PREGNANCY PILLOWS…
Last week we talked about the difficulty of getting really good sleep. Doctors tell us to not sleep on our backs – bad news to hear if you’re a back sleeper. Then we hear sleep on your left side to better serve the placenta with blood and nutrients – tough news to hear when you’re a tummy sleeper. In any event, it can be difficult to get comfortable enough to sleep during pregnancy. The pictures below are two of the pillows some of y’all have mentioned. Does anyone else have a suggestion?
Who is your Favorite Poet/Writer?
Does Pregnancy Brain Exist – True or False?
THIS ARTICLE IS POSTED ON THE MEDICAL DAILY SITE
Does Pregnancy Brain Really Exist? The Phenomenon Behind ‘Baby Brain’ And Expectant Mothers
By Lizette Borreli | Apr 28, 2014 05:01 PM EDT
At one point or another, whether we’re pregnant or not, we all tend to forget to pick up the milk, misplace our keys, or accidentally burn food on the stove. These occasional bouts of forgetfulness are heightened for expectant mothers who normally tend to be ditzy, but these memory lapses could in fact be attributed to changes in the brain during pregnancy. Hormonal fluctuations, mental, and physical stress take a toll on a pregnant mother’s brain health, but is “baby brain” biologically real or just a widespread anecdotal side effect of pregnancy and motherhood?
Pregnancy Brain: Fact or Myth?
During pregnancy, expectant mothers face endless possibilities when it comes to symptoms and side effects, but one that is the root of a lot of speculation, despite scientific and anecdotal evidence, is pregnancy brain. It is no contest that pregnant women report not feeling as mentally sharp, but whether the capacity of their brain is altered as a result is unknown. Two opposing studies leave us on the fence whether hormonal changes in pregnancy may play a part in any neurological changes that impair memory or cognition.
A popularly cited 2007 study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology found evidence of mental impairment in pregnant women. The analysis was based on 14 studies that were conducted over the course of 17 years that compared pregnant and/or postpartum women with healthy matched controls on measures of memory. The pregnant women were significantly impaired on some, but not all, measures of memory. Although forgetfulness and slips of attention were commonly reported among these women, a specific mechanism which causes this memory impairment has yet to be identified.
In contrast, a 2010 study found there are no significant changes in memory or cognition, researchers found after following a group of women before, during, and after pregnancy. However, the researchers note late pregnancy, or the third trimester, was associated with deterioration on one of the four tests of memory and cognition the researchers conducted.
Although there is scientific data to support and retract the existence of “momnesia,” along with anecdotal evidence, the common signs of memory lapses should not be ignored. Hormonal surges, the inevitable mental and physical stress, could lead to a variety of emotions that can manifest in impaired memory or cognition.
In Your Head: Hormones and Brain Health During Pregnancy
Whether or not the brain cells of moms-to-be change during pregnancy, there is good reason to feel scatterbrained and absentminded. Pregnancy is considered to be a critical time for the central nervous system development in expectant mothers because it is the only time in a woman’s life where she experiences a massive amount of hormonal fluctuations, according to Healthline. The reproductive hormones, progesterone, and estrogen, can act as protection to prepare the mom’s brain for motherhood by focusing solely on her baby’s needs.
Estrogen and progesterone influence brain function affecting various neurons in the brain. Popular opinion has long held that hot flashes can contribute to degenerative or aging changes in the brain, with the hippocampus — the center of memory and cognition — experiencing the greatest change. This suggests that hormones may affect spatial memory that includes remembering where things are for pregnant women.
Pregnancy Brain: An Evolutionary Look
Moms-to-be spend a lot of time thinking about the changes that come with having a baby and how they will take care of their newborn. The physical and mental stress brought on by these concerns could possibly be explained from an evolutionary standpoint. According to the Leiden Psychology Blog at the Universiteit Leiden in the Netherlands, pregnancy-related memory impairment may be helpful because women forget about irrelevant stuff and focus on caring for the baby. It may be female intuition to become protective of their offspring and disregard other facets of life that are not related to the child.
Pregnancy Brain: Is It All Just In Your Head?
The idea of pregnancy brain has been widely accepted as an anecdotal side effect of pregnancy, as this could explain why more women report it. The Mayo Clinic notes pregnant women and new mothers are more aware about their bouts of forgetfulness and as a result may mistakenly perceive themselves to have trouble thinking straight. Overall, women who catch their minor lapses in mental ability may attribute it to pregnancy since that is the only significant thing on their minds. Also, a lack of sleep could be hiding the positive cognitive effects of pregnancy and therefore lead to impaired memory or cognition.
Whether you or someone you know believe to have experienced pregnancy brain, it is important to sharpen your mental acuity during the stages of pregnancy. Simply write everything down, get more sleep, and simplify your life so you can reduce your stress and protect your baby’s health. Pregnancy brain or not, managing your physical and mental stress can provide peace of mind during these nine months.
Nursing Mom’s Travel Tip
~ offered by Danielle – Bebe & Me Core Instructor & Fab OmB Mama!
Hi moms and Bebe & Me fans!
- Unless you regularly express more milk than your baby requires (and how lucky you are!), you will need to start squeezing in an extra pump session or two each day a few weeks in advance to build up a freezer of milk for whoever is keeping baby. Because I have a lot more milk in the AM, I usually get up an hour or so before baby to pump a little, then I can squeeze in a few more winks before it’s time to get up.
- If your baby is used to falling asleep while nursing, be sure to test the waters with someone else giving your baby a bottle and putting him/her to bed.
- If you have a breastpump that operates on batteries, awesome! But beware, those batteries wear out FAST. Always pack extra batteries and bring your charger along.
- I like Medela Quick Clean wipes for when I don’t have immediate access to a sink, or as a cleansing agent once you do get to rinse your parts.
- A nursing bra – I love the Hands Free Pump Bra (www.handsfreepumpbra.com) much better than many that you find in the store.
- When you go through security, know your rights. You can absolutely carry your breast pump and stored milk through security (even bottled water to stay hydrated). However, every airport and TSA agent may behave differently when you send your bag through. DFW has been more lax than DAL, in my experience. You can refuse to have them dig through your bag, but if you would rather float through without conflict (who wouldn’t??), then do the following: 1) Store your milk (frozen if you can) in small quantities (less than 4 oz per storage bag/bottle); 2) Put any milk in a small cooler and send it through the machine by itself (not in your pump bag or other carry-on); 3) Try to keep your ice packs frozen. The reason your bag gets flagged is usually due to liquids, so if you separate it, then they are less likely to want to search it or screen it.
- Seek out the family bathroom, stat. If you have a long flight, you’ll want to pump right before your flight takes off, and the family bathrooms have doors that lock and usually an outlet where you can plug in. This is definitely preferable to crouching in a bathroom stall listening to toilets flushing!
- If you have the means or the opportunity, the executive lounges often have a more comfortable place where you can pump as well.
- I haven’t resorted to pumping in the plane bathroom, but I have pumped in my seat! On one trip, I was seated in the window next to my hubby, so I put on my nursing cover and tried to be discreet. The noise of the plane completely drowned out the sound of the pump.
- Ask the flight attendant for some extra ice for your cooler to keep your milk chilled, if needed.
- If you’re staying in a hotel, definitely ask for a room with a mini-fridge, or ask them to bring you one. I usually explain that I’m a nursing mom and need a place to store my milk and they are always super helpful.
- Take advantage of the ice machine to fill your cooler as you’re heading back to the airport, or wherever. But you may want to dump the ice before you head through security, and replace it once in the airport or on the plane.
- This has been the tricky one for me. Sometimes you’re in a marathon meeting or visiting a client. My best advice is to not be bashful in letting the person leading the meeting know that you’ll need to take extended breaks and ask for a private place to pump, as well as access to a fridge. One trip was to a day-long meeting at Dept. of State where I had to be escorted everywhere… even to the bathroom! So it was better to just be upfront about it.
AROMATHERAPY IN PREGNANCY
I’m including an article written by Sonya Richards. A HypnoBirthing Educator. This is an article for using EOs during pregnancy and during labor. Enjoy!
The Use of Aromatherapy in Pregnancy & Birth
A Brief History
The origins of Aromatherapy can be traced back more than 3,500 years BC and is usually attributed to the Chinese and Ancient Egyptians. It appears to be linked to the development of aromatic medicine using plants and for distillations of oils for religious and ceremonial purposes. The person who is credited with fist using the word Aromatherapy is French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé who became interested in the use of essential oils for their medicinal use after an accident in his laboratory. While working, he burned his arm quite badly and by reflex, he plunged his arm into the nearest liquid which just happened to be a large container of lavender essential oil. The burn healed quickly and left no scar. In 1928 he wrote an article where he supports the use of using essential oils in their whole without breaking them down into their primary constituents. In 1937, Gattefossé wrote a book called Aromathérapie: Les Huiles essentielles hormones végétales that was later translated into English and named Gattefossé’s Aromatherapy . It is still in print and widely read.
Aromatherapy in Pregnancy
Using aromatherapy for pregnancy and birth is also an age old process. Aromatherapy can be used to relive tension and promote relaxation, but it can also be used for many physical conditions such as increased blood pressure, nasal congestion, muscular aches and headaches. Roughly translated Aromatherapy means “Treatment with scents”. It is the use of aromatic essential oils as a therapeutic complementary treatment, and is able to heal and uplift the body, mind & spirit. It can bring great benefit throughout pregnancy and beyond for both the Mother to be the birthing companion. Aromatherapy massage can provide relaxation and relief to women in the first stage of labour, according to the results of a long-term study of more than 8000 expectant mums.
Along with more conventional forms of pain relief, women in the first stage of labour were offered essential oils, dropped onto a slip of paper or piece of cloth, followed by a massage and then a foot bath. Half of the women in the study found that aromatherapy helped relieve vomiting and nausea, but it didn’t affect the power or frequency of contractions. Also, the number of women requesting the pain-killing drug pethidine was fewer than usual, which was suggested to be a result of using the oils to relieve stress.
The researchers concluded that aromatherapy massage helps women in labour to relax. Chamomile and Clary Sage were found to be the most effective oils for relieving pain. Aromatherapy employs many different methods to work essential oils into the body. The most well known is massage which is helpful to relieve stress and aching muscles and promotes a feeling of well being. Other methods are: aromatics baths, vaporisers, atomisers, inhalations and compresses. The fastest route for the oils into the blood stream are through the nasal passages hence inhalation just from dropping some oils on a tissue can be very effective.
It must be stated that essential oils must never be put onto the skin in a neat format with the exception of Tea Tree oil and in the case of burns, Lavender. They can be diluted in carrier oils, creams and lotions for massage, into milk to be added to a bath or diluted in water for compresses. Another important point is that the dilutions must be half of that for a normal adult. This is a 1% solution for massage meaning 2 drops of essential oil per 10ml carrier oil or put 3-4 drops into a 10ml of full fat milk for a bath or for use in bowl of water for compresses.We never recommend ingesting essential oils and Eucalyptus oil can be fatal if ingested so please keep all oils out of the reach of children.
The next word of caution is about the essential oils, which are unsafe for use during pregnancy. Many of the unsafe oils are said to be emmenagogues, which means they balance hormones and can promote menstrual bleeding. Therefore oils not to be used are:
Basil, clary sage, cedarwood, cinnamon, cypress, fennel, jasmine, juniper, lemongrass, marjoram, myrrh, oil of wintergreen, origanum, parsley, penny royal, peppermint, rose, rosemary, sassafras and thyme.
However some of these oils are beneficial during labour and will be discussed later.
In addition Chamomile and Lavender although usually very safe oils must be avoided during the first trimester, but after that are very beneficial for many symptoms. I would advise that you consult a qualified Aromatherapist before using any essential oil on yourself, and the benefits of a professional massage are many fold including: reducing aches and pains, promoting relaxation, reducing water retention, nourishing the skin and providing a feeling of well-being.
Carrier oils themselves can be very beneficial to the skin. Cold pressed coconut oil can help prevent or reduce stretch marks, and importantly vegetable oil is recommended during the last 8 weeks for perineal massage in order to prepare the perineal skin for delivery. No essential oils should be mixed in with the vegetable oil.
Blend 40 ml sweet almond oil and 10ml of jojoba oil into a capped plastic container and massage in a few drops daily. If there is a nut allergy use cold pressed olive oil or sunflower oil and jojoba 40ml to 10ml ratio. Also you can use these oils in isolation they don’t have to be blended. Always try to use a high grade cold pressed oil if you can or alternatively an organic oil. You can actually get a good selection of organic oils from some health food shops and even some supermarkets.
Many of the citrus essential oils are safe during pregnancy and have uplifting qualities, however do not use them before exposure to direct sunlight as they can cause skin pigmentation. Ginger is excellent for nausea and sickness. Do not ingest it put a few drops on a handkerchief, into a vapouriser or atomiser. You can cut raw ginger with perhaps some honey and add it to hot water if you wish to make a drink.
Beneficial oils used to aid relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety are: bergamot, lavender, neroli and ylang ylang, although this oil can be quite heady, so limit the amount of drops to one per blend.
Examples of relaxing bath blends are:
2 lavender, 1 ylang ylang
2 bergamot, 1 neroli
2 lavender 1, bergamot, 1 sandalwood
Labour
Essential oils in the delivery room can both disinfect and create a relaxing ambience. Experiment beforehand to ensure the aroma is pleasing. A nice relaxing mix to be added to a bowl of hot water is: 2 lavender, 2 geranium, 2 lemon or bergamot.
– For a more antimicrobial mix add 3 lavender & 3 Tea Tree: or 2 lavender, 2 Tea tree, 2 lemon. You can use an atomiser spray and mix the oils with some water and surgical spirits so that you can spray them into the air and onto linen etc. The surgical spirits act as a solvent for the oils as they will not mix in water alone.
– Bergamot a “ray of sunshine.” Incredibly uplifting, light and refreshing.
– Chamomile – The “Matriarch” of oils, very gentle, soothing and calming to the mind and body. Helps calm the irritated, fretful or nervous person.
– Clary sage at this stage Clary sage can be used as it is a very sedative, analgesic oil and can be dropped onto a handkerchief for inhalations, although it is not recommended for use with gas and air.
– Eucalyptus is an uplifting oil with wonderful broncho-dilation properties so if perfect for nasal congestion.
– Frankincense an excellent oil for calming nervous tension and hyperventilation and also helps to balance emotions.
– Geranium is a fabulous balancing oil and is great for the circulation and promotes breathing. Jasmine is warm and fragrant and has anti-spasmodic and analgesic properties. It is also very beneficial in a compress on the lower abdomen to help expel the placenta.
– Lavender is antiseptic as well as a relaxant and is excellent for aching backs and limbs. It restores unbalanced states to a more harmonious state, and has been said to strengthen contractions. It is recommended in a bath during the early stages and is wonderful for healing tears or episiotomy stitches postnataly.
– Neroli one of the most effective anti-depressant oils, it is useful for insomnia, hysteria, anxiety and other stress-related conditions. Helps combat fear and apprehension.
– Rose is very feminine oil and is a uterine tonic helping to regulate labour.
– Ylang Ylang is very calming and helps lower the blood pressure.
Remember Essential oils can be dangerous if not used appropriately and they are never to be ingested. Don’t forget your birthing companion will also benefit from the oils, as they will be very anxious at times during your pregnancy and especially during delivery. Try giving each other a relaxing massage or visit a therapist for a full body treatment. And most of all enjoy your oils safely.
Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage in Pregnancy:
Aromatherapy is a non-invasive modality. You should receive a personalised treatment.
– Helps you to cope with each challenge
– Prepares you for the changes your body will experience.
– Aids your Digestion.
– Counters Stress
– Boosts the Immune System.
– Improves Circulation.
– Improves skin elasticity.
– Prepares your body for childbirth.
– Promotes a deep sense of Relaxation.
Sussex HypnoBirthing – written by Sonia Richards BSc, MSc, MICHT, Clin Dip Hypnotherapy, Complementary Therapist, HypnoBirthing Ante-natal Educator – www .sussexhypnobirthing.com
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