept but it rarely happens.  Postpartum care of the mother is one of the most important things for the general well-being of any family with a new member.

A mother who is not taking care of herself or allowing others to take care of her can have health issues – physically, mentally and emotionally.  If the mother is not getting good care, baby might not be either and it can also put strain on the breastfeeding relationship.

For the physical aspect of mother’s postpartum care, everyone heals differently but all with go through some bodily changes.  Here are some of these changes you may experience and some suggestions on treatment and care.

  • Immediately after birth, if you have had an episiotomyor tear you may get stitches.  The site may experience some swelling as it heals and intermittent ice packs can reduce the swelling.  Warm sitz baths usually feel good.  Do some Kegels.
  • Some women have a physiological change with a shaky, chilly sensation that can last an hour or two (some women also experience this when their milk comes in, usually 2-5 days after delivery).
  • Your uterus will need to be massaged to help it return to it’s original size.  This can be uncomfortable.  Laying on your stomach on a pillow for a few minutes a day also helps contract the uterus.
  • You may expel blood clots.  Walking can help restore proper blood circulation.  Laying on your stomach for a few minutes a day also helps expel blood clots.
  • You may have trouble urinating after birth due to the swelling.  Relax, listen to running water.  A warm shower may suffice for your commode.
  • You may feel strain to have your first bowel movement.  Drink plenty of fluids and eat foods high in fiber.  Putting your feet on a step stool while on the toilet may help.  Do some Kegels.
  • You will have sore muscles that you didn’t know you had.  Warm baths, massage and rest can help.
  • For up to 6 weeks after birth, you will have a bloody discharge called lochia.  It should noticeably decrease after 4 days.  Call your doctor if you are soaking through 2 pads in one hour.  The flow will be bright red then changes to a light pink or brown color.  If after your flow has changed and you experience a bright red discharge again, it indicated you are overdoing it.  Rest will help.
  • You may experience engorgement when the milk first comes in.  It will not last long.  A shower may help soften the breast.
  • You may leak breastmilk as your body adjusts to the supply and demand relationship with your baby.  Breast pads can be used.
  • You may experience sore nipples as you and your baby get used to nursing.  Make sure baby is latching on correctly.  Lanolin cream can help with healing.
  •  Hemorrhoids sometimes occur.  Kegels, hot baths and getting off your feet may help.
  • Afterbirth contractions are felt by most women soon after birth.  They are stronger when nursing and indicate your uterus returning to it’s original shape.  Relaxation and other tools you used during your natural childbirth can be used.  These pains are sometimes felt stronger with subsequential births.

In general, regular exercise (Kegels, pelvic rocking - after lochia subsides and taylor sitting can help encourage healing) and lovemaking can return when mother feels up to it and after checking with your doctor.  If mom has had a cesarean section there may be some additional limitations to her activities (check with your doctor).  If mother experiences excessive bleeding, an elevated temperature, breast pain, episiotomy pain, dizziness, fainting, signs of infection, problems urinating or depression, call your doctor.

A key to regaining your strength is good nutrition and your pregnancy diet is still applicable for the time when you are healing and breastfeeding.  Rest is always the best medicine and new mothers need to make that a priority.  Cleaning and other tasks can be done later or left to someone else.

Put yourself and your baby first.

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No one wants to pee when they sneeze

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

Lovely post title, huh?  At least it got your attention.  What we are going to talk about today is K-E-G-E-L-S.  If you don’t know what Kegels are, stick around, this makes great dinner conversation (i.e. “Did you Kegel today?” or “I Kegel-ed while on jury duty.”) and you can learn how doing Kegels can: make birth easier, enhance sexual pleasure, prevent urinary incontinence and prevent pelvic organ prolapse (yes, we are talking about your cervix dropping down into your vagina).

The word Kegel has two meanings.  It is the pelvic floor muscle (aka pubococcygeous muscle or PC muscle) surrounding the urethra, vagina and rectum that runs from the symphysis pubis in front to the coccyx in back.  It is also the name of an exercise to strengthen said muscle named after Dr. Arnold Kegel who “discovered” the muscle.  This exercise helps maintain proper tone to your muscle as poor tone may cause incontinence, discomfort, lack of sensation during intercourse, unusual pain during birth, premature flexure of baby’s head, prolonged second stage, damage to muscle and feelings of pressure (Hathaway, Marjie, Jay & James The Bradley Method® Student Workbook).

The Kegel exercise is done by contracting your pelvic floor muscle and holding.  To know you have the correct muscle, try stopping the flow of urine (do not make a habit of this as it can actually weaken the muscle).  You should not be tightening your hips, thighs, buttocks, abdominal, neck or face muscles to do this exercise.  As with any exercise, do not hold your breath either.  As you get the basic contract, hold routine down, you can add other variations including slow contract, slow release, and longer hold.  Increase the number of repetitions and number of times you do them throughout the day.

The biggest hurdle with the Kegel exercise is remembering to do it.  During pregnancy, the dad can help remind mom to do her exercises.  The pregnant mother should aim for 200 Kegels a day to aid in her delivery and recovery and to prevent incontinence.  A woman trying to improve the condition of her pelvic floor muscles can expect to see an increase in muscle tightness in 8 to 12 weeks.  You can actually Kegel almost anywhere, anytime: while you brush your teeth, while driving in your car (but don’t talk on your cell phone at the same time too), while nursing your newborn, during intercourse (your hubby will notice this and enjoy it), while watching television, etc.

oldladycoughlaughsneezepeelolKegels are not just for the pregnant female.  Different conditions can put stress on the pelvic muscle including: pregnancy, childbirth, being overweight, aging, a chronic cough and a predisposition to weak connective tissue.  Men can benefit from doing Kegels as well (it helps with premature ejaculationas well as urinary incontinence).  In fact, in doing research for this post topic, I found many “interesting” sites with a lot of “interesting” gadgets and gizmos with fun names to help men and women train this muscle (perhaps there’s a sexual marathon coming up).

So, now it is time for TMI and a practice what you preach excerpt.  My first child was 10 pounds 8 ounces and he had shoulder dystocia.  I had a 3rd degree tear (4th degree is from hole to hole) from his birth.  I did my Kegels whenever I remembered throughout my pregnancy since I was reminded by my Bradley classes, but I was not as good about it with my second pregnancy.  Let me tell you, it is not fun to be almost 10 months pregnant, sick with a cold that had me coughing and sneezing and having to deal with a little pee in my panties.  I could try and blame it on my son’s birthbut it is all about conditioning yourself and making it a habit and I am dedicated to being a better student with any future pregnancies and do my Kegels.

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