Postpartum Bliss

By: Michelle Isla, Student Midwife

The weeks and months following your birth are a powerful time of transition for you and your baby.  It is a magical time I commonly refer to as your babymoon, in which you are falling in love with your baby and forming the deepest of bonds.  You are learning your baby's cues, learning how to nurse, and establishing new rhythms.

Physically and emotionally your body had to do the work of opening to give birth to your baby and it takes time for the body and the emotions to regain a sense of balance.  Tissues need to heal, the body needs to be nourished and allowed to rest so that it may then be able to nourish another life. Taking herbal sitz baths, sleeping when your baby sleeps, eating warm nourishing foods, are just some ways that you can support yourself during your babymoon.

It is important that this time be honored and not rushed.  I cannot stress enough the importance of this period for a mother's short and long-term health.  Rushing out of this phase or experiencing excessive stress during this time depletes a mother's energy and emotional resources and can lead to a weakened physical and emotional state for months and even years to come.

Some keys for postpartum bliss lie in slowing way down and allowing others to support you.  Your partner, family, and close friends can help to take care of YOU so that you can take care of your baby.  Below are some examples of things I strongly recommend you do so that you may have a peaceful and blissful postpartum.

• Ask a friend to set up a meal delivery/chore assistance chain for your family.  This is not the time to entertain visitors but if they are coming to meet the baby they might as well bring fresh food and throw a load of laundry in.

• Limit your guests to certain hours of the day.  This is a great time for your partner to be the guardian of the home and protect you and your baby's sacred space.

• Schedule some postpartum massages, in home if possible, or allow a friend to give you regular warm oil massages that are firm using long stokes. 

• Take at least 2 naps in the daytime for the first 2 weeks after your birth and at least 1 each day in the weeks after.  Sleep when your baby sleeps.  Resist the temptation to "get things done" when your baby is sleeping.

• Co-sleep with your baby.  This can mean bringing your baby into the family bed (please read about how to safely do this) or simply bringing the baby into your room.  You will find that you will nurse more frequently, which establishes a good milk supply, yet you will sleep better because you are not wasting energy on walking to a different room and sitting down to nurse.

• Take an herbal sitz bath twice a day followed by a nice warm shower at least once a day.  Ideally you will have your warm oil massage followed by a warm shower and then tuck yourself in bed with your baby to nurse and sleep.  This can happen at any time in the day or evening.

• Incorporate gentle, restorative yoga poses at home to start regaining your strength and flexibility after the first 2 weeks postpartum.  In the following months, when the time feels right to you, you can venture out to a mama/baby yoga class at a studio.

Each culture has its own postpartum traditions.  Unfortunately here in the U.S we are expected to get "back to normal" as quickly as possible, six weeks being the maximum time allowed for this powerful transition to take place.  It is my hope and intention that every family honor this very special time in ways that support the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of both mother and baby.

Skin Changes in Pregnancy

Thoughts from: 

Theresa Blahut, Student Midwife, MMCI

Along with the physical discomforts of pregnancy, skin changes may become an annoyance for expectant mothers.   Having to deal with increased vascularity, hyperpigmentation and stretch marks can be difficult but rest assured that these conditions are temporary and will subside in time after birth.

Chloasma or melasma gravidarum; commonly known as the "mask of pregnancy", occurs throughout the face in three main patterns.  The first most common  (63%) is in the center of the face involving the forehead, cheeks, nose, lips and chin.  Less commonly, the malar (21%) involves the cheek and nose.  The least common pattern occurs in nine percent along the edge of the jaw.  Little is known about the cause of these pigmentations, however, a melanocyte-stimulating hormone has been found to be elevated during the latter half of the first trimester until birth.

Chadwick's sign is the characteristic violet color of the vagina during pregnancy.  This is thought to be caused by the increase in vascularity. The vagina goes through preparatory changes during pregnancy for maximum stretch during labor and birth.

Striae gravidarum is another term for stretch marks.  Our skin has three layers; the epidermis, the dermis and the subcutaneous layer.  Stretch marks occur in the dermis that is the stretchy middle layer that allows skin to retain its shape.  When the dermis is constantly; stretched as in pregnancy, the stretch marks occur.  Skin becomes less elastic over time and the connective fibers tear leaving marks behind.

Linea negra is a skin pigment condition where the midline of the abdominal skin becomes darker, usually a brownish color.  The linear streak runs vertically along the midline of the abdomen from the symphysis pubis to the xyphoid process.  An old wives tale states that if the line runs to the naval, it is a girl and if the line extends all the way to the xyphoid process, it is a boy. 

Cesarean Awareness Month

Tiffany here--

I know I am so very late on this but the month of April is Cesarean Awareness Month! For the rest of the month of April I will be posting articles and blogs on this topic. Please feel free to share anything that Tree of Life post to your friends and family. We at Tree of Life feel that it is very important that women educate themselves about their health and their rights as a pregnant women.

I am very saddened when I read or hear a women's past birth story that involves a unnecessary c-section. 

Below is the link to improvingbirth.org Facebook page, their page has been great at the amount of articles and discussion post that they have had this month all centered around c-section. If you have time to please like their Facebook page and read some of the statistics on the c-section rate in the USA, I have a feeling you will be surprised and alarmed at the number.  

https://www.facebook.com/ImprovingBirth 

Thoughts from a Student Midwife

Preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome

By: Theresa Blahut, Student Midwife, MMCI

The most serious complication of pregnancy-induced hypertension is eclampsia, which is servere preeclampsia complicated by seizures or coma.  Eclampsia occurs in approximately .2% of pregnancies and terminates one in 1,000 pregnancies.  Preeclampsia occurs in approximately five to eight percent of all pregnancies in the United States and is one of the most common causes of perinatal morbidity and mortality resulting in an estimated 35-300 deaths per 1,000 births.

Signs and symptoms of  preeclampsia include:  hypertension (high blood pressure) defined as a diastolic blood pressure of at least 90mm Hg or a systolic blood pressure of at least 140 mm Hg; ( these blood pressures must be manifested on at least two occasions six hours or more apart), water retention leading to puffiness of the feet, ankles, hands and face, and protein in the urine.  Preeclampsia is the development of hypertension with proteinuria (presence of 300 mg or more per liter).  This level of proteinuria should produce a 2+ reaction on a standard urine dip stick in at least two random urine  specimens collected six hours or more apart.   Water retention or edema is a generalized accumulation of fluid of greater that 1+ pitting which can result in a weight gain of five pounds or more in one week.

Additional signs and symptoms of severe preeclampsia include; headaches, visual disturbances (blurring or inability to tolerate bright light), lethargy, nausea and vomiting, pain in the right upper abdomen and shortness of breath.  If undiagnosed, preeclampsia can progress to HELLP syndrome and eclampsia.

The HELLP syndrome is seen in up to twelve percent of mothers with preeclamptic symptoms.  HELLP syndrome consists of hemolytic anemia (the H is hemolysis), elevated liver enzymes, and low platelets (HELLP). Hemolysis refers to those broken cells that were damaged when they traveled through the narrow, clogged vessels.

The exact causes of preeclampsia are not known, although some researchers suspect poor nutrition, high body fat, or insufficient blood flow to the uterus as possible causes.  The only cure for preeclampsia and eclampsia is to deliver the baby.  If the baby is not close to term, bed rest and careful observation with a fetal heart rate monitor and frequent ultrasounds may be ordered as well as medicines to lower the blood pressure.  

Thoughts on breastfeeding

Thoughts on Breastfeeding 

By Michelle Isla, SM

We all remember the famous TIME magazine front cover image of a mom breastfeeding her 4 year old son with the words “Are You Mom Enough?” next to it.  Here’s an interesting article (http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/02172013if-all-moms-breastfed-their-babies-right-after-birth/) about breastfeeding citing a recent press release by the Save the Children organization identifying barriers to breastfeeding.  In this article the authors parody that famous front cover image with a similar one stating “Are We Supporting Moms Enough?”  The organization’s recent breastfeeding report identified the following four barriers to breastfeeding success:

1. cultural and community pressures
2. the health worker shortage
3. lack of maternity legislation
4. aggressive marketing of breast-milk substitutes – or formula.

As a former lactation counselor for the Seminole County Health Dept., having discussed these kinds of topics ad nauseam,  I can’t help but feel this isn’t really new information.  The question is, what is being done about it in this country?  There are certainly initiatives I’ve read about and political discussion about maternal rights in the workplace, government incentives for corporations, etc.  Sometimes it feels like progress is too slow!  In the meantime the formula companies continue their unethical propaganda undermining breastfeeding and contributing to the health epidemic in this country.

While I feel it’s important to stay on top of what’s happening politically on a national level I also feel it’s equally important to focus on what WE can do in our day to day to effect change.  Although it may not feel like it sometimes we actually have tremendous power to create change in our communities and that’s where we can start.  One individual CAN change the world!  Does that sound too idealistic?  Well look at it this way, every single action we make that affects someone’s life contributes to change in that person’s life.  We do this enough times and inspire others to do the same and we inevitably create a domino effect.  Now, I realize that this bottom up approach has to also be coupled with top down initiatives.  This is why I mentioned earlier that it’s important to stay on top of what is happening politically and get involved with organizations that push for legislative change.  As a side note, Moms Rising is an incredible organization that does just that!  Check them out, www.momsrising.org.

Bringing it back to breastfeeding now, how can we as individuals help increase breastfeeding initiation and duration rates?  I say “duration” because the science shows that the most significant health contributions of breastfeeding occur the longer we provide our children breast milk.  At Tree of Life we are certainly committed to supporting mothers in achieving this.  We are one of the only midwifery practices that offers our new mamas a breastfeeding consultation with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant within the first week after giving birth at NO COST to the mother.  We also offer an ongoing breastfeeding support group that meets each week as this model is statistically proven to increase breastfeeding duration rates.  I’d say we’re off to a good start at Tree of Life.  What can YOU do to support breastfeeding?  Here are some suggestions:

1. refer your new mama friend/neighbor to a lactation consultant if she is having trouble nursing, make the call for her if she’s willing!
2. Talk to your girlfriends pregnant or not about attending a breastfeeding class with a lactation consultant prior to giving birth
3. Show a new mama how easy it can be to nurse in public
4. Smile at the next mama you see nursing in public and tell her you’re so happy to see her doing it
5. “Share” posts on Facebook that have to do with breastfeeding awareness, there are some cute ones out there
6. Tell your care providers (midwife, OB, pediatrician) that you would really like to see them have onsite breastfeeding support
7. Tell your care provider that having that formula propaganda up on display has been proven to undermine breastfeeding and affect breastfeeding rates in this country
8. Tell the Motherhood Maternity store that you don’t wish to receive their free formula sample in the mail after you shop there, maybe you’ll still get it but at least they’ll have heard your piece
9. Nurse your baby in public, cover or no cover.  I wasn’t much of a coverer myself!
10. Share your breastfeeding success stories with other new and pregnant mamas, offer them emotional support when the going gets rough for them

Tree of Life's 200th Baby

Tree of Life's 200th baby!!!! 

Welcome Lexi Leigh 8lb 2oz born at the birth center.

This was mommies 3rd baby but first without pitocin or epidural and she did GREAT! Blessings to Cynthia and Mark!

Gestational Hypothyroidism & Postpartum Thyroiditis

Thoughts and research from one of Tree of Life's wonderful students:

Theresa Blahut, Student Midwife MMCI

Gestational hypothyroidism and postpartum thyroiditis occurs at a much higher rate than one may expect.  Gestational hypothyroidism is a term used to describe women who are hypothyroid while pregnant but did not have a thyroid imbalance prior to pregnancy.  A recent publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism documented that 15.5% of the pregnant women tested had gestational hypothyroidism.  It was also found that women ages 35 to 40 years are nearly twice as likely to suffer from gestational hyperthyroidism as women who are ages 18 to 24 years.  Also, women who weigh more than 275 pounds are 25 times more likely to develop gestational hypothyroidism.

Thyroid disease is common in women of child-bearing age and may affect both mother and baby.  Potentially, gestational hypothyroidism may cause premature delivery or miscarriage and effect the baby's neurological development.  Hypothyroidism symptoms in the mother include; fatigue, lethargy, constipation and feeling cold.

Women should have their thyroid tested before pregnancy and ideally, thyroid testing will become routine in pregnancy.  Pregnant women who are on thyroid hormone should have their blood tested frequently during pregnancy as dosage requirements may change.

Postpartum thyroiditis is a condition with similar pathogenic features as Hashimotos disease were in the immune system attacks the thyroid gland. This disease affects between 5 to 9 percent of postpartum women.  Typically, there is a transient hyperthyroid phase that is followed by a phase of hypothyroidism.  The hyperthyroid phase will not usually require treatment.  The hypothyroid phase should be treated with hormone replacement.

Long term follow up is necessary to access thyroid function and adjust the medication dosage. Nearly all the women with postpartum thyroiditis have positive TPO antibodies.  This marker can be a useful screening test early in pregnancy as 50% of women with these antibodies will develop thyroid dysfunction postpartum.  In addition, some studies have shown an association between postpartum thyroid disorder and depression so that thyroid function should be checked postpartum in women who have significant mood changes.

Welcome Sweet Lucus to the World

Welcome Big Man Lucus 9lb 9oz 10min after arriving into our room for this planned hospital birth!

 No iv, no meds, nada!

A Family-Centered Cesarean: Taking Back Control of My Son's Birth

--I had to share this article, it is such a beautiful birth story showing that the an unexpected birth plan can still turn out the be a wonderful experience.

The article is from ImprovingBirth.org   

A Family-Centered Cesarean: Taking Back Control of My Son’s Birth

So, what happens if you are completely committed to “going natural” and things don’t work out? How do you deal with being told, “This baby is at risk. We need to deliver via cesarean”?  All that matters is a healthy baby – you just need to get over it…right?

Get over it? Just like that? Of course the ultimate goal is a healthy baby, and of course you are going to agree to the cesarean for the well-being of your child. But that doesn't mean it’s going to be easy to let go of the experience you've been envisioning for nine months, and it doesn't mean you don’t have the right to grieve that loss.

It can be extremely empowering to take back the birth experience – to decide where and in what position you will labor, to tell the delivery staff, “I will not lie on that bed and push my baby out, thank you very much,” and to place your baby on your bare chest immediately after he or she is born to nurse and begin your new life together. But once a cesarean enters the picture, the ability to maintain any power over your birth experience flies out the window…or does it?

Immediate skin-to-skin for Kelsey and her son Finn while still on the operating table as surgery finishes up. “He was silent, just stared at me, and then rooted around to nurse,” says mom. So precious!

My partner Sean and I had been planning a natural childbirth. We established our prenatal care with a midwifery practice, we took a six-week natural childbirth class, we attended a labor workshop, we read Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth, we watched videos of water births, we hired a doula, we had a birth plan – we were set. Our due date came and went, but that’s pretty standard for first babies, so no one was worried. I had had a relatively easy pregnancy, the baby was healthy, I was healthy, so all seemed fine.

At 41 weeks I went in for a routine ultrasound just to make sure my fluid levels still looked good. I sat in the chair, the tech gooped up my belly with gel, and she placed the ultrasound probe on my skin.

“Oh, so I see we have a breech baby.”

“Huh? We don’t have a breech baby!”

“Yes, you do – see? This is the head right here.”

WHAT????!!!

I had just been to see my midwife the week before, and she didn’t think there was anything abnormal about the baby’s position. I immediately started to cry and asked, “What does this mean? Will I have to have a c-section?  Isn’t there some sort of turning procedure that can be done?” The ultrasound tech told me the obstetrician would come and talk to me and that, yes, if the baby wasn’t too big, they might be able to try the External Cephalic Version (ECV) turning procedure, but they could also just go ahead and schedule a cesarean for me since I was already at 41 weeks.

“I really don’t want a cesarean,” I told her. “We really want to have a natural childbirth. I’d really like to try to turn this baby.”

One happy mommy: Donita and Alejandra bonding after birth

Our baby was estimated to be 7 pounds 14 ounces (we later learned he was about a pound larger than this). Since they thought he was fewer than 8.5 pounds, the obstetrician said he could make an attempt at ECV.  He told me to go ahead and schedule the procedure for the next day. If the ECV attempt didn’t work, he told me, he would go ahead and deliver our baby via cesarean that same day.

I felt like I had been hit by a truck. It was just too much to process all at once – to find out that our baby was breech, to schedule an appointment for this weird medical procedure, and to swallow the idea that if the ECV didn’t work, I was going to have my baby surgically removed the next day. It seemed that not only were all of our plans flying out the window, but so was all of our power.

I scheduled the appointment and then went to see my midwife. I felt some relief when she told me that, as long as the baby was not showing signs of distress, I absolutely did not have to have a cesarean the next day if the ECV didn’t work. I was only one week past my due date; I had until the following Monday (two weeks past my due date) to try to get this baby to turn. I was so grateful to have that extra window. I felt like we got back a little bit of that power we had lost.

We went to the hospital the next morning at 6:30 am, and after waiting 3.5 hours, the ECV was performed. It was excruciatingly painful, and, unfortunately, it didn’t work. They monitored the baby for two hours after the procedure was attempted, and we were cleared to go home. We were very disappointed the procedure didn’t work, but we were grateful to have a little extra time to try some other turning techniques.

With careful planning and support of their care team, this family had a gentle, joyful, family-centered cesarean at Baystate Franklin Medical in Greenfield, Massachusetts.  Mama waited until labor began to go into surgery; after birth, she got her wet baby skin-to-skin on her chest, and the obstetrician even
milked the baby’s cord to send her home with the placenta!
Credit: Marissa Potter at www.BellyfullBirth.com

And try we did. Over the course of the next four days, I had two “Turn-Baby-Turn” Massages; four visits to the chiropractor for the Webster Technique adjustment (video here); lots of forward-leaning inversions; and a crazy set-up that involved an ironing board propped on an incline against the couch, me lying on the ironing board with my head at the floor and feet up at the top of the board, a bag of frozen blueberries at the top of my belly, a heating pad at the bottom of my belly, and a flashlight shining and music playing between my legs.

On Friday, we went in for another ultrasound and learned that, despite all of our efforts, our baby was still breech.  Reluctantly, we scheduled the cesarean for Monday morning.

At this point, I reached out to other women I knew who had planned a natural birth but ended up needing to deliver via cesarean.  I asked for their advice – what did they do (or what did they wish had been done) to make their birth experience more in line with what they had hoped for?

I am so glad I asked. I learned that, even with a cesarean, it is possible to retain some control over the birth experience. One friend in particular, who had to have an emergency cesarean after planning a natural homebirth (twice), really helped us identify certain requests that we could make, requests that gave us a taste of those aspects of the natural birth that were most important to us. She also sent me this article, which is about strategies to make cesareans more woman-centered.

On Saturday morning (two days before the cesarean was scheduled), my water broke and I went into labor. We went to the hospital, and, thanks to the bagel I had eaten a half hour before, I had to wait for six hours for the cesarean.

From the U.K.: baby went right to mom’s chest and had delayed cord clamping, as well.

I felt like it was such a blessing to get to experience natural labor for those six hours!Laboring is good for the baby, and it was good for me emotionally. While they were preparing me for surgery, I met with the obstetrician and the anesthesiologist and made a few requests for my cesarean.  They agreed to all of my requests, and I had a much more fulfilling birth experience because of those few little things. Here’s what I asked for:

1. I asked them to drop the surgical curtain down a little bit and to and hold our baby up after they pulled him out so I could see him immediately after he was born. I couldn’t see the actual surgery (thankfully!), but I was able to see our son in the first seconds of his life.
2. I requested that they put our baby on my chest in the operating room while they were sewing me back up. They did have to wrap him up in blankets before they could put him on my chest because they keep the operating room so cold (to prevent bacterial growth), but at least I was able to see him and touch him and kiss him before they took him to be weighed and measured.
3. I asked, in addition to my partner, to have my midwife in the operating room with me (which I was glad to learn was standard operating procedure). I gave my midwife a camera and asked her to take pictures of the cesarean. This was wonderful – the pictures were amazing, and having the documentation of our baby’s first moments outside of the womb helped me to connect to the birth experience and begin to feel like our experience was a real birth.
4. I requested that my partner be able to stay with our baby through all of the post-birth measurements and procedures.
5. I requested that I be allowed to breastfeed our baby as soon as possible. He was brought to me in the recovery room within an hour of his birth.
6. I requested that my doula be permitted to sit with me in the recovery room so that I had someone to keep me company while I waited for my partner and our baby to return from the nursery.

While my partner and I weren’t able to have the birth experience we had been envisioning, our son’s birth was still special. I think the reason it didn’t end up being a traumatic experience for us was because we were able to retain some power over the process. In many cases, there is the opportunity to make requests of the surgical team, but we often don’t realize we are “allowed” to ask.

ASK.

Our thanks to Shannon in Lexington, Kentucky, for contributing this story!

Why is Rhogam (Rh immune globulin) necessary?

When a woman comes in for her initial prenatal visit some of her blood is taken in order to run tests. A “type and screen” are part of these tests and what that means is that we want to know the woman’s blood type (A, B, AB, O), Rh factor (positive or negative) and if there are any antibodies present in her blood. This information is important because women who are Rh Negative will more than likely need to receive Rhogam. Let’s say that your blood type is A Negative. The next step would be to find out your partner’s blood type. If he is Rh Negative and you don’t have any antibodies in your blood, then you do not need Rhogam. But if he is Rh Positive then you will need to receive Rhogam at around 28 weeks of your pregnancy. Then when your baby is born we would have to test his or her blood as well. If your baby is Rh Negative you will not need Rhogam after delivery, but if he or she is Rh Positive, then you will need Rhogam after delivery.

Let’s try to understand the science behind this process. Our bodies are programmed to fight off unwanted viruses, bacteria, fungi, and other threats to our system. We achieve this by building antibodies that recognize an intruder that made us sick; the next time it tries to attack, our body’s defenses will detect it and fight it off. If a mother is Rh Negative and her baby is Rh Positive there is a risk that the fetal blood will enter mom’s circulation and mom’s body will think that it needs to respond as if there is an intruder.

Giving Rhogam allows baby’s blood to bind to it so that mom’s blood does not see any threat and does not make antibodies against Rh Positive babies.  Rhogam is effective for about 12 weeks and that’s why mom should receive another dose after delivery if the baby is RH positive. Moms should receive another dose of Rhogam after a miscarriage, accidents to the abdomen, or other instances when there is a risk of baby’s blood mixing with mom’s blood. Rh Negative moms will need to receive Rhogam with every pregnancy if the baby’s father is Rh Positive.

If a woman develops Rh Positive antibodies she will have a high risk of miscarriage. If a baby is exposed to these antibodies there is a high risk for a pre-term delivery, severe anemia that requires a blood transfusion, and sadly even death. That is why Rhogam is a simple enough solution to a potentially big problem.

Written by: Sabely (Student Midwife)

Tree of Life's Newest Bloom

Welcome earthside baby boy Jacob ... All 11lbs 3oz and 23.75 inches of him! Congrats to an amazing family Michele, Ryan and all his big brothers. Peacefully born at home in water and into his mamas arms.

Thoughts of a senior student

Thoughts of a senior student-
by Michelle Isla, SM

I feel so excited to be at the tail end of my formal midwifery studies.  In some ways it feels as though it was just yesterday that I entered midwifery school and in other ways it feels like a million years ago!  So much emotional growth has taken place.  It’s what inevitably occurs when one embarks on such an intimate and intense journey.  I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.   I’m just a few short months from finishing this phase of the journey and embarking on a new beginning… the beginning of an inspiring career, economic stability for my family, and the beginning of my informal midwifery education.  The level of responsibility suddenly increases times a thousand!  It’s certainly quite a different experience to practice under someone’s guidance than to be the sole responsible midwife at a birth.  I feel prepared in many ways yet at times overwhelmed by the responsibility.  I trust the feeling will balance itself out in time. 

I’ve been so blessed to be a part of the Tree of Life family.  I came into the practice as a junior student and have gained an incredible amount of experience since then.  I’m filled with appreciation for Kaleen who agreed to take me on as a student when she already had one student and was focusing on her growing practice.  I’m sure she was hesitant to add anything extra to her daily time investment and thought process yet for some reason she agreed and I will forever be grateful for the kindness that was extended in that decision.  Who knew this would also open the flood gates of students at Tree of Life!  There are now six of us students with another one coming on later this year!  Thankfully some of us are on our way out and the others will have those same wonderful learning experiences.  I look forward to hearing their stories and offering them gentle advice on their journey.  We will all share in the experience that the journey is nothing like what we had imagined.  In many ways it is much sweeter yet much more intense than we ever thought.

As for me, you will continue to see me in clinic although not attending as many births.  It feels strange to even think of it.  I’m going to feel so deprived of that incredible birth energy we’re all addicted to!  I’ll be eagerly looking forward to the next birth.  For now, it’s time to learn a bit more about the administrative part of running a midwifery business while the other students are attending births and gaining that experience.  I will be finished with midwifery school early August and sitting for the state board examination later that month.  After that…the sky’s the limit!  One thing I know for sure is that I’ll be practicing midwifery!

Hi everyone, its Jaclyn.  Since I've been spending a lot of time in Initial prenatal appointments with Kaleen, I hear time and time again about nutrition and exercise during pregnancy.  I hear a lot of great things about moms eating well and making better choices about their diets, but I do hear a lot of myths about exercise during pregnancy, especially running.  I decided to get to the bottom of this is in an effort to better inform our clients about fitness.  See you in the office!

Running During Pregnancy

 

Thinking about hanging up your sneakers in the best interest of your pregnancy? Think again! New recommendations from ACOG, The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, advises that continuing with a consistent running regiment is not only a safe fitness option, but also the most well rounded option.  Both Gynecologists and Midwives agree that woman who participated in running and jogging on a regular basis before pregnancy, can continue to maintain the same activity for the remainder of their pregnancy.  Women who were not running or jogging before pregnancy are not encouraged to start once they become pregnant, but they do suggest 30 minutes of physical activity and exercise daily. 

For women desiring an un-medicated, natural childbirth, the benefits of running are prodigious.  In addition to reducing lower back pain, preventing excessive weight gain, improving sleep quality, and promoting muscle tone, running has also been seen to reduce the risk of developing Gestational Diabetes.  As we know, diabetes during pregnancy carries an increased risk of developing Macrosomia, or a large baby, as well as a greater incidence of developing Type II Diabetes after pregnancy.  This same risk carries over to the fetus.  Additionally, there is a strong correlation between Gestational Diabetes and high blood pressure, and preeclampsia.  Furthermore, there is evidence that running and regular exercise during pregnancy can reduce insulin resistance in women already suffering from Diabetes. 

A daily running goal can also promote mental health and emotional well-being.  Being in a positive state of mind can certainly improve your birthing environment, also having the “me time” associated with running can help you to process fears and anxieties surrounding your birth.  There is a trend within the running community that these women tend to have better physical stamina and muscle strength, which helps their ability to cope better in labor.  This also aids in their return to fitness after the birth of their children. 

If you aren’t already a runner, don’t worry, there are a number of activities that you can participate in during pregnancy.  Walking, swimming, biking, and aerobics are all fun activities that promote the same health benefits as running.  Just with running, make sure that you look for warning signs that your activity level is too high, these include; vaginal bleeding, dizziness, increased shortness of breath, chest pain, headache, and uterine contractions.  If you are currently running, you can continue until your body tells you to slow down.  Make sure to be aware of where you run and that it is a safe environment free of hazards.  Run inside, on a treadmill when the weather is inclement and take your pace slower if needed.  Remember, listen to your body and keep on pounding that pavement!