Keeping “kick counts” is recommended by most doctors late in the second trimester.  To do a kick count, you count the number of movements or kicks.  After you get to 10 squiggles, rolls, kicks or flutters, you note how long it took from the beginning to the end of the session.

Research done in th 1970’s and 1980’s determined that kick counts were a pretty accurate indicator of a baby’s health.  Therefore, if your kick count session become longer as your pregnancy advances, or your baby just isn’t moving, you should call your health care provider.

With my last pregnancy, I felt that something wasn’t right.  My child wasn’t moving as he had previously, and I mentioned that to my doctor who wasn’t very concerned.  I continued to monitor my child’s movements and they continued to decrease over the following few days which prompted me to again contact the doctor.  After that, I had to go for bi-weekly tests to more thoroughly monitor my son.  While the child was becoming more lethargic, no one seemed to know why.  Some of the staff told me to not even bother worrying.

When my son was born, we found that he had 2 knots in his umbilical cord.   That was the reason for the kick count decline: if he moved or laid in a certain position, it most certainly would have reduced the amount of oxygen and nutrients he was getting.

The thing that frustrated me was that I felt that the health care providers were more or less complacent about the whole thing.  It took some advocating on my part to even get additional monitoring for my child.  Several doctors tried to tell me that my records were inaccurate or that I was worrying about nothing.

I saw a new product called the KickTrak which electronically monitors your baby’s kicks and movements.  I am seriously considering buying the product, which costs about $30, mostly because I’ve had issues with all of my children towards the end of my pregnancies.  Several of my deliveries were induced and my children were delivered early.

Would you purchase an electronic kick count monitor?  Do you prefer to keep track of your baby’s movements in a journal?

A few months ago I wrote about my son’s ear tubes and how they really were great for him because he went from recurring ear infections to no infections like magic. I still endorse ear tubes, but now I have a warning for parents who are considering letting their babies get tubes like my son did.

At my son’s last annual follow-up with his Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist the doctor told me that even though the tubes appeared as though they had fallen out, one was still in there and was causing problems. She urged me to schedule surgery so she could go in there are remove the tube and put a little healing patch on the spot that wasn’t healing as planned.

Wait a minute…I thought we were done with surgeries?

Apparently not all tubes fall out on their own. Even more maddening was the fact that after my son was wheeled away into surgery to have the tube removed – and I was sitting in the room freaked out like any parent would be – the doctor walked in and told me there was more damage than she initially thought and she wanted to graft some skin from the back of my son’s ear to implant onto the damaged area.

So just to be clear, my son is already knocked out on anesthesia, I’m already freaked out, and this lady is telling me she wants to slice up the skin behind my son’s ear.

I told her to go ahead and do it, but I probably would have agreed to just about anything at that point because I didn’t want to debate with her while he was sprawled out on an operating table.

That was almost a week ago and he seems to be recovering quite nicely. He doesn’t complain of any pain and the stitches appear to be healing. I was just taken by surprise that all this came about after the doctor had originally assured us that tubes are no big deal and all that jazz. I still endorse tubes wholeheartedly, but just be sure that you know what you might be getting your baby into with these things.

I read every book and article I could get my hands on before going into labor, hoping to be as prepared as possible for whatever may happen. I wanted to read about every possible glitch that might happen so that there would be nothing that would take me by surprise. It was my way of trying to have some power in a potentially scary situation.

So what did none of these books or articles cover that totally took me by surprise? Although I had never thrown up from morning sickness throughout my entire first pregnancy, to my surprise I spent a good portion of my labor alternating between throwing up into a little bucket and dry heaving. The doctor and staff kept saying, “Oh, don’t worry, this happens all the time,” but what I didn’t understand is that I had never read about this phenomenon anywhere. How frustrating.

The good news was that all the throwing up actually helps push the baby through the birth canal faster. It was like forced pushing, but I had no choice. I guess that’s one way to do it.

You can add this to another possible labor issue, my pregnant friends. Apparently it’s pretty common. I will tell you that there’s nothing quite like giving birth to a baby while throwing up at the same time. It’s almost as if the inside of my body declared, “Okay, everybody out!”

Cervical dysplasia is considered to a precancer stage of cervical cancer. It is characterized by abnormal cells and lesions in the cervix. If left untreated, these lesions can develop into cervical cancer. Several methods are used to treat cervical dysplasia and loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is among the most popular. The procedure uses a low-voltage electric wire loop to remove abnormal cells in the cervical walls. It has been considered to be a safe and risk-free procedure even during pregnancy.

However, a British study indicates that performing LEEP in pregnant women to get rid of lesions may actually significantly increase the risk for pregnancy complications. These complications include preterm labor and delivery (70% increase in risk) and delivery of infants with low birth weight (82% increase in risk). Although other procedures (e.d. laser or cold knife conization) presented risks as well, LEEP seems to have the worst risk profile of all.

The researchers recommend that LEEP should not be performed in pregnant women unless absolutely necessary and only in cases of high-grade precancerous lesions.

Source: Health Day News

Childbirth is not a competitive sport.

We live in a society that is permeated by competition. We compete on the jobsite, in school, and with our next door neighbors(keeping up with the Joneses). Our television shows involve people competing over more serious things like dating prospects and marriage partners to seemingly more benign competitions over things such as dancing, cooking, and singing.

After talking with women during my 16 year career as a mom, I realize that this sense of competition extends even into the birthing room. Yes, women actually compete over childbirth experiences.

When I was pregnant with my first, I remember a college friend who had birthed her child before me relaying to me that ?real women didn?t use pain medication during childbirth.? Another friend, on a different occasion proudly reveled in the fact that she had birthed her first child in 8 hours, when the average amount of time for a first labor was 12 hours. She had beaten the average!

I remember the emotional pain I felt when others were judgmental about the fact that it had taken me almost 24 hours to birth my 5 pound child and that I had to push for almost 2 hours. I remember being shocked that others were shocked because I hadn?t firmly decided against pain medication prior to the birth of our child. I had after all, they pointed out, attended Lamaze classes. What else did I need?

At this point, dear reader, I have either angered you immensely, or you are nodding along in agreement.

I want to tell you that it is ok if you birth your child in several hours, or if it takes you a longer time. It does not mean you are less of a woman if you only have to push once and your child arrives, or if you push for several hours until that child is delivered. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of pain medication during childbirth and educate yourself about your options. If your doctor tells you that medication during labor is safe(and I have had labor situations where the doctor advised against pain medications), then it is ok to take that option. If you choose during the labor to get pain relief, this does not mean that you are a bad person and that you have failed somehow. It does not mean you are weak or wimpy either. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, or judge you over a birthing experience, it is ok to walk away or change the subject.

Remember, childbirth is not a competitive sport; neither is parenting or housecleaning.

During my first pregnancy I generally abstained from chocolate because I had heard about the possible dangers of caffeine consumption while pregnant. After all, chocolate has a bit of caffeine, doesn’t it? I wanted to be as careful as possible.

When my second pregnancy came along I was a little more relaxed about the whole thing. I indulged in chocolate occasionally, but still stayed away from caffeinated drinks. I don’t know if it had any effect on my son, but I guarantee you I was a happier lady.

Now a study has been released that makes the claim that chocolate might actually reduce complications during pregnancy.

Hallelujah! Finally some good news.

I’ve heard about the merits behind moderate dark chocolate consumption, but never associated with pregnancy. Now it sounds like eating dark chocolate during pregnancy can actually lower the odds of preeclampsia.

Let me get this straight: I get to eat dark chocolate and avoid preeclampsia? Sounds good to me!

The study concentrated on dark chocolate, so if you’re a fan of milk chocolate then you might not derive the same benefits as people like me who could seriously eat dark chocolate all day long. Still, I’m always happy to hear about anything the justifies my love of chocolate.

As with anything else, though, my guess is that moderation is key with this. Don’t take this news as permission to eat dark chocolate instead of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

If you need any more justification for indulging in some chocolate during pregnancy, don’t forget that some researchers suggest that chocolate during pregnancy can result in a happier baby.

Just as I’ve always thought…chocolate is awesome.

As a soon-to-be mom or the latter, you will find that you are bombarded with propaganda advocating the benefits of breastfeeding and about a million how-to guides in every shape and size. Breastfeeding seems to be one of those topics that escapes popular knowledge and conversation until you yourself are pregnant. As soon as the “p” word leaves your lips you will be bowled over by advice, books, guides, pamphlets, videos, magazines, you name it, it’s out there. While it is my sincere hope that your deliveries come off without a hitch, I was one of the many who had very severe complications with my labor and due to this, I was unable to breastfeed right away in the hospital. Due to the enormous amounts of medication I was administered with my labor and surgery and thereafter I was told that I should not begin breastfeeding until a week after the birth of my daughter to make sure all of the medication was flushed from my body.
This is not usually a concern for infants who are born to term and with sufficient birth weight, but because my daughter was five weeks early and weighed a mere 5 lbs 4 ounces, her feeding was a major concern. She was to eat every three hours and we were to record exactly how much she had eaten and if she had wet her diaper or pooped religiously from the first day in the hospital until she was a month old. This is somewhat difficult to determine when you are breastfeeding unless you are using a pump, use your best judgment and pay attention to your baby to make sure she is getting enough.

In most cases, a new mothers’ milk comes in 2-5 days after a birth, but in cases where there is a lot of medication and trauma concerned with a surgery or labor, this isn’t always true. My milk came in immediately after the birth and came in with zeal. I had to change my night gown and sheets several times a day as I was lactating uncontrollably and in large amounts. This was very frustrating to not be able to breastfeed and because I was not able to, I did not get much instruction in the hospital from nurses except the mandatory discharge meeting you have with the nursery. By the time I had gotten home my milk was already receding and I tried to keep it flowing with pumps but did not have much luck. At the one week mark I began trying to breast feed and found that my swollen breasts made it very painful and I could only do it for short periods at a time. I also found that because of her strict eating regimen that I was getting exhausted and dizzy from the breast feeding, almost to the point of nausea.
After I was given some books and help from some friends of mine, including my fiance’s mother, I learned that breastfeeding stimulates a hormone that is administered into breast milk that relaxes both you and the baby, making the experience easier for your both. For some reason this hormone, “oxytocin” , was making me disorientated and at times even causing me to vomit if I fed her too close to my own eating times. I also found that I was eating non-stop and felt like I couldn’t sustain myself and the baby without getting very tired or over eating.
I struggled with my breastfeeding for about two more weeks until I got used to it and my milk was coming in regularly and in stable intervals. In the times between breastfeeding, it was very helpful to have my fiance’ bottle-feed her and before too long she would take either the nipple or the bottle. She is now ten weeks old and I find that she breastfeeds better in the morning, early afternoon, or early evening. If she is too tired she often fusses while breastfeeding and cries until I give her a bottle.
The best advice I can give a new mom is that it is okay to supplement feedings with formula. Gas Drops are great for new tummies and it may take you a few different types of formula to find the one that works the best for your baby. Nothing is cut and dry, but if you can make it past the first three weeks, you can DO IT!!! It IS important for your baby to have breast milk as it contains anti-oxidants and nourishment targeted for your little ones’ needs, but don’t beat yourself up if you have to supplement. You are no less of a great mom if you have to supplement with formula, and it can be a great way for dad and other family to bond with the baby while you get in some extra Zs. Don’t be overwhelmed by all the hype, just take it easy and you will figure out what is best for you as every baby and every breast is different!!! Good luck!!!