The birth story of Juniper Valentine begins not with labour, but the incident that would ultimately forbid it from happening, and alter the course of the remainder of my pregnancy. I was 21 weeks pregnant. Chris had been in Melbourne for the day on business and returned jubilant after positive steps in a new venture.
About half of all pregnant women report that they suffer from constipation. When you’re pregnant, large amounts of progesterone circulate in your bloodstream. It slows the activity of your digestive tract and may result in constipation. If you take an iron supplement, it may even make your constipation worse. Here are a few suggestions
Stretch marks are an almost inevitable part of pregnancy, though some women do avoid them. The skin stretching to accommodate the enlarging uterus and increased weight causes stretchmarks. Some women probably have some genetic predisposition for stretch marks, and they’re also more common in younger women. The marks typically appear as pinkish-red streaks along
“Well you also have the option to encapsulate your placenta and ingest it.”........ blank stares, open mouths, nervous giggles, or simply no registration at all. This is the normal response I see when talking about the third stage of labour in my calmbirth® classes. I have been encapsulating women’s placentas for over two years
This is the story of the pregnancy and birth of my second son, VBAC with gestational diabetes. My first son Sam was born by emergency caesarean after a dream pregnancy, 20-hour labour and getting stuck at 9cm dilatation with an anterior lip. This time I had morning sickness for 16 weeks, back pain from
Significant blood loss after birth is the most common cause of maternal death in the developed world. It is also a major cause of reduced post-natal health. Postpartum haemorrhage refers to the loss of more than 500 ml of blood following a vaginal delivery or 1000 ml of blood following a caesarean. While in
Creating A Lifetime of Good Health Childbirth is a journey like no other. For mother and father, it is one of wonder, excitement and the unknown. For the child, it can hold all the rewards and risks that a new life offers. Thankfully, for babies and children today, there is a gentle form of
Folic acid, also known as folate, is a water soluble B-group vitamin carried through the bloodstream and excreted in urine. Because it is not stored in the human body we must consume folic acid every day in order to make sure our body has an adequate supply. Folic acid performs several vital functions in
What the NSW Mothers and Babies Report 2010 is really telling us... For fourteen years NSW Health has been producing the New South Wales Mothers and Babies Report. The goal of this report is to provide information on recent trends in the health of mothers and babies in NSW, maternity services provided by hospitals,
The pressure in society upon women to have the ‘ideal’ figure is great. Every week leading media outlets release magazines full of pictures of celebrities sporting flat stomachs, toned muscles and winning smiles. While as a group we can lay claim to a firm belief that the female body is beautiful in any form,
