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.
What you eat before pregnancy is just as important as what you eat during pregnancy. During the three months wanting to get pregnant I began following all the rules for pregnancy, and I truly believe it helped me have the healthiest pregnancy possible. The most important and yet simplest ways to prepare is by staring your prenatal vitamin early. (Recommendation for a great prenatal – Once Daily Prenatal by Max Muscle Sports Nutrition).
After taking this easy test you’ll be well aware of a few steps you can take to have the best and healthiest pregnancy possible.
What first?
Taking folic acid, a small tiny B-vitamin can help prevent specific neural tube defects, according to the March of Dimes. The neural tube is an embryonic structure that develops into the brain and spinal cord. Spina bifida, one of the two most common neural tube defects, is a condition in which there is exposure of part of the spinal cord and its coverings. The other is anencephaly, in which a large portion of the child’s brain is missing. Protecting your baby from these serious defects is simple – take 400 mg of folic acid daily during your child-bearing age. Once you are pregnant the need for folic acid doubles! No worries, your prenatal vitamin will have plenty of it! For more on folic acid check out one of the following links:
A baby asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”
God said, “Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care of you.”
The child further inquired, “But tell me, here in heaven I don’t have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy.”
God said, “Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you.
And you will feel your angel’s love and be very happy.”
Again the small child asked, “And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don’t know the language?”
God said, “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.”
“And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?”
God said, “Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.”
“Who will protect me?”
God said, “Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life.”
“But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore.”
God said, “Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you.”
At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, “God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel’s name.”
God said, “You will simply call her, “Mom.”
Lift a mother’s spirit; send this to every mother you know (no matter how old her child is).
Parvovirus B19 is a virus that commonly infects humans; about 50% of all adults have been infected sometime during their childhood or adolescence. Parvovirus B19 infects only humans. There is animal parvovirus, but they do not infect humans. Therefore, a person cannot catch ParvovirusB19 from a dog or a cat.
Humans are the only known hosts of parvovirus B19 infection. Outbreaks commonly occur among school-age children, especially in the winter and spring. Secondary spread is common, occurring in about 50% of susceptible household contacts. Transmission is felt to be through respiratory secretions.
What illnesses does Parvovirus B19 infection cause?
The most common illness caused by parvovirus B19 infection is “fifth disease,” a mild rash illness that occurs most often in children. The ill child typically has a “slapped Cheek” rash on the face and a lacy red rash on the trunk and limbs. Occasionally, the rash may itch. The child is usually not very ill, and the rash resolves in 7 – 10 days. Once a child recovers from parvovirus infection, he or she will develop lasting immunity, which means that the child is protected against future infection. An adult who has not previously been infected with parvovirus B19 can be infected and become ill. They may develop a rash, or joint pain, or swelling, or both. The joint symptoms usually resolve in a week or two, but they can last several months.
Are these illnesses serious?
Fifth disease is usually a mild illness. It resolves without medical treatment among children and adults who are otherwise healthy. Joint pain and swelling in adults usually resolve without long term disability. During outbreaks of fifth disease, about 20% of adults and children are infected without getting any symptoms at all. Read the rest of this entry »
Why do my gums bleed so much and so easily?” Oral health is a key component of overall optimal health and well-being across a person’s lifespan. During the course of pregnancy, it is very important to obtain treatment for your oral health and it IS safe throughout pregnancy. It is very surprising to find out that 22% of U.S. women reported they never accessed oral health care prior to becoming pregnant, and less than one third of pregnant moms visited their dentist in the postpartum period (between 2 to 9 months postpartum) following the birth of their babies. These statistics were obtained in a 2004 study. Surprising? Yes. Can it be prevented? Absolutely!
Why is oral health so important, especially during pregnancy? The many physiological changes that a woman’s body undergoes during pregnancy can have an undesirable affect on her overall oral health and good oral hygiene. The many hormonal changes that occur in pregnancy can increase the risk of the pregnant mom to be more susceptible to oral infections, such as periodontal disease, and can reduce the body’s ability to repair soft tissues in the mouth. In addition, “pregnancy gingivitis” or mild inflammation of the gums occurs in approximately 60% to 75% of pregnant women. If this condition is left untreated, it can lead to periodonitis, which can lead to bone and tooth loss. Periodontal disease has been associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke, poor diabetes control and adverse birth outcomes. The pain that results from oral disease can also harm nutritional intake and affect a pregnant woman’s self esteem. Read the rest of this entry »
My mother went through seven miscarriages to have me. Knowing this, I spent two years preparing myself mentally and my body to even attempt to carry a baby once I’d felt ready to care for one. I read everything I could about healthy eating, learned about working out in the gym, and made slow but steady changes in the household fitness and nutrition processes.
Some women out there are blessed. They get and stay pregnant at the drop of a hat. Others are more challenged and try for years; some with success, some without.
After two years of trying I’d given up. I wasn’t interested in in vitro. It’s a great option for many, but I didn’t want to chance the multiples or the disappointment. I figured, eventually, if I really felt the need to be mom, there was adoption. There are so many children out there in need of a good and loving family.
And, then, found out a week or so later, I was pregnant.
Excitement, yet a certain calmness settled over me. I started reading everything I could. A few books that shall remain nameless scared the hell out of me. I kept up my workouts, slept when I needed to and started playing a nightly meditation CD that I used through out my pregnancy.
Years and years before, I’d seen a show on the Discovery channel that showcased Hypnobirthing® and I thought, if I was ever going to have a baby, that was the way I was going to do it, calmly and without pain. Our society is so focused on pain and timing; we forget that women have been birthing babies forever and then going right back to what they were doing. Read the rest of this entry »
For heartburn during pregnancy: Chew a few pieces of diced papaya before meals. Papaya tablets are also safe–just follow the directions.
The best way to handle heartburn, however, is to prevent it. No super-spicy meals, eat small meals more frequently, bananas soothe the stomach, do not lie down after a meal but try walking or moving your body a bit. The sphincter muscle at the top of your stomach relaxes right along with all the rest of your body to soften up for birthing, and food/stomach acid can get pushed up. This is where the burning part comes in.
Another handy little remedy is slippery elm throat lozenges available from health food stores. Slippery elm bark is safe for pregnancy and it soothes the stomach, but take it only if/when the above suggestions do not work.
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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From the 34th week of pregnancy and onward, your own postural awareness and habits can potentially encourage your baby to lie with his or her back to your left front/side (occipital anterior) so that the baby’s head engages in the pelvic brim in this position.This will increase the potential for a normal and straightforward birth.
A baby who is already lying the other way, with spine against your spine and facing forward (occipital posterior or “sunny side up”) can be encouraged to rotate to the anterior position in late pregnancy or during early established labor.
A few babies will remain posterior and this may not be a problem. However, because of the extra rotation needed, it can mean a longer labor and complications do sometimes occur with posterior births (i.e., prolonged latent phase (early labor), slow progress in active labor, prolonged second stage.)It is worth doing your best to encourage your baby into the optimal position.
How to help your baby into an anterior position:
Use upright, forward leaning postures regularly. This allows more available space in the abdomen for your baby to rotate spine to the front. Be on your hands and knees now and then, swinging your hips (pelvic rock exercise.) You can do 100 pelvic rocks on hands and knees, several times a day (100 pelvic rocks takes about 1 ½ minutes). Pelvic rocks are a quick rocking motion of the pelvis, without much arching or movement of the back.
You can encourage your baby to take up an anterior position by making sure that your knees are always lower than your hips with your back vertical. Do this by using 2 or 3 cushions to sit on and another one in the small of your back, if necessary. Sit like this to read on a dining chair, with your elbows resting on the table, knees apart, leaning slightly forward.Sitting on a birthing ball is another idea.
Sit on a cushion in your car to lift your bottom up and to prevent the pelvis tipping backwards.
Check that your favorite chair doesn’t make your bottom go down and your knees come up
Kneel on the floor leaning over a large beanbag, birth ball or floor cushion to watch TV.
Assume a knee-chest position (knees, head and chest on the bed, with buttocks up in the air) for 20 minutes, three times a day.
Sit your partner in a chair, kneel on the floor knees apart, and lean on his thighs
Hang onto something with arms well above waist height (e.g., your partner’s shoulders) and let your body sag from time to time, turning your knees outward.
Swim with abdomen forward (avoid breaststroke- the kick can potentially strain the softened pelvic ligaments).
Scrub all your floors and skirting boards! – Our grandmas used to say that washing the kitchen floor was a good way of preparing for labor. When you are on all fours, the back of your baby’s head swings to the front of your abdomen.
Take regular breaks and move around if your job involves a lot of sitting.
Lay the majority of the time on your left side, with a pillow or two supporting the top knee to rest or sleep (roll over almost on the stomach, left arm behind back, right leg bent and proper on a pillow, left leg straight). However, you do need to turn onto your right side sometimes too.
It is ideal to use forward leaning postures when having Braxton Hicks contractions as this increases their effectiveness with regard to helping the baby to maneuver into the optimal position.
Positions to AVOID:
Avoid ALL RECLINING POSITIONS, which encourage the baby to flop onto its back. These tip the pelvis back with knees higher than the hips so that gravity will encourage the baby’s spine posterior. Instead, relax in forward leaning positions.
Do not take long trips in cars with bucket seats (these tip the pelvis back). If you must, use wedge cushion to prevent the pelvis from tipping backwards.pelvic-rock-position
I have been listening to a lot of audio books lately, and on a variety of topics. Let’s face it, my listening can range from “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, which everyone should listen to since the author is the one reading and does a GREAT job, to Robert Allen’s “From Idea to Best Seller”. Honestly, the spectrum is a wide one.
But, the topic that struck home for me this week, while commuting was just a side bar in Robert Allen’s presentation. He highlighted Emile Coué. Now, seeing as how I’m a hypnotherapist (among my various titles) I should know this name, and honestly, I probably do and just filed it somewhere in my brain to be triggered later.
Anyway, what struck me the most from the start of my research was this:
Coué maintained that curing some of our troubles requires a change in our unconscious thought, which can only be achieved by using our imagination. Although stressing that he was not primarily a healer but one who taught others to heal themselves, Coué claimed to have effected organic changes through autosuggestion. (My mantra and practice as well.)
This is the perfect explanation of how I have helped myself heal in the past and exactly how I continue to do it each time I start feeling ill or making myself ill. And yes, my mother will freely agree, I used to MAKE myself sick and when I was done with it…I made myself better. I’ve even read documented cases of people using autosuggestion and imagination to heal cancer! He had a 93% success rate!
I applied this to getting pregnant as well. I worked at getting fit and healthy. I started eating better. I started working out. I started listening to meditations and hypnosis sessions to help myself destress and allow my body to prepare for being a mom.
Once I was pregnant (and let me point out…it took us two years to conceive), I used hypnosis birthing techniques to help myself to stay calm and focused. I focused on relaxation, which I also used during birth. Later during pregnancy, I added in affirmations. I think they truly helped.
If you’re a mom with a story to tell about getting pregnant, pregnancy, or childbirth, we’re looking for you! We want your story, so please share. Anything from ‘I used acupuncture and finally got pregnant’ to the ‘things I wished I’d known’, or anything in between. (However, we’re not looking for horror stories unless you had an interesting solution show up to help you and could potentially help others.)
If your story is used in our upcoming book, we’ll send you a free copy with your story included!
How to have your story included? It’s easy, just send us a quick email to info@acsstransitions.com with the subject line “My Mom Story” – we’re working on getting the online form up and running, but wanted to make sure you could start sending in your stories right away.
My mother went through seven miscarriages to have me. Knowing this, I spent two years preparing myself mentally and my body to even attempt to carry a baby once I’d felt ready to care for one. I read everything I could about healthy eating, learned about working out in the gym, and made slow but steady changes in the household fitness and nutrition processes.
