News Moms Need

Halloween is coming and so, apparently, is a storm to match The Perfect Storm. Radio and TV weather reports have hurricane Sandy set to impact millions of lives all along the east coast of the U.S. Are you ready? Are you taking precautions should your basement flood or you lose power for several days?

The needs of a pregnant woman during a disaster are unique. Prepare as much as you can before a disaster strikes. This will help you to stay healthy and safe. Follow these tips:
- Make sure to let your health care provider’s office (doctor, midwife or nurse-practitioner) know where you will be.
- Make a list of all prescription medications and prenatal vitamins that you are taking.
- Get a copy of your prenatal records from your health care provider.
- If you have a case manager or participate in a program such as Healthy Start or Nurse-Family Partnership, let your case manager know where you are going. Give him or her a phone number to use to contact you.
- If you have a high-risk pregnancy or you are close to delivery, check with your health care provider to determine the safest option for you.

You still need to follow any evacuation and preparation instructions given by your state, but here is a link to some special things to consider during and after a disaster.

If you have recently had a baby or you are caring for a newborn, this article is designed to help you prepare for a disaster. If you are caring for an infant and have questions about the health effects of a potential disaster, please talk with a health care professional.

The media may be a bit dramatic at times, but they are right about one thing. Now is the time to make preparations and have a plan in place for your family to follow in case you ever need it.

Whenever I turned on the TV over the weekend, I saw a lot of coverage of tropical storm Isaac and its threat to Florida and the Republican National Convention and then New Orleans. Memories of the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina still are fresh in everyone’s mind and the press isn’t letting us forget. Drama and politics aside, however, we need to remember that we are in hurricane season. For all of you who live along the coasts that may be affected by a hurricane, it is important to remember safety preparation tips.

The needs of a pregnant woman during a disaster are unique. Prepare as much as you can before a disaster strikes. This will help you to stay healthy and safe. Follow these tips:
- Make sure to let your health care provider’s office (doctor, midwife or nurse-practitioner) know where you will be.
- Make a list of all prescription medications and prenatal vitamins that you are taking.
- Get a copy of your prenatal records from your health care provider.
- If you have a case manager or participate in a program such as Healthy Start or Nurse-Family Partnership, let your case manager know where you are going. Give him or her a phone number to use to contact you.
- If you have a high-risk pregnancy or you are close to delivery, check with your health care provider to determine the safest option for you.

You still need to follow any evacuation and preparation instructions given by your state, but here is a link to some special things to consider during and after a disaster.

If you have recently had a baby or you are caring for a newborn, this article is designed to help you prepare for a disaster. If you are caring for an infant and have questions about the health effects of a potential disaster, please talk with a health care professional.

The media may be a bit dramatic at times, but they are right about one thing. Now is the time to make preparations and have a plan in place for your family to follow in case you ever need it.

Some newborn intensive care units (NICUs) will encourage you to hold your baby from birth onward. Other NICUs will want you to wait until your baby’s health is stable. Ask your NICU staff about its policy on kangaroo care.

Kangaroo care is the practice of holding your diapered baby on your bare chest (if you’re the father) or between your breasts (if you’re the mother), with a blanket draped over your baby’s back. This skin-to-skin contact benefits both you and your baby.

You may be a little nervous about trying kangaroo care. If your baby is very small or sick, you may be afraid you’ll hurt him. But you won’t. Your baby knows your scent, touch and the rhythms of your speech and breathing, and he will enjoy feeling that closeness with you. Kangaroo care can help your baby:
• Maintain his body warmth
• Regulate his heart and breathing rates
• Gain weight
• Spend more time in deep sleep
• Spend more time being quiet and alert and less time crying
• Have a better chance of successful breastfeeding (kangaroo care can improve the mother’s breastmilk production)

Kangaroo care has emotional benefits for you, too. It builds your confidence as you provide intimate care that can improve your baby’s health and well being. You are giving something special to your baby that only you can give. By holding your baby skin-to-skin, you will feel the experience of new parenthood and closeness to your baby. Kangaroo care is healing in many ways, for both you and your baby.

Kangaroo care is safe and beneficial, even if your baby is connected to machines. Whatever your situation, kangaroo care is a precious way to be close to your baby. You will cherish this time.

Before your baby leaves the hospital, she gets her first checkup to make sure she is healthy. Here are some of the tests and treatments she receives.

• Apgar score - At 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth, a doctor or nurse checks you baby for five things: Heart rate; Breathing; Muscle tone; Reflexes; and Skin Color.  Each gets a score of 0 to 2. The total score is called an Apgar score. If your baby has a score of 7 or more, she is in good shape! If she has a score less than 7, she probably is fine but she made need some special care.
• Vitamin K shot. Vitamin K can help your baby’s blood clot and protect her from bleeding problems. She gets this shot right after birth.
• Eye drops or ointment to help protect the eyes from infection.
• Complete physical. A health care provider checks your baby out from head to toe. He listens to her heart and lungs, feels her tummy, checks her eyes, nose, mouth, head, arms and legs. He gives her a hepatitis B shot. This is a vaccine to protect your baby from hepatitis B, a virus that can cause problems in your baby’s liver.
• Blood test – Every state and U.S. territory routinely screens newborns for certain genetic, metabolic, hormonal and functional disorders. 
• Hearing test – A small microphone is put in your baby’s ear and plays soft sounds. Early identification of hearing loss in the newborn allows the baby to be fitted with hearing aids before 6 months of age, helping prevent serious speech and language problems in the future.

During her first year, your baby will see her health care provider regularly for well baby visits.  This is the medical care you get for her when she’s not sick. Her checkups let the health care provider make sure she is growing and developing correctly. In the first year, your baby should get a checkup at 2 weeks, months 1, 2, 4, 6 and 9, and at 1 year.
 
Take your baby for these checkups even if she’s doing great and isn’t sick.

Hurricane season is upon us and the first of the season, Hurricane Irene, is headed north toward the U.S. Irene has left Puerto Rico and is due to hit Florida either late Thursday or early Friday morning.

For all of you who live along the coasts that may be affected by a hurricane, it is important to remember safety preparation tips. The needs of a pregnant woman during a disaster are unique. You still need to follow any evacuation and preparation instructions given by your state, but here is a link to some special things to consider.

If you have recently had a baby or you are caring for a newborn, this article is designed to help you prepare for a disaster. If you are caring for an infant and have questions about the health effects of the disaster, please talk with a health care professional.

Now is the time to make preparations and have a plan in place for your family to follow in case you ever need it.

The first postpartum depression clinic opens it doors today at a University of North Carolina hospital in Chapel Hill. It is a free-standing perinatal psychiatry unit dedicated to helping moms who suffer from the very serious condition of postpartum depression. This is a big move for supporting women and I hope it is the first of many such clinics to spread across the country.

Getting the blues for a week or so after having a baby is common. But postpartum depression (PPD) is different. It can be extremely sad, lonely, very grim and even dangerous. PPD is not something a woman can control and it is not a sign of being a bad mother. It’s a serious medical condition that needs treatment.

A woman who has postpartum depression feels sad, “down” or depressed. She also has many of the following symptoms lasting 2 weeks or longer:
• Having little interest in her usual activities or hobbies
• Feeling tired all the time
• Changes in how much or how little she wants to eat
• Gaining or losing weight
• Having trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Having trouble concentrating or making decisions
• Thinking about suicide or death
Postpartum depression doesn’t have to occur immediately after birth. It can begin at any time within many months after delivery. It can seriously threaten both the woman and her baby. Since the mother is seriously ill, she may not be able to care for her baby as she would if she were well. The disease may make it hard for the mother to breastfeed or bond with her baby. For these reasons, postpartum depression is a threat to newborns.

About 1 out of every 8 women has postpartum depression after delivery. It is the most common complication among women who have just had a baby and it amazes me that it has taken so long for the medical community to seriously address it. Go UNC!  Unlike many other hospitals who treat women with PPD alongside schizophrenics and addicts, the UNC clinic understands PPD and these women’s special needs. There are breast pumps and comfortable rocking chairs, individual and family therapy sessions. The mother’s sleep times are protected and extremely important for recovery. While babies will not be allowed to spend the night they will have extended visiting hours so routines can be established even while Mom is hospitalized.  You can read more about the clinic here.

If you have any of the symptoms listed above, talk to your health care provider. If necessary, your provider can refer you to a mental health professional. Don’t be shy or embarrassed. Get the help you need and deserve.

My roommate was very uncomfortable. She pressed the call button every hour complaining of pain. Sharing a bathroom postpartum was icky.  The laundry carts squeaked up and down the hallway. Dietary dropped off and picked up trays. Some guy woke me up to ask if I wanted the phone turned on.  The nurses constantly took my vitals and the baby from me every time their shift changed. Sixteen relatives showed up at once during visiting hours.  Exams and discharge instructions from my doctor and the pediatrician created an endless stack of paperwork. We were surrounded by strangers and noise and fluorescent lights.  I wanted my baby out of this chaotic environment. She belonged at home with me and her Dad. I wanted those bulky hospital bracelets off her tiny ankles. Her bassinet was waiting for her. I desperately needed a nice big mug of tea and some privacy.  Taking our baby home from the hospital couldn’t come fast enough.

It was a cold February afternoon. She was all bundled up and snug in her car seat. I sat nervously beside her in the backseat. Pink balloons and flowers surrounded us.  I reminded my husband not to drive too fast. We arrived in our driveway and I sighed. We made it.  Now what do we do? LOL!

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t rest or relax in the hospital. I wanted to care for my baby by myself and in the space that we so lovingly prepared for her at home. Did you feel anxious during your hospital stay?

Do yourself and your precious little one a favor and start off on the right foot with breastfeeding. If you’ve done any reading about it then you already know that it’s “a learned skill” and “if you’re doing it properly it shouldn’t hurt.” These statements (although vague and not helpful at correcting a problem) are VERY, VERY true. It takes time, practice and help. Yes, help! Its one thing to see a diagram in a book or online, but it’s much more effective to have someone with trained hands at your bedside. You have to be in the right position. The baby has to be in the right position. There are different holds to experiment with. If you don’t get things down right from the start you and the baby could develop poor posture and latching habits. Take it from me. I’m the queen of sore, cracked, bleeding nipples. I held that title for more than two months before we got it right and it didn’t happen on its own. I spent hours on the phone with a lactation consultant. It wasn’t until I actually went to see a consultant (twice) at a nearby hospital that I had any success.

I hope the following tips help. If anyone has any other suggestions, please share!

Find a lactation consultant in your area. LLLI has leaders that host monthly meetings. Attend some before and after your baby is born.

During your tour of the hospital ask about lactation support. What days and hours does she work? Is this person a nurse? If so, is she only available during her shift? (That happened to me. When I was settled in my room and asked if they had a lactation consultant I was told, yes, but she wasn’t working again until Saturday. It was Thursday when I was admitted.)

Even if the hospital doesn’t have a lactation consultant ask the nurses for help at EVERY feeding. They’ll know what to do. Once you leave the hospital you’ll be on your own so take advantage of their knowledge and support.

Ask the staff for lots of extra pillows. Hospital pillows stink. They’re flat and plastic-y. You and the baby need to be well supported on all sides when you nurse.

Nursing in bed can be difficult. If you’re hospital room has a chair, try that. Again, support yourself with lots of pillows and use a foot stool. You need to feel “locked in” and comfortable at all times to nurse properly.

For home, have some lanolin, ibuprofen, a soft nursing bra and the number of a professional to call if you run into any problems. 

Breastfeeding is demanding when you’re caring for a newborn.  You’re exhausted. Don’t add pain to that equation. Ask for help in advance to avoid problems.

TGIF and have a great weekend. See you next Friday.

If you’re planning to have a baby now is the best time to examine your household earnings and expenditures. I’m learning first hand that having a baby can really put a dent in your wallet. Our little one isn’t due for another two months and I can’t believe what we’ve spent so far.

Getting the nursery ready included new paint, carpeting, decorations and furniture. Maternity clothes — from sweaters and jeans to PJs and office wear (holy cow…have you ever seen maternity underwear!?! Not good.) I treated myself to a full body pillow and a couple of extra cleanings at the dentist. Books for both me and my husband on baby names, breastfeeding and baby care. We registered for a childbirth education course and hired a doula to help us during labor and delivery. We’re ordering close to seventy birth announcements not including postage.  Little newborn under shirts and onesies, diapers, wipes and just a ton of unexpected accessories. And how much is college tuition going to cost in 18 years?

According to Rosetta Jones, a vice president at VISA USA, “the smartest thing you can do is sit down before you have your baby and map out a financial plan.” Click here to check out their baby budgeting calculator. If you plan ahead, these new costs will be easier to manage.