- Antenatal Classes
- By Week
- Big Questions
- Ask The Doctor
- Can I have a drink when Pregnant?
- What can I Eat When Pregnant?
- Can I Exercise during Pregnancy?
- What Medication can I take when Pregnant?
- Can I fly when Pregnant?
- Pelvic Floor Exercises – Pregnancy and After
- Can I Make my Baby come Quicker?
- Pets and Gardening when Pregnant
- Sleeping when Pregnant
- Sex When Pregnant
- Twins, Triplets or More..
- Termination of Pregnancy
- Repeated Caesarean Sections
- Aches & Pains
- Back and Hip Ache during Pregnancy
- Bleeding during Pregnancy
- Bottoms and Bowels during Pregnancy – Constipation and Piles,
- Braxton Hicks – Tightenings during Pregnancy
- Complications during Pregnancy
- Indigestion during Pregnancy
- Morning Sickness/Nausea/HG
- Pins and Needles and Pains during Pregnancy
- Feeling Depressed during Pregnancy
- Miscarriage
- Skin Changes during Pregnancy
- Advice
- The Birth
- After the Birth
Mixing bottle and breast – it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.
by Charlotte Young IBCLC, founder www.milkmatters.org.uk & www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk Also by Charlotte Young “How to Prevent and Treat Sore Nipples” Several mums I’ve spoken to recently have mentioned it’s hard to find good information about mix-feeding. Often breastfeeding websites don’t discuss it as they promote exclusive breastfeeding and the reasons for doing so. Similarly some mums are nervous about asking too many breastmilk questions on bottle-feeding forums, for fear it may upset those not breastfeeding at all. Mix feeding, combination feeding – whatever you prefer to call it, almost seems to fall into a no mans land. What concerns me about this is hearing […]
My Birth Story
In the Birthing Pool My latent labour started on the 14th of April at about 3am when I woke with mild contractions at home in bed. I went back to sleep and woke intermittently for the next few hours until I got up. I spent a relatively nice/strange/surreal/calm day at home with my husband just having what felt like bad period pains and Braxton Hicks together. I ate and drank normally and had a 45 minute nap. After lunch we strapped the TENS machine on and went for a 2 hour walk in the park, went to Sainsburys and was even […]
I had a huge bleed after my first baby, what will happen next time?
About one in ten women have a significant blood loss at or around the time of their first delivery. Its called a post partum haemorrhage and is when you lose more than half a litre within the first 24 hours. It is well known that it is more likely to occur in older women, women with twins, or with babies over 4 kg, or women who are overweight, or who require delivery by Caesarean Section. A recent study of over 34,000 women , from Aberdeen, from 1986 to 2005, were followed up over a period of 5 years. The intention […]
How Safe is My Obstetrician?
It may alarm many pregnant women to read about the recent publicity surrounding the Consultant Obstetrician who successfully delivered Samantha Cameron’s fourth baby. He, apparently, faces legal action from 60 women concerning complications following his Obstetric and Gynaecological practice in Cornwall. Concerns about his practice have been raised on numerous occasions over the last 20 years , and there have been numerous investigations , finally resulting in his suspension last year. His name has now been removed from the Medical Register. What are the chances of my Obstetrician being a “Butcher”? Very Unlikely! Here are the reasons why. Most Obstetricians […]
Sex After Having A Baby
A recent study in Australia followed up 1500 first time mothers after delivery and looked at various factors affecting affecting their sex lives. They revealed that the majority of women waited till after six weeks before resuming vaginal sex. 41% had attempted vaginal sex by 6weeks, 65% by 8 weeks, 78% by 12 weeks , and 94% by 6 months. The length of time to return to sexual activity varied according to age and mode of delivery. Younger women, under 25 , and women who had minimal trauma to the perineum were much more likely to recommence vaginal sex than […]
Scan at 36 Weeks to reduce risk of stillbirth?
I have read a lot in the press recently about how having a scan at 36 weeks can reduce the number of stillbirths. Should I be getting one? There are two possible advantages in a late scan and at least one possible disadvantage Firstly, it will determine which way up the baby is lying (the Presentation). At this stage 95 % of babies are head down (cephalic), leaving 5% , or 1 in 20 in a breech position. With the current practice of examining the abdomen with our hands and a tape measure, it is obvious that many breech babies […]
The Terminology of the term “term” is being redefined.
The Terminology of the term “term” is being redefined. Traditionally,” term” has been defined as , after 37 weeks and up to 42 weeks of pregnancy. The date is calculated from the onset of the last menstrual period , and backed up by an ultrasound measurement performed before20 weeks. Therefore, delivery before 37 weeks , is therefore, by definition ,preterm, and after 42 weeks, it is called post-term. The WHO and a group of American clinicians have recently recommended a slightly more detailed breakdown of the various categories of preterm and term deliveries. The reason they have done this, is […]
Is my baby getting enough milk?
Is my baby getting enough milk? By Louisa van den Bergh, Founder of Lulubaby & their breastfeeding consultant Anyone who has breastfed a baby will most likely have, at some point, questioned how much milk they are producing. In today’s world where we are used to being in control, it can be incredibly disconcerting to be unable to quantify exactly how much milk your baby is drinking. Surely knowing the precise amount your baby is imbibing is essential knowledge? Arguably no… Instead of trying to ascertain a figure in ml or oz, your time could be better spent observing your […]
Is it safe to eat tinned food?
This last week has seen an epidemic of scary articles suggesting that it may be dangerous for pregnant women to eat canned food, microwaved food, drink water from plastic bottles left in the sun , and handle cash register receipts. The alarm was raised after a meeting in Boston USA this week where some recent work on the risk of miscarriage was presented. It presented the results of a study of 114 women , who were already known to have a history of miscarriage and / or infertlity. It found that those women who had high levels of a compound […]
Pregnancy and the Skin
Pregnancy and the Skin, by Dr Richard Staughton – MA MBBChir FRCP Consultant Dermatologist Pregnancy is a happy, fulfilling and healthy time for most women but of course involves major changes in all parts of the body including our biggest organ – the skin. Common skin changes pose no health problems but the increase in levels of hormones, skin blood flow and necessary alterations in the immune system which allow healthy growth of the baby, usually result in noticeable variations from normal. Pregnancy “Glow” This is a reality, and happens because (a) progesterone increases water retention in the skin. […]