How To Avoid a Caesarian or C-Section Birth

C-Sections are epidemic in the United States. 1 out of every 3 women who is pregnant right now will have one. If you need a C-Section to save the life of your baby, it's nothing short of miraculous, and worth every bit of pain and risk.

Sometimes if your baby is breech and can't be turned, or in some cases with twins, a caesarean tremendously lowers the risk to your baby.

If you and your health care adviser have decided that a C-Section is warranted for safety reasons, you'll be scheduling it. Obviously, you'll want to choose a care-giver who's very experienced with C-Sections and a hospital with an excellent record.

But are you aware that C-sections:

1. Are major abdominal surgery with all the attendant pain and possible complications in the following weeks, just when you want to enjoy your new baby?
2. Increase your risk of hemorrhage and infection?
3. Result in a uterine scar and internal adhesions (scarring) that can cause pain and complications for years?
4. Increase your chances of later ectopic pregnancy and difficulty conceiving?
5. Increase your baby's chances of having asthma later in life?
6. Delay your breastmilk coming in, making it so much more difficult to breastfeed that many women give up?
7. Endanger the health of future pregnancies, increasing the chances of low birthweight, premature delivery and stillbirth?
8. Often leave women with medical complaints six months or a year later?

If you really need a C-Section, they are a miraculous life-saver. If you don't, it's best to avoid it.

Luckily, most C-Sections are not actually medically necessary. 85% of all pregnancies are normal and low-risk, and absolutely do not warrant C-Sections. In fact, there is absolutely no medical evidence that a caesarean is necessary just because you had one last time, or because you're over 40. Even with a multiple birth a C-Section is often more dangerous than a vaginal birth.

Most importantly, do you know that you can tremendously reduce your risk of C-section by picking a care-giver who uses certain kinds of birth practices?

VBAC

(Vaginal birth after caesarean) If you had a C-Section last time, you can still have a Vaginal Birth this time. Do you know the most decisive factor in whether a woman can successfully have a VBAC ? Age. But not the age of the mom, or the term of the baby. The age of the doctor!

That's because doctors used to be educated with the misinformation that uterine rupture was more likely with a VBAC. But the New England Journal of Medicine published a landmark study in 2004 showing that uterine rupture occurs in less than 1% of VBACs. In other words, a woman who had a C-Section is just as likely to be able to have a healthy vaginal birth as any other woman.

Are you over 40?

It's true that women over 40 have a 40% chance of having C-Sections, and it is exhausting and demoralizing to struggle through a prolonged labor only to end up in the operating room having a C-Section. BUT did you know that you can hugely increase your chances of being part of the 60% of over-40 year olds who have normal vaginal births? That's right. Most women over 40 do not need a caesarean, and can avoid having one.

Avoiding a C-Section: 
What every pregnant woman needs to know.

You can significantly reduce your chances of having a C-Section by informed choice of a caregiver and birth place. Here's how:

1. Exercise moderately during pregnancy.

Sedentary women are 4x as likely to deliver via caesarean section as women who did aerobics during the first or second trimester.

2. Find a caregiver who has a low C-Section rate

Find a caregiver who has a low C-Section rate and is experienced with successful VBACs. This is true even if you don't need a VBAC, because it means your caregiver doesn't default to caesareans.

3. Find a caregiver who will give you all the time you need

Find a caregiver who will give you all the time you need rather than rushing your delivery because of staffing issues.

4. Ask your caregiver what she does if your baby is in a breech position

Ask your caregiver what she does if your baby is in a breech position in late pregnancy. You want to hear that she is experienced with turning babies and always tries that before scheduling a C-Section.

5. Check Hospital policies.

If you're considering a VBAC, be sure to use a hospital that allows VBACs.

6. Arrange continuous trained labor support

Arrange continuous trained labor support which studies show keeps labor moving. If you aren't using a midwife, supplement your OB by hiring an experienced labor doula. A 2001 study in the journal of perinatal education showed a 56% reduction in the risk of caesarean in women receiving continuous one to one nursing/doula or midwifery care.

7. Be sure that your caregiver and birth venue encourage practices that support the normal process of labor and keep it moving:

• Arrange to stay upright and moving rather than lying down.
• Stay well-nourished and hydrated to give you energy
• Avoid continuous electronic fetal monitoring
• Avoid hastening labor with pitocin, which increases the severity of contractions and makes other medical interventions much more likely.

Using a Mother’s Microbes to Protect Cesarean Babies

The first germs to colonize a newborn delivered vaginally come almost exclusively from its mother. But the first to reach an infant born by cesarean section come mostly from the environment — particularly bacteria from inaccessible or less-scrubbed areas like lamps and walls, and skin cells from everyone else in the delivery room.

Photo

The transfer of the maternal microbiome occurs naturally after (a) a vaginal birth. After a (b) C-section, researchers transferred the neonatal microbiome from the mothers with a (c) gauze treatment.CreditKim Caesar/Nature Publishing Group

That difference, some experts believe, could influence a child’s lifelong health. Now, in the first study of its kind, researchers on Monday confirmed that a mother’s beneficial microbes can be transferred, at least partially, from her vagina to her baby after a C-section.

The small proof-of-principle study suggests a new way to inoculate babies, said Dr. Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, an associate professor of medicine at New York University and lead author of the report, published on Monday in Nature Medicine.

“The study is extremely important,” said Dr. Jack Gilbert, a microbial ecologist at Argonne National Laboratory who did not take part in the work. “Just understanding that it’s possible is exciting.”

But it will take further studies following C-section babies for many years to know to what degree, if any, the method protects them from immune and metabolic problems, he said.

Some epidemiological studies have suggested that C-section babies may have an elevated risk for developing immune and metabolic disorders, including Type 1 diabetes, allergies, asthma and obesity.

Scientists have theorized that these children may be missing key bacteria known to play a large role in shaping the immune system from the moment of birth onward. To replace these microbes, some parents have turned to a novel procedure called vaginal microbial transfer.

A mother’s vaginal fluids — loaded with one such essential bacterium, lactobacillus, that helps digest human milk — are collected before surgery and swabbed all over the infant a minute or two after birth.

An infant’s first exposure to microbes may educate the early immune system to recognize friend from foe, Dr. Dominguez-Bello said.

Friendly bacteria, like lactobacilli, are tolerated as being like oneself. Those from hospital ventilation vents or the like may be perceived as enemies and be attacked.

These early microbial interactions may help set up an immune system that recognizes “self” from “non-self” for the rest of a person’s life, Dr. Dominguez-Bello said.

In the United States, about one in three babies are delivered by C-section, a rate that has risen dramatically in recent decades. Some hospitals perform the surgery on nearly seven in ten women delivering babies.

An ideal C-section rate for low-risk births should be no more than 15 percent, according to the World Health Organization.

Dr. Dominguez-Bello’s study involved 18 babies born at the University of Puerto Rico hospital in San Juan, where she recently worked. Seven were born vaginally and 11 by elective C-section. Of the latter, four were swabbed with the mother’s vaginal microbes and seven were not.

Microbes were collected on a folded sterile piece of gauze that was dipped in a saline solution and inserted into each mother’s vagina for one hour before surgery. As the operations began, the gauze was pulled out and placed in a sterile collector.

One to two minutes after the babies were delivered and put under a neonatal lamp, researchers swabbed each infant’s lips, face, chest, arms, legs, back, genitals and anal region with the damp gauze. The procedure took 15 seconds.

Dr. Dominguez-Bello and her colleagues then tracked the composition of microbes by taking more than 1,500 oral, skin and anal samples from the newborns, as well as vaginal samples from the mothers, over the first month after birth.

For the first few days, ambient skin bacteria from the delivery room predominated in the mouths and on the skin of C-section babies who were not swabbed, Dr. Dominguez-Bello said.

But in terms of their bacterial colonies, the infants swabbed with the microbes closely resembled vaginally delivered babies, she found, especially in the first week of life. They were all covered with lactobacilli.

Gut bacteria in both C-section groups, however, were less abundant than that found in the vaginally delivered babies.

Anal samples from the swabbed group, oddly, contained the highest abundance of bacteria usually found in the mouth.

The results show the complexity of labor, said Dr. Alexander Khoruts, a microbial expert and associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota. “It cannot be simplified to a neat, effortless passage of the infant through the birth canal,” he said.

As the month progressed, the oral and skin microbes of all infants began to resemble normal adult patterns, Dr. Dominguez-Bello said. But fecal bacteria did not, probably because of breast or formula feeding and the absence of solid foods.

The transfer fell short of full vaginal birth-like colonization for two reasons, Dr. Dominguez-Bello said. Compared to infants who spent time squeezed inside the birth canal, those who were swabbed got less exposure to their mother’s microbes.

And all infants delivered by C-section were exposed to antibiotics, which also may have reduced the number and variety of bacteria colonizing them.

A larger study of vaginal microbial transfer is underway at N.Y.U., Dr. Dominguez-Bello said. Eighty-four mothers have participated so far.

Infants delivered both by C-section and vaginally will be followed for one year to look for differences in the treated and untreated groups and to look for complications. Thus far the swabbing has proved entirely safe.

The procedure is not yet recommended by professional medical societies, said Dr. Sara Brubaker, a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine at N.Y.U. Until more is known, physicians are hesitant to participate.

“But it has hit the lay press,” she said. “Patients come in and ask for it. They are doing it themselves.”

Dr. Brubaker is one of them. When her daughter was born three and a half months ago, she arranged to have her baby swabbed.

A Guide for First-Time Parents

You've survived 9 months of pregnancy. You've made it through the excitement of labor and delivery, and now you're ready to head home and begin life with your baby. Once home, though, you frantically realize you have no idea what you're doing!

These tips can help even the most nervous first-time parents feel confident about caring for a newborn in no time.

Getting Help After the Birth

Consider getting help during this time, which can be very hectic and overwhelming. While in the hospital, talk to the experts around you. Many hospitals have feeding specialists or lactation consultants who can help you get started nursing or bottle-feeding. In addition, nurses are a great resource to show you how to hold, burp, change, and care for your baby.

For in-home help, you might want to hire a baby nurse or a responsible neighborhood teenager to help you for a short time after the birth. Your doctor or the hospital can be good resources for finding information about in-home help, and might even be able to make a referral to home health agencies.

In addition, relatives and friends often want to help. Even if you disagree on certain things, don't dismiss their experience. But if you don't feel up to having guests or you have other concerns, don't feel guilty about placing restrictions on visitors.

Handling a Newborn

If you haven't spent a lot of time around newborns, their fragility may be intimidating. Here are a few basics to remember:

• Wash your hands (or use a hand sanitizer) before handling your baby. Newborns don't have a strong immune system yet, so they are susceptible to infection. Make sure that everyone who handles your baby has clean hands.

• Be careful to support your baby's head and neck. Cradle the head when carrying your baby and support the head when carrying the baby upright or when you lay your baby down.

• Be careful not to shake your newborn, whether in play or in frustration. Shaking that is vigorous can cause bleeding in the brain and even death. If you need to wake your infant, don't do it by shaking — instead, tickle your baby's feet or blow gently on a cheek.

• Make sure your baby is securely fastened into the carrier, stroller, or car seat. Limit any activity that could be too rough or bouncy.

• Remember that your newborn is not ready for rough play, such as being jiggled on the knee or thrown in the air.

Panic Attacks During Pregnancy: How Will it Affect Your Baby?

When a woman is pregnant her body goes through many different changes. Many of these changes are related to hormones. Hormones can cause the body to react differently to many different situations. One problem that many women face is panic attacks during pregnancy. This is not a serious problem if you take recognize and take charge of these attacks as soon as they happen.

If you are a person that already suffers from panic attacks then you will know what you are dealing with. Panic attacks during pregnancy may appear more often because of the hormonal changes you are experiencing. If you have not already been suffering from panic attacks they you may experience your first one during pregnancy.

It is important to understand that panic attacks during pregnancy are considered to be common so you don’t have to worry that you are somehow causing harm to the baby. The first thing you must do is recognize the signs and symptoms of the attack. Many women worry about everything they do and everything they eat because they fear it will harm their unborn child. In reality, if you live a normal life and eat a proper diet you will usually not have anything to worry about.

Once you see that you are going to experience panic attacks during pregnancy there are steps that you can take to help alleviate the problem. Recognize the symptoms before they strike. Formulate a plan of action before you have an attack. Plan an activity that you can do to help get your mind focused somewhere else. When you are feeling stressed you are also putting your baby under stress.

Discuss these attacks with your doctor when you have your monthly visit. Chances are he has plenty of experience in dealing with panic attacks during pregnancy. He can advise you to things to do that will help you relax. He can also help to put your mind at ease about the health of your baby. While it is very normal for a woman to worry about the health of her baby before it is born, becoming obsessed with that worry can be harmful to you and possibly even the baby.

When you feel an attack starting you can try some deep breathing exercises. Your doctor can instruct you how to do this. This is something you will also need to know how to do during the labor process so getting an early start at practice will help.

Take frequent walks. Just because you are pregnant does not mean that you can stop your normal exercise routine. Your body needs the exercise during pregnancy to help it prepare for the process of birth. This will also help your body recover faster after the birth. Taking short walks will help you to relax and get your mind off of what is bothering you.

It is important that you find ways to work through your panic attacks during pregnancy. Your unborn child is depending on you to provide a healthy environment until he is ready to tackle the world on his own. Staying calm and getting plenty of rest will not only benefit you but it will also benefit your baby now and after the birth.

Author,

Drofwyt Iamal

Witness a Twin Baby

We've witnessed twin babies' pregnancy over time. It's also amazing with regard to mums to conceive yet another living from inside these people nevertheless having a pair of as well as numerous childbirths is really incredible to determine. It's genuinely miracle-like on what several babies can be stated in a single maternity. For certain it'll become double your mother's difficulty, 2 times the amount of troubles to discover and lastly, double your benefits. Baby twins can be extremely fascinating creations. They might both become similar as well as fraternal. They could be guys, each woman or possibly a son and a lady. They're piled up with some comparable genetic makeup too.

Twin babies being pregnant are already tranquil numerous in the past years. When there's a family history of baby twins especially in the inside of the new mother, more than likely she'll possess dual offspring. There are 2 common types of twins. Should they look precisely alike and also share the same sex, chances are they are identical baby twins. This occurs whenever one particular fertilized egg cell divides in 2 while using genetically same parts after which develops independently. These types of infants reveal a similar Genetics collection, too. When the twins are generally either two young ladies as well as the two kids or even distinct throughout girl or boy and don't look likewise bodily chances are they'll are fraternal twins. You can find manufactured from two distinct ovum coupled with already been fertilized by a pair of various sperms having diverse sets of Genetics.

Mums can simply determine if they are holding baby twins. You could do in the course of the girl 1st ultrasound examination check-up. The particular practitioner will certainly directly recognize along with hear a couple of heartbeats that means 2 lifestyle forms and definitely will after that bust for you what is the news that you have twins' pregnancy. And that will imply you'll require 2 double increase having a baby healthcare so that you as well as your babies have been around in good shapes. 2 infants would mean double the higher risks for several pregnancy difficulties. That's why should you take a closer view together with your wellness. Often opt for medical guidance and also go to your medical doctor regularly to watch your current being pregnant. It is best to comply with unique balanced pregnancy diet plan. Using these, you'll certain manage to meet your nutrition requirements.

It will likely be an approximate highway for expecting parents that are holding twin babies. This type of having a baby is also in larger dangers regarding anemia. You could do since the mother's system has no adequate balanced red-colored blood cells to modify blood circulation. The girl foliate necessity rises, way too. Same with various other expectant women, a single should not eat way too much. There's this specific notion a pregnant woman must take in for two main or a few people. 

Which will be unneeded? The lady just has to acquire unique observe together with her nutritional diet and avoid constrained foodstuff. Food supplements can help, way too. Expectant women will require more Six-hundred calorie consumption to support her physique together with other important nourishment for example proteins, sugars, straightener as well as calcium supplement. She'll furthermore experience heartburn symptoms far more in which other women that are pregnant as a result of her a couple of babies. So that you must take additional care involving on your own and stay stress-free in order to avoid these types of difficulties. Pregnant women conceiving twins' babies are encouraged to achieve weight, (35-45 pounds a lot more) to ensure you'll be capable of support one while using developing babies.

Twin babies having a baby can be quite high-risk. It might both end up being sent via genital birth or perhaps cesarean start. It might depend on your mother's condition as well as the babies' ailments as well as roles. It doesn't matter what fashion would be the delivery, it'll certain certainly be an alleviation as soon as your twins babies are generally given birth to.

About the Author

by Dorothy Curry

Know the difficulties as well as the joys in conceiving a twin babies, just click here - http://www.twinspregnancy.net/2011/03/12/twins-pregnancy-%E2%80%93-a-miracle-like/"> Twins Pregnancy

Having Twins? Stop Panicking

First of all, look on the bright side - even with the current medical technology, a whopping 25% of mothers twins don't find out until too late in their pregnancies! You have been awarded time to think and strategize, which you most certainly must. So what SHOULD you be doing instead of buying two sets of everything?

In particular, DON'T attempt to go it all by yourself.

Start talking with your friends and family about what they can do to contribute. Look into hiring temporary help. Equally important, get online and join support groups such as National Organization of Mothers of Twins or Proud Parents of Twins--invaluable sources of support who can tip you off on where to get discounts and bargains on the equipment and clothing you'll need.

Utilize what remains of your physical mobility.

Remember that you'll grow larger, and therefore less mobile, quicker than you with a single-child pregnancy. Also, since it's customary for twins to be born a few months premature, you might get doctor's orders to spend the final part of your pregnancy confined to bed. Therefore, organize your finances and legal papers, have your baby shower, and stock up on supplies, and such as soon as possible.

Do your research.

Ask your doctor how many calories the you should be consuming, and discuss what will happen to your twins if they should require a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Shop around for double strollers (they come in three different kinds). Or try out a pair infant carrying slings -- you could rehearse with five-pound bags of sugar or flour!

Also, research literature about pregnancy with and parenting of twins. A great place to start is the library of strategies and tactics for parents of twins in Twins! A Survival Guide by Suzannah Peel. Here is where you can order it: 

By: Acy Sambora

Important Steps To Having A Healthy Baby

Having a healthy baby is so important to the mom to be. During my pregnancy, I was among the majority of women who worried about all the things that could go wrong. Every little thing was a cause of concern. "Why am I so tired?" "Why am I nauseous?" "Am I eating enough, and am I eating the right foods?" "Why am I not gaining any weight?" The list went on and on. I soon found out that I was not alone in experiencing all these questions and fears. The majority of women, especially those of us who are pregnant for the first time, experience some level of anxiety about the health of their baby. What's important to remember, though is that a woman of child bearing age who is in good health is, statistically, low risk.

Once I accepted this fact, I decided to stop worrying about factors that were out of my control, and concentrate on the factors I had some control over. Namely diet and exercise. I joined a wonderful program that I found on-line. It gave me a nutritional guideline, a healthy exercise program for pregnant women, and a forum where I could share my experiences with other women going through pregnancy at the same time I was. All of these factors really helped lower, if not eliminate my anxieties. Instead of worrying, I started to feel very relaxed and confident, because I knew I was taking all the steps I could to ensure healthy babies. Besides that, I felt better physically. The steps that I was taking to provide for my babies' health were benefiting me as well. I couldn't believe the level of comfort and energy I was experiencing.

In fact, at the beginning of my third trimester, my husband and I went on a seven night Caribbean cruise. If anyone had told me when I first found out I was pregnant that I would be on a cruise in my third trimester I would have laughed in their face. Yet, here I was, sipping virgin pina coladas, walking the beach, swimming a little and even beating my husband at ping pong. I truly couldn't believe how much I was enjoying my pregnancy. I owed it all to the fact that I was able to toss out all the old-school advice I was getting, telling me to stay off my feet, eat like a horse, etc.. Instead I found a program that made sense to me. Taking better care of me meant taking better care of my babies as well. The final results--I delivered two healthy babies just two weeks short of full term. I was able to deliver them naturally, avoiding the recoup time of a C-section, and I was back on my feet and back in shape faster than I ever would have believed possible.

I recently became a first-time mom at the age of 39. I was experiencing a lot of anxiety worrying about my age and the fact that I was having twins. I received all kinds of conflicting advice as to what I should and shouldn't do while pregnant. I finally decided to research for myself. With my doctors consent I followed a program of diet and exercise. Once I started, my anxiety went away, and I had a very comfortable, active and problem free pregnancy. I delivered two very healthy boys, and within just 7 weeks of delivery I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight and even better shape. I've posted my story along with pictures at Pregnant-Healthy.com [http://www.pregnant-healthy.com].

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/665586

Pregnancy - My Baby is Premature! - The Premature Birth Problems

"Counting 6 and 7 to 8 months? Oh no! My baby is premature, what happens now!?"

Premature birth is a problem that most parents face today. Some say that it is caused by unhealthy lifestyle, parent's genetic make up, and so on and so forth.

Premature babies are unable to eat through their mouths, breath with ease, or even stay warm on their own. Their small bodies are simply not fully developed and grown to function right. However, some babies who are placed in an incubator may have a greater chance of a normal life - some.

When babies are born too much early this can cause premature baby health problems, which can range from mild to life-threatening medical conditions. It is a sad fact, but sometimes it does happen.

What is Premature Birth?

Medically speaking, preterm birth means that a baby is born less than 37 weeks (less than 8 months) gestational age. Premature birth is a term used which pertains to the physiological state of a newborn baby, and that it indicates that the baby still needs certain medical support that will aid in the further development of their organs.

In general, "preterm babies" are referred to as "premature" and "term babies" are referred to as "mature". Normal pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. Those born 3 weeks earlier or more are considered premature. A lot of premature babies who were born closer to 37 weeks are less problematic.

Premature babies born at about 32 weeks are unable to eat, breathe, and stay warm without external help. Once they get all the medical support they need within a period of time most of them can leave the hospital and live a normal life.

Premature babies born at about 26 weeks are more likely to have critical health problems. If a baby is born small or sickly, parents may be face with a very hard life and death decisions about their treatments.

Medical practitioners oftentimes refer to premature babies as "preemies"

What are the Signs & Symptoms of Premature Births?

The signs and symptoms of an impending premature birth are:

1. More than four uterine contractions every hour, before the 37 weeks gestation. 

2. Vaginal water discharge, which might suggest that the membranes around the baby had prematurely ruptured. 

3. A feeling that the baby "dropped", or pressures around the area of the pelvis. 

4. Abdominal pains or menstrual like cramps. 

5. Rhythmic tightening or pain at the lower back or abdomen. 

6. Vaginal bleeding or spotting.

What are the Causes of Premature Births?

There are many causes of premature births. Some are due the mother's condition, or due to the fetus' condition.

Mother's Health Condition:

1. Chronic illness 

2. Trauma 

3. Substance abuse 

4. Infections 

5. Hypertension

Complications of the Placenta or the Uterus:

1. Detachment or malformation of the placenta. 

2. Malformation of the uterus. 

3. Pressures in the uterus due to excessive amniotic fluid production, which causes early contractions. 

4. Early opening of the cervix.

Fetal Causes:

1. Abnormalities in the chromosomal make-up. 

2. Fetal malformation 

3. Infections

What are the Treatments for Premature Babies?

Caring for premature babies varies depending on the baby's age, weight, and maturity. For extremely premature babies medical support should include:

1. Placing the baby in an incubator. 

2. Surfactant administration to aid their lungs to breathe on their own volition. 

3. Insertion of a breathing tube in the baby's trachea. Ventilator and supplemental oxygen might also be used. 

4. Sufficient nutrition should be given through a feeding tube or intravenously. For feeding tube, the mother's breast milk should be used to avoid infections.

What are the Preventions for Premature Births?

A healthy lifestyle is an important factor in preventing premature birth. Here are some preventive measures that a mother can do on their own or with help:

1. Regular prenatal check-up. 

2. Eating healthy foods. 

3. Monitor chronic medical conditions. 

4. Diligently follow the doctor's advice with regards to physical activities. 

5. Avoid certain substances. 

6. Consult a doctor about sex activities. 

7. Have a stress free routine.

Premature birth is very scary and stressful for parents. But don't scream "My Baby is Premature!" at the top of your lungs - it would not help. What would help is for parents to take good care of each other in this time of crisis. Talk to your families, friends, counselors, and doctors for help and advice. You do not have to face this alone.

This article is from WWW.BABY-LINE.COM [http://WWW.BABY-LINE.COM:], a website relating to pregnancy and baby/child-raising issues for both mothers and fathers alike. Please visit [http://WWW.BABY-LINE.COM] for more articles.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2743174

Cultural Differences in Baby Care - Part 1, Pregnancy and Labour

One of the many fascinating aspects of moving from one country to another is the difference in attitudes to baby care. In my case, I had two children in England, where I come from, and now have a two year old born in the Philippines, where I now live. I have therefore had plenty of opportunity to observe not just how Filipinos bring up their children, but how they react to seeing the way my daughter is being raised. It also enables me to compare and contrast the two approaches to baby care.

I think it is fair to say that, the world over, people love babies. However, there are degrees, and the Filipino people, at least on the surface, love babies a lot more than the English. That is, if you judge "love" by the amount of attention the baby may be given, and how she is welcomed and treated wherever she goes. In fact, the adoration of babies here starts before birth; even before conception. 

When I first introduced my wife-to-be to our landlady, once she had taken hold of her hand and kissed her on the cheek, she said: "You two will have such beautiful children." That conversation would not have taken place in England.

There are many differences in the way babies are cared for in the Philippines, and the mothers during pregnancy and labour. The countries are at a very different level of development, so health care is not of the same standard in the Philippines. To make things worse for ordinary Filipinos, who are mostly very poor, there is a high death rate amongst babies and mothers during birth.

Pregnancy, Labour and Birth

One notable difference between England and the Philippines was, not surprisingly, the lack of pre-natal classes. Fortunately, with my own experiences of two children in England, and the mine of information on the internet, we were able to get through the nine months with no difficulties.

As the birth of our new baby approached, though, a couple of differences were very apparent to me as a foreign resident. Firstly, as my wife was going through a false labour, with erratic contractions, neighbours and friends were anxious to get her to the clinic, and were showing signs of panic. I was monitoring closely, so my wife and I were as relaxed as we could be in the circumstances.

Later that day, my wife finally went into true labour, of that I was sure by about 7pm. Soon, there was a car outside the door and anxious friends saying "quick, we'll take you to the clinic." I was touched by their concern, but tried to assure them the baby was not about to arrive. Labour for a first baby averages 12-14 hours for the first stage alone, followed by another one or two hours. The doctor had told us, as they would in England, not to arrive too early.

We did go to the clinic some 8 hours later, when contractions suddenly dropped from 8 to 5 minute intervals, but even then, the doctor was not over the moon about it. She said nothing to complain, she is a lovely lady, but I could see from her face she would have loved an uninterrupted night's sleep rather than be woken after 2.30am.

When the final stage of labour started, at a civilized time of 7am, I did get a shock, one that did reflect a difference in culture. As my poor wife was led away to the delivery room, experiencing intense labour pains for the first time in her life, and not allowed any pain killers, I was told to just wait. It was like a secret society meeting to which I had no invitation. I was stunned that I could not be with my wife, and see the birth.

However, I quickly made the most of the situation, and recalled movies set in past times when Dad was not allowed in the delivery room. That way, the excitement, anticipation and tension built as I listened for some sign that the baby was either close, or had arrived. I did not hear a sound from my wife at all, but eventually the sound of a newborn baby crying broke the silence. We had a beautiful daughter, but I was still not allowed in immediately, as the staff wanted to have the baby and the room looking perfect.

It was worth the wait, and soon I was at Saffron's side, admiring her pretty and surprisingly feminine face. My wife slept blissfully; the night's activities had left her exhausted.

This baby care article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner author of the Bouncing New Baby website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/156151

Improve Your Baby Health by Minimizing Pelvic Pain and Constraint During Pregnancy

Congratulations! The stork has arrived. If this is your first baby, you couldn't be more excited. Soon, the good news will spread like wild fire. For the next nine months, your body will undergo drastic changes to accommodate the new bundle of joy.

Besides nutrition, proper growth and healthy position of the fetus also depend on sufficient space available within your uterus, low back and pelvis. Unfortunately, there are internal and external factors that can strain the development and positioning of your unborn baby.

Prenatal positional plagiocephaly is a common deformation from intrauterine constraints. Uterine fibroids and uterine malformations are the two most common causes of intrauterine constraints.

As the fetus grows, it faces further challenges from the lumbar spine and pelvis. The lumbar spine and pelvis undergo major structural renovations during pregnancy thanks to hormonal level changes to estrogen and progesterone.

Abdominal mass and protrusion increase as pregnancy progresses. And the lumbar spine must balance this through biomechanical and structural modification. Otherwise, the pregnant woman will topple over. Unfortunately, the unborn baby may be strained and placed in an unhealthy position in the process. Furthermore, spinal joint dysfunction and low back strain may also occur.

Like the lumbar spine, the pelvis also undergoes some structural and biomechanical modification during pregnancy. Additional pelvic space is needed to prepare for birth through the vaginal canal. And this pelvic space must be big enough for proper migration and position of the fetus. Otherwise, there may be malpositional risk and birth trauma to the fetus.

Have you ever wondered why breeching occurs and why some women require caesarean section? Breeching and caesarean section may occur when the fetus is extra-ordinarily large and the mother is petite in comparison. Otherwise, breeching babies are mostly due to inadequate structural changes to the lumbar spine and pelvis.

To ensure sufficient space for the fetus, various joints in the pelvis begin to separate and the pelvis expands. If there is no dysfunction to the sacroiliac and symphysis pubis joints, then unobstructed pelvic space can be created for vaginal birth. And labour and delivery are smooth and efficient.

Unfortunately, the sacroiliac and symphysis pubis joints can become dysfunctional during pelvic expansion. Sacroiliac and pubis symphysis pubis joint dysfunctions are very common in the late second and third trimesters of pregnancy. In addition to low back and pelvic pains, joint dysfunctions can prevent full expansion of the pelvis.

Depending on which area is affected, the pelvis may not be able to expand fully either front to back or from side to side. This kind of pelvic constraint may cause fetal malpresentation such as breeching and higher incidents of birth trauma. Caesarean section may be needed if fetal malpresentation is too risky for vaginal birth.

Pelvic constraints from sacroiliac and symphysis pubis joint dysfunctions are biomechanical problems. For uncompromised pelvic space and volume, these joints must align and articulate properly during the expansion process. Do you know any kind of medication that can correct sacroiliac and symphysis pubis joint dysfunctions so the pelvis can expand and accommodate vaginal birth without hesitation?

Concerns for the sensitivity of their unborn children and harmful side effects from taking pain medications during pregnancy, many contemporary women are turning toward chiropractic care. There's no risk to the fetus with chiropractic care. Pregnant patients are positioned on side-lying postures during chiropractic treatments. And treatments are modified to accommodate for pregnant mothers and their unborn children.

Whether it's for low back or pelvic pain, chiropractic care can reduce the risk of pelvic constraint and breeching associated with pregnancy. Healthy moms have healthy babies!

Dr. Danny Tong is a Port Moody chiropractor specializes in soft tissue treatments for pregnancy care. For more information: http://www.chirogolf.net

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