What’s the difference between Doula and midwife when it comes to the birth of your baby?
How can a Doula or midwife or possibly both help make the birth of your baby a better experience, and how do they compare to the role of your doctor?
Here are the basic differences between the two and why you might require one over the other, or perhaps even use both. Continue reading
If you are pregnant and looking at possible birthing options you may be hearing a lot about the benefits of a C-Section.
Most of us don’t think of C-sections as offering anything other than medical benefits; it’s invasive surgery with a painful recovery, it’s risky and far from natural.
Today however, there’s a very different tone surrounding the C-Section procedure; a tone that indicates benefits for both baby and mom.
But are the benefits of a C-Section significant enough to outweigh the risks?
Let’s look at the 4 biggest benefits and you can judge for yourself. Continue reading
If you are expecting a baby, there’s a 30% chance that you will deliver by C-Section. That’s a fairly high statistic if you want to avoid an unnecessary Cesarean Section.
I’m going to show you how arming yourself with some basic knowledge concerning C-Sections will help you not only avoid a Cesarean but help you understand the difference between the C-Section that is necessary and one that is not. Continue reading
Your post C-Section diet plays an important role in your C-Section recovery, so it’s important to eat foods that are easily digested, will boost your energy and aid in losing the excess weight you gained during pregnancy.
In this article I’ll explain how soon you’re allowed to eat after your C-Section, and what foods you should continue eating that will help increase your energy, avoid discomfort and help with weight loss.
When is it safe to have sex after c-section surgery?
Exactly when it’s safe to have sex again will mean listening to your body and also your doctor.
Most doctors want you to wait at least until your lochia bleeding has stopped and your body returns to its normal, ‘healed’ state, which is typically 4-6 weeks after your C-Section. Some doctors may be more conservative recommending as long as 8 weeks.
What are the risks of having sex too soon after a c section?
The safety concerns are risk of infection, bleeding and pain during sex. Having sex too soon puts you at risk of any or all of these complications. Continue reading
But does failure to progress in labor mean a C-Section is needed?
Not necessarily. Many women experience failure to progress and still have vaginal births. However, if your labor stalls and complications occur, that’s when a C-Section becomes necessary.
We’ll start with what causes failure to progress, what happens that would lead to having a C-Section and some things you might be able to do that could decrease stalling labor that would prevent having a C-Section. Continue reading
What Is Fetal Distress and Does It Mean Having A C-Section?The term ‘fetal distress’ means the baby’s heartbeat is dropping and the oxygen supply isn’t what it should be. Your doctor can usually see this drop in heart rate on the baby monitor. Other signs would be the baby’s movement patterns change or there’s no movement at all.
Fetal distress is most common during labor but it can also occur before going into labor, but more on that in a minute.
If your baby is diagnosed with fetal distress during labor, this is not always a good sign for a vaginal delivery.
Does it necessarily mean a C-Section? Not always, but it’s a good sign that one will be needed. In fact, fetal distress is one of the more common reasons a doctor will recommend a C-Section birth. Continue reading
When scheduling a C-Section your doctor will often calculate your due date and schedule your C-Section about a week prior to that date, which should be at or around 39 weeks.
But for many moms, scheduling your C-Section may not be that simple. You may have a preference for a date, or there may be other scheduling or health issues that need consideration. All these things will depend on your individual birth requirements, your health and discussions you’ve had with your doctor.
Since most C-Section scheduling revolves around your due date, you’ll need to first calculate your due date. Human gestation is 266 days or 40 weeks. But notice that 40 weeks is actually 280 days. Here’s where the difference comes in. When we speak of 40 weeks the count starts at the first day of your last period. That adds 10-15 days to the gestation time which accounts for the additional 14 days or so.
So if you’re calculating your due date in weeks, 40 weeks gestation is considered just about right, but many doctors also consider anything after 38 weeks as being term, so a safe C-Section schedule date would be anything from 38-40 weeks. The closer to 40 weeks, the better.
Delivering before 37 weeks is not recommended. Your baby needs that time for full lung and organ development as infant respiratory distress syndrome can be an issue. So scheduling a C-Section should never be before 37 weeks if that’s possible.
Schedule a C-Section or Wait To Go Into Labor First? 
If this is your second or subsequent C-Section, labor is generally not recommended. If you should go into labor before your scheduled date, your doctor will want you to come in right away to have your surgery. The reason for this is if you’ve had a prior cesarean section, going into labor with your second carries an increased risk of uterine rupture.
If this will be your first C-section and there’s no medical reason to avoid labor, then going into labor is actually good for your baby. There are stress hormones that get released during labor that help with a baby’s lung maturation. Avoiding labor prevents baby from getting the benefit of these hormones.
Studies have found that babies delivered before the 39th week of pregnancy were more likely to have breathing problems, low blood sugar and infections. To back this up, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) does not recommend scheduling your C-section more than a week before your due date.
This is particularly important for women who schedule a Cesarean in order to ensure their baby is born on a specific date. If this date is to0 early, you put your baby’s health at risk.
Photo courtesy of digitalart and freedigitalphotos.net
Having a C-Section does affect breastfeeding because it delays the surge of milk beyond the production of colostrum for the first few days.
Because of this many women get discouraged and give up trying to breastfeed altogether, so in a sense this could affect a moms ability to breastfeed, but it doesn’t have to.
Your milk may be slow to come in after a C-Section but don’t let this discourage you. Here’s why this happens and a few things that will help you breastfeed successfully, even after having a C-Section.
It’s hard to determine the cost to have a C-Section in the U.S. because the costs vary from state to state.
Things like medication, anesthesia, length of hospital stay, complications that occur, and geographic location all play a part in the bottom line cost.
But if you are looking for a general ball part figure, here’s what you can expect. Continue reading
