How many of you have had the flu? Probably all of you at one point or another... Or you could be like me and have had the privilege of multiple encounters with my influenza virus friends - that is, until the last few years when I gave in and got....
The Flu Shot.
Three simple words that at the same time inspire feelings of joy (I don't have to feel like I've been beaten with a stick and dumped in freezing water at the same time.) and feelings of trepidation. (What effect can the vaccine have on me and my baby?) The word "vaccine" has become a flashpoint for supporters and detractors alike. Celebrities rant and rave at each other trying to rally folks to one side or the other. (On a side note, why do we care whether our celebrity of choice supports one thing or another? As a society, we really should look at ourselves in the mirror when Lindsey Lohan can influence people...yikes) While the childhood vaccination debate will rage on and on, I'm just going to discuss the flu
Hello! My name is Kelly and I am "Born to be a star!" I thought I would write a little bit about my family and myself before the world watches me go through my pregnancy:)
My whole life I have lived in the Northwest, Portland and Vancouver. In 2004 I had my first daughter, Emma. Emma and I were always together, I was able to work at her daycare, usually in the same room. At the time I was a single parent and this really was the perfect job for us! Shortly after, Wes and I got together and eventually decided to add to our family. In 2007 we had our second daughter, Reaghan. The rules of the daycare had changed and I was not able to bring her with me. So, I worked part time while Wes' mom took care of her. For me, this was not the way to go! I spent all my breaks pumping and crying. Then I would go home feeling guilty and missing my baby. Now, Emma is five and Reaghan is almost two. We are finally in a place where I can just stay home with my girls, and take care of
The amount of weight to gain during pregnancy varies from woman to woman. Therefore, even though there are suggested amounts that women should gain during pregnancy, the best plan of action is to see your doctor or midwife and follow their recommendations. They will determine an amount based on your current weight and medical history.
When I was pregnant with my first baby, I gained 28 pounds and my baby weighed 5 pound 9 ounces at birth, full term. She was considered small for gestational age. The average baby weighs seven and a half pounds. So, with my next pregnancy my doctor suggested that since I was in the low normal range for weight and had some medical issues that I should try to gain forty pounds in order to have a larger baby. Well, it worked because; my next baby was six pounds eight ounces. Thankfully, with breastfeeding and running after my two year old, the extra pounds were gone within about three months with very little effort.
If after visiting your
Man, the weather has been horrible. I am currently stuck at Southwest Washington Medical Center at the Family Birth Center. I've been here for over 36 hours. The nurses and doctors have mostly managed to make it in or have stayed over to help. First thing is if you do come to Southwest to have a baby, please thank your nurses. They really are dedicated to helping people have babies in any sort of difficult situation. A lot of them are giving up time with their families to be here for the patients. They don't have to stay extra, but they do. Thank them.
I've received a lot of phone calls in the last couple of days asking what people should do. "Should I come to the hospital even though my symptoms aren't that bad? If they get bad, I don't want to be trying to drive quickly through the mess!" "But what if I come and nothing's going on and I have to go back home? Should I risk the road conditions for nothing?" It's a tough situation. Ideally, you would get a medical
Bed rest. Those are two words that most soon-to-be moms really don't want to hear. How can a woman just lay in bed all day and really not get up?? Who's going to watch the kids? I can't leave my job! Those are just a couple of reasons why true, strict bed rest really is a very, very difficult thing to do.
I hate telling women they need to be on bed rest. Unfortunately, bed rest is really the only proven method of making certain conditions better. Studies have shown that home bed rest and real hospital bed rest have very different results. Bed rest can mean the difference between delivering right away or in many weeks. Depending on how early you are, that can mean the difference between a child with a lifetime of problems and a child with no problems at all. There are many who promise to stay in bed at home, but it's really hard to really not get out of your bed at all all day and night. Getting up only to use the bathroom and one personal hygiene trip a day to the bathroom.
It was the evening of the 4th of July and I was eight and a half months pregnant. We had been at the Fort all day for the Independence Day celebration. By the time we got home I was exhausted. Just before bed I started to notice some early signs of labor. I lost my mucous plug plus I thought my amniotic fluid was leaking. I called my doctor and he told me to go to the hospital to be checked. At the birth center the nurse thought my bag of waters was still in tact. She said that my cervix was dilated two centimeters and 50% effaced, my baby's head was at zero station and my uterus was contracting regularly but, that I was not "in labor." She told me I should go home for now and that my baby could arrive within a few hours or a few weeks. I went home and of course was too excited to sleep. Until the nurse had said I was contracting regularly I didn't realize that the tightening I had been feeling in my uterus were contractions because, they weren't painful like I thought they
The other night I watched a wonderful new documentary called Being Dad. The tagline, "40 Dads - 6 Experts - 9 months - 80 minutes" pretty much sums it up well. A father to be, in an attempt to learn more about the new journey upon which he will soon embark, sits down with dads all over the country and learns all about what it's like during pregnancy, delivery, and parenting. The guys talk candidly about everything from sex during pregnancy, to miscarriage, to premature labor, to epidurals, to caesarian section, to the feeling of elation that comes when the baby is finally born.
The film simultaneously follows Troy and his wife, Stacey, from morning sickness to first ultrasound, and finally to delivery. It actually shows the birth of their child, and it's amazing. I don't think I've ever watched a birth without crying. It is such a miracle. And it brought back memories of my own daughters' births and made me feel strong all over again for all the hard work I did to get them safely out!
Posted by: drchang in Pregnancy Delivery on
Jul 24, 2008
Hello, again. It's been awhile since my last entry. My parents have been in town, and the weather has been great. I haven't spent nearly as much time in front of the computer!
Anyway, I was reading some of the comments readers have left in response to my ramblings, and one stood out to me. A lady was speaking of how difficult a miscarriage was for her. I've seen many women through this horrible time. Being a dad, I can hardly imagine a harder time. I've had people say to me that a miscarriage is easier than losing a child. I agreed with that until I spoke with so many women who have gone through miscarriages early in pregnancy or fetal demises later on in pregnancy. That fetus is every bit a person's child. The loss is just as great. What can I say? There really is nothing to say. I hold my patients' hands; I pray with them, but in the end, they have to go home and be alone with their feelings.
For any of you who know people going through this, just be there for them if
Posted by: drchang in Pregnancy Delivery on
Jul 05, 2008
I know, I know. A lot of you are thinking, "Uh, I'm not very active when I'm NOT pregnant much less during pregnancy..." HA!HA! Well, that may be true for a lot of folks, but believe it or not there is a significant population of women that doesn't want to stop exercising during pregancy. To y'all, I say.."Go for it."
Exercise during pregnancy is not only OK, but good for you. Ever wonder why they call it "labor" at the end? Cuz it's work. It's nice to be in good cardiovascular shape when you ahve to strain with all of your strength for 3 hours straight. Also, exercise during pregnancy is perfectly safe. There are certain complications of pregnancy that will preclude you from exercising. Your doctor should obviously know what those are.
A couple of other things to remember are the following. Number one - use common sense. Falling is a bad thing in pregnancy. Therefore, any activity that results in possibly losing your balance is bad. Skiing, skating, biking, just to
Posted by: drchang in Pregnancy Delivery on
Jun 12, 2008
Ahhh..the birth plan. A blueprint for how you want your delivery to be. A declaration of how your birth experience is going to be. This may surprise you, but....
The declared birth plan probably comes to fruition in one of ten deliveries. Pregnancy, birth, and the 18 years that come after will not fall into any "plan." I've often been asked about the birth plan and what I think about the various aspects of it. "It's so confusing. There are so many things! How can I decide??!" YOU DON'T HAVE TO. Really. In all honesty, not only do you not need to, you really shouldn't marry yourself to one idea or another. This is not to say you shouldn't think about the issues and possibilities. You definitely want to have thought about pain control, episiotomy, etc. All I'm saying is that when the time comes for labor and delivery, your experience depends mostly on how your labor is going and how your baby is doing. Is has very little to do with how you originally planned for the
