Pregnancy — Page 20

What to do when you’re Overdue

November 15, 2007 By dena

So today is my “due date” but as I suspected would happen… nothing. No big surprise since Esther (my 2 yr old) was 2 weeks overdue (actually, she was in no hurry even after 2 weeks, and I was induced). While I’m in no hurry to have the baby out before it’s ready, I would like to avoid an induction again! And a good thing to remember is that it’s about a million times easier to be a week or two overdue with a baby, than to be taking care of that same baby, so enjoy the extra time before the little one arrives. Don’t worry, no one stays pregnant forever!

CNN Health says: It’s perfectly normal to give birth one to two weeks before or after your due date. In fact, only an estimated 5 percent of women give birth on their due dates. You’re not considered overdue until two weeks after your due date. It’s then that many doctors begin to speak of induction.

The truth is, since I was induced the last time I’m not even sure what the beginning of labor feels like. I assume that when it starts, I’ll know… but here’s a little summery of what to expect: How do I know when I am in labour?

And here are 101 things to do when you’re overdue. Some of them seem pretty silly (go dancing??) but others are practical (pack your hospital bag… buy a nursing bra…) and others would just make me crazy (practice a new position for labor) and some will make your husband crazy (page him to make sure he’s paying attention??). But hey, anything beats just sitting around waiting for a contration!

What does it mean when the baby drops?

November 12, 2007 By dena

I saw a friend of mine today who said, “Looks like the baby dropped!” and then a lightbulb went on in my head. I hadn’t put two and two together, but I did look in the mirror yesterday and think, “Gosh this belly looks awfully low! I don’t remember it being like that before…”

When the baby drops, also known as “engagement” or “lightening” it means that it has engaged itself deeper into your pelvis, positioning itself for labor. In first pregnancies this can happen days or weeks before labor, while in subsequent pregnancies it can happen during labor. So although it’s an indication that your body is getting ready to give birth, you can’t be sure how soon labor will actually start.

The good news about engagement is that you may find it easier to breath and have less heartburn. The down side is that the additional weight in your pelvis compresses your bladder even further, and trips to the bathroom may increase. Some women find the pressure uncomfortable and may even have difficulty walking and performing other tasks. In any case, you can be aware that the baby is getting ready to exit, and look forward to the upcoming delivery of your child!

Beware the Belly Rubbers

November 11, 2007 By dena

An article called “Be Polite About Pregnancy” reveals common pregnancy faux pas, the first one being the Unlicensed Belly Touch. Now, I can deal with people telling me their horrifying labor stories, I don’t really care if someone thinks I’m having twins, but… I hate the Unlicensed Belly Touch!! Even when people do ask, and I pretend I don’t mind, I can’t for the life of me understand why they want to touch my belly. To feel the baby moving, slightly understandable. But someone who just sees the belly and MUST touch it… what the heck?? I have never felt the desire to touch a pregnant woman’s stomach. I am not a huge good luck charm, I am not your pet cat, I don’t like to be patted and even worse to be caressed. Ew. It feels weird. Don’t do it. Don’t even bother asking, because I’ll probably say it’s ok, but that smile is purely fake and I’m writhing underneath it. So all those of you Belly Rubbers out there, do us a really big favor: keep your hands to yourselves!!

PS. I think I’ve found the answer!!! If this T-shirt doesn’t do it, I don’t know what will 🙂

Pregnancy and Cancer Q&A

November 8, 2007 By dena

ABC News invited people to ask questions relating to cancer and pregnancy, and Jennifer Litton, a breast oncologist at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, was on hand to answer them.

Some issues raised here are chemo drugs and how they affect the fetus, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and breastfeeding, and more. You can read more here.

Pregnancy and Chiropractic Care

November 5, 2007 By dena

If you suffer from back pain during pregnancy, which many women report, due to the “rapid growth of the baby and an interference to your body’s normal structural adaptations to that growth,” then you might consider seeing a chiropractor. But there are other reasons too!

Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy is a collection of links to other articles/blogs relating to this subject.

Greater Comfort and Safer Births says that not only can chiropractic adjustments help ease back pain, they can also contribute to the safe and easy delivery of your baby. If a woman’s pelvis is out of balance, it causes a condition referred to as “constraint” to the uterus. This can affect how much space the baby has to grow, and the position of the baby at time of birth. Even if the baby is head-down, the position he is in may prevent him from being in the “ideal position” and this can slow down labor and even cause need for inductions and other avoidable interventions.

This Planet Chiropractic articles states that chiropractic care can shorten labor, relieve back pain, and lessen the chances of back labor (which is very uncomfortable, at best!). Not only do chiropractors work with expecting mothers, they can also help newborn babies that suffer trauma due to in-utero constraint.

DCs in the Delivery Roomis an interesting article written by a chiropractor who actually assisted her friend in delivering her baby. It portrays the hospital staff in a very unfavorable light. I think someone like the woman in this story, with such a personalized birth plan that includes a chiropractor, should have researched the protocols of the hospital and made sure her wishes would be respected there. But maybe she didn’t have many options. In any case, it is interesting to read how adjustments throughout labor affected her delivery.

The Life of the Party

November 4, 2007 By dena

I went to a friend’s wedding tonight and really felt like an old woman. First of all, I somehow ended up sitting at the Old Women’s table. When they don’t assign seats, I have the worst luck picking tables. Anyway, when the band struck up for the first dance, everyone rushed to the dance floor… except me and the old ladies. First of all, I was starving and I wasn’t about to be separated from my stuffed pepper. (The waiters were hovering like vultures to snatch up the plates the moment you put down that fork!) Secondly, who wants to get up and dance when you can just sit and watch? Ahhhh, what has become of me?? Just sat on my fanny and ate my stuffed pepper. And wondered when the freakin music was going to end so they could bring out the next course. I’m pregnant, I’m short on energy, and I’m always ravenous.

*Sigh* 2 more weeks to go! Then I can get back to being the life of the party…

Big heads, small heads

October 28, 2007 By dena

They’re sending me back for another ultrasound because my doctor says the baby is still “small.” By small, they mean a week behind, I believe. I’d like to know what they mean to accomplish by all these ultrasounds. I mean, I have 3 weeks to go. What are they hoping to discover? Is anything really going to change now?

I also had to be monitered twice (because apparently the baby was sleeping the first time). Now the moniter is seriously annoying. You lay there on your back, feeling like you’re suffocating (at least I do, when I’m on my back too long), while this machine measures things which are actually a mystery to me. And they just leave you there for like half an hour, looking at the ugly pictures on the wall. I’m not sure what that has to do with having a “small” baby anyway. Believe me, this kid’s got lots of energy and kicks hard!

And on top of that, my doctor declared that the baby has a small head, in comparison to the body and legs. Well, I said, at the well-baby clinic, they told me that my 2-yr old, Esther’s head was small too!! And then they looked at me and said, Oh, you have a small head too. Sheesh. So we have small heads. Making mountains out of molehills aren’t we? And if you ask me, a small head is better than a big head. The doctor actually said that if the baby has a proportionally bigger head, that can be more of a problem than a proportionally small head. And yet, even a big head is no big deal! A friend of mine has a toddler who’s body is in the 5th percentile and her head is in the 98th. Big deal… she’s an adorible littel girl who will grow into her head one day.

But the truth is I just do what they tell me to do… moniters, ultrasounds, etc… I like my doctor and I assume she’s really just trying to take care of me and my baby. It’s aways better to play it safe, even though I feel like I’m wasting my time. Let’s have this small-headed baby out already! As long as it’s healthy that’s all that matters.

Group B Strep: Important information to protect your baby

October 24, 2007 By dena

The number one cause of life threatening infections in newborn babies, since the early 1970’s, is the bacteria Group B Streptococcus (GBS). GBS infections are more common than other illnesses for which pregnant women are screened, such as rubella, Down’s Syndrome and spina bifida. Yet, most people have never heard of GBS!

GBS is a bacteria normally found in the vagina and/or lower intestine of 15% to 40% of all healthy, adult women, and there are usually no symptoms. Most GBS infections are acquired during childbirth when the baby comes into direct contact with the bacteria carried by the mother. About 12,000 infants in the United States will be infected with GBS each year, and will kill about 2,000 infants yearly, while leaving many others mentally and/or physically handicapped.

A routine screening for vaginal strep B is recomended for all pregnant women. This test is performed between the 35th and 37th week of pregnancy and involves a swab of both the vagina and the rectum.

If you test positive for GBS, you may be given antibiotics through IV during your delivery to prevent your baby from becoming ill. Taking antibiotics greatly decreases the chances of your baby becoming ill. There is a 1 in 200 chance of your baby getting GBS if antibiotics are not given, and 1 in 4000 if antibiotics are given.

Taking oral antibiotics before delivery has not shown to be effective. There are also herbal methods that you can take 2-3 weeks before delivery that a midwife or homeopathic doctor can provide for you.

For more information: Center for Disease Control, American Pregnancy.org and ChildBirth.org

Pregnancy: Little leaks come with the territory

October 21, 2007 By dena

If you experience small bladder leaks, when you sneeze, cough, or laugh, don’t worry… it’s normal! The good news is that in most cases this annoyance will disappear after you give birth.

Why does this happen? The most obvious answer is that your growing baby is taking up lots of room in there, and putting constant pressure on your bladder! Also, a surge in the hormone progesterone, which relaxes the muscles to help make room for baby also contribute to unwanted urine leaks.

4 Weeks to go…

October 20, 2007 By dena

I have about 4 more weeks to go! I am huge, although people seem to feel obligated to say, “Oh, you’re not so big!” I don’t know why they do. There’s nothing wrong with a big belly when you’re entering your last month, is there?

The problem is, most of my maternity clothes don’t even fit anymore! Some of my tops are just too tight, and I keep tugging them down so they cover everything they’re supposed to be covering! It’s very annoying… but hardly worth buying anything new for just the last month. I guess I’ll be suffering with the same 2 tops for the rest of my time…

Also, I don’t like to move these days. I don’t like to move in the best of circumstances (Newton’s law?) but now it’s just a hundred times worse. I feel huge. Clumsy. Not particularly attractive. Tired. Grumpy. Not that I have anything to complain about, as this has really been an easy pregnancy. But I’m just about ready to wrap things up here. Get that baby out. Get back into human-sized clothes. A friend of mine who also had her second recently assured me it’s a whole new world, once the baby is out. I’m glad… you forget how things are supposed to be, and kind of think you’ll be feeling tired and cumbersome for the rest of your life…

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