About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Fitness Friday: Side Stretch Twist in Pregnancy

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Fitness Friday: Side Stretch Twist in Pregnancy Aug 17th 2012, 16:06 After sitting in a chair all day, this is one exercise I could really use - the side stretch twist.  This gentle stretch can feel very powerful.  It's easy to do, even in your office chair.  (Though I recommend locking the wheels if you have them on your chair.) This can also help with round ligament pain if you're experiencing this side effect of pregnancy. Do you think you'll enjoy the side stretch twist? More Fitness Friday: Side Stretch Twist in Pregnancy Round Ligament Pain Staying Fit in Pregnancy Newsletter 10 Reasons to Exercise in Pregnancy Great Pregnancy Exercises Exercise in Pregnancy Fitness Friday: Side Stretch Twist in Pregnancy originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, August 17th, 2012 at 16:06:12. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: PTSD from Giving Birth

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

PTSD from Giving Birth Aug 16th 2012, 15:06 A recent study talked about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after giving birth.  There was a tiny statement in the document that led a media frenzy that claimed that unmedicated births caused PTSD. This is a small study of women (102) and a total of 7 mothers had PTSD. What the study said was that 80% of mothers who developed PTSD did not have medication, 5 women of 7. My initial thought when I saw this was I wondered if the mothers actually chose to have an unmedicated birth or were forced to have an unmedicated birth because of the lack of availability of epidurals or other medications or because their labor didn't allow for it, for whatever reason. As I've worked with women who really were traumatized by birth, those who were unmedicated did NOT choose to be unmedicated. There are reasons why an epidural can't be given. Penny Simkin spoke to this thought in a blog post on Science & Sensibility for Lamaze International. Simkin summed up my feelings nicely, "In spite of the flaws of this study, the authors offered some valuable conclusions, pointing out 'the importance of inquiring about previous pregnancy and birthing experiences and the need to identify at-risk populations and increase awareness of the disorder.' Despite the shortcomings of their study, this advice is on target, as has been confirmed over and over again in the literature on traumatic birth." So instead of getting into the sensationalism of these articles all over the media, let's talk about how to help mothers who have PTSD, for whatever reason, after giving birth. Other research shows that moms are more likely to have symptoms of PTSD if they experienced: Lack of choice for options in care Perceived lack of communication from medical staff Fear of unsafe care Lack of continuity in providers Others Have you experienced any of these in previous experiences? Has anyone asked you about your previous pregnancy or birth experiences? Related: Prevention and Treatment for Traumatic Childbirth (PATTCh) Natural Childbirth - Major Cause of Post-traumtic Stress Disorder? 7 Reasons You Can't Have an Epidural Polachek I, Harari L H, Baum M, Strous RD, (2012) Postpartum Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms: The Uninvited Birth Companion. Israel Medical Association Journal 14: 347-353. PTSD from Giving Birth originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, August 16th, 2012 at 15:06:35. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Facebook Let's You Announce Pregnancy

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Facebook Let's You Announce Pregnancy Aug 15th 2012, 16:39 If you're not one of the Facebook Timeline hold outs, you are now able to announce your pregnancy as a change in relationships.  You simply go to the Add a Life Event link, select Family & Relationships and you will see Expecting a Baby.  The good news is that you can customize this area a bit. You can add a photo, give a due date, and even select with whom you share this information. And some people will be thrilled to be able to add the girl or boys section. My problem with it so far is that it doesn't let you add twins. In doing a sample to show you here, I just grabbed the only ultrasound I had handy on my computer, which happened to be of my twin daughters.  But, it just lets you say baby and girl, not babies nor girls.  It's a small thing, but it does matter to some. So will you be using it to make your pregnancy announcement? Related: Fun Ways to Announce Your Pregnancy When to Announce Your Pregnancy When Pregnancy Announcement Are Met with a Bad Response 8 Times You Should NOT Announce Your Pregnancy Public Response to Pregnancy Announcements Follow me on: Facebook, Twitter, Google+ & Pinterest! Facebook Let's You Announce Pregnancy originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 at 16:39:43. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Making a Placenta Print

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Making a Placenta Print Aug 13th 2012, 12:31 Placenta prints are using your placenta to make a picture. Lots of moms and dads are choosing to try this art project after their baby is born. It can be done no matter where you give birth and no matter what you intend to do with your placenta. Have you considered doing this?  Where would you hang your placenta print? Related: How to Do Placenta Prints Placenta Print Gallery The Placenta Placental Exam Photo © ER Making a Placenta Print originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Monday, August 13th, 2012 at 12:31:38. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Cesarean Born Babies Have Lower IQs?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Cesarean Born Babies Have Lower IQs? Aug 10th 2012, 18:44 Okay, have you seen these headlines? I have. It's coming from a very small study of mice and being extrapolated to humans. The actual title of the article is: "Ucp2 Induced by Natural Birth Regulates Neuronal Differentiation of the Hippocampus and Related Adult Behavior." I saw it come across my science news feed and I didn't report on it. Why? Because it was a small study, it was in mice and it's still really far from being able to extrapolate to humans. I actually thought that everyone in the media would feel that way. I was wrong. Now there are a lot of things floating around about this study.  My advice?  Don't panic.  The researchers showed that the mice who were born by cesarean had less of a protein than other mice.  Their conclusions?  Let's study this some more, it might be clinically relevant to birth as well as breastfeeding.  That's a far cry from the headlines. Questions I have include, is it the labor? Or is it the birth? How well would this extrapolate to humans? Are there other sources of this protein? Some cesareans are truly life savers. Even if this were proven to be true, given the option between a potentially lower IQ or no baby, which do you think a mother is going to chose?  So this isn't, at least on this blog, about cesarean versus vaginal birth, but rather about how studies are reported on in the media and how we need to actually read them and look at what they really say.  I'm sorry to report, that's not most news sites. Have you seen this yet? What are your questions? Related: Labor is Good for Babies Risks of Cesarean Birth Reasons for C-Sections Source: Simon-Areces J, Dietrich MO, Hermes G, Garcia-Segura LM, Arevalo M-A, et al. (2012) Ucp2 Induced by Natural Birth Regulates Neuronal Differentiation of the Hippocampus and Related Adult Behavior. PLoS ONE 7(8): e42911. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0042911 Cesarean Born Babies Have Lower IQs? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, August 10th, 2012 at 18:44:14. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Side Stretch in Pregnancy

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Side Stretch in Pregnancy Aug 10th 2012, 15:45 The side stretch can be very helpful in pregnancy.  One thing I noticed that it really helped with was a feeling of having more room in my chest and sides.  Before I would stretch I felt "cramped" and "full of baby."  I'm sure anyone post about 30 weeks gestation knows what that feels like.  So I'd do these stretches, even just sitting on the couch or in a chair would work.  Then I'd feel like I had more room to do fun things like breathe.  I also think I had fewer issues with round ligament pain when I did this exercise more often. Do you feel like you have more room after doing the side stretch? More Fitness Friday: Side Stretch Round Ligament Pain Staying Fit in Pregnancy Newsletter 10 Reasons to Exercise in Pregnancy Exercise in Pregnancy Great Pregnancy Exercises Photo © iStockPhoto Side Stretch in Pregnancy originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, August 10th, 2012 at 15:45:46. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Baby Fever

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Baby Fever Aug 9th 2012, 10:29 Baby fever is real. I don't think that this is news to the men and women who have experienced it. It's the gut wrenching feeling that is so overwhelming that when you see a baby you want to scream, "My ovaries hurt!" Now there is proof for the people who have yet to have that ache in their gonads. The researchers were able to sort out and refute some common theories, like it's "time" to have a baby, a.k.a. the biological clock; it's what "women do;" and more. But they did find that being around babies, at least in a positive manner, the seeing, smelling and hearing babies being cute, made it more likely for people to want to have a baby. Interestingly enough, the opposite was also true - being around diapers, baby spit up and the negatives made people want to keep their reproduction in check. And lastly the rational thoughts (Who would have thought?) did play a part. So if you think, "I'm finishing college." or "We need a house first." You're more likely to wait. As a mother of eight kids, I can certainly say that I have had baby fever. Have you ever experienced baby fever? Related: How Much Time Between Pregnancies? How long does it take to get pregnant? Prepregnancy Checklist Source: Emotional regulation of fertility decision making: What is the nature and structure of "baby fever"? Brase, GL; Brase, SL. Emotion, Aug 15, 2011. doi: 10.1037/a0024954 Photo © April's Grapevine Photography Baby Fever originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, August 9th, 2012 at 10:29:17. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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