Natural Childbirth

Natural Childbirth

As you begin to learn and prepare for the birth of your baby you will be asked whether youre aiming for a natural childbirth It depends on who you ask Ive heard nurses define it as a vaginal birth even with pitocin an IV and an epidural A midwife I knew says its a birth that is within the mothers power even a cesarean is natural But for the most part its defined as an intervention free birth theres no IV no antibiotics no pitocin and no painmedicine All of the common medical interventions involved with childbirth carry sideeffects and health risks for you and your baby Many of them increase your odds for more interventions This can by cyclical each intervention leads to another
For example an epidural might slow down your labor requiring pitocin to speed things up Pitocin can make labor harder and more intense increasing your need for more epidural medicine With more epidural medicine you grow number and might have difficulty pushing your baby out You might need forceps or a vacuum procedure to help your baby be born At worst you might need a cesarean baby clothes,baby name,birth control pills,breastfeeding,during pregnancy,early pregnancy test,exercise during pregnancy,getting pregnant,healthy pregnancy,home pregnancy test,how to get pregnant,maternity,miscarriage,pregnancy,pregnancy due date,pregnancy guide,pregnancy nutrition,pregnancy signs,pregnancy weight gain,signs of pregnancy,teenage pregnancy,trying to conceive,trying to get pregnant This is just an example and getting an epidural does not mean you will need all these interventions but it increases your risk for it
To many women the risk of sideeffects and interventions do not out way the benefits Theres also the philosophy that the pain or discomfort of childbirth has a purpose Many women describe natural childbirth as the most enlightening powerful and wonderful experience of their lives To them what they experience isnt unbearable pain and its worth it for the birth of their children First you need to decide what natural childbirth means to you Would you still consider an induction with pitocin natural What about an IV What about antibiotics if youre betastrep positive At what point do these interventions become acceptable to you You need to talk to the people who will be attending your birth and find a primary birthing coach whether its your mom a friend or your partner You will have to discuss what your goals are make sure everyone is willing to help and support you You need to be on the same page about what you expect from each other You need to learn as much as you can about childbirth The best way is through a childbirth education class You can take one through a local hospital or hire a private childbirth educator to come into your home You can look into the Bradley method or hypnobirthing If you take a hospital course be aware that these courses are aimed for teaching about interventions not on how to get through childbirth without the need for pain medicine The Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing are all geared toward natural childbirth and have very high success rates A birth plan is a list of what you hope for your birth It includes things like would prefer not to be offered pain medicine or would like a few minutes to discuss any possible interventions in private.


The birth plan is primarily a communication tool It should be used to discuss your plans with your birthing coach and support people You need to take it into your care provider a few weeks before you give birth and go over every point with them Your wishes may not be possible or may require a compromise.Keep the list down to one page and only note the important things that you really really want Do not list things such as wanting to play music or keep the lights dimmed Your nurses already know that and will be accommodating even without a birth plan
Finally remember that just because you write it down doesnt mean it will happen A birth plan should be used to discuss your wishes You need to be flexible and understand that birth can not be planned or controlled
You might want to hire a doula or a professional birthing coach She provides physical emotional and informational support Studies have shown that births with doulas have fewer birthing interventions including the need for pain medicine Additionally no matter what happens mothers are much happier with their births much happier with their partners support during it and have a better bond with their baby if a doula was present
Finally you need to look at the statistics of your birthing facility and care provider If you dont want a cesarean you might not want a hospital that has a 50% cesarean rate If you dont want an episiotomy you might not want a care provider that has a 60% episiotomy rate

Birth Control Pills

Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills can be purchased under a variety of brand names and offering different chemical makeup and features The two most common types of pills are those that offer a mixed of synthetic estrogen and progestin hormones and those that are progestinbased hormones only The birth control pills that contain both estrogen and progestin prevent ovulation and also thicken the cervical mucus making it more difficult for a mans sperm to travel into the uterus The progestinbased pills work primarily to thicken the cervical mucus The pill creates an artificial period for the week or so that you arent taking any of the hormones

Another interesting feature about the different brands of pills is the number of pills included in a standard supply Birth control pills are normally sold in compacts containing either 21 or 28 pills This is done based on the average womans menstrual cycle which includes 21 days between sevenday periods Whether you purchase a estrogen progestin compact with 21 pills or 28 pills only 21 of those pills will contain the hormones that prevent pregnancy These are taken during the days between your regularly schedule periods The remaining seven pills in the 28pill compact of combined estrogen progestin pills are placebos Many women prefer birth control pill compacts that include 28 pills because it keeps them in the habit of taking a pill every day including during their period During that same sevenday period a woman using a 21day supply of pills would not take a pill

If the prescription is for progestin pills which are sometimes referred to as minipills your entire 28day supply of pills will contain small doses for the hormone and should be taken daily without taking a break A woman taking the minipill may or may not experience a monthly period

You can also purchase birth control pills that decrease the number of menstrual periods to once every three months
The effectiveness is determined by how carefully you take your pills They should be taken daily at approximately the same time Effectivensss also depends on whether you take the pills that contain a mixture of estrogen and progestin or just progestin If you take a estrogen progestin pill every day without missing a day during each 21 day cycle you can expect somewhere between 9598% chance of remaining pregnancyfree Since a progestinbased pill does not normally prevent ovulation your chance of getting pregnant is a bit higher with the minipills

Side Effects
Birth control pills are commonly considered safe but some side effects have been reported including

Blood clots
Weight gain
Mood changes
Irregular menstrual bleeding
Headaches
Dizziness
Breast tenderness
Depression
Jaundice
How To the Pill
You can only get the pill with a prescription from a health care provider or family planning health clinic Your individual health needs will be evaluated for an appropriate method of birth control There are some medical conditions that are counterindicated for birth control pill use Some of these conditions are

Unexplained vaginal bleeding
Pregnancy
An abnormal growth or cancer of the breast
Certain other medical conditions will determine whether your health care provider recommends an estrogen and progestin pill or one that only contains progestin Some conditions will require closer medical supervision while you are on the pill and your health care provider will want to make sure none of your current medications will affect the pills ability to provide adequate protection from pregnancy

In many cases the pill will be covered by your health insurance and will be subject to your normal deductible However if you must pay the cost yourself you can look to spend $20 to $50 a month You can also obtain birth control pills or other family planning methods usually at a reduced rate from a health department family planning clinic or other health clinic such as planned parenthood

It is very important to follow the directions your health care provider gives you for taknig the pill The pill should be taken every day at approximatly the same time and started at the beginning of a cycle when you are having bleeding telling you you are on a period If you miss some pills use a back up method continue the pills and contact your health care provider about how you should make up the pills If you miss some pills you greatly increase your risks of getting pregnant If you are having problems with your pills such as bleeding headaches or anything else that seems serious to you please contact your health care provider for more guidance about what to do

Ovulation Calendar

Ovulation Calendar

Keeping an ovulation calendar might be helpful in understanding your menstrual cycle An ovulation calender is also helpful if you are trying to get pregnant trying to avoid getting pregnant or just interested in learning more about the rhythms of your body Keeping an ovulation calendar just means keeping track of your periods and doing some simple calculations The goal is to figure out your most fertile days the days youre most likely to get pregnant Ovulation refers to the release of an egg from your ovary which happens around the same time in each menstrual cycle
Your most fertile days are approximately 18 to 11 days before your next period There is a smaller window within that time when you are most likely to get pregnant but an ovulation calendar isnt precise enough to show the exact days
Making a Calendar Begin with a regular monthly calendar Circle the day your period starts the first day of bleeding Continue doing this for eight to 12 months so that you can get a good idea of the length of your menstrual cycle Your cycle goes from the first day of bleeding until the day before your next period begins Dont just guess about your cycle length being a day or two off can make a difference Now count the number of days in the shortest cycle Subtract 18 from that number Take the difference and starting with the first day of your next period count that many days forward and mark the calendar with an X That gives you the first day youre likely to be fertile Next subtract 11 from the number of days in your longest cycle Take the difference and starting with the first day of your next period count that many days forward and mark the calendar This is the last day youre likely to be fertile For example if your shortest cycle was 27 days subtracting 18 gives you nine So nine days after your next period starts is your first likely fertile day If your longest cycle was 30 days subtracting 11 gives you 19 Nineteen days after your next period starts is your last likely fertile day If youre using a hormonal method of birth control like the pill the patch or DepoProvera the hormones in your medication are determining when you get your period Youll need to stop all forms of hormonal birth control before beginning to make your ovulation calendar If you are trying to get pregnant be sure to have intercourse during your fertile period as often as you can or want If you are trying not to get pregnant either avoid intercourse entirely during your fertile period or use a barrier method like a condom or diaphragm However ovulation calendars are not considered a reliable method of birth control Ovulation simply is not completely predictable Of 100 women who use the calendar method as birth control for one year without a single mistake nine will become pregnant.

Pregnant Teenagers

Pregnant Teenagers
Pregnant teens often feel frightened and uncertain If youre a pregnant teenager you may feel like youre all alone However teen pregnancy is more common than you may think The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate of all developed countries with over one million teenage girls becoming pregnant each year More than 95 percent of these pregnancies are unplanned Many teenage girls are terrified when they first discover their pregnancies Teen mothers often feel depressed as they contemplate the responsibilities of parenthood It is also very common for teens to worry about the reactions of their friends and family Some girls especially younger teens try to hide the pregnancy from their parents However this is a plan that often backfires While many parents are initially shocked most eventually provide their daughters with the support they need The sooner your parents realize you are pregnant the easier it will be for them to help you through this difficult time in your life Although many teen mothers dont tell their partners about the pregnancy the expectant father deserves to know If youre afraid to tell him try writing a letter or meeting him in the company of a supportive friend or family member If he denies his responsibilities you can later choose to have paternity established through a DNA test However if you decide to seek child support youll be required to produce proof of paternity Since a teenagers body is not yet fully developed a young mother faces additional health risks Pregnant teens are more likely to experience anemia and preeclampsia than older mothers They are also more likely to experience premature labor and or have a baby with a low birth weight If you are a teen mother who is planning to keep her baby its very important to seek early medical attention Proper prenatal care can greatly increase your odds of having a healthy pregnancy Your doctor will recommend that you eat a healthy diet get enough rest and refrain from unsafe sexual activity In addition youll also need to avoid smoking drinking and or illegal drug use for the duration of your pregnancy While over onethird of all teen pregnancies end in abortion or adoption many young mothers decide to keep their babies If youre planning to raise your child on your own there are a number of programs that are designed to provide the assistance you will need Since most pregnant teens dont have a steady income youll probably be able to receive food stamps WIC and medical assistance Depending upon your location childcare assistance may also be available Contact your states Department of Human Services office to learn more about available governmental programs Many communities have local religious and or nonprofit organizations that provide young mothers with counseling parenting classes and other support services They may also offer diapers clothes formula and other essentials In todays society education is more important than ever Finishing high school will dramatically increase your odds of finding stable employment In fact a college education is now a prerequisite for many careers Your school guidance counselor can provide you information on resources that can help you reach your educational goals while raising your child PregnancyIf youve been dreaming of pink baby booties you may be wondering how to conceive a girl Unfortunately nature offers no method to ensure that youll give birth to a baby girl With the exception of artificial insemination gender selection is a 50 50 proposition However there are many theories on how you can tip the odds in your favor While many people insist that the only thing that matters is giving birth to a healthy baby one recent survey of prospective parents found that almost 80% admitted to a preference for one specific gender In fact nearly 84% of parents who decided to have an ultrasound to determine the babys gender said dealing with any potential disappointment before the birth was a significant factor in their decision As you might expect women tend to prefer daughters while men often express a greater desire for sons However couples who already have a child of one gender often wish for the opposite gender on the second pregnancy to create a more balanced family

Pregnancy and Nutrition

Pregnancy and Nutrition

Many women fear gaining weight during pregnancy They fear putting on the extra pounds and developing stretch marks However other women go to the other extreme They eat whatever they want whenever they want But correct nutrition is very important for a healthy pregnancy You should only be taking in an extra 300 calories a day if you are pregnant with a singleton If you are pregnant with multiples you should be eating an extra 500600 calories a day You also should be eating nutritiously You should be eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day plenty of lean protein and primarily whole grains If you are a vegetarian or vegan you should talk with your care provider about getting enough protein and vitamins In addition you should try to cut back on white sugar junk food and fast foodsPregnant women may also want to talk to their care providers about taking a prenatal vitamin Ideally pregnant women should be taking a folic acid iron and calcium supplement before they are even pregnant
Many pregnant women do not drink enough healthy fluids It is vital for the healthy pregnancy that you drink at least eight glasses of water or healthy fluids 64 ounces a day Healthy fluids include milk and 100% fruit juice
Drinking plenty of fluids during pregnancy helps provide amniotic fluid for your baby and flush excess wastes from your body We all know the importance of quitting smoking and not drinking alcohol or taking recreational drugs during pregnancy but there are also a few other things you should avoid during pregnancy

1. Deli meats and hotdogs unless reheated until steaming
2. Raw foods
3. Nonpasteurized soft cheeses
4. Raw vegetable sprouts
5. Cleaning the litterbox
6. Gardening without gloves
7. Caffeine
8. Fish high in mercury including swordfish shark king macekel and tilefish
9. Canned tuna should only be eaten once a week

Getting early prenatal care is very important to having a healthy pregnancy Not only can your care provider catch complications before they become serious but women who get prenatal care have less risk of premature birth
Maternity Night Gowns and Robes Look for maternity night gowns and robes to get you through the third trimester of pregnancy with style and comfort As your baby belly gets larger you may tire of wearing your husbands oversize tshirts or pajama pants to bed An added bonus of many maternity gowns is that they can be used as nursing gowns too.