A recent study conducted in Japan on the effect of driving a car during pregnancy on the baby’s heart rate and the mother’s uterus found no adverse influences on either the baby or the mother. Some women worry that the increased uterine activity they may feel while driving during pregnancy could cause preterm labour.
By Jane Palmer I’ve always adored Anne Geddes photographs of newborn babies. The photographs are innovative, compelling and unusual. Anne has now turned her wonderful talent to photographing pregnant women and the results are amazing. These pregnancy photographs go alongside women’s stories of pregnancy, birth and parenting in “My Pregnancy, A Woman’s Story”. This
During pregnancy, women need to take extra care to maintain healthy teeth and gums. The changes in the hormones can make women’s gums more susceptible to disease. These hormones can cause gums to become inflamed and bleed. A good routine of dental care that involves brushing and flossing every day can help to keep
Red raspberry leaf, otherwise known as rubus idaeus, has been used medicinally since the sixth century. Its use and reputation as an aid in pregnancy and childbirth have grown throughout the years. This is despite the paucity of research into its safety and efficacy for mothers and babies during pregnancy and birth. A herb,
After birth, your midwife may explain the importance of pelvic floor muscles and check for diastasis (the splitting of the abdominal muscles) and/or you may receive a visit from a physiotherapist. Pelvic floor health may be followed up by the GP at the routine 6-week post-natal check. Information may be included in the new
By Michelle Wright Pelvic floor exercises are an important part of your fitness program. The pelvic floor is a sling of muscles stretching across the floor of the pelvis. Attaching to your pubic bone at the front, the pelvic floor muscles stretch across the floor of your pelvis and attach to the coccyx (the
This is a review of ‘The Sound of Silence: Journeys Through Miscarriage. As a midwife, I often find myself in the position of supporting women through a miscarriage in early pregnancy. Each time, it breaks my heart as the woman grieves for her lost baby. I want to be able to support women in
Experiencing a headache in pregnancy is very common. The exact reason why women experience more frequent headaches during pregnancy is unknown. However it is possible that headaches are linked to hormonal changes and the natural increase in blood circulation in your body during pregnancy. Although they may occur at any point, headaches are more
This is a story for young mothers By Sarah Davies Isn’t it funny, the minute you think you have everything sorted, life throws you a curve ball and you are back to square one. Rewind back to May 2007. I was in my final year of a Communication degree at University. I was completing
When my own babies were small, neither social ideology nor wakeful babies caused me a lack of sleep. My babies slept snuggled up with me at night. My choice to co-sleep wasn’t based on research studies. This choice was simply ‘best practice’ for our family - or, where we all got the most sleep.
