Ok girls. Anyone want to talk about sex? All I can do is talk from experience (and what I’ve heard of course – all the negative stuff is from other people) but it seems that it goes one way or another. While pregnant, you either discover the stripper/bondage-loving sex-goddess that you’ve always wanted to be, or you have a perpetual headache.
Who’s delivering your baby? Your family doctor, an ob/gyn? How about a midwife? With a university degree, evidence based practices and woman-centered care, the modern midwife isn’t the mystic woman she used to be. Today she has the respect of doctors and nurses and is delivering babies in the same hospitals. For many of us midwifery care raises three red flags. The first being: do I have to deliver at home?
The Urban Mommies staff love baby names! The possibilities are endless and so much fun to brain storm. So over the next little while we will be featuring themed baby name articles and lists of our staff’s favourite baby names. First we have our Content Editor Danica Longair’s list of favourite baby names. Feel free to borrow some of her ideas! When you’re done reading her favourites, don’t forget to check out our Baby Name section for more great ideas!
We know that many of our readers prefer to go the natural route for as many of their birthing processes as possible. Sometimes inducing labour is necessary and is often conducted with the aid of drugs. But there is a simple, drug-free alternative when inducing labour is necessary: “stripping membranes” (also known as “sweeping membranes”). Sounds kind of scary, eh? So what does it entail?
Implantation pain – is it normal? Some women experience some cramping and pain when implantation of the fertilized egg into the lining in the uterine wall occurs (when you are officially pregnant).
SO many spouses and helpers ask how they can help during early labour. Often the pregnant woman gets irritated if her partner doesn’t know exactly what to do, and everyone ends up frustrated and stressed – which doesn’t help the birth process. Early labour is usually the longest phase of labour.
What’s happening in early labour?
– The cervix softens (ripens), begins thinning (effacing) and dilates to 3 cm.
– You may have show.
– 10-12% of women have their bags of water break at the beginning of labour
– Soft bowel movements increase
Often contractions are sporadic at the beginning of labour. Gradually they develop into a rhythm becoming longer, stronger, and closer together. Often they are quite short at the beginning (15 to 20 seconds) and they become longer as the labour progresses. The contractions begin, peak and end. They come like waves. The pain ebbs and flops with the contractions.
Q. Although I know it is good for me, I’ve had many people tell me that I should avoid exercising while I’m pregnant because of the potential risks. Is there any merit to this?