Category Archives: Newaygo County

Preparing Your Body for Pregnancy

07 Saturday Jan 2017

Posted by in Conception, Early Pregnancy, Newaygo County

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If you are thinking about trying to get pregnant soon, have you thought about preparing your body for pregnancy? Before going on the journey of pregnancy and using your body to create new life there are some things that you should do to start your pregnancy off in the best health possible, and help your body to grow a healthy baby.

There are several things that you can do as you are preparing your body for pregnancy, but we will just cover a few of the most basic ones today.

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preparing-your-body-for-pregnancy

Preparing Your Body for Pregnancy

  1. Eliminate drugs, alcohol, and smoking. 

Recreational drugs, alcohol, and smoking can all harm your baby as he grows. Nicotine, drugs, and alchohol all cross to the baby through the placenta because the placenta cannot filter them out. These things can be very harmful for your baby in the first critical weeks of developement. Click here to see the effects of drugs upon an unborn baby’s brain.

 

2. Clean up your diet. 

Try to cut out the extra junk food that you are consuming. Increase vegetables, fruits, protein, and healthy carbs. By reducing your amount of processed foods your immune system will be able to work better and you will be in better shape health wise for pregnancy. By eating a cleaner diet your body will also receive more vitamins and minerals which can help build up your stores before pregnancy. During pregnancy the baby will take the vitamins and minerals it needs from your body, so anything you do to increase those stores will be helpful both for recovery after birth, and for the pregnancy itself.

Adding fruits, vegetables, and sources of protein may seem like it will increase your grocery budget, and it definitely may, but you can still eat real, nutrient dense foods on a budget. {I also like the thought of paying more for better food and less in doctor and hospital bills because we won’t be as sick when we eat a healthier diet.}

Here are some tips:

  • eat canned or frozen fruits and vegetables. Usually they will be cheaper than fresh and sometimes they contain more vitamins and minerals than the fresh because they are preserved at peak ripeness and not sitting in storage or a store for weeks.
  • look for meats that have the discount sticker on them, freeze or use promptly.
  • whole chickens, chicken legs and thighs, will be cheaper than chicken breast most of the time.
  • keep your meat bones to make bone broth or stock. Bone broth is very beneficial for most people, but if you have an autoimmune disease you may want to avoid it.
  • keep your carbohydrate choices simple- whole grain breads and tortillas, potatoes, rice and winter squashes are all great carbohydrate options, both for pregnancy and when you preparing your body for pregnancy.
  • build your meals around protein. During pregnancy it is recommended that you have between 80-100 grams of protein per day, so if you start building your meals around protein now, it will be easier to get in the recommended amounts later. Eggs, meats, rice, legumes, protein powders, dairy products, and greens, are all good sources of protein.

 

 3. Start taking a prenatal vitamin.

You are going to want to start taking a prenatal vitamin even before you see a positive pregnancy test. This will ensure that your body has the needed folic acid to help baby’s developement. It will also help to build your vitamin and mineral stores and prepare them for pregnancy. I personally used, and loved, the Garden of Life Raw Prenatal during my last two pregnancies. It has prebiotics and probiotics, along with ginger to help with morning sickness + all the needed vitamins. If you are local to Newaygo County you can find it at Health Smart in Fremont, or you can order it on Amazon.

 

4. Check your iron levels.

You don’t want to start your pregnancy being anemic. You will feel exhausted already from the hard work of growing a baby without having low iron on top of it. If your iron is low ask your provider about Floradix rather than a common over the counter or prescription iron. Floradix is made with herbs and greens, and because it is plant based and natural it is more easily absorbed into your body, and it shouldn’t make you constipated like synthetic irons.

 

5. Start exercising.

Women who exercise through pregnancy tend to have easier labors, and births, and are able to have a quicker recovery after birth than those who don’t. You don’t need to start running three miles tomorrow though, instead, if you haven’t been exercising, start with yoga and stretching, along with gentle walking. Then start adding in cardio work. Your body needs a strong heart to pump all the extra blood that comes with pregnancy, exercising and working out while preparing for pregnancy will help you to be able to handle the stresses of pregnancy.

If you want to start preparing your body for pregnancy these tips are the perfect place to start!

Landon’s Birth Story

08 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Birth Stories, Natural Childbirth, Newaygo County, Spectrum Health, Uncategorized, VBAC

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When I first met Diana she was in her second trimester of her second pregnancy and was hoping to have a vaginal birth after her cesarean with her daughter.

Diana has had many surgeries in her life and was hoping for a chance to experience a vaginal birth. Her previous birth experience was a long, slow progressing labor that ended in a c-section after a couple of hours of pushing and no progress.

landon

During our prenatal visits Diana and I talked about her past experience and how that was shaping her ideas of the upcoming birth. We talked over her birth plan- both for herself and baby, we did some fear release exercises, massage, talked about the postpartum period and prepared for the possibility that a VBAC may not happen. Birth is an unpredictable thing and all the preparation in the world does not mean your birth will follow “the plan”.

One thing that I tried to find for Diana were positive and encouraging stories of vaginal birth from women who have Spina Bifida. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any, if you too, are looking for an encouraging birth story then you have come to the right place.

Diana’s biggest fear during her pregnancy was that her back was not shaped correctly and that was why she had needed the previous cesarean section. Because of how her back and how sensitive to pressure certain spots are she decided that her best game plan was to stay active and upright. Diana also planned on using Stadol as a pain relief option in the event that she felt she couldn’t handle the pain.

Diana’s birth team also include her husband Nate, her mother Joann and her friend Lisa besides having myself as her doula. A birth party had helped her cope with her long labor before and she was hoping for the same results but with the ending of a vaginal birth instead of a cesarean section.

When Diana reached 38 weeks in her pregnancy I was on call 24/7. I checked in with her every couple of days- encouraging her to stay positive, active and relaxed. On July 27 around 4:30 AM I finally got the call I had been waiting for.

Diana’s contractions started in the middle of the night. Many women experience this because at night and while sleeping because it is then they are most relaxed and their body can work unhindered.
They were rather frequent but not long, hard or consistent. Diana and I spoke and decided that she would call me later with an update.

Around 8:00AM Diana and I spoke and her contractions were getting harder but she didn’t feel that she needed me there yet. She decided to get into the bath and see if that would help her to relax and allow the contractions to work better.

At 9:30 Diana decided that I could come to their house so I dropped off my boys with their babysitter and headed fo Diana’s house. When I arrived her contractions were frequent and getting harder but not consistent. So we packed her car, finished some things around the house and got ready to head to Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital.

We arrived around 11:30AM and Diana was definitely having to breathe through her contractions. When checked into triage she was dilated to 3 and 70% effaced. While on the initial monitoring strip Nate and I tried to distract Diana with conversation and using alternatives to movement like cold wash cloths. Eventually she was allowed to get out of bed while on the monitor.

Once we got to her room Diana had to wait for an IV to be inserted so that she could get the pain relief medication she wanted and move around like she was hoping. {Because Diana was attempting a VBAC the hospital required constant fetal monitoring, a contraction monitor and a Heplock.} While she was waiting for the IV to be inserted Diana labored in the bed. Lisa and I applied pressure to her back during contractions and tried to keep Diana’s spirits up with the encouragement that she could do this. Her body was doing it. She was dilating. She was coping with contractions well.

By the time her IV was inserted {it took a while because Diana has veins that like to move around} Diana was checked and found out that she was at 8 centimeters and almost completely effaced. Unfortunately for her it was too late to get the Stadol that she was hoping to use to take the edge off the pain. Since the IV was in we suggested that she get out of bed and start moving around as her contractions got more intense. Diana labored leaning over the bed, on the toilet and on the birth ball. We were all excited to see her progressing so quickly.

Not too much longer Diana was almost complete but had a little bit of a lip left. At this point she was in the midst of transition and was questioning her ability to push her baby out. I looked her in the eye and told her she was doing it and that she needed to start telling herself that she was doing it and she could do it. {The connection between our thoughts and our body is critical during labor. If a mom starts to question her abilities than many times her body will stop progressing or labor can stop completely.} Her doctor decided to help Diana a little and held back the cervical lip while Diana pushed through it. One and a half hours later Landon made his appearance. He was born at 9:18PM weighing 8 pounds 8 ounces and was 18 1/2 inches long.

Diana’s labor was 18-20 hours long. She got the VBAC she was hoping and praying for. It wasn’t quite according to her plan since she needed to labor in the bed much longer than she wanted while waiting for her IV Heplock and since she didn’t get the pain relief she was hoping for from the Stadol but Diana late told me that she is now recommending unmedicated labors to all her pregnant friends.

landon2

I loved working with Diana and getting to know her and her family. I am always so blessed that the women of Newaygo County and beyond allow me to be with them at such a sacred time.

Review of Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial’s Early Pregnancy Class

20 Saturday Jun 2015

Posted by in Early Pregnancy, Natural Childbirth, Newaygo County, Spectrum Health

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A few weeks ago I attended Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial’s Early Pregnancy class and I highly recommend it.

A REview Of Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial's Early Pregnancy Class

I like the format and being able to talk about early pregnancy symptoms and solutions with other mothers-to-be who are facing the same things. The time spent on diet and exercise is beneficial to all who come, not just the expectant mommas. I also like the interactive book that is handed out, it has a lot of great information and covers the whole pregnancy beyond the early weeks and trimesters.

If you are going to attend this class here is a layout of what will happen:
*you check in at the OB office desk like you would for any appointment
*you will go back with a nurse to get your blood pressure taken, do a weight check and possibly give a urine sample
*then you will return to the waiting room
*a nurse or Samantha Kauffman, RN, CCE (class facilitator) will take you to the waiting room in the Family Birth Center where you will have the class
*Susan Wente, CNM will take patients out one at a time to get heart tones and to answer any questions you may have for her

This class and appointment last around two hours. I would recommend it for any of my clients, no matter how many babies they may have had, because they may be able to share solutions to early pregnancy discomforts with new, younger mommas who need suggestions. If you are a younger momma you might find others there due around the same time as you who you can add to your support circle or group of friends.

If your provider does not mention the class to you, make sure that you ask about it at the desk when you check out and are scheduling your next appointment.