It is important to establish a good support system through family, friends and Mom’s groups. Check out some support meetings for expectant Mom’s. Places online like iVillage and BabyCenter are great resources. We’re building a network here as well. Check meetup.com and see if there are any local moms looking to find others going through this same life-changing event.
The development of a strong support system can help you get through the rough patches of pregnancy as it can be a time of stress, fatigue and anxiety as well as great joy.
It is a time of tremendous change, psychologically and physically. Women need support, both emotionally and physically, through this important life-changing event.
The first place you will turn for help during pregnancy will be your spouse, then your family and your friends.
These are the people who are in your life on a consistent basis, so it is natural that you would seek their support first. You want to be selective with your support system. If there is a person or persons in your life who are being negative, you will want to limit your exposure to them. Surround yourself with the people in your life who are supportive and helpful. It is important to avoid emotional conflict and stress where you can because you will have enough of that on your own.
Other places to build a strong support network are prenatal groups and childbirth classes.
They can help you connect with others who are experiencing some of the same issues as you are right now. Your primary care provider, childbirth educator or hospital social worker can place you in contact with support systems in your area. Many times the friendships formed through these groups can continue long after the pregnancy and birth, and sometimes can be a support system for life.
I’d established early on in my pregnancy that I didn’t want to hear the ‘bad’ stories. I threatened to wear a No Negativity button just to keep people from sharing. What is it with us? We have to share all the pain and details of what wasn’t up to our expectation for that first pregnancy? Umm, hello??? Not all births are painful. Nor do they need to be. Industrialized nations are the ONLY ones who consider birth to be painful and pregnancy to be something other than the purely wonderful action it is. More natural regions, women have babies in fields and go right back to working….NO PAIN. I swear, it’s the media’s fault.
I surrounded myself with positive people.
I warned those who started down the path of a bad story to keep it to themselves. I and the baby could hear them. If I found myself obsessing over something too negative, I leaned into meditating or searching out positive stories.
Make sure others are aware of you’re no negativity zone. Friends and family may have great stories to share, but cut them off if they start to make you nervous. Remind them, good stories only! They’re supposed to be there to support you.
Be sure that your diet contains enough sources of the nutrients needed for healthy skin (especially vitamins C and E) – it’s going to be doing a lot of stretching over the next nine months! Last week we discussed the body’s need for calcium. Now, let’s focus on all the nutrients you and your baby need during this time.
Getting essential nutrients is very important for the health of you and your baby. According to the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG) http://www.acog.org/, pregnant women should increase their usual servings of a variety of foods from five basic food groups to include the following:
Three to four servings of fruits and vegetables
Nine servings of whole-grain or enriched bread, cereal, rice, or pasta for energy
Three servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese for calcium
Three servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, dried beans, and peas for protein
A balanced diet is the best way to receive nutrients, but vitamin supplements can also be beneficial so make sure you take your prenatal vitamin. Read the rest of this entry »
If you fear or avoid the dentist, now is the time to get over it. After all those years of braces and surgeries, I drag my feet about going. But, when I found out I was pregnant with our now 6 year old, I made that appointment and kept it.
You need to get a dental checkup early in your pregnancy to make sure your teeth and mouth are healthy. Half of all pregnant women experience tenderness, swelling and bleeding of their gums during pregnancy. While gingivitis is not harmful to you or your baby, the more advanced health problem, periodontal disease can affect the baby as well. Perio.org states “pregnant women with periodontal disease may be seven times more likely to have a baby that’s born too early and too small.”
If you are diagnosed with periodontal disease, not to worry! Your dentist will most likely recommend you come in for scaling and root planning. This is a process that removes the plaque and tartar from your teeth, and, removes the dangerous toxins called prostaglandin. As a bonus, any tenderness and swelling should be alleviated.
To avoid gingivitis and subsequently, periodontal disease, make sure you are practicing good dental hygiene. Some recommendations: Read the rest of this entry »
Higher fish consumption and longer breastfeeding have been linked to better physical and cognitive development in infants, according to a study of mothers and infants from Denmark. Maternal fish consumption and longer breastfeeding each were found to be independently beneficial.
This study from Denmark, along with other studies from the U.S. and the United Kingdom, provide additional evidence that moderate maternal fish intake during pregnancy provides a benefit to child development.
One study, which appeared in the September issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, was conducted by researchers from the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and the Maternal Nutrition Group from the Department of Epidemiology at Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. Their findings provide further evidence that the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and compounds in breast milk are beneficial to infant development.
The study team looked at 25,446 children born to mothers participating in the Danish Birth Cohort, a study that includes pregnant women enrolled from 1997-2002. Mothers were interviewed about child development markers at 6 and 18 months postpartum and asked about their breastfeeding at 6 months postpartum. Prenatal diet, including amounts and types of fish consumed weekly, was assessed by a detailed food frequency questionnaire administered when they were six months pregnant.
During the interviews mothers were asked about specific physical and cognitive developmental milestones such as whether the child at six months could hold up his/her head, sit with a straight back, sit unsupported, respond to sound or voices, imitate sounds, or crawl. At 18 months, they were asked about more advanced milestones such as whether the child could climb stairs, remove his/her socks, drink from a cup, write or draw, use word-like sounds and put words together, and whether they could walk unassisted.
The children whose mothers ate the most fish during pregnancy were more likely to have better motor and cognitive skills. For example, among mothers who ate the least fish, 5.7% of their children had the lowest developmental scores at 18 months, compared with only 3.7% of children whose mothers had the highest fish intake. Compared with women who ate the least fish, women with the highest fish intake (about 60 grams – 2 ounces – per day on average) had children 25% more likely to have higher developmental scores at 6 months and almost 30% more likely to have higher scores at 18 months.
Longer duration of breastfeeding was also associated with better infant development, especially at 18 months. Breastmilk also contains omega-3 fatty acids. The benefit of fish consumption was similar among infants breastfed for shorter or longer durations.
Women in the U.S. have been advised to limit their fish intake to two servings a week because some fish contains high traces of mercury, which has demonstrated toxic effects. Information regarding mercury levels was not available in this population, but most women consumed cod, plaice, salmon, herring, and mackerel, fish types that tend to have low mercury content. In this study, consumption of three or more weekly servings of fish was associated with higher development scores, so in this case the nutrient benefits of prenatal fish appeared to outweigh toxicant harm.
“In previous work in a population of U.S. women, we similarly found that higher prenatal fish consumption was associated with an overall benefit for child cognitive development, but that higher mercury levels attenuated this benefit,” says Dr. Oken. “Therefore, women should continue to eat fish – especially during pregnancy – but should choose fish types likely to be lower in mercury.” Information on mercury levels in commonly consumed fish is available at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration website (http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html).
—————————- Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Breastfeeding is the natural way to feed your baby and also benefits your health, but the decision to breastfeed is up to you. This information below explains the benefits of breastfeeding so you can make an informed decision about how to feed your baby.
Breast milk: the best food for your baby!
Breast milk provides all the nutrition your baby needs – it contains the right amount of nutrients for your baby to grow.
Breast milk is always available – as soon as your baby is born, a hormone is released by your body, signaling the breasts to produce milk. The more your baby feeds, the more milk your breasts produce.
Breast milk is convenient – it is always at the right temperature and does not require measuring or special preparation.
Breast milk is economical — breast milk is natural and free! Plus, you don’t need to buy formula, extra bottles or other feeding supplies for your baby.
Breastfeeding is safe for the environment — breast milk does not require packaging and doesn’t waste paper, glass, tin, plastic, rubber or silicon. The production of breast milk does not require the use of environmental resources.
Breastfeeding provides comfort to your baby — by holding your baby close to your skin, you provide warmth to your baby, as well as create a bond between you and your baby that no one else can replace.
Breastfeeding helps your baby’s brain develop — studies show that children who are breastfed have higher IQs (by an average of 7 points) than those who are fed breast milk substitutes.
Breastfeeding helps your baby grow into a healthy adult — studies cited by the AmericanAcademy of Pediatrics show that people who were breastfed have fewer health problems such as diabetes, asthma, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, allergies, skin problems, and lymphoma, as well as a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.
Breastfeeding produces healthy babies
Babies who are breastfed for at least six months* have fewer health problems than babies who are fed breast milk substitutes. Breastfed babies have:
Less diarrhea, constipation and stomach problems because breast milk is easy for babies to digest
Less allergies; less ear, urinary tract and respiratory infections; and fewer serious illnesses such as bacterial meningitis and botulism because breast milk contains the mother’s antibodies which protect the baby
Less tooth decay
Good oral development from sucking at the breast
A decreased risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
*It is currently recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as desired by you and your baby.
Breastfeeding is healthy for moms
Breastfeeding causes uterine contractions right after birth, leading to less bleeding
Breastfeeding helps your uterus shrink to its normal size and burns extra calories, helping you get in shape faster
Reduces your risk of ovarian and premenopausal breast cancer
Reduces your risk of developing osteoporosis
Common concerns about breastfeeding
1. Are my breasts too small to breastfeed? Breast size does not affect your ability to breastfeed. The amount of milk your breasts produce will depend on how much your baby eats, not how big your breasts are.
2. Will breastfeeding hurt? Breastfeeding should not hurt if your baby is latched onto your breast correctly. Your health care provider can help you learn how to position your baby when you breastfeed for the first time. Your breasts may be tender the first few days, but this discomfort should go away as you continue to breastfeed.
3. Is breastfeeding hard to do? Breastfeeding is a learned skill and takes practice, but the health benefits you are gaining for you and your baby are worth it.
Help with breastfeeding is available. There are many resources for you to learn about breastfeeding, including a Breastfeeding Basics class that you can attend during pregnancy. Nurses and lactation consultants are also available to provide information and support. Talking to other breastfeeding moms may be helpful and make you feel more comfortable.
4. I am shy and think breastfeeding may embarrass me. You can choose to feed your baby in private. Or, you can breastfeed in front of others without them seeing anything. You can wear shirts that pull up from the bottom, just enough for your baby to reach your breast. You can put a blanket over your shoulder or around your baby so no one can see your breast.
5. Do I have to drink milk if I choose to breastfeed? No, you do not have to drink milk to produce breast milk. Other sources of calcium-rich foods include leafy green vegetables, broccoli or dried beans or peas. Eat 4 servings of calcium-rich foods every day to provide proper nutrition for you and your baby.
6. What if I need to go out? If you can take your baby with you, your baby can eat when he or she is hungry. If you need to be away from your baby, you can learn to pump or express your milk and store it so someone else can feed your baby.
7. How can I breastfeed when I go back to work? When you return to work, you can learn to pump or express your milk and store it so someone else can feed your milk to your baby while you’re at work.
8. I’m worried that breastfeeding will take too much time. Feeding your baby takes time, no matter which method you choose.
Your choice to breastfeed is a personal one. We hope this information explained some of the benefits of breastfeeding for you and your baby. Please feel free to discuss your concerns with your health care provider or a lactation specialist.
