There are two main reasons for writing a birth plan. The first reason is that you need to plan ahead for major events so that you know what to expect. When you are in the middle of labor, it’s difficult to think clearly about alternatives and make a decision. The decisions should be made ahead of time. You also can use a birth plan to firm up the things that you prefer your health care provider to do during and after the birth. Learning how to write a birth plan that will cover all your bases is something that can be made simpler through pre-planning and review of some of the elements.

Writing a birth plan helps to formalize what you desire before the fact. It is not cast in stone, of course and you should include information about what to do in the event of a serious change in the circumstances surrounding the birth. No one wants to think of the worst scenario, but planning for some contingencies is responsible.

You should plan for who will be present with you at what stages of labor and birth. Maybe you prefer the support of friends during preliminary stages, but not in the final stage. There will need to be some important information about you, as the mother. Do you have allergies, special dietary needs or religious preferences that you will want honored? Your medical care staff needs to know about these before you are in labor.

Talk about the atmosphere that you envision in the labor and delivery room. Do you prefer dimmed lights, soft music, visitors? Do you want to be able to move around during early stages of labor? You should define preferred positions when it is time to push.

Your plan should specify the type of pain relief you want used during labor. This can include both pharmaceutical and non-pharmacological relief. You should specify whether or not you want an episiotomy. Do you want pitocin used to induce labor or to speed up the process?

The plan should define what procedures will be done on the baby and when. If you are breastfeeding, when should that begin? Do you want the baby to be offered supplements if you are breastfeeding?

You should also be prepared on what action you will take if you don’t go into labor on the due date. You should use the time now to learn about the various natural labor inducing methods so you can avoid risking your baby’s safety. Having the knowledge will make you feel safer and you will be better prepared.

All of these factors are the things that should be considered when you learn how to write a birth plan. There are good examples on the Internet to use for a road map. Ultimately, the decision is up to you about what you put in the plan. The plan gives you a talking paper when discussing options with the medical staff before labor begins.

Author: Julie Ingham
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Many over the counter cosmetic lotions, shampoos and creams contain small amounts of salicylic acid. Unfortunately, the U.S. Federal Drug administration only regulates cosmetic products containing artificial dyes. This means pregnant women need to be cautious when purchasing cosmetics.

Salicylic acid is the active ingredient in aspirin. It is popular in topical skin creams and lotions, because it encourages the skin to slough off dead skin cells more rapidly.

At this time, there is no research indicating that topical applications at low dosages will put a pregnant woman and her fetus in danger. However, due to potential risks, pregnant women rarely participate in these types of studies.

Research is limited to the study of women who took oral forms of salicylic acid during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the use of aspirin or salicylic oral products increases the risk of hemorrhage, because it thins the blood. It can also create complications or miscarriage.

Salicylic acid in aspirin is linked to Reye’s syndrome. Under certain situations, children who consume aspirin are at greater risk of contracting Reye’s syndrome. This disease affects the brain, kidneys and liver. The syndrome may cause brain damage or death.

Although the probability is low, there are concerns that the topical products could be absorbed in the blood stream of some women. Because of this potential, you should not use the product if you are breastfeeding. There is a slight risk that salicylic could enter the breast milk.

If you are pregnant, you should read the ingredients in all cosmetic products. While the risk is low, it is best to avoid using salicylic acid products until after pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Author: Jane Mattson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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When a woman gets pregnant it is very important to plan ahead and get some clothing that will serve her during the time she will be pregnant. It is also absolutely important to equip her wardrobe with clothing that will serve her after she gives birth. After birth, a woman will require her personal clothing and the new born baby’s clothing. Here are some of the basic tips that will help a mother to plan and equip her maternity wardrobe properly.

A pregnant woman should start by observing her wardrobe and see the kind of clothing she used to wear before she got pregnant. The best and most basic thing to do is to try and replace the existing clothing with maternity types of clothing. This will assist the woman to maintain her taste of clothing as well as acquiring the best clothes to wear during the pregnancy period.

One of the best clothes that woman should consider buying are the maternity tank s tops which are very good for pregnant women. One good thing about these tops is that they are easy to match and mix with other clothing. A woman would like to wear clothes that make her feel good and attractive. These tops will make a pregnant woman feel good and attractive because they match well with all types of clothing.

A woman should also consider the option of buying dresses in her maternity wardrobe. There are some dresses that are made with stretchy fabric and they are very good for pregnant women. They can also be worn by those women who have given birth and they are very comfortable. They allow breastfeeding mothers to breastfed their young babies with a lot of comfort.

There are dresses for different occasions for women. There are some dresses that are designed for work while others have been designed for playing. However, there are some that are designed for important occasions and a woman should purchase a dress that suite the function that she is attending. These dresses are specially made and they are fitted with built in nursing bras which are aimed at adding comfort in the woman.

It is equally important for a woman to equip her maternity wardrobe with tops that will take her everywhere that she needs to go. A woman cannot remain in the house for the whole time after she has given birth and she needs tops which she will wear when she is going for shopping. She will also need to attend for women groups and also go for important trips. However, it is important for a woman to choose good tops that will allow for easy and discreet breastfeeding in public. It is also important to buy quality clothes that will last for a longer time those buying cheap clothes which will last for a short period of time.

Author: Dmytro Fodoreyev
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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Once a woman has given birth, there are a lot of changes that are both mental and physical that may occur. Once a child is born, a woman’s entire world becomes full with so many immediate changes. With such an emotional roller coaster, it is understandable that some women would be diagnosed with Postpartum Depression. Postpartum Depression is depression of the moderate to severe levels that occurs after giving birth. It may occur as late as a year prior to the birth. However, once diagnosed, it should be treated immediately.

Spotting the symptoms may be difficult, at first, though, since they are so closely related to traditional depression. Mothers can feel noticeably withdrawn, have a decrease in appetite, trouble sleeping, a loss of pleasure in most activities, and in some worse cases, thoughts of suicide or death. Unlike traditional cases of depression, though, the mother can experience negative thoughts and feelings towards her child almost every day. This symptom is what makes this condition so dangerous. If left untreated, it raises the risk of the mother possibly harming the child. When one is suffering from depression, the most extreme outcomes are always possible.

It is fairly easy to treat, however, once diagnosed. There are medications that are available by prescription and therapy to the women that feel they need it. There is no need to worry if one is breastfeeding, as well, since most of the medications, such as sertraline, are safe to take while breastfeeding an infant.

One should not feel alone if they are suffering from Postpartum Depression. Studies show that 10 percent of all pregnancies result in this type of depression. These results also show that up to half of the women who give birth experience “postpartum blues,” which is a brief, less severe period of anxiety after their baby is born. This condition is common due to the fact that a woman’s hormones change so drastically during a pregnancy that any particular large life event, such as a death in the family, can trigger it.

While postpartum depression is a very serious condition, once it is discovered and diagnosed, it is easily treatable. Women who are being treated for this type of depression should know that there is hope for their treatment to succeed. It will be a long road, but their life with their new child will become easier.

Author: Sandra Maria Stammberger
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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It’s estimated that about 7,000,000 women a year suffer from an eating disorder. These disorders peak especially during the woman’s child-bearing years. And especially during pregnancy, a woman who is already suffering from one of these disorders might find that her condition worsens.

The two eating disorders that affect most women are bulimia and anorexia. Bulimia is when a person goes on periods of binge eating followed by vomiting or the use of laxatives to get rid of the calories that the person has just ingested. Anorexia is extreme dieting, to the point of starvation, in order to control a person’s weight. Both of these disorders can have a negative impact on a woman’s pregnancy.

Prior to pregnancy, eating disorders can affect a woman’s fertility negatively. This is especially true of anorexia, which reduces a woman’s chance of conceiving. Anorexia causes most women with the disorder to fore-go the normal menstrual cycle. Likewise, about half of women with bulimia don’t have normal cycles. The reason is simple: A lack of sufficient calories combined with stress causes a woman to lose the regular menstruation periods. And without these periods, it’s difficult for them to get pregnant.

Even if a woman becomes pregnant, the eating disorder can have a bad effect on the pregnancy or delivery. Some things that an eating disorder might cause include:

• Birth weight that it too low
• Premature labor
• Stillbirth
• Need for Cesarean
• Fetal death
• Delay in growth of fetus
• Breathing problems
• Gestational diabetes
• Labor complications
• Miscarriage
• Depression
• Preeclampsia

In addition, those suffering with bulimia usually gain too much weight, which increases the risk of hypertension / high blood pressure. And even after the birth, if a woman has an eating disorder, she has a higher chance of suffering from postpartum depression than a woman without such a disorder. Finally, women with eating disorders many times have difficulty with breastfeeding.

So what should the woman with bulimia or anorexia do? First, because of the risk of complications with pregnancy, most health care professionals would encourage you to resolve these behavior and weight issues. If you do resolve the eating disorder, in most instances, you will have a healthy baby. What’s more, what’s you’ve taken care of the eating disorder, even if you gain normal weight during the pregnancy, this should not create a higher risk of problems. Doctors suggest you follow these guidelines if you have suffered from an eating disorder and you are either trying to get pregnant or find out that you are pregnant:

• Before the pregnancy, try to get to a healthy weight and then maintain it at that level. You should avoid purging at all costs. Also, make an appointment with your physician for pre-conception advice. You should also consider making an appointment with a nutritionist and ask him / her to help you begin a healthy diet (which could include prenatal vitamins).
• During your pregnancy, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor early in the pregnancy and confide in him or her that you have struggled with an eating disorder in the past. Following his / her guidance, you should try to achieve a healthy gain in weight. Each day, eat balanced meals with all the necessary nutrients. Avoid purging at all costs, and if necessary, get professional counseling to help you address the root of the eating disorder.
• After the pregnancy, you should continue your counseling (Remember that you’re more vulnerable to postpartum depression than women without eating disorders). You should also create a support of network, to include your doctor, spouse and friends, who know of your struggle, and you should invite them to hold you accountable for your eating habits. And finally, consult with a lactation consultant, who will help you in the early days of breastfeeding.

Remember never to judge yourself. However, if you plan to have a child, now is the time to find the courage within you to overcome this problem so that it doesn’t affect you or your child during or after the pregnancy.

Author: Sophia David
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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This is one of the most beautiful times in your life — Pregnancy. Your little belly bulge is just starting to show – not being enough for maternity clothes, but big enough to stick it out and waddle — at least to you anyway.

Reality sets in though when you consider the health and welfare of your child and realize that you need to see a doctor to begin your prenatal care — but you have no health insurance and the joy you should be experiencing turns to anxiety and the burden of financial coverage.

Tens of Millions of Americans are uninsured, and approximately 15% of those are pregnant women who then risk inadequate prenatal care. It is the availability of routine prenatal care that can result in reducing maternal death rates, miscarriages, birth defects, low birth weight, and other preventable infant problems.

What are the alternatives available to these women?

Government Funded Medical Program Medicaid

Medicaid is a federally funded, state run program. It provides medical assistance for low-income families and individuals.

Medical assistance varies from state-to-state. Therefore, it may be beneficial for you to investigate what options are available. One of the best places to start would your State Health Department.

WIC is a federal agency providing grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk. To get more information you can go to Women, Infants, and Children.

Health Care Discount Programs

These programs can serve as an alternative to traditional health insurance and Medicaid as well as a supplemental program to health insurance you may already have. These programs offer a discount on your health care. What makes these prime candidates for many is because many medical insurance companies consider pregnancy a “Preexisting Condition”, which could keep you from having coverage for that condition for up to a year.

Here is a prime example of this coverage:

AmeriPlan is a discount plan that is currently available in all states except Alaska. It saves members from 25-80% on their health care services. Benefits include physician, hospital, and ancillary services (i.e., lab work, tests, x-rays). There are even plans for dental coverage, and child protective services partnered through the FBI.

Since AmeriPlan is not insurance, all pre-existing conditions are covered (except orthodontic treatment in progress), there are no deductibles, no waiting periods, no claim forms, and no annual limits. For more information on these discount programs you can click on our AmeriPlan link below.

Do not let the lack or inadequacy of medical coverage put a damper on one of the most wonderful times in your life. I know personally how having a discount medical program, i.e., AmeriPlan gives you a greater freedom of medical choice, physician choice and peace of mind. If you would like to know how AmeriPlan can help you and your household — feel free to call or contact me.

Author: Theresa Christian
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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If you have been following the recent diet trends today, you might have come across the 11 day diet plan. For new moms who are expected to lose weight naturally in a minimum of 9 months, an 11 day diet program seems like a promising idea. Or is it really?

Plans of losing weight take time and the process should be a gradual approach. These are the words of fitness and weight loss experts. The 11 day diet plan is kind of a death sentence.

For 11 days, you are expected to cut back on food consumption drastically. You will probably eat morsels of food. After that, you can resume back to eating normally for 3 whole days and then resume to the 11 day starvation period again. Since you are not ingesting anything, you will naturally lose weight. But for a new mom, this method is severe.

There is breastfeeding to think of. Breastfeeding burns up 500 calories in one day and not eating substantial amount of food for 11 days will surely impair your body’s ability to produce milk and to burn calories. Not only that, your cardiovascular functions and your energy level will surely sink to rock bottom.

If you want an effective and a healthier way of losing post pregnancy weight, you have to be patient. Not everything can be done in a one day. Remember that it took you a maximum of 9 months to gain that weight. At least give your body that same amount of time to lose it.

Instead of depriving yourself, why not try incorporating 5 small meals in one day? Your food portions are smaller this time but you do not go for hours feeling hungry. That is because you have 2 small snacks to keep your metabolism working. This way, you can eat while losing weight.

Exercise is also essential and should not be missed in weight loss programs. Since you are still taking in food, you still have the energy to burn it off. Exercises such as daily walking around the park, jogging, playing with your kids, doing random household chores, biking, swimming and dancing can speed up fat burning abilities.

You don’t need to resort to any kind of 11 day diet plans in order to lose pregnancy weight. Just accept the fact that it is normal to gain weight and that it will take you quite some time to start seeing the fruits of your labour. But once you do see it, you will be pleased with the results because your body will become not only trimmer but also healthier.

Author: Stephanie Holden
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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If you want to lose weight after a baby delivery, there are a couple of things you need to consider. A new mom cannot just immediately start a diet and exercise routine most especially a difficult one when they are breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding will require you to ingest a lot of calories in order to supply what has been burned due to milk production. If you are losing weight way too fast, it may affect milk production.

This is why it is better to wait for a few months before starting on a more serious diet routine. 2 months is a good amount of time to recover from child delivery and to provide proper nutrition to your baby.

But in between, you can begin on a simple weight loss method already that will not affect milk production:

Step 1: After giving birth to your baby, cut back on some harmful forms of carbohydrates. Starchy carbohydrates such as white rice and white bread actually encourage water retention which will make you appear fatter and pudgier than you actually are. Some of the excess water in your body will surely come off if you skip on starchy carbohydrates. Go for good carbohydrates instead. Make sure you eat foods such as brown rice, peanuts, avocado, whole grain bread and whole wheat pasta as these are richer in fibrous carbohydrates.

Step 2: Since you still need a lot of calorie intake, make sure you still eat a lot of proteins. Choose healthier proteins. Nuts, chicken, turkey, egg white, low-fat dairy products, legumes, fish, seeds and beans are some examples of health proteins. You can still eat red meat but eat it sparingly and make sure you trim the fat down.

Step 3: Drink lots of water. You need to have a good amount of moisture in your body. Chug in at least 1 liter of water in a day. This prevents dehydration and it also helps boost metabolism functions so you are burning calories continuously. This also controls and curbs hunger. If it is not yet time for your meal, drink a glass of cold water instead.

Step 4: Eat 5 small meals in a day. 3 main meals plus 2 snacks will help you lose weight without resorting to starvation. It keeps metabolic functions running perfectly.

A safer way to lose weight after baby delivery is to employ these tips. Once you are ready for physical fitness activities, you can team that up with these diet methods. This way, you can speed up weight loss without harming yourself and your baby.

Author: Stephanie Holden
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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As much as new moms would like to start to lose baby weight, most of the time, their schedule will not permit them to do so. I bet you are having trouble just abandoning your motherly duties and start incorporating some me time in your life.

While it is difficult to start on a diet and workout routine, it is not impossible. You should have the desire to get moving and find time to incorporate it in your life. After all, you owe yourself that much.

Make Plans
It will be a challenge to manage dieting and exercising in addition to all your other duties if you don’t make plans. Your schedule does not have to be rigid. Purchase a planner and plan what you are going to do in what day.

Make some meal plans and stick it on your refrigerator. When you make healthier meals, you are less likely to put stray on your dieting schemes. Make sure research on what is healthy for your body. Load up on healthy power foods such as fishes, and white meat loaded with proteins, nuts, fruits and vegetables. Stay away from junk foods or better yet cross that out entirely in your plans.

Afterwards, you can make exercise plans. If you cannot allot continuous hours of exercises, you can divide your time wisely. Do 30 minutes of jogging in the morning and 30 minutes of abdominal exercise in the afternoon. A divided workout time is as effective as the continuous one.

Maximize Fat-Burning Opportunities
When running errands, you might want to walk all the way there if it is not far. Also, you can park farther than your usual parking space and walk the rest of the way. If your baby is playing, you can try your own exercises while watching over your baby such as sit ups. These little physical activities help a lot.

Breastfeed Your Baby
Did you know that breastfeeding can actually burn 500 calories in one day? This is because it takes a lot of metabolic process to support milk production. When you are breastfeeding your baby, you are inadvertently burning about 500 calories in a day. Team this up with the above-mentioned steps and you will lose excess weight in no time.

If there is a will, there is a way. If you are ready to lose baby weight, you have to commit to it and make time for it. Otherwise, futile moves of losing weight will make your chances of succeeding slim.

Author: Stephanie Holden
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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After baby weight loss takes its toll on every new mom. Even celebrities who have had major successes in their weight loss programs experience the hard task of losing weight.

Where Do I Begin?
I suppose the more important question is “when do I begin?”. If you immediately start on a very intensive exercise and diet plan after delivering your baby, you may be at a higher risk of endangering your body. You need to wait at least 2 months for your wounds to fully heal. Ask your doctor on the right time to start doing exercise routines.

Start with something simple first and less strenuous. Breastfeeding is one good activity that won’t jeopardize your health. Breastfeeding and the production of milk can actually help you lose up to 500 calories in one day. With this number, it is already as if you spent an hour or so exercising.

You Are What You Eat
Eat healthy. You need a healthier body, not a slimmer body now more than ever. You should start eating right. Make sure your plate is bursting with color. One of the things that deter us from eating right is the taste of the food. We have it stuck in our head that nutritious dishes taste bland.

You can all change that. There are a lot of recipes that incorporate low starchy carbohydrates and high protein that tastes just as good as red meat. All you have to do is know the law of substitution. Beef tastes a lot like Portobello mushroom. You can make burger out of it. Just brush a bit of olive oil and then grill the mushroom. Use whole grain bread and squeeze the mushroom in and use low-fat condiments to go with it.

Tofu is also a good substitute to meat. However, you can still eat meat, the real thing, if you choose white ones or the lean ones. The breast part of poultry produces is healthier as they contain less fat. Just make sure you educate yourself on which is healthier and which is not.

Exercise Daily
No amount of fat can beat daily exercise. If you incorporate daily exercise in your life, you can easily kick away fats. Simple workout routines such as swimming or hiking, jogging or running can burn lots of calories in one day. For as long as you are physical active, you can control weight gain.

These after baby weight loss tips can help you remove the accumulated weight because of pregnancy. Try them and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

Author: Stephanie Holden
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

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