Grab a pile of pads, and relax. This discharge of leftover blood, mucus, and tissue from your uterus, known as lochia, is normally as heavy as (and often heavier than) a menstrual period for the first three to ten postpartum days. It may total up to 2 cups before it begins to taper off, and at times [...]
“I didn’t have an episiotomy, and i didn’t tear. Why am i so sore down below?” You can’t expert some 7 pounds of baby to pass unnoticed. Even if your perineum was left neatly intact during the baby’s arrival, that area has still been stretched, bruised, and generally traumatized, and discomfort, ranging from mild to [...]
It’s always a good idea to keep your practitioner in the loop if you’re not feeling well right after giving birth. A fever on the third or fourth postpartum day could possibly be a sign of postpartum infection, but it could also be caused by a nonpostpartum-related illness. Fever can also occasionally be caused by the combination [...]
It’s messy, but it’s normal. New moms are sweaty moms, and for a couple of good reasons. For one thing, your hormone levels are dropping – reflecting the fact that you’re no longer pregnant, as you might have noticed. For another, perspiration (like frequent urination) is your body’s way of ridding itself of pregnancy – [...]
Some hospitals include a special form with your notes, on which you can make a written plan of the way you would like your labour and birth to be managed. If you haven’t received one of these, talk to your midwife about drawing up your own plan. Even if there are still things concerning labour [...]
There is no reason why you shouldn’t travel during pregnancy, but during the later stages you should check your doctor if you are going abroad. Airlines may not be willing to take you once you are past 28 weeks because of the risk of a premature labour occurring. If you want to fly you will need to [...]
Is it or isn’t it? Real labor probably has not begun if: 1.Contractions are not at all regular and don’t increase in frequency or severity. Real contractions won’t necessarily fall into a neat textbook pattern, but they will become more intense and more frequent over time. 2.Contractions subside if you walk around or change your [...]
Before there’s labor, there’s prelabor – a sort of preshow that sets things up before the main event. The physical changes of prelabor can precede real labor by a full month or more – or by only an hour or so. Prelabor is characterized by the beginning of cervical effacement and dilation, which your practitioner [...]
It is a good idea to practise some of the positions that will help you through the different stages of labour. During the first stage you should try to stay upright and keep active. Being upright will make your contractions stronger and more efficient. It will allow gravity to keep the baby’s head pressed down, [...]
Since lovemaking has so much to offer you and your partner when you’re expecting, it would be wonderful if every couple could take advantage of those perks throughout pregnancy. Alas, for some this isn’t possible. In higher risk pregnancies, intercourse may be restricted at certain times or even for the full nine months. Or intercourse [...]
No one knows exactly what triggers real labor (and more women are concerned with “when” than”why”), but it’s believed that a combination of factors involved. This very intricate process begins the fetus, whose brain sets off a relay of chemical messages (which probably translate into something like, “Mom, let me out of here!” ) that kicks off a [...]