About Pregnancy & Childbirth: How to Use Your Birth Ball

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

How to Use Your Birth Ball Jun 14th 2013, 08:31 When I first started working with pregnant and laboring women, a birth ball was an oddity. As it's grown in popularity you find them nearly everywhere, even in workout rooms for non-pregnant women. So the word is out - birth balls are great for labor. What I think has been slower in coming has been the use of a birth ball for other uses.  That would be things like comfort in pregnancy, exercise while pregnant and even using the ball after the baby is born for comforting the baby or getting back in shape.  Here's an article that hopefully will encourage you to try a thing or two you hadn't thought about with your birth ball. What do you do with a birth ball? Related: 5 Exercises You Can Do Right After Giving Birth 4 Great Pregnancy Exercises How to Turn a Breech Baby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © Fotolia How to Use Your Birth Ball originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, June 14th, 2013 at 08:31:52. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Will you celebrate Father's Day while pregnant?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Will you celebrate Father's Day while pregnant? Jun 13th 2013, 08:12 It's Father's Day in the US this weekend, a day when we celebrate the dads in our lives. I was talking to a couple of moms-to-be the other day about their plans for Father's Day. Oddly enough they were not going to celebrate much if at all. One mom said she planned to give her boyfriend a card, and another said they were going to childbirth class. Other than that, it was going to be a normal day for these families. I asked if they had celebrated Mother's Day and they had. So why the disconnect? These moms said that their partners were not that into the though of celebrating Father's Day. One said her husband felt it wasn't the same for dads as it was for moms; another said that he felt a bit superstitious about it, but wanted to let her celebrate Mother's Day. What's YOUR family planning to do for Father's Day? Related: A Confession About Father's Day 5 Quick Ways to Celebrate Father's Day A Father's Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   Photo © Fotolia Will you celebrate Father's Day while pregnant? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, June 13th, 2013 at 08:12:05. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Does Being a Republican or Democrat Shape Your Baby Naming Choices?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Does Being a Republican or Democrat Shape Your Baby Naming Choices? Jun 12th 2013, 10:42 A recent article in the Washington Post's WonkBlog talks about the differences between baby naming styles of Republicans and Democrats. They give some references to who chooses what type of names. (Their article is based on data from research by the University of Chicago.) Some of the themes they picked up on related to economics and education. One example was that white mothers with at least some education who lived in Democratic areas were more likely to choose a name that was uncommon. They also said that Republic were also more likely to pick names that "signaled economic capital" - this includes names like Katherine and John. While the exact reason people choose baby names is up in the air for most, this was a really interesting read for people who enjoy baby names and data surrounding baby names. How did you choose your baby's name? Related: Top 100 Baby Girl Names Top 100 Baby Boy Names Top Baby Name by Decade Photo © Howard Berman/Getty Images Does Being a Republican or Democrat Shape Your Baby Naming Choices? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, June 12th, 2013 at 10:42:18. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Antihistamines for Morning Sickness Problematic

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Antihistamines for Morning Sickness Problematic Jun 11th 2013, 11:08 A new study of women suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, severe morning sickness that usually requires medical intervention, shows that of the mothers who had a problem like preterm birth or low birth weight, they had more likelihood of having taken antihistamines for their morning sickness. A common substance, an antihistamine is the active ingredient in medications like Benadryl and Unisom. These over-the-counter medications are frequently taken to help women through their morning sickness, though only about 20% of women found them helpful according to lead author Dr. Marlena Fejzo (UCLA), who is also an advisor at the Hyperemesis Education and Research Foundation. The problem is that hyperemesis is a very severe disease that causes many problems in pregnancy. Further research is needed to figure out how to best care for moms who experience this debilitating form of morning sickness. While there are treatments, many are aimed at correcting the problems caused by hyperemesis, like malnutrition and dehydration. Prevention and symptom control are much more difficult. How did you treat your hyperemesis? Related: Moms Share Hyperemesis Experiences Share YOUR Experiences with Hyperemesis   Source: Fejzo, Marlena S., Magtira, Aromalyn, Schoenberg, Frederic Paik, MacGibbon, Kimber, Mullin, Patrick, Romero, Roberto, & Tabsh, Khalil. Antihistamines and other prognostic factors for adverse outcome in hyperemesis gravidarum. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology(0). doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2013.04.017 Photo © iStockPhoto Antihistamines for Morning Sickness Problematic originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, June 11th, 2013 at 11:08:51. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Preparing for Baby Before You Give Birth

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Preparing for Baby Before You Give Birth Jun 11th 2013, 10:04 We spend a lot of time preparing for labor and childbirth. The problem is, other than the basics, we rarely spend a terrible amount of time thinking about caring for ourselves and our families after the baby arrives. Using a bit of pregnancy to plan ahead can give you a great head start on getting your life back under some modicum of control, or at least bring the level of chaos down to a manageable level. Here is a quick six things you can do before baby to plan ahead. Which have you already done? Related: New Baby Diaper Chart Baby Care Basics Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © Iosif Szasz-Fabian - Fotolia.com Preparing for Baby Before You Give Birth originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, June 11th, 2013 at 10:04:57. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Empowered Birth

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Empowered Birth Jun 7th 2013, 10:09 One of my older children just turned 20.  What was so unique about his birth was it was the first birth I'd had that left me feeling amazingly invigorated and empowered. Sure, things didn't go exactly as I had planned, but I felt a part of the decision making process. No one told me what to do, but rather asked me how I felt about certain things. Extreme care was taken to ensure that I was treated as an individual and not just a baby on a processing line. It was completely different than my first birth. Sometimes it's important to remember that how you got there is part of how a woman feels about her birth, even if the process is different to what she had planned. I think we get caught up in birth plans; arguing whether or not they are needed or help. The point of the birth plan is to have place where people you may not have met before or who may not remember, can look quickly for details on what's your preference. It's not a rigid guideline to be followed at all costs.  I'd argue that the experience of an empowered birth comes from being in control of the decisions, not from checking off a bunch of boxes on a birth plan. What makes an empowered birth for you? 7 Things to Consider for Your Birth Plan Cesarean Section Birth Plans How to Write a Birth Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © GrapeVine Photography Empowered Birth originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, June 7th, 2013 at 10:09:51. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Birth Rates Through 2012

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Birth Rates Through 2012 Jun 6th 2013, 09:33 After incredible highs in the mid-2000s, the birth rate began to fall in 2008 as the recession hit.  In 2011 the data showed us that the rates were leveling off. Today the Centers for Disease Control National Center for Health Statistics released the provisional data for the time period through the end of 2012. It showed that the leveling has continued with neither decreases nor increases, essentially the curve was flat for both birth rates and fertility rates. All this said, there are still close to four million babies born in the United States every year.  Is your baby one of them? Birth Rates Through 2012 originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, June 6th, 2013 at 09:33:00. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions