About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Fill Your Labor Bag for Under $20

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Fill Your Labor Bag for Under $20 Jul 4th 2013, 22:25 I'll admit it - I'm the Queen of the dollar stores. I really enjoy going and hunting for fun little items. I went last night, specifically for some glow bracelets and wound up passing by the pool noodles. That's when inspiration struck!  I wondered just how much stuff I could quickly find to fill a labor bag for giving birth. Well, it wasn't hard. I found quite a few things that would work really well. Some of the items would be for personal care for both labor and postpartum, while others would be more for labor alone. (Some can be used to aid in relaxation in pregnancy as well.) So here's what I found - what would you add? Save Money on Your Labor Bag Packing a Hospital Bag Labor Bag for Partner Relaxation for Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © REW Fill Your Labor Bag for Under $20 originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, July 4th, 2013 at 22:25:58. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Pregnant at the Picnic

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Pregnant at the Picnic Jul 3rd 2013, 16:08 Yum!  This weekend's celebrations certainly open up for the summer food season.  There are some great foods that are best found in the hottest months of the year.  One of my favorites its watermelon.  While this food doesn't hold a lot of potential for illness, that's not true of other picnic foods, particularly when you're pregnant. There are some pregnancy rules of picnic food they will hold true no matter what type of picnic you're at.  But in addition to the food, think about safety from the point of the sun and heat as well.  Drink to thirst and try to keep a cool glass of water nearby, remember that caffeine can cause you to dehydrate.  You will also want to stay out of the direct sun for long periods of time and to wear sunscreen. What are your Memorial Day plans? Related: Foods to Avoid Harmful Cravings in Pregnancy Surviving the Summer Heat Summer Pregnancy Comfort Tips   Photo © Steven Errico/Getty Images Pregnant at the Picnic originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013 at 16:08:54. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: How much did your pregnancy and birth cost?

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How much did your pregnancy and birth cost? Jul 2nd 2013, 18:22 If you haven't read the article American Way of Birth Costliest in the World, you should. It's a real eyeopener with lots of things families didn't think about. Childbirth is the number one reason for being admitted to the hospital in the US. It costs over $50 billion a year to cover the approximately 4 million babies born every year. Many women don't have insurance, those who do have insurance might be surprised to find that they have no maternity coverage. (When the Affordable Car Act becomes effective, all plans will be mandated to cover maternity care, but it doesn't specify what that entails.) About half the births in the US are covered by Medicaid. So why does this matter?  Healthcare spending is out of control. Some say when individuals pay for their care they make different choices than if they aren't. Certainly the article shows some tests being turned down because of it and I know moms who make similar decisions. There are other families who make different choices, they may choose to seek midwifery care either in the birth center or at home. This can save a lot of money for families who are eligible for this type of birth. What was your birth bill? Do you know how it broke out in terms of prenatal care, hospital, anesthesiology, etc? Related: Common Hospital Bill Errors in Birth Financing Pregnancy Birth Centers are Safe and Cost-Effective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © Dreamstime How much did your pregnancy and birth cost? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, July 2nd, 2013 at 18:22:25. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Women with Prepregnancy Diabetes More Likely to Get MRSA

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Women with Prepregnancy Diabetes More Likely to Get MRSA Jul 1st 2013, 11:51   A new study looked at women who had diabetes before they were pregnant and women with gestational diabetes to see if they had more complications with infection after birth as it related to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). What the researchers found was that only prepregnancy diabetes was associated with an increase in the early postpartum period of MRSA infections. This included infections of the cesarean incision, breast abscess, episiotomy and others. It is important to note that anyone can get a MRSA infection, or other variety. That means that infection control is important for everyone to think about. While you might think that protection from infection is entirely out of your hands, it's not. You can start by reminding everyone who walks into your room to wash their hands.  This is true from techs to physicians and everyone in between. The rule is, if you didn't see them wash their hands - ask them to do it.  There are also some safety precautions you can take prior to and after a cesarean birth to lower the risk of infections. Did you worry about infections? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source: Diabetes and early postpartum methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection in US hospitals Parriott, AM; Arah, OA. American Journal of Infection Control. 41 (2013) 576-80. Photo © Dreamstime Women with Prepregnancy Diabetes More Likely to Get MRSA originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Monday, July 1st, 2013 at 11:51:55. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Ada's Birth

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Ada's Birth Jun 28th 2013, 09:05 My daughter, Ada, turns eight today. Having had six previous children and five births (one set of twins), I thought I knew a thing or two about how I labored. Boy was I wrong! Ada's labor proved to be much harder than I could have ever imagined. It was my shortest labor and probably one of my hardest labors. Her birth was a wild one. The story involves a mad dash in the car, a half naked husband and the air conditioner repair man. Here are the birth story and photos from the home birth of our baby we nicknamed, "Lucky Number Seven." Ada's birth was a blur in some respects but something a certain air conditioner repair man will never, ever forget... Did you have any crazy stories from your labor? Related: The Birth Story Birth Photos Pregnancy After a First Children at Birth Preparing New Siblings Follow me on Twitter | Connect with me on Facebook Photo © Robin Elise Weiss Ada's Birth originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, June 28th, 2013 at 09:05:28. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Delaying the Newborn Bath

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Delaying the Newborn Bath Jun 25th 2013, 09:01 When your baby is first born, you're probably not thinking about an immediate baby bath, though it is something that most parents think about happening in the first few hours of life. I'm sure many of us have stood outside a nursery window in a hospital. watching the nurses expertly give babies baths. It's a sight that is nearly awe inspiring in their speed and ability, because most of us can't image holding a baby like that. While a bath might seem like the best idea after birth, the truth is, there is a down side to bathing baby in the first hours after birth. In fact, here are six reasons you might want to consider delaying that first bath for your baby. Is this on your birth plan yet? Related: 7 Things to Consider for Your Birth Plan What a Newborn Really Looks Like . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © Karen Strauss/Getty Images Delaying the Newborn Bath originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, June 25th, 2013 at 09:01:24. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Epidural or nothing?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Epidural or nothing? Jun 24th 2013, 08:54 Talking to moms about their options for pain relief usually yields me very similar answers: I did my homework and I chose an epidural. My next question is always, what else did you consider? The vast majority say nothing. This always leaves me feeling a bit puzzled - how can you make a choice if you only have one option? One of the first times I had this conversation was with a good friend, who had her baby years before we met. I asked her what her thought process was going into pregnancy and birth surrounding pain medication for labor. She said, "I didn't want to writhe around, so I got an epidural." Before I could stop myself, the automatic thing out of my mouth was, "There are other options other than writhing or an epidural." She honestly had never considered that thought. In her mind, there were women who had epidurals and women who didn't. It was as simple as that. No one had ever told her that she had choices, lots of them. Do you know what all of your choices are when it comes to relieving labor pain? Related: Epidural or Nothing? Choosing an Epidural 7 Reasons You Can't Have an Epidural   Photo © April's Grape Vine Photography Epidural or nothing? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Monday, June 24th, 2013 at 08:54:46. Permalink | Comment | Email this

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