Here is a place for the odds and ends of useful facts about the growth process of your new baby and a better birth experience for you. I will make additions to this list as my research into my books and papers allows.

 

Nutrition

* Both the expectant mother and baby need vitamin C daily. it's the cementing agent that holds new cells together. It helps babies grow and build strong bones and teeth. And, it helps the expectant mother's body absorb iron.
* Vitamin C-rich foods should be included daily to get the most iron out of other foods .
* Vitamin C is essential for tissue repair, wound and bone healing, and healthy skin .
* Vitamin C requirements rise 13 percent when a woman is expecting. Info Source

*Adequate Folic acid and B vitamins virtually eliminates such defects as Spina bifida

*Another reason for adequate Folic acid intake is a new finding that it could help avoid Downs Syndrome

*Be sure to eat good quality protein during the 6th-7th month-when there is a growth spurt in the baby's brain.

*Increase calcium and magnesium with dairy products or supplements to ease those 'charley horse' leg cramps

 

Fetal Development

*The first 3 months are critical-with brain and hearing developing at a fast rate. Find out whether you have had the three-day or `German` measles, if not be careful of exposure at this time.

* Developing brains in the womb, in infancy and in childhood, especially require omega-3-type fish oil to construct the best neuronal architecture and biochemical wiring.DHA alone (even in vegetarian form), is specifically recommended for pregnant and lactating women to enhance fetal and infant brain development.

* Caffeine can affect a developing fetus by speeding the heart rate and by potentially restricting the flow of blood through the placenta.

 

Labor And Delivery

*In the last trimester, it is best not to take any aspirin or Vitamin E since these tend to thin your blood; gingko biloba also acts in this way and I cannot imagine any reason for a pregnant woman to take this herb, anyway.

*If you're overdue, nipple stimulation might bring on labor, or try a good long walk

*Don't laugh,I did this: Do not put cream on your legs before labor-labor is work, work the lubrication makes an uncomfortable mess,and you can't hold your legs during pushing.

Weird advice, I know.

*Try to avoid induction of labor or addition of pitocin (See Pitocin below)

 

Recovery

*The more quickly you are up and about,the more quickly you recover.

*If you rub your lower abdomen to keep the uterus clamped and hard, you will bleed less and there is less clotting.

 

Childbirth News and Rsearch

The genetic makeup of white blood cells looks different in children delivered via Caesarean compared to that of children born normally, reports Svenska Dagbladet newspaper (SvD). An explanation for the different DNA sequences might be that those delivered via Caesarean experience greater stress than babies delivered naturally. While stress builds up gradually during normal birth, the nervous systems of babies delivered via Caesarean are exposed to sudden stress. At the same time, some DNA genes are turned off while others are switched on. Professor and paediatrician Mikael Norman, one of the researchers involved in the study, explained that stress occurring during vaginal birth is positive and goal-oriented: “During a Caesarean, the baby is totally unprepared. The stress comes all at once. There are animal experiments that show that negative stress can programme offspring, something that later can play a role in terms of risk of illness.” The study at Karolinska focused on the white blood cells in the umbilical cords of Caesarean babies and found mutations in their genetic makeup. - Sweden

Terms-What Does That Mean?

Pitocin

What is this, and what are it's effects? It is a synthetic form of the naturally occurring hormone oxytocin. The action of this hormone is to contract the uterine muscle. I am not the only one with a horror story from its use, but at the same time found it useful AFTER the birth when I had hemorrhaging- (An older well-used uterus can be subject to that). Please read at least one of these links; if you have a hospital birth in the US you will most likely encounter Pitocin.

• Parentweb Pitocin FAQ
• Childbirth ORG Pitocin FAQ
• Basic Medical Info on Pitocin

What is this new finding on Folic acid? A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that a common problem with folic acid metabolism gives a 2.6x greater likelihood of having a child with Downs. Eating more food with Folic acid and supplementing with recommended amounts (400mcg) of this B vitamin is a safe way to give your baby a healthy start.

---

To calculate your due date: From first day of last period, count back three months, add seven days.

Next think of the period of about a month in which your baby will be born, between 37 and 42 weeks later. Most babies come between two weeks before or after their due date — very few arrive exactly on the due date. New research suggests that 10 to 14 days instead of only 7 should really be added

---

A seven-year study of 18,000 pregnancies found women who drank four or more cups of coffee a day were 80 per cent more likely to deliver a stillborn child. The risk among those who drank eight or more cups a day increased threefold.

Women who drank the occasional coffee – up to three cups a day – had a slightly reduced risk of stillbirth.

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web Ilona's Childbirth Site

Helpful Things

1. Recovery
2. Great Links
3. Motherhood Poems
4. Maternity Clothes

Try These Good Books

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition
by Susan McCutcheon

---

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Revised)
by Sheila Kitzinger