How Can I Make Sure Im Exercising Safely During My Pregnancy?
September 18, 2008
Unless your practitioner gives you specific restrictions or instructions, you should keep active during pregnancy. This may be as simple as walking every day to get your heart rate moving, or it may be a complete fitness program designed to be safe during pregnancy. But you also need to do so safely.
Exercise and fitness are activities you can control. They are important in pregnancy, just as they are during every other time of life. We all feel better when we’re active, and this alone can make your pregnancy more enjoyable. Exercise will likely improve your mood and help you enjoy the weeks as they fly by. It also may help you be better prepared for the rigors of labor and improve your ability to reach inside of yourself when that little bit extra is called for. Here are some guidelines for safe exercise:
- Keep your heart rate moderate. Try to keep your peak pulse rate below 140. Above this level your body may begin to divert blood away from the uterus and your baby. This is probably not significant until the third trimester, but it’s still a good rule to follow. You can get a heart rate monitor at any sporting goods store or just use this rule of thumb: you should be able to carry on a conversation while you exercise.
- Stay hydrated. Always drink lots of fluids when you work out. Dehydration can cause dizziness, a tendency to faint, a drop in blood pressure, increased heart rate, and pre-term contractions.
- Don’t strain your back. Avoid any lifting using your lower back. Whether it’s a twenty-pound weight or a piece of paper you’re picking up, you should always lift with your knees instead of your back. That’s important because your lower back is already stressed due to your growing midsection. Also, placental hormones cause relaxation of the ligaments, which is good for labor but also makes it easier to pull or strain body parts.
- Avoid jarring exercises. This is most relevant in the later months, but step classes or jogging may have too much impact. Spin classes, fast walking, and supervised weight training are all safe in pregnancy. Possibly the best exercise for a pregnant woman is a swimming or pool training class, since the strain on your ligaments and back is virtually eliminated.
Common sense is one of the best gauges as to what you can do while pregnant. Certainly, walking, swimming, jogging (in the first few months), light weightlifting, and yoga are all great for you and your baby.
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Worldcopyright Marc Hofkens and Cosblad Publications NV. You can use and publish this article on the condition that you don’t change anything and you add this resource box at any time.
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Will I Get Stretch Marks? If I Do, What Can I Do?
September 8, 2008
It doesn’t seem possible at the outset of pregnancy, but your skin really will stretch enough to accommodate your baby. Collagen and elastin in the skin guarantee it. It seems that collagen has the tensile strength of steel ? and by the end of the pregnancy, you’ll understand why this is important.
Elastin, just like the name implies, comprises the rubber-like, elastic fibers in the skin. From a scientific perspective, each elastin molecule will uncoil into a more extended conformation when the fiber is stretched and will recoil spontaneously as soon as the stretching force is relaxed. Simply put, you will tend to bounce back when your baby is born.
Stretch marks are a universal fear of almost every newly pregnant woman. Statistics are against you ― some say as many as 90 percent of women get them on their abdomen, breasts, and/or thighs ― but here’s why you shouldn’t be too concerned:
The tendency toward stretch marks is inherited, and you can’t change your genetics.
If you do your best to gain weight gradually; there’s not much more you can do.
Moisturizers may make your skin feel better, but don’t waste too much money on special stretch-mark creams. No topical treatment has been proven to prevent stretch marks.
Even if you get stretch marks, they do fade somewhat over time. Laser treatments can help remove stretch marks in severe cases. Consult your dermatologist four to six months after the pregnancy.
Please grab hundreds of Pregnancy Secrets and tips at The Pregnancy secrets
Worldcopyright Marc Hofkens and Cosblad Publications NV. You can use and publish this article on the condition that you don’t change anything and you add this resource box at any time.
http://www.the-pregnancy-secrets.com
The Truth About Labor and Childbirth
August 29, 2008
Labor and childbirth was an amazing, positive experience for me, both times. I am very fortunate, I know. But I do believe that if you prepare yourself through education (reading books, reading websites like this one, taking prenatal classes, etc) and taking good care of yourself while you are pregnant, you will have a far greater chance of a pleasant birth experience.
There are many things you can do to increase your chances of an empowering childbirth experience. These are the things I did:
So many people seem to enjoy telling stories of excruciating pain during childbirth. Others will tell you their labor was 87 hours long! I do not know why women do this to each other. Yes, I will grant you, labor is painful. But it is also powerful and incredible what your body can achieve!
One important note: I am Canadian, and our medical system is much different than the United States. BUt I am aware that most visitors to my website are American, so that is why I often try to include American statistics and information. One major difference between our two countries is that midwives in most parts of Canada have hospital privleges, i.e. they are allowed to deliver babies in hospitals. They perform essentially the same procedures as doctors, except they do not perform surgery. Whereas doctors view childbirth in terms of what can go wrong, midwives see childbirth as a natural process and medical intervention is only necessary in the event of an emergency.
I had many questions before I gave birth the first time, and the following onformation is what I leaned about labor and child birth. I am not a doctor, and I have no medical training whatsoever, so please ask your own doctor for clarification or more information.
Am I going to be pregnant forever? In terms of when the average woman gives birth, a woman’s due date is determined to be 40 weeks after her last menstrual period, which is about 280 days. Most women deliver very near their due date, but anywhere from 38 weeks to 42 weeks is normal. You know you are in labor when you have strong (generally more painful than period cramps) contractions, five minutes apart, which last for a full minute. The first stage of labor is the longest and that is when your cervix dilates from 0 to 10 centimetres and becomes thinned out (or “effaced”). The second stage of labor is the pushing stage, which begins after you are fully dilated. The third stage of labor is after your baby is born and you deliver the placenta.
I was worried that my water would break in the supermarket and I would be mortified. However, the bag of water, (the membrane that surrounds the fetus and protects it during your whole pregnancy), contains amniotic fluid and it only breaks at the beginning of labor (mine did) 10% of the time. It does not hurt. You may not even know it has happened, but you may feel warm water on your legs. You feel a tiny “Pop!” and then a little fluid trickles out. It’s not a huge gush - I think this is because the baby’s head is acting like a cork. Most commonly, about 90% of the time, your water breaks when your cervix is fully dilated. Sometimes your midwife or doctor may break it. When that happens, prostaglandins are released, and contractions become stronger and more regular, and the progress of labor speeds up.
Many women also wonder when they should go to the hospital. Your doctor or midwife will educate you about what they want you to do. Some may want you to phone the hospital as soon as anything happens. A midwife usually comes to your house, so you don’t have to plan so much as you would with a doctor. When you get to the hospital, you will need to register at the Maternity Department. Usually you can do this a few months prior - call the hospital where you will deliver and find out. Depending, again, on whether you have a doctor or midwife, a lot of different scenarios can take place. Also what kind of doctor you have: is he or she someone who believes that your body knows what to do? Or will he or she insist that you are given an IV and hooked up to a monitor constantly? You do NOT have to labor this way, but you need to decide before you choose a doctor what is important to you and how you want your experience to be. (A birth plan would be a good option. If you present your birth plan to your doctor and he or she laughs at you - reconsider using that doctor!)
How long does it take?
Every labor is so different, but generally speaking, first labors take about 12 to 24 hours. My first labor was about 10 hours but my midwife said that I was only in “active” labor for 5 hours, which I disagree with because the first 7 hours were not spent sitting around comfortably!
What about the pain? Is it really that bad?
I am not going to lie about it, it is painful, but your body is an amazing machine. I did not take anything for the pain during my labors, but I was very fortunate to have a wonderful doula and husband who supported me throughout. Studies have shown that continuous support during labor decreases the need for pain relief by 60%. See my article entitled “What would I do without my Doula?” here http://www.pregnancy-leads-to-new-babies.com/doula.html.
What’s wrong with having an epidural? Why go through the pain if you don’t have to?
This is simply my opinion - I am not a doctor, but I have done the research. For me, I was not trying to be a martyr. I just wanted my baby to have the very best chance of being healthy. Generally, it is true to say that epidurals are a safe and effective method of relieving pain in labor, but safe does not mean risk free. There are risks; I would be lying to say there are none. See Thorp, J.A. & Breedlove, G (1996) Epidural Analgesia in Labour: An evaluation of Risks and Benefits 23(2) 63-83.
In terms of risks for your baby, epidurals can cause maternal fever and this can potentially harm your baby. Newborns sometimes also exhibit poor nursing behavior for up to one month. Many newborns exposed to epidural anaesthesia in labor are very sleepy and they would rather sleep than nurse, which can be problematic because the more you nurse at the beginning, the faster your milk will come in and the better your experience will be. It’s shocking to me that most women take such exceptional care of their babies while they are pregnant, i.e. no alcohol, no Tylenol, etc., but they willingly expose their babies to drugs during childbirth without fully educating themselves of the risks.
Here’s something you want not want to know: Hospital-employed childbirth educators WANT you to have an epidural. Hospitals make a lot of money from epidurals. The nurse often comes into your room and says, "Are you ready for your epidural now?" In the U.S.A, an epidural costs from $500 to $2500, depending on the hospital. The United States spends more money on birth ($50 Billion a year!) than any other nation in the world, without necessarily getting the best results. The average hospital birth costs $8,000 - $10,000 and that doubles for caesareans, providing very nice profits for obstetricians, anaesthesiologists and drug companies. Hospital policies are routinely set based on financial goals. This is a fact, and if you don’t believe it, you are being duped.
Just hear me out on this one: It makes sense, doesn’t it? Since midwifery care and doula care reduces the rates of intervention, they also reduce the profit for doctors and hospitals. Of course, they will try to convince you that midwives are dangerous. They want your money!!! That is why, in Canada, where we have arguably the best government-run medical insurance system in the world, governments realised that by allowing midwives to deliver in hospitlas, they are saving millions of dollars.
Back to epidurals (which I am not completely against, by the way! I do believe they are warranted in some cases)If you have an epidural, you must also have a urinary catheter inserted to empty your bladder. Epidurals can cause your blood pressure to decrease, so a nurse will check your blood pressure very often. The nurse or doctor will also periodically rub your abdomen to make sure there is enough paralysis but not so much that your breathing becomes impaired.
There is also a domino effect that plays into it as well - once you have one intervention, you are more at risk for more and more. For example, a woman who has an epidural is FOUR times as likely to have to have a caesarean section. Sometimes it relaxes the pelvis so much that you cannot push out your baby, so the use of Vacuum and forceps are significantly increased. This means you also have to have an episiotomy (where they cut your skin from your vagina to your rectum) in order to get the forceps into your vagina. Sometimes there are complications from episiotomies, as you can well imagine, such as bowel incontinence and urinary incontinence. Note: According to Childbirth practices researcher Katherine Hartmann, MD, PhD, close to 1 million unnecessary episiotomies are performed in the U.S. each year. She says episiotomies are probably medically warranted in fewer than 10% of cases. Currently 1 in 3 American women get episiotomies. Hartmann is director of the Center for Women’s Health Research at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
The biggest risk of epidural is death - if the anaesthesiologist injects the wrong dose, or makes a mistake, you’re in trouble. You can also be paralysed (in very rare cases, permanently) due to nerve damage. Let me repeat, MOST epidurals are safe, but these are some of the risks you need to be aware of. The evidence of epidural risks is well documented, but it is not readily available.
Don’t you think it is easier for the doctor to be able to “control” their patient if they are lying still and quiet in the bed, paralysed and unable to move around? Ask your doctor what percentage of their patients receive an epidural. Can you go one step further and ask them how much money they make if they give an epidural? Or of it makes their job easier if their patient has an epidural? I think that would be very interesting! If he or she has an alarming rate of epidurals, I would seriously consider changing doctors.
If you are still thinking, “I don’t care what anybody says, there is no way I am going to go through that pain like some freaky natural childbirth nut”, I am here to say that I thought exactly the same way when I was pregnant - at first. But once I did some reading, I thought, wait a second, maybe I could at least try to do it naturally. In my birth plan I wrote that I wanted to try to do it naturally, but if I ask for an epidural, give me one. (Where we live, Midwives can order epidurals.) I also want to say that I do believe that in some cases, epidurals are a really good idea. For example, if you have been laboring a very long time and you need to rest a few hours so that you can gather your energy to push the baby out. I was present at my friend’s birth as her support person, and she was not making any progress after about 10 hours. We tried all sorts of positions and everything, but finally her doctor suggested an epidural and I agreed. She was able to rest, and calm down, and then it wore off and she was able to push out her baby without any problems. It was beautiful. (Note: she did not experience any of the above complications.)
Please educate yourself by reading some of the books I recommend on my website. You will feel much better about yourself knowing that you did your research and made the right decision for you. Finally, please take a GOOD prenatal class (not one offered at a hospital) and read as much as you can so that you are prepared and educated. It’s your body and your baby!
About the author:
Suzanne Doyle-Ingram is mother of two girls, Hana and Alexa, and married to her best friend James, who is a stay-at-home dad and game designer (and makes a mean grilled chicken!). Suzanne is also the creator of the Pregnancy Leads to New Babies.com website (http://www.pregnancy-leads-to-new-babies.com), an informative site for pregnant women and new Moms, which provides information on pregnancy, labor, and how to take care of your new baby. As a family, Suzanne, James, and the girls enjoy kite flying, swimming at the beach, and visiting new restaurants. Visit her website at http: http://www.pregnancy-leads-to-new-babies.com for more of Suzanne’s articles.
Avoiding Episiotomy During Childbirth
August 19, 2008
I coached as my wife was delivering our third child. She was at the final phase of delivery where the last few pushes would result in the birth of our second daughter. As the crown of our daughter’s head protruded slightly from the very end of the birth canal, my wife’s obstetrician yelled, “Stop! Don’t push…”
He quickly positioned a hypodermic needle and injected anesthetic into a section of my wife’s perineal tissue - the skin between the vagina and the anus. Next he grabbed a scalpel and carefully addressed the freshly anesthetized area. The attending nurse and I instinctively wheeled our heads to the side so that our eyes could not see what happened next. “I never watch this part,” she told me, as the doctor quickly performed a simple procedure known as an episiotomy. Our daughter was born minutes later. As mother and daughter were meeting face-to-face for the very first time, the doctor was busy stitching the incision created during the episiotomy.
The idea behind performing an episiotomy is twofold. The first reason is concern for the baby. Passing through the vaginal canal is the most stressful time for a baby experiencing a traditional vaginal birth. Cutting the perineal tissue creates a wider opening so that the baby can slip through more easily. The second reason is, in theory, to prevent out-of-control tearing of the mother’s perineal tissue. The idea is that, by making an incision, the area affected by cutting or tearing is controlled to a certain extent by the attending physician. The problem is that not all mothers experience tearing, so the laceration can be unnecessary.
According to an article by Salynn Boyles published on WebMD (http://my.webmd.com/content/article/110/109783.htm), The Journal of the American Medical Association (Vol. 293 No. 17, May 4, 2005) reports that researchers screened nearly 1,000 medical resources published in the past 60 years looking for data measuring the effectiveness of the procedure. Data from twenty-six articles contained relevant content and were aggregated to form conclusions.
The article reported that there was “fair to good” evidence that the results of routine episiotomy were not advantageous over the results of those with restrictive use of episiotomy. In cases where episiotomy was performed routinely, the severity of the laceration, the degree of pain suffered, and the amount of medication needed to treat was no better than for cases where episiotomy was not routinely performed.
Though most of the individuals were not followed late into life, relevant studies have shown no benefit from episiotomy for the prevention of urinary incontinence or pelvic floor muscle relaxation. Studies have also shown that “impaired sexual function - pain with intercourse - was more common among women” who had the procedure. A report published in the British Medical Journal in January of 2000 reported that women who received episiotomies during delivery had a significantly higher incidence of anal incontinence - the inability to control bowel movements and gas - than their counterparts who did not receive the procedure.
At best episiotomy is something no one wants to observe; at worst it can cause pain, lengthen the time it would normally take for a couple to resume sexual relations, and cause anal incontinence. The ideal situation would be to not only avoid episiotomy, but also to avoid tearing.
Informed mothers are learning more about this subject and taking the time to speak with their obstetricians about it, well in advance of their scheduled birthing date. They are adopting a strategy that includes special exercises using a device called EPI·NO. The EPI·NO is a soft balloon-like device that is inserted into the vaginal opening and gently filled with air to a specific pressure.
As the balloon is inflated the tissues are gently stretched. The pressure is then maintained for a period of time so that the tissues can adjust to the new opening. Daily the amount of air is increased slightly so that the vaginal opening is gently prepared to receive the baby’s head. The end result is that the tissues are not only better prepared for the birthing process, but - because the tissues are not suddenly and violently stretched - the tissues more readily return to their prior state.
The philosophy is not new. In fact, there exists an age-old African custom by which an expectant mother gently inserts a calabash or gourd into the vaginal opening, to manually stretch the pelvic floor muscles and the perineal tissues. This process is still in use today in many parts of Africa. Modern science provides us with knowledge and materials that perform a similar function, but in a safer and more sterile way.
Unlike the calabash or gourd, the EPI·NO can be used not only to prepare the pelvic floor muscles and perineal tissues for birth, it can also be used to regenerate the tissues through post-partum exercises. Approximately three to six weeks following childbirth (ask your OB/GYN when to begin), a mother can begin once again to use the EPI·NO.
By clenching the pelvic floor muscles - a process known as a “kegel exercise” - the new mother will see the pressure on the EPI·NO gauge rise. This is called “bio feedback” and helps to inform you that your pelvic muscle exercises are being done correctly and to track your progress as muscle strength returns. Expectant mothers can experience mild to severe anxiety as childbirth approaches. Using EPI·NO a few weeks in advance of childbirth can help to reduce this anxiety.
Clinical studies have shown that using EPI·NO will:
- Reduce the incidence of elective episiotomy
- Reduce the incidence of perineal tissue tearing
- Increase APGAR scores (measuring the overall health condition of the newborn baby)
- Decrease the need for certain drugs during childbirth
- Reduce anxiety for the mother
Women who have used EPI·NO in preparation for childbirth report some very satisfying results:
“My daughter was born after 12 hours of labor without problems and spontaneously without cut or tear, thanks to the training with the EPI·NO and to perineum massage. But the interesting thing about it was that, during the phase of the passage of the baby’s head, the thought came to me: you know this feeling, you have managed it before! Instinctively I knew what was happening and, above all, in which direction I should press. (Of course, during the training I did not press, but was conscious of the direction…) In addition, I cannot forget that I was able to practice the "letting go" in the pelvic floor beforehand and thus, was far less frightened before the birth ? ”
“I just made it to the delivery table, and the serious business began, 3 pressing pains and my son was there! No perineum cut, no tear, just a small scratch on the left labium and my baby is perfectly healthy. He was born just 1 ½ hours after entering the clinic! And he was my first child! I began with EPI·NO, as you recommended, [three weeks prior to the due date] and finally achieved a distension of 9.5 cm in diameter. On the basis of this experience, I can only recommend your EPI·NO to other women, and am actually doing just this … ”
“The birth was very quick (2½ hours). I had a very short expulsion phase (approximately 15 minutes) and gave birth with an uninjured perineum. I consider these factors to be due to the EPI·NO. … I think that without EPI·NO there would definitely have been a perineum injury, because when practicing the exercises one senses the progress and how the tissue becomes gradually more extensible. The handling of the instrument is easy. All in all I can most warmly recommend the EPI·NO … ”
More information about EPI·NO can be found by visiting the “Avoid Episiotomy” website (http://www.avoidepisiotomy.com).
Michael Callen is the author of the Weekly Weightloss Tips Newsletter (http://www.weeklyweightlosstips.com) and the Chief Technology Officer for WellnessPartners.com (http://www.WellnessPartners.com), an online retailer of dozens of health and wellness products such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), r+ alpha lipoic acid (R+ ALA), and green tea extract.
How Do I Date My Pregnancy?
August 9, 2008
Accurate dating of pregnancy is one of the most important steps in your prenatal care. Every decision you make and many tests that are run are directly related to or interpreted from where you are in your pregnancy. Using the first day of your last menstrual period as the starting point is the standard convention for dating pregnancies ¯ that’s because it’s a date most women can recall, whereas the actual date of conception is a little harder to pinpoint.
It can be confusing, though. For example, an embryo that is twenty-six days from conception would be about forty days from the first day of the last menstrual period for a woman with twenty-eight-day cycles. Therefore, she could be called "almost six weeks," even though she is only almost four. A "due date" is typically calculated based on 280 days from the first day of your last menstrual period. Actually, the normal gestation of a human fetus is 266 days from conception.
Confused yet? The relevance of menstrual dates is that most books use them to discuss the progress of your pregnancy and further divide it into three trimesters. If you get a book on fetal development, however, it will be using actual dates that start with conception.
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Worldcopyright Marc Hofkens and Cosblad Publications NV. You can use and publish this article on the condition that you don’t change anything and you add this resource box at any time.
http://www.the-pregnancy-secrets.com
Common Sense Approach To Weight Loss After A Pregnancy
July 30, 2008
Every woman gains weight while she is pregnant. This is the way how it is and always has been. And it is as it is: It is also perfectly normal for a woman wanting to lose weight after a pregnancy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with aspiring to get yourself back into shape right after having giving birth to a baby. In fact - weight loss to a certain degree is certainly encouraged. Overweight just causes different health issues in the mid to long term.
However - it is very important that the woman takes a common sense approach when she is attempting to lose weight after a pregnancy. Keep in mind, the weight will not come off overnight, but it will come off if you “attack” it in the right way.
One of the biggest mistakes made by women is to try on clothes from before pregnancy. It is very important that you don’t try to fit back into your pre-pregnancy clothes right after birth. Accept the fact that you will still be carrying around most of the fat you gained to help keep your baby safe and sound during pregnancy.
Usually it is recommended and acceptable that most women can safely lose between one and two pounds per week after giving birth. This “burn rate” will help ensure a safe, healthy and steady weight loss without compromising mom’s health or the health of the new baby.
Do avoid becoming obsessed of how fast the weight has to come off your body. Having a goal is great and keeps you motivated. However - over-doing it will not bring the results expected. In fact, it might may things even worse. Pregnancy depressions are already common enough. There is no need to become depressed because the weight loss is not happening fast enough.
About the Author
Christoph Puetz is a successful entrepreneur and international book author. Examples of the work he is involved in can be found at Health Portal, Highlands Ranch and at Parenting Information.
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