Dah lama tak update blog ni....la ni dah ade sorang anak, tanggal 7/7/11 bini aku telah melahirkan seorang putri bernama Alya athirah...syukur pada tuhan semuanye selamat.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Week 35: It's getting cramped in here!
Fetal development in pregnancy week 35
~length
18.2 in | 46 cm
18.2 in | 46 cm
~weight
5.25 lbs | 2.4 kg
5.25 lbs | 2.4 kg
Congratulations! You’re now carrying over 5 pounds of baby-goodness - not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself.
Developmentally, your wee womb-tenant has the fat-factory running at full tilt while their digestive system puts the finishing touches on critical organs in preparation for their first meal (remember - before birth, all of their nutrition was blood via the umbilical cord).
With their first meal in mind, it's time to look forward to one of the most important things you'll do for your infant - namely, keeping them alive with nothing more than your breasts.
If you're still unsure whether you want to breastfeed, just check out our "Ten Reasons to Breastfeed" in Week 28.
Breastfeeding Bootcamp
The first three months are Breastfeeding Bootcamp as your newborn's tiny new stomach and bumblebee-like metabolism = you breastfeeding at least every two hours of the day and night - often times more.
As a result, you'll both be waking up multiple times in the middle of the night to feed for the first year - this is perfectly normal and your infant's cries should never be ignored (again, the older generations well-intended advice is exactly wrong).
Because a newborn's tummy has never been used, many foods you can eat without issue will cause them painful gas cramps when passed into your breastmilk.
So, for the first three months: eat bland stuff. No onions, no beans, no citrus juices or foods with high acidity, no foods that make YOU fart. Taking these measures will save you from a gassy crying infant who won't be soothed by anything until the pain is gone.
Don't worry about waking your newborn to breastfeed - they'll wake up when they're hungry - unfortunately for your sleep needs.
Sleep whenever your baby sleeps, as sleeping is critical to a healthy postpartum recovery.
If possible - for the first six weeks you should exclusively breastfeed without interference from a pump, bottle, or pacifier to avoid nipple confusion.
Breastfeed "on demand" (aka whenever your infant cries in a dry diaper) and ignore the well-meant advice of older generations who scheduled their infant's meals at set times.
Only your baby knows when he or she is hungry, and your milk supply will thank you for feeding on demand.
The Breastfeeding Bootcamp isn't just about hunger. The non-stop feeding strengthens your infant's suckling reflex and jaw muscles, while soothing them in a world that is otherwise highly disorienting and frightening.
Nothing works quite as well as your "breast-plug" when you want to cease a fussy newborn's cries. Trust us, there's no shame in being a human pacifier!
Share your baby's development on Facebook!
MY BABY'S PROGRESS: WEEK 35
Only 5 more weeks to go
Holy Moly! I'm now carrying 6 lbs of baby not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself. In terms of my labor and birth, studies show that getting an epidural greatly increases ...
Tuesday at 19:16 via Baby Gaga · Comment · Like
Okay superwoman, it's time to talk about labor and how you plan to cope.basically, your muscles are going to be like, "YO - THIS IS HARD!" when they're talking to your nerves, who'll be delivering these messages to your brain afterward, which you will then experience as pain
Get this into your head right now -- LABOR PAIN IS GOOD PAIN -- it's good for you and it's good for your baby.
Yes, contractions hurt, but unlike the pain of injury, it hurts because your muscles are being used in a way they've never been used before (or only rarely).
If you've been living under a rock: contractions are literally the slow process of squeezing your baby - via uterine muscular waves of motion, down your uterus into the birth canal.
So - basically, your muscles are going to be like, "YO - THIS IS HARD!" when they're talking to your nerves, who'll be delivering these messages to your brain afterward, which you will then experience as pain.
The important part of this process is your mental and emotional acceptance of this pain as good, rather than something upsetting that must be avoided.
LABOR PAIN IS GOOD PAIN because your body is working really hard to do something that's incredibly important.
As Captain Obvious would say, "That's why they call it labor."
It might not feel good, but let's be realistic here: how many times will your uterus do this job? All Duggar jokes aside, it's obviously a unique situation for your body.
Labor gets a bad rap because of the pain of contractions, but if you look at the big picture - beyond the pain, you'd see that your labor is an act of epic earth-shattering proportions.
Come on! It's the act of giving life, after all!
Even if you are a pain-pansy, you need to come to terms with two things: 1) labor will hurt and that's okay and 2) the more you accept the pain as good, the less it will hurt.
Regardless of whether you get an epidural and in spite of their popularity, every one of us would do well to remember that pain is a normal and important part of life.
Your brain's pain system usually warns you when something is wrong or broken, but this time - if you listen to your body and take the time to understand the epic nature of what's happening inside of you, you might begin to understand that a change of such amazing proportions is taking place inside of you that your entire body (pain signaling system included) cries out in its efforts to bear life.
One last time, just so you remember: LABOR PAIN IS GOOD PAINThursday, June 23, 2011
Week 34: Mama, I'm movin' downtown!
Fetal development in pregnancy week 34
~length
17.7 in | 45 cm
17.7 in | 45 cm
~weight
4.7 lbs | 2.1 kg
4.7 lbs | 2.1 kg
Your amazing baby is on the move!
Until now, your wee womb-squatter's been living fairly high up in your poor stretched-out womb - blithely compressing your poor lungs and internal organs.
This week your baby's going to pack their tiny bags and make the "big" move to your pelvis - commonly referred to as the time when your baby "drops".
If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift indicating your baby is most likely out of breech position (if they're being stubborn, check out 17 Ways To Turn a Breech Baby) with their head now resting on your pubic bone.
When baby drops this may also give you some horrific stabbing back pain as they press on your sciatic nerve.
If that's the case, get off your feet and try to do some spine-lengthening stretches to help your baby move OFF that poor throbbing nerve.
In developing internal-organ news: although not quite fully formed, your little poop-factory's liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste.
Because your baby's liver is not quite birth-ready, it's common for newborns to get a case of mild and harmless jaundice (signaled by a slight yellowing of the skin).
Jaundice is the result of your baby's body producing more bilirubin (a by-product of blood production) than the liver can currently breakdown, leading to a subtle yellow tinge that goes away in a few days.
Babies born earlier than their due date tend to have moderate to severe jaundice, which - in the hospital, will be treated via light therapy to help their body break the bilirubin down.
For home-birthers, jaundice is easily dealt with by increased breastfeeding (to help their body pass the bilirubin) and "naked time" for baby in a warm sunlit area for 10 minute intervals throughout the day until it disappears.
Share your baby's development on Facebook!
MY BABY'S PROGRESS: WEEK 34
Only 6 more weeks to go
Until now, my baby was riding rather high in my stretched-out womb, mashing up my poor internal organs, but this week--IF they cooperate like a good fetus, they should be getting locked & loaded for labor ...
Tuesday at 19:16 via Baby Gaga · Comment · Like
Hey mama! Did you know your watermelon-betwixt-my-legs waddle is still as charming as ever?
If you've got back pain, get yourself another warm bath/shower/heating pad as needed and keep trying to stretch and twist to manipulate your pinch-tastic fetus off those poor sciatic nerves.
Just a reminder: keep on drinking those tall glasses of water (and peeing like a fiend), take cat naps whenever possible and prepare yourself mentally for the big day.
Labor Issues and Options
YOUR BIRTHING SUPPORT TEAM
Your midwife or doula should be picked with an eye for their education, midwifery history, personality and personal beliefs - which should gel with your personality and personal beliefs to the degree you trust and like her.
In terms of non-birthing experts, only your partner or closest family and friends should be present during labor. Ideally, you should be around people you know and trust and no one else.
GETTING TO THE HOSPITAL or BIRTHING CENTER
If you're not giving birth at home: once you're in Active labor (contractions every five minutes for an hour), head over to the hospital - that is, if you live within a half an hour drive of the hospital.
If you're in the middle of nowhere, then plan to go in once contractions come every five minutes for a 30 minute span.
Trust us, jumping the go-to-hospital gun before you enter the Active phase is a waste of gas and more disheartening than being ditched on a first date.
THE EPIDURAL
If you're planning on birthing in the hospital and get the epidural,try to wait till your contractions are constant - indicating you're nearing Transition.
Given any earlier, and the epidural may significantly slow your labor's progress, putting you at risk for an "emergency c-section" on the hospital's "24 hour labor" clock.
The epidural process: a six inch needle will be inserted into your spinal column as you're curled up in a fetal position to expose your spinal nerves to the technician.
Once the drug has been administered, the numbing effect (if it works, which it might not) -- will relieve your labor pain, but it will also as render you immobile and effectively chains you to your bed, forcing you to labor and birth on your back while psychologically numbing your mind to the process at hand, inhibiting your milk let-down and interfering with the postpartum endorphin release that combats postpartum pain and depression.
The take-home message: an epidural can provide much-needed pain relief during labor, but is not without serious risks including: long-term back pain (20% of women experience nerve damage), slowing labor and significantly increasing your risk of c-section. It also inhibits the entire postpartum release of endorphins, which may negatively impact your postpartum recovery.
THE CATHETER
Inserting/poking a thin tube into your urethra so you can pee from the comfort of your bed is an option which is there purely for the attending staff's convenience - unless you're unable to walk due to an epidural.
Long story short: just say no to catheters if you can walk.
THE IV
Some hospitals will automatically hook a laboring woman up to an IV to keep her hydrated, which again -- chains you to the bed or IV equipment, restricting your mobility.
Unless you're unable to swallow water for some mysterious reason, there is absolutely no need to be hooked up to an IV while in labor. As long as your labor partner or birth doula are there giving you water/juice/fluids on a regular basis, your hydration needs will be completely met without inhibiting labor's progress.
CESAREAN-SECTION/C-SECTION
C-section is major abdominal surgery in which seven layers of your stomach tissue, muscle, and fat are sliced through exposing your intestines and uterus.
If you do end up having a C-section, opt for an epidural rather than being fully knocked out via general anesthetic, as this'll allow you to breastfeed immediately after delivery.
To be perfectly fair, cesarean section can be a life-saver for both mother and baby in a small number of cases, but for most women and babies at the end of pregnancy, the risks of surgical birth far outweigh any benefit - as listed below.
With no additional risk factors, a baby born via C-section is three times more likely to die in the first year, which may be partially due to the fact that passage through the birth canal presses your child's lungs and respiratory tract clean in a way the doctor's suction device just can't.
C-section recovery takes longer and hurts more than normal birth recovery because you lose more blood during surgery and your anesthetic interferes with your natural postpartum release of hormones and endorphins which fuel the healing process.
Cool blood fact: birth vaginally and you'll lose the equivalent of nine period's worth of blood.
C-sections are also more likely to result in:
Difficulty breastfeeding and/or bonding
Postpartum depression
Postpartum infection
Newborn breathing problems
Asthma developing in childhood
Newborn cuts (hopefully minor!) from the surgery.
Elective c-sections are a disturbing new trend on the rise, which reflect a gross lack of understanding and respect for the delicate and intricate process of labor and birth.
Short of extreme medical conditions, C-sections should not be considered a viable option for a healthy pregnancy.
THE ELECTRONIC FETAL MONITOR (EFM)
This device records and reports the baby's heartbeat via a beeping sound.
Exhaustive reviews of EFM have shown NO improved outcome for the baby (in terms of preventing death) while increasing psychological stress for the laboring mother and risk of an "emergency c-section" and episiotomy.
Rather than let the EFM create a false sense of fear, opt for infrequent monitoring via a Doppler device or simply unhook yourself from the EFM after listening to your baby's heart rate for a minute or so (if that's all they've got) and get back to laboring on your feet.
Bottom line: EFMs are unnecessarily stressful to the mother and provide no support for the baby's well-being.
THE EPISIOTOMY, VACUUM and FORCEPS
An episiotomy occurs when your doctor slices you from your vagina down to your butt hole - in order "to make passage for the baby easier."
Not only do naturally occurring tears heal faster and hurt less than these incisions, but the idea that a knife is the "best option" for an area that's designed to birth babies is violently counter-intuitive.
Perineal massage, warm compresses, and oil (all things that increase your skin's elasticity and willingness to streeeeeetch) are always a better go-to option than the knife.
The vacuum and forceps are precisely what they sound like - devices for sucking and yanking your baby's head out of the birth canal.
Again, there is no research that indicates the use of any of these devices or methods ever improved fetal outcome over the simple and gentler warm compresses, oil and massage.
Take the time to discuss your caregiver's views of the above medical practices, at least to know whether there's a chance you're at risk of experiencing any of them yourself.
PERINEAL MASSAGE
If you want to prevent serious tearing (who wouldn't?), make sure you or your partner are giving your perineum a nice streeeetchy perineal massage every night.
Be ready to get intimate in a weirdly medical way. You're going to be asking your partner to stretch your vagina as much as you can bear, by inserting their sterilized gloved thumbs an inch into your vagina while pressing down towards your anus for 1 - 3 minute intervals - ten times each night. You can lengthen the duration if it becomes "easy" with maximum pressure.
We recommend taking each minute of pressure to focus on opening, slowly inhaling and exhaling as you imagine the contractions as waves of movement down and out your vagina.
Do the massage every night for the last four weeks before your due date and you'll greatly decrease any risk of being sliced up on your child's first birthday.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Fetal development in pregnancy week 33
Fetal development in pregnancy week 33
~length
17.2 in | 44 cm
17.2 in | 44 cm
~weight
4.2 lbs | 1.9 kg
4.2 lbs | 1.9 kg
For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ would weigh more than a mere 4 pounds!
But once you add in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and extra blood, you've got at least 10 pounds of baby and their life-support gear smooshed up against yourorgans!
In terms of appearance, your sweet lil' looker is getting cuter and pudgier every day as they pile on that adorable baby fat.
And as you know all too well, your womb kick-boxer is getting stronger with every passing day. Heck, it’s even possible to observe a well-placed belly-wobbling kick just by watching your belly!
Here's a fun game for when your kick-boxer is especially active: place a small object (baby blocks or a remote control) on your belly and see how far your star-kicker can lob that thing across the room!
Despite their obviously increasing strength, your bigger-by-the-day baby will actually start dropping their rate of movement in the last few weeks, no thanks to their restricted womb space.
If movement ceases for over an hour, drink some cold juice, lay on your side and wait for some added movement.
If nothing's happening at that point, go ahead and call your medical caregiver.
Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling your baby's movements even during labor?
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MY BABY'S PROGRESS: WEEK 33
Only 7 more weeks to go
If you haven't noticed yet, I'm carrying an impressive 5 lbs and 17 inches of baby goodness inside my super-uterus. We're in the final weeks and I really need to start preparing for labor and birth. Interestingly, ...
Tuesday at 19:16 via Baby Gaga · Comment · Like
Have you been feeling those delightful fake Braxton-Hicks contractions yet?Remember to eat less with each meal and opt for smaller more frequent meals, loads of water, and a post-meal walk to get things unclogged and less heartburn-tastic
If not - shut up!
These increasing uterine contractions are standard during the second half of pregnancy and lucky for you, grow in frequency during the third trimester.
Cleverly dubbed “practice labor”, BH contractions aren't the real deal, but if they're getting too frequent or intense, get a big glass of ice water, drink it and chill on the couch for a while.
That said, if you notice contractions more than four times in one hour - that don't go away in the next hour, especially when combined with changes in your vaginal discharge (EW), call your caregiver right away to make sure you're not going into premature labor.
As your magical growing baby obstinately refuses to shrink or give back any real-estate in your belly, you can sit back, "relax," and take in the heartburn and increased lower back pain.
Remember to eat less with each meal and opt for smaller more frequent meals, loads of water, and a post-meal walk to get things unclogged and less heartburn-tastic.
As for your poor back, stretch your spine out, get off your feet and elevate them above your heart - preferably in a hot-bathtub with bubbles, candle light and soft relaxing music, and don't worry too much about anything for exactly thirty minutes... if that's even possible.
INDUCING LABOR = BAD PLAN
Okay woman, let's get one thing straight: your body knows what it's doing when it comes to baby-building. You've come this far, right?
With that thought in hand, let's talk inductions.
The most commonly used chemicals for inductions are Pitocin, Prepidil, Cervidil and Cyotec, which all mimic (in varying ways) the naturally-occuring influx of hormones that will trigger labor in your body somewhere between week 36 and 42.
Despite being a convenient way for doctors to take control of your labor and birth, every one of these chemical induction agents carry several risks - including fetal and maternal death.
Chemical induction results in a significantly increased risk of fetal distress, hypoxia (too little oxygen) and c-section - which carries its own set of risks.
If you've already had one c-section, studies indicate that use of Pitocin the second time around increases your risk of uterine rupture (OUCH!) by 28%.
Oh, did we mention induction agents create contractions that'remuch stronger and more painful than what you'd naturally feel if left to labor on your own timetable?
That's right, not only is induction more dangerous than waiting for labor to progress naturally, but it hurts more. Nice.
Labor may be induced via non-chemical measures (sweeping membranes or breaking your water/amniotic sac), but none guarantee the same influx of hard-core contractions like the chemical agents do.
If there is no sign of real labor, then you should avoid induction altogether. Don't let your doctor scare you with reports of your baby being "too big" - not only are their weight estimates potentially wrong (yes, doctors are often wrong about the weight of the fetus when viewed by ultrasound) but many small women have birthed 10 pound babies with nary a tear in sight.
Think about it: your body is specifically designed/evolved to carry and nourish your baby until he or she is finally ready to come out. Your body isn't some sort of rickety contraption which may or may not be capable of giving birth. No, this is what your body is designedto do - whether you believe in evolution or creation!
GETTING YOUR BABY OUT OF BREECH:
One of the most common reasons doctors advise a c-section is for the simple fact that some babies (about 4-5%) are not in the birth-friendly head down position by their due date.
Without your baby's head leading out of the birthing canal, several issues may arise that can be problematic and even life-threatening if not handled correctly.
Rather than accept your little one's Breech position as the C-section sentence many doctors make it out to be, between now and the throes of labor, you can actively work to manipulate your baby so they're properly positioned to "head out" on their birthday.
From swimming on your head to tricking your fetus with a flashlight, check out 17 ways to Turn a Breech Baby if you want to prevent an unnecessary C-section.
WHY DO SO MANY DOCTORS CHOOSE TO INDUCE?
If the doctors were to be completely honest, they'd have to admit that their flow chart of: chemical induction → painful fake labor → epidural → "emergency" c-section (after labor fails to progress as your body isn't fully ready to give birth) is a much easier-to-control series of events.
Waiting for a woman's body to work it's way from early labor to the point she wants to bear down and push just isn't that easy to predict and control, and typically can be done just fine without any extra costly devices.
Lest we sound too negative, doctors are smart folks specifically trained to solve problems, treat disease and injury, and otherwise take an active role in preventing death and undue suffering.
Contrary to their medical training- which focuses on worst case scenarios that demand their interference, labor is one situation where there simply is no problem and the best option is to wait, watch and trust the woman's body to do the amazing work we've been capable of since before doctors even existed.
Take home message: if you've had a healthy normal pregnancy, induction is the wrong choice - both for you and your baby.
| « Week 32 | Week 34 » |
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Week 31: Another day... another ounce
Fetal development in pregnancy week 31
~length
16 in | 41 cm
16 in | 41 cm
~weight
3.3 lbs | 1.5 kg
3.3 lbs | 1.5 kg
This week, your amazing growing baby is around 3 pounds and 17 inches tall.
With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's wrinkly raisin skin starts to look more and more like it will when they're born.
The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth.
Your baby's developing immune system has made some serious gains over the past weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders.
Even so, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will need to come from your milk in the first year.
Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together.
As disturbing as having an infant with a soft cracked skull sounds, it's pretty much a necessity for passage through the birth canal during labor.
If your baby is in your birth canal for an extended period, they'll come out with a bit of a cone head, as a result of their skull plates being compressed while in your rather snug birth canal. It's normal, harmless and their skull will even out into a more round, less cone-heady shape in the next few weeks.
Oh, and FYI: your baby may have that “soft spot” on their head for up to eighteen months after birth.
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MY BABY'S PROGRESS: WEEK 31
Only 9 more weeks to go
My baby's fat-factory is running at full tilt, which means I'm on a slow-but-steady train to whale town as they're now gaining a 1/2 lb each week. My baby's frail immune system means they're going to be ...
Tuesday at 19:16 via Baby Gaga · Comment · Like
Here’s a good way to deal with your mounting impatience (and distract you from your discomfort): map out your plan of action for the big day.
It’s an important and necessary step that’s both soothing and fun.
If you think about it, planning all the details of your labor now can be a real saving grace once the chaos and intensity of labor kicks in.
Planning a hospital birth:
*These guidelines also apply for a birthing center birth*
Pack a bag with a couple of changes of loose comfortable clothes (bikinis if you want to be hopping in and out of the shower/bath), reading material, music that you think would inspire/relax you during labor, and a camera.
Have an infant car seat, blankets, newborn diapers, wipes and a going-home outfit ready for your brand new baby's journey home.
If you haven't yet, choose who you want present during labor and whether you're going to have a doula/midwife who will mediate potentially pushy medical staff on your behalf - in order to support you and uphold your birth plan throughout labor.
Get to know your driving route to the hospital or birthing center like the back of your hand.
Make a list of typical medical procedures you're comfortable with and which ones you'd like to avoid during labor and birth. Type it up and print out the list to give it to your medical caregiver as soon as possible.
Start researching your pain management options. Read weeks 35, 36 and 37 for more detailed information and labor tips.
Include a post-birth plan to prevent your baby from being taken away from you, ensure that they're not given formula or a bottle, which can induce "nipple confusion" and make breastfeeding more difficult.
Planning a home birth
Make sure your midwife is available for the weeks around your due date.
Decide whether or not you want to rent a birthing tub!
Get the delivery room ready. Your midwife will provide you with a list of necessary equipment to buy and bring the rest herself.
Choose who will be present while you labor, and don't let anyone guilt you into including them if you're not sure they're the kind of person you'll want around when you're in the throes of labor.
Make sure you've got all the necessary infant supplies: newborn diapers and wipes, swaddling blankets, newborn clothes and a safe sleep space (whether in a protected co-sleeping area or crib/bassinet).
Make a go-to-hospital contingency plan with your midwife in the event something goes seriously wrong and medical intervention becomes necessary.
Start planning your pain management options and prepping yourself mentally for labor.
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