The Labor Of Love Blog -

Miscarriage or Stillbirth?

The loss of a pregnancy can be a very difficult time for a couple. Many parents, upon learning that their baby is no longer living, become confused, upset, and overwhelmed with grief. Whether it is a miscarriage or a stillbirth, the loss of a pregnancy is something that no one ever wants to go through. And, while there are many differences between a miscarriage and a stillbirth, the grief and loss of hope that parents experience is common to both.

If your pregnancy ends before the twentieth week of pregnancy, it is known as a miscarriage. If you lose your baby after the twentieth week of pregnancy, it is known as a stillbirth. This is the biggest difference between a miscarriage and a stillbirth: one happens earlier in pregnancy, whereas one happens later in pregnancy. Still, there are other important differences between a miscarriage and a stillbirth as well.

The causes of a miscarriage and the causes of a stillbirth are often very different. The vast majority of miscarriages, for example, have to do with some sort of abnormality with the fetus. Typically, this is a chromosomal abnormality in which the fetus’ genetic makeup just didn’t go together the right way. In contrast, a stillbirth is more likely to be cause by problems with the umbilical cord or the placenta, or occasionally a birth defect in the baby. Still, there are some common possible causes of miscarriage and stillbirth, including maternal illnesses like hypertension and diabetes. When these illnesses are not treated properly, they can definitely cause problems in pregnancy, even causing a miscarriage or a stillbirth.

One of the other differences between a miscarriage and a stillbirth has to do with how frequently they occur. It is estimated that as many as 20% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, often before the mother-to-be even knows that she is pregnant. While stillbirth is relatively common, less than one percent of pregnancies will end in a stillbirth. At the point that stillbirth can occur, the mother typically knows that she is pregnant.

¶ Posted 24 April 2012 § Pregnancy ‡ Comments (0) °

Preschool Advantages for Toddlers

photo credit: andrewmalone

Sending your child or children to preschool does have certain advantages. Exactly what those advantages are can vary somewhat from child to child and from preschool to preschool, but on average you will find that there are advantages to preschool.

One of the biggest advantages of preschool can be the opportunity that your child or children will have to interact with other children in a social way. These sorts of interactions provide opportunities to develop critical social skills, such as learning how to take turns, learning how to listen, and learning how to wait. These social skills could certainly come by interacting with other children of their age outside of the preschool setting, but the preschool setting is specifically designed so that these skills can be encouraged.
Another of the advantages of preschool is that preschool can provide some of the very basic building blocks for later academic learning and achievement. Preschool will expose your child or children to music, phonics, math, and any number of other academic subjects.
In addition, preschool may also be a place where your child or children can just have a good time. While this may not sound like a unique advantage, think about it this way: in your home setting, it can be a challenge to provide interesting activities for your child all day every day.
In addition, the rest of the family has commitments, from work to the dishes to homework, and the preschool-aged child will often find that there isn’t really anyone to entertain them. If the child is having a good time when he is at preschool, he will be better equipped to handle those times that aren’t nearly as exciting when he is at home.

Preschool has advantages over daycare, as well. Daycare does not generally provide the academic support that preschool does. If daycare is home-based, daycare can also become unavailable when a provider is sick. With preschool, you don’t generally have to worry about this happening, as when a preschool teacher is sick someone else, such as a substitute teacher, steps in.

¶ Posted 23 April 2012 § Toddlers ‡ Comments (0) °

Try Herbs for Labor Pain

photo credit: Gudlyf

Labor is painful. There really is no way around this simple fact. Even if a woman has an extremely high tolerance for pain, and even if labor is as smooth as it can be, a woman is going to experience pain during labor. Yet, many of the options for pain relief during labor are rather unsavory for many women.

For example, many of the pain killers that are used during labor can make a woman less lucid during the childbirth experience, and thereby detract from the experience. For this reason, many women have explored other alternatives when it comes to reducing pain during labor.

One of the ways that women have found to reduce pain during labor is through the use of herbs. Herbal remedies have been used for centuries to help with a variety of different conditions. This is especially true when it comes to pregnancy.

or example, a woman might use an herbal tea to help with the nausea that comes from morning sickness. She might use an herbal butter or cream near the end of her pregnancy to soothe her sore nipples.

There are also uses for herbs after a baby is born. These might include using herbs to help with milk production, or as a supplemental aid to a postpartum depression treatment plan. There are even herbs that you can use to reduce pain during labor.

Several different herbs can be used to reduce pain during labor. There are teas with herbs that can help you to relax. There are creams and ointments that can be used to help prepare the perineum for childbirth, which will help to prevent tearing, or the need for an episiotomy.

Typically, these sorts of creams or ointments may contain herbs such as blue cohosh, black cohosh, kuki nut, and lavender. In addition to using herbs to help with labor pain, these creams or ointments may use other sorts of natural ingredients to help with labor pain, such as vanilla oil or vitamin E.

You can also use certain herbs during labor that will help speed the process of labor along. Blue and black cohosh, for example, are thought to help to make contractions more regular and stronger. There are other herbs, such as goldenseal and squaw vine, that are thought to accomplish the same thing.

Keep in mind that, even if you intend to use herbs to reduce pain during labor, you will want to be informed about medications that will be available to reduce pain during labor. Knowing your options will help you to make an informed decision when the time comes.

¶ Posted 23 April 2012 § labor and delivery ‡ Comments (0) °

Dealing with Postpartum Mental Illness

photo credit: Lars Plougmann

While things are changing somewhat, the fact of the matter is that there is still quite a bit of stigma about postpartum mental illness. It doesn’t help that, so often, the media get it wrong. A disaster will strike and a woman will commit awful acts, and the media will attribute it to “postpartum depression.” While postpartum depression is serious and can, if untreated, cause a woman to harm herself or others, most often such incidents are actually a much more rare, and severe, condition known as “postpartum psychosis.”

There are a number of conditions that can strike a woman after childbirth. It’s estimated that somewhere around 15 to 20 percent of women will experience postpartum depression or a related pregnancy mental illness. Understanding those conditions can help you recognize when you or someone else might be experiencing one.

It’s worth talking, first of all, about postpartum depression. This condition is usually recognized by feelings of extreme sadness, loss, and guilt. You may also feel irritable, angry, or hopeless. Postpartum depression often brings with it changes in appetite, eating patterns, sleeplessness, or more sleeping than usual. Postpartum depression can be treated in a variety of ways, and you should talk to a doctor right away if you believe you’re experiencing this condition.

Postpartum psychosis is much more severe than postpartum depression. It includes episodes of hallucinations. These might be auditory, as in hearing voices, or they might even be visual hallucinations. Postpartum psychosis may include delusions and paranoia, as well. This condition is the most severe of the postpartum mental illnesses, and requires immediate medical assistance.

Some women experience a great deal of worry and fear after their baby is born, and this fear often relates to the safety and well-being of their baby. Postpartum anxiety is closely related to postpartum depression. Fortunately, it is also treatable. If you experience postpartum anxiety, you may also have a panic attack, which is recognized by shortness of breath, heart pains, dizziness, and other physical symptoms.

There are other conditions, too. Postpartum obsessive compulsive disorder, for example, includes OCD brought on after pregnancy. Postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition in which childbirth becomes a traumatic event, and the woman may experience horrific images and flashbacks.

If you believe you’re suffering from postpartum mental illness, talk to your doctor. These conditions are treatable, but you need to take that first step to seek help.

¶ Posted 20 April 2012 § Postpartum ‡ Comments (0) °

More Reasons for Breastfeeding

photo credit: Nico Nelson

For some time during the past century, breastfeeding has fallen out of fashion in the United States. The fact of the matter is that these things tend to ebb and flow in terms of popularity and acceptability. There are those that would argue that this has been a bad thing, that breastfeeding is essential to the health and well-being of a child. The fact of the matter is that breastfeeding may provide a number of benefits to your baby, although it’s also true that a bottle fed baby won’t necessarily be any worse off.

Still, if you’re trying to decide whether or not you want to breastfeed, there are some important potential breastfeeding benefits for your baby that you should consider. Here are just a few of those:

Colostrum, that first milk that your body produces, is full of antibodies and nutrients that help your baby adjust to living outside of the womb. The fact of the matter is that your baby’s immune system is still getting into gear over those first few days. Colostrum gives an added layer of protection that will help your baby to avoid the onset of any of those early sort of illnesses.
Breast milk is nutritionally perfect for your baby. Breast milk has the right mix of fat, protein, carbohydrates, and water to help your baby get exactly what she needs. It provides the nutrients that are most important to your baby so that she can grow and develop the way that she needs to.
It’s easier to digest breast milk than it is formula. Formula is derived from cow’s milk, which can be difficult to digest, at first. Some babies may have difficulty digesting formula. Breast milk is much more gentle on your baby’s tummy, and can help to avoid certain types of gastrointestinal problems.
Breast milk offers protection from some illnesses. Babies who are breastfed may have a higher resistance to infection, asthma, obesity, diabetes, and childhood leukemia. There is also some research that is suggesting that babies who are breastfed may have a lower risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) as well.

¶ Posted 19 April 2012 § Breastfeeding ‡ Comments (0) °

Postpartum Depression and Baby Sleep

photo credit: USCPSC

We know that postpartum depression can be debilitating. It can interfere with your relationship with your new baby, with your partner, with family and friends, and everyone else. Treating postpartum depression is important if you want to have a happy, healthy experience.

One component to postpartum depression is often insomnia. This makes things worse, of course, as a lack of sleep makes it almost impossible to recover from postpartum depression. This becomes a catch-22; you can’t sleep because you’re feeling blue, and that inability to sleep contributes to your postpartum depression.

According to one new study, moms with postpartum depression also more often wake their babies in the middle of the night, as well. The study installed cameras in families’ nurseries and bedrooms, and discovered that new mothers who were experiencing postpartum depression were much lighter sleepers. This means they would wake up more often, responding to every sound their baby might make.

They often then would get up and wake their baby, feeding the baby, rocking them, or changing them even when it wasn’t necessary.

Proactive maternal behavior

This has been described as “proactive maternal behavior.” Women who weren’t experiencing postpartum depression didn’t engage in this behavior, and only actually responded to their baby when there was an actual need.

Where does this proactive maternal behavior come from? Researchers aren’t certain, but there are a couple of possibilities:

Mothers with postpartum depression have a higher degree of overall anxiety, which causes them to be overprotective and overly concerned about their baby.
The other possibility is that mothers with postpartum depression receive emotional comfort by attending to their baby.

In reality, it’s probably a combination of both. A woman is worried about her baby more than what’s necessary, but she also gains comfort by being with her baby whether that’s simply holding him, feeding, or participating in other activities.

So, how about you? Have you experienced insomnia during a struggle with postpartum depression? Do you feel like you were exhibiting “proactive maternal behavior” like the researchers describe of the women involved in the study? Do you think either of the possible explanation makes more sense than the other?

¶ Posted 18 April 2012 § Postpartum ‡ Comments (0) °

Breastfeeding and Race

photo credit: cheriejoyful

Breastfeeding offers a number of benefits both to mom and baby, which you’re well aware of if you’ve followed us for any amount of time. While we realize that not every mom can or should breastfeed, we do think these benefits are significant and that breastfeeding should be encouraged.

One of the unfortunate realities about breastfeeding is the racial gap. According to research from the CDC, black women fall woefully behind all other ethnic groups when it comes to breastfeeding. Here’s how the breastfeeding numbers break down:

Among black mothers, 54 percent breastfeed from birth. 27 percent continue to breastfeed past the first six months.
Among white mothers, 74 percent breastfeed from birth. 43 percent continue to breastfeed past the first six months.
Among Hispanic mothers, 80 percent breastfeed from birth. 45 percent continue to breastfeed pas the first six months.

In some places, public health workers and breastfeeding advocates are working to address this racial disparity. For example, there is a breastfeeding program in Washington, D.C. seeks to buck that trend.

The program consists of a four-week class, in which pregnant women gather to learn more about the health benefits of breastfeeding. The program is offered in areas of the District where the breastfeeding rates are lowest.

A lack of knowledge is at the root

According to the director of the program, the biggest barriers to breastfeeding tend to be a lack of knowledge and a lack of community support.

There tend to be myths that grow up around breastfeeding, that it might be painful or that it might be hard to get the baby to do it. If a woman is the first in her family to breastfeed, she’s probably going to face a lack of help and support from family members or the community at large.

The key is helping women make an informed choice. That’s what this program, and other programs like it, tries to do. In all reality, education is the best weapon we have in advocating for breastfeeding change. Give women the information they need and then empower them to make the decisions that are best for them and their baby.

¶ Posted 17 April 2012 § Breastfeeding ‡ Comments (0) °

Topical and Medical Treatments for Pregnancy Stretch Marks

photo credit: teachercreature;-)

Of all the impacts pregnancy has on the body, stretch marks are some of the toughest to deal with. There just aren’t that many proven, effective treatments that can help you to get rid of your stretch marks.

To be sure, there are some treatments that you can buy over the counter. The problem is that results can vary significantly from one woman to the next. Some women might respond well to a particular product, while other women may not be quite so lucky.

There are some medical treatments for stretch marks, too, but they’re not usually covered by insurance which means that they’re just not accessible.

Topical Treatments

There are a number of different kinds of creams or lotions available that purport to help with stretch marks. For the most part, these products work to make the stretch marks less visible, not to make them go away. In many cases, these creams and lotions are most effective when you’re first getting your stretch marks, when the coloration tends to have that bright pink, purple or red to it.

These kinds of topical treatments for stretch marks usually rely on something called retinoids, which are derived from vitamin A. It is thought that retinoids are not an effective treatment for stretch marks once they have already faded. other lotions and creams that are designed for the treatment of stretch marks may be based on ingredients like glycolic acid or L-ascorbic acid. These applications tend to work better as treatment for stretch marks that you’ve had for a longer period of time.

Medical Treatments

In addition to lotions and creams, there are a few medical treatments available for stretch marks. One of the areas that has seen great progress in recent years is the use of lasers to help treat stretch marks. Usually, these medical treatments require you to make several visits to the doctor to receive treatments.

There are also a number of different dermatological treatments for stretch marks, as well. Some of those may include things like dermabrasion or a chemical peel.

Not everyone is a good candidate for every treatment for stretch marks, so be certain to discuss your options fully with your doctor.

¶ Posted 13 April 2012 § Postpartum ‡ Comments (0) °

Hypnobirthing Basics

photo credit: jeff_golden

One of the most recent trends in birthing has been the practice of hypnobirthing. Even some celebrities, such as Jessica Alba, have come out as recent advocates for the practice.

The point of hypnobirthing, of course, is to make the labor and delivery process easier. In particular:

Hypnobirthing uses hypnosis to help you rid your mind and body of fear, anxiety, and pain during your labor and delivery experience.
Hypnobirthing uses the power of your own mind to help relieve your discomfort and the pressure on your body. It’s often used as a complement to or even substitute for pain medications.
Hypnobirthing puts the mother into a deeply relaxed state, both from the mental and the physical perspectives.

If you’re not experienced with hypnosis, you might have some concerns. You might be worried about how susceptible you are to suggestions (having watched one too many sitcoms about people being hypnotized and then clucking like a chicken). You might be skeptical about how effective it could be, as well.

Here are some basic principles regarding hypnosis in general and hypnobirthing in particular that you should be aware of:

Most folks can be hypnotized successfully.
Hypnosis isn’t a state of sleep or unconsciousness, and you can come out of hypnosis any time you want to.
Hypnosis can’t make you do anything that’s against your will.
There isn’t a religious component to hypnosis. Some groups do oppose hypnosis on religious grounds, but in many cases this is a matter of not really understanding how it works.

Hypnobirthing is relatively easy to learn more about. There are a number of different methods out there, such as those developed by Vincent Priya, Michelle Leclaire O’Neill, or Marie Mongan. Each has its ups and downs, and you’ll want to do a bit of research to see which you seem to be most comfortable with.

In the quest to find labor pain relief and comfort aids without potentially-harmful narcotics, hypnobirthing is definitely worth considering.

So, what about you? Have you used, or are you considering, any alternative forms of pain management during labor? Which ones, and why?

¶ Posted 12 April 2012 § labor and delivery ‡ Comments (0) °

Being Concerned About Baby Walking

photo credit: LizMarie_AK

One of the most stressful things about being a parent is watching for our children to hit certain developmental milestones. We anxiously await those early evidences of speech, the first time our baby eats some solid food, and of course those first few steps across the living room floor. Even after your child is grown, you’ll look back on those moments with fondness.

Of course, you want to believe your child is advanced. You want him to develop ahead of the curve, or at least normally. We encourage our children to talk and walk not only because we want them to have these skills, but because we believe they can.

Walking helps parents

Getting your baby to start walking helps you almost as much as it helps them. Once he’s walking in a relatively stable manner, your arms will get a much-needed rest. (Of course, your legs might get more of a workout because you’ll be chasing them all around!)

How development happens

What you need to know, of course, is that your child isn’t going to start walking just because you’d like her to do so. She’s going to wait until she’s ready. Skills like walking, standing, and even talking have as much to do with your baby’s confidence and desire as they have to do with muscular and nervous system development.

You can’t push your baby to develop at a certain pace, or to reach a particular milestone. You can certainly be an encouragement, but if you create a situation with too much pressure, he’s going to recognize your disappointment. This can lower his confidence, and actually slow down the process.

When must it happen?

Your baby might start walking early, even before her first birthday. That said, some babies wait much, much longer. As long as your baby is walking at least a little bit by the time she’s two, you don’t have much to worry about. Talk regularly with your doctor about developmental milestones like these if you’re concerned, of course.

What has your experience been with walking? When did your baby start to walk, and what did you do to encourage it?

¶ Posted 11 April 2012 § Baby Developmental Milestones ‡ Comments (0) °