Overcoming Depression

Hey ladies,

Depression is a taboo subject for some but for others it’s not.  A lot of people aren’t comfortable talking about postpartum depression but it is coming to the forefront a lot more thanks to celebrities admitting that they to are human and go through it.  It’s nothing to be afraid of or ashamed of.   As an educator I take a lot of time talking about it in my classes and what to watch for and how the partners are the ones that really need to watch.

I read this article and thought what a good one to share with you all.  I hope if you know someone who is experiencing postpartum depression you will help them seek help.

http://www.whattoexpect.com/blogs/momversation/overcoming-depression

~ Meagan

First Poop Panic

I read this article and giggled.  I always talk to doula clients, especially first time moms about the first poop and how nerve racking it is.  I always recommend they go out and buy a stool softener so they don’t have to “push” because it makes one and all nervous the first time after after having a baby.   Some like metamucil, but I like Colace.  You can get this at safeway, shoppers or where ever you shop.  I hope you can stay relaxed and let nature take its course, it’s nothing to worry about. 🙂

Postpartum Bowel Movements: First Poop Panic
It’s true — that marvelous milestone (your first BM after delivery) may be a bit slow in coming.

Happy bathroom break!

~ Meagan

Relieving Heartburn

Well I must say it has been harder than ever to keep up to date with this blog.  Everyone always says it’s the hardest thing to do.  I had a lofty goal of once a week completing an entry which I did successfully for a while and then well….. I got busy!   No excuses though.  I thought this week I would speak about something near and dear to my heart…. heartburn.   If any of you reading this blog are experiencing prenatal heartburn you know what I’m talking about.  If you’re just reading this blog and experiencing heartburn; you to still know what I’m talking about!

Here is an article from whattoexpect.com on heartburn!  May we all be cured soon! 🙂

It’s that last stretch of pregnancy, when you can almost see the finish line — and it seems like your heartburn wants to stay with you every step of the way.  Nearly half of your expectant running mates have also been feeling your pain — probably for most of their pregnancies — and with good reason. Among the smooth muscles that are loosening and relaxing under the strict orders of your hormonal regime at 36 weeks pregnant 

is that ring of muscle that separates the esophagus from the stomach. When this muscle loosens, the harsh digestive juices from your tummy back up into your esophagus. The stomach acids irritate the sensitive esophageal lining (right around where your heart is, though it has nothing to do with your heart), creating that searing pain. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to put the fire out:
 
Sit up and take notice. Make sure to sit upright while eating — and stay that way for a couple of hours after you eat. Lying down, slouching, slumping, and stooping will do you in.  And when you have to bend, do it with your knees instead of at your waist (or you’ll send all that acid for a repeat ride up your esophagus). 

Chew it over.  Do your body a favor and eat slowly. Chewing is the first step in the digestive process, but the one that’s most often neglected when eating’s done on the run.  The more you chew, the less work your stomach has to do.  Another chew that’s good for you: Chewing sugarless gum will increase saliva, which can help neutralize acid in the esophagus.  And while you’re at it, leave stress off the menu — anxious eating compounds digestive distresses of all kinds, including heartburn.
 
Catch the early bird special.   Not to save money — but to save yourself heartburn.  Whether you’re eating at home or out, take your last big meal at least two hours before bedtime so your stomach can get started on digestion before you lie down for the night. (A before-bed snack is fine, so long as it’s light and easy to digest.)
 
Break it up. Better still, skip those big meals altogether — six small meals are the pregnancy solution to just about whatever ails you, from heartburn to bloating to lagging energy level, you name it.
 
Think loose and flowing. No matter how voluptuous your upper curves make you feel, if you have heartburn, now is not the time to wear anything that Pamela Anderson might favor — tight clothes just fuel the burn.
 
Don’t play with matches. Some things are sure to light your heartburn fire. Just say no to highly seasoned spicy food, caffeine (this also relaxes the esophageal valve), alcohol (which is off the menu anyway), greasy foods of all kinds, and too much citrus. (If OJ gives you trouble, water it down a bit — or buy a low acid variety.)  Peppermint turns up the burn in some women, but not all.
 
Hold your head up. Sleeping with your head elevated about six inches can keep the burn from waking you up.
 
Keep it down. Extra pounds can make heartburn extra worse. Try to stay within the 25-to-35-pound recommended weight gain.
 
Raise your hand. Ask your practitioner whether he or she has a preference for an over-the-counter antacid or whether you need prescription strength.  As you’ve probably already figured out, taking Tums or Rolaids is a great way to ban the burn while boosting your calcium intake.
 
Feel like a natural woman. If you want to avoid over-the-counter antacids, you can try the following popular folk remedies.   

• Papaya: Make sure the papaya is very ripe; unripe papaya can cause uterine contractions. Or ask your practitioner about the safety of using chewable papaya enzymes. (You can find these in health-food stores.)
• Almonds: Good for calcium as well as being a stomach settler.
• A tablespoon of honey in warm milk: Yummy and relaxing. Some say all dairy helps, and others say the opposite. (At the very least you’ll get in your calcium.)

There ya go, I hope it helps.   I’ve been known to get up in the middle of the night while having just visited the loo again for the 100th time to guzzle down a class of milk for some extra coating.   A friend of mine swears by gaviscon.  I haven’t tried it myself, but it’s pretty tempting to throw away all the tums and grab a bottle.

If you have any heartburn relief tips; please feel free to share!

~ Meagan

Strollers, Baby Carriers, and Infant Stress

Well, I guess my writing every Sunday has come to an epic fail.   Who has the time?!   That’s what I keep telling myself.   Between being a mommy… oh wait a 6.5 month pregnant mommy, score keep mens rec hockey, teaching prenatal classes for the Calgary Health Region, and being a doula I struggle with finding the time to even wash the floors!   I try very hard not to go on the computer during the day when our daughter is awake because she is very aware of the computer and often says, “no email mommy!” so it’s just not worth it to me.

A friend of mine posted this link in facebook the other day, ok well like a week or more ago now.   I’ve read it all, it is long but they have it broken down into chapters so it’s quite interesting the little things you can learn.

I hope you enjoy.

Strollers, Baby Carriers, and Infant Stress:
Horizontal Versus Upright Transport in Early Infancy

~ Meagan

Vitamin D

Well, for those that peak in here, you must have thought I’d forgotten all about this blog.   Well I haven’t forgotten, I just haven’t had time.   How does one not have time to write in their blog?  Well, I always like to research stuff to ensure that I’ve got the best information possible and that it’s accurate and I haven’t had time.  

Some who follow are personal friends and know that I’m expecting number two in our lives, in September.   I imagine the blog will fall off again then but we’ll just keep plunking away until then.   I also passed my childbirth certification exam by 96.5% ~ I even surprised myself.    We went on a mini vacation to Kelowna to see some family and now we’re back into the grind of yard work and life.

I’ve been receiving wonderful emails from Gail Dahl, who I’ve posted from before on the importance of Vitamin D.   I thought I’d share some of the information with you from her.   I think taking a vitd supplement daily is a wonderful idea.  I do and have found my energy level has increased significantly.   I was told in the winter that I had low vitd…. well of course, there is less sunshine in the winter and we all know vitd is the sunshine pill.   I guess though, that mine was lower than the average and a vitd supplement was suggested.  Wow – huge difference, I recommend anyone take it!

Here is some info that Gail has passed on.   See previous posts for a link to her site!

• Vitamin D enhances calcium absorption, which enhances milk production in pregnant women. Suckling of the breast induces prolactin and oxytocin production (even in non-pregnant women) the nurturing and trust hormones. Everything is related to everything!
• One article has stated that 15 minutes of exposure to sunlight on face and hands leads to the production of 400 units of Vitamin D. Total body exposure might then be approximately 8,000 units per hour. One could argue that our forebears living in the tropics, might have produced well over 50,000 units of Vitamin D daily!!
• It is recommended you take 1000mu/day (remember to discuss this with your doctor first!)

Dr. Joe Prendergast has managed over 1500 diabetic patients and, in the last decade, not one of his patients has had a stroke or heart attack. Only one has even been hospitalized. His secret – 50,000 units of Vitamin D3 daily. 

He further reports on the:

• Reversal of advanced coronary disease
• Reversal of advanced lung disease, avoiding a lung transplant!
• Cure of multiple sclerosis
• Cure of amotophic lateral sclerosis
• Regression of rheumatoid arthritis
• Improvement in allergies
• Control of many cancers including prostrate, breast, colon, brain tumors, leukemia, myeloma, etc
• Reversal of osteoporosis
• Prevention of influenza
• Cure of depression and many other mental disorders
• Hyperthyroidism

 

• In the kidneys Vitamin D 3, the only physiologically useful form of D, is converted to Calcitriol, a significant anti-cancer hormone. This conversion may be responsible for the significant benefit of D 3 in preventing cancer of many organs. Vitamin D also is a potent inhibitor of vascular calcification—that is it can significantly reduce the potential for atherosclerosis. As with D’s major effect upon bone metabolism, Vitamin K 2 is an essential co-factor.

I hope this will encourage you to discuss Vit D with your physician.   I’m reading another great artical on vitd and pregnancy and once I’ve finished reading it I will post it.

~ Meagan

Childbirth Educator

Well it appears I’ve missed a few Sundays now!    I’m still struggling to get rid of this ridiculous cold and think maybe just maybe it’s going away; I have thought that before though!

So I’m finally done my CCCE (Cappa Certified Childbirth Eductor) stuff.   I now have to submit all the paper work and patiently wait for my certificate to come in the mail and then it’s offical!   Yeah to me! 🙂

I hope you’re all keeping healthy!

~ Meagan

First Sunday Missed

Well well, I showed my human side; whoops!   🙂

I caught the cold of a two year old and completely lost track of time and days as I was lucky enough to sleep in and rest.   I missed my weekly posting yesterday; whoops there’s that human side showing up! 😉    That’s ok, I didn’t have anything wonderful to say related to pregnancy and birth anyway.  I was more concerned with trying to get over my cold and make sure I was up and running for my many up coming appointments with clients.   I really dislike seeing pregnant women while being sick because I would feel awful if they caught my cold.   Uncomfortable already and now sniffly and have your doula to blame – no thanks!

I’m happy to say that I’m quickly on the rebound and feeling better already.  I can almost breath through my nose consistently!

Until next week, I’m sure I’ll have had time to research something by then and make myself just a little bit smarter and hoping that I’m making you just a little bit smarter to!

~ Meagan

Breast crawl

“Every newborn, when placed on the mother’s abdomen soon after birth, has the ability to find her mother’s breast all on her own and to decide when to take the first breastfeed.”

I’m sure most of you have heard of the breast crawl and how an infant will nurse on their own if left to their own devices. Check out this website and video.

~ Meagan

http://breastcrawl.org/video.htm

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

New research has found that because women with morning sickness don’t feel like eating or drinking, they may find themselves dehydrated, which could be compounding and re-creating the symptoms of morning sickness and impairing prenatal health. 

Proper hydration is critical to every system and process in your pregnancy. At the first sign of morning sickness, nausea or vomiting, increase your fluid intake of water. Morning sickness is a thirst signal of both mother and baby. Be sure that you are drinking water often throughout the day and early evening to prevent morning sickness during pregnancy. 

The next top remedy for morning sickness is to reach for a high protein snack to eat as soon as you feel nausea coming on. Protein and water are the two top building blocks for pregnancy. Morning sickness is a signal from the body that extra building materials are necessary for the baby. You can also have a protein snack and a glass of water before bedtime to prevent early morning nausea. 

Increasing your water and protein intake throughout the day when pregnant will also help you maintain a level blood pressure and a level blood sugar during pregnancy, helping you to have a healthier and happier pregnancy.

Other natural remedies for morning sickness below:

• Chew on licorice-tasting fennel seeds to calm queasiness.

• Fresh grated ginger and fennel seeds make a comforting tea to settle your stomach. Ginger can be purchased at your grocery store in the fresh vegetable section and grated for the ginger tea. 

• Eating your favorite foods from childhood, like ginger ale, jello or whatever your mother gave you when you weren’t feeling well. 

• Get up slowly in the morning and take small breaks throughout the day. 

• Hot teas may help, especially spearmint or peppermint, known to be good for indigestion, or try the excellent “women’s tea” known as red raspberry- leaf tea. 

• Take short walks in the fresh air whenever possible. 

• Drink bottled or purified water to flush your system. 

• If you feel as though your stomach is not digesting food well, increase your consumption of raw, enzyme-rich foods. Fresh cantaloupe, papaya and pineapple have the highest naturally occurring enzymes of all foods and help a great deal with digestion. 

• Take a look at napping at least once a day to allow your body to recharge. Even a short nap can help you to feel stronger.  

• It is important that you take a high quality prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement before, during and after your pregnancy. 

• There is a strong connection between nausea during pregnancy and low blood-sugar levels. Make sure you are eating small meals throughout the day to keep your blood-sugar level even throughout the day and evening. 

• A high protein snack before bed and throughout the day can help to alleviate some of the symptoms of morning sickness. 

• Powdered ginger root in capsules, three capsules a day may help. 

• Carry nuts or other protein snacks with you so that you can keep your blood-sugar level up and your blood pressure even when you are on the go. 

• Blue green algae, such as spirulina, is very high in protein and very easy to digest. Spirulina powder can be mixed with mashed bananas or other fruit and provides excellent nutritional support.

• Increase your water intake to six glasses of water a day. 

• Many women find sea-bands useful. These are elastic bracelets with a plastic button that are worn on the wrist to put compression on an acupressure point that controls nausea. These can be worn 24 hours a day. Consult with a midwife, physician or naturopath if you find your morning sickness is not alleviated by the above remedies. Reasons for nausea can be many and varied and getting at the cause can give better direction to your individual remedy and help you to feel better, sooner.

For more “Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets” go to:   http://web.mac.com/pregnancysecrets/Site/Pregnancy_Signs.html 

~ Meagan

Copyright 2010, from the book, “Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets” by Award Winning National Bestselling Author Gail J. Dahl. Now available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Chapters, Coles and Indigo Books & Music. The information contained in or provided through this publication is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be, and is not provided as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your midwife, physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment or for answers to any questions you may have regarding any medical condition during pregnancy.  

Fertility Supplements

If you are reading this posting, I hope you are printing it and taking it to your physician be it your homeopath or family doctor before taking any of these items.   You must ALWAYS speak to your physician prior to taking any of these items, you must ensure they are right for you! 

How popping a pill or two may help your belly pop! 

No doubt many a mom-to-be has fantasized about taking a magic pill that would ensure a speedy path to pregnancy. One pill a day for a month, and voila, conception achieved! Unfortunately, a magic pregnancy pill is still far from reality. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth taking any pills in your quest for conception. For one thing, prenatal vitamins usually come in pill form and everyone agrees that popping one daily can get your body ready for baby (and possibly even make it easier to conceive). And research shows that there are also some natural fertility supplements that may help give you an extra edge in your pregnancy efforts. If you’re interested in fertility supplements, be sure to talk to your practitioner before starting any of these: 

Herbal Fertility Supplements

Many holistic practitioners (and happy parents) swear by the baby-making benefits of these herbal supplements: 

Chaste tree berry
Is thought to stimulate luteinizing hormone (LH) production and to help balance progesterone and estrogen levels in order to regulate the menstrual cycle. 

Red clover
is also thought to help balance hormone function. Plus, it contains isoflavones (estrogen-like compounds), which may promote estrogen production and enhance fertility. 

Siberian ginseng
Is believed to regulate hormones and support uterine function. 

Lady’s mantle
is thought to help regulate the menstrual cycle and tone the cervix. 

Black cohosh
Is touted as improving hormone function due to its phytoestrogens (plant estrogens). 

The caveats
The FDA doesn’t regulate herbal fertility supplements (let alone any herbal supplements), so it can be hard to know whether the herb you buy at the store is either effective or safe. As  I previously mentioned, you should talk with your practitioner before you start popping any kind of fertility supplements. 

Also very important: Some herbal supplements can interfere with fertility and traditional fertility medicine (including the popular herbs St. John’s Wort and Echinacea), and many of them aren’t safe to take during pregnancy. So you’ll definitely want some expert advice before you go this route. 

Omega-3 Fatty Acid Fertility Supplements
This nutritional supplement is quickly becoming widely accepted as good for overall health, and some research shows that it may even be helpful in regulating the menstrual cycle and boosting fertility. What’s more, omega-3 fatty acids have also been shown to enhance mood, which may improve fertility (stress is a known fertility buster). Even more good news: Once you do get pregnant, omega-3 fatty acids may help decrease your chances of miscarriage and preterm labour, and help promote the development of your baby’s brain, eyes, and nervous system. 

The caveats
There’s no established optimal dose for omega-3 fatty acids — especially in the preconception period, which means it may be tricky to figure out how much you really need to take. Many prenatal vitamins (the ones you should be popping already if you’re trying to conceive since they contain essential nutrients like folic acid) contain omega-3 fatty acids, so you could already be getting a good amount. So talk with your practitioner to see if you should take extra omega-3s as fertility supplements or if you should simply add more omega-3-rich foods to your diet. The foods below are especially baby-making friendly:

Omega-3-rich foods:

• Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and herring
• Shrimp
• Scallops
• Flaxseed
• Walnuts
• Tofu
• Omega-3 enriched eggs, yogurt, milk, and pasta

This article was taken from
http://www.whattoexpect.com/preconception/fertility-supplements.aspx

~ Meagan