Search Results for: blog post partum stress relief

Meditation as Stress Relief

So, the day has come. Today, I dropped my husband off at the bus station. He is going 800 miles away. I am left with three children, a dog, a cat, a house, and a yard, all alone with my high stress levels and postpartum madness. But I think I’m going to try a couple new things to help me cope with the situation. First, as I mentioned before, will be organization. I’m going to physically write a schedule and post it on the kitchen wall. This schedule will include things like dinner and story time. Play time and clean … Continue reading →

Is It Post-Partum or Just Baby Blues?

After the births of my first two children, I had typical emotional responses. I felt overwhelmed, sleep deprived, stressed, but relatively normal, in the whole scope of things. But with the birth of Johnny, in November, things were a little different. First, I left the hospital too early. Johnny was born at 6:45 AM on a Friday, and they gave me the option of leaving on Saturday, after all, this wasn’t my first baby and I knew how to take care of a new baby and myself after delivery. I missed my girls, so I went home. I was not … Continue reading →

Stress, Weight Gain and Depression in Adoptive Parents

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“At least you don’t have to deal with the ‘maternity forty’!” chirped a colleague while I waiting for my third child’s arrival from Korea. Adoptive parents frequently hear comments like, “Oh, you’re doing it the easy way”. Now, having had a difficult pregnancy myself, I’m inclined to agree that MY adoption process wasn’t as difficult as my pregnancy. But I was blessed to have had the choice both to conceive and to adopt. Remember that many adoptive parents have been dealing with the grief of infertility. They often feel that their dreams of a family are at the mercy of … Continue reading →

Post Partum Hair Loss

Losing hair in the postpartum period is very common. In fact, many women will experience hair loss about three months after baby’s arrival. Hair loss varies from woman to woman, but can seem excessive. This frequently causes worry among new mothers, who fear they are losing their hair. The hair loss you are now experiencing is the natural shedding of hair that grew during your pregnancy. The hair follicles go through growth stages, including growth phases and resting and shedding phases. This is a natural process that happens to everyone. At any given time, ten to fifteen percent of the … Continue reading →

Natural Remedies to Aid in Postpartum Healing

According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, approximately one in three women having a vaginal delivery also have an episiotomy. Even without the episiotomy, women may experience bruising or tearing in the perineum. This is the most common source of discomfort in the days after giving birth. You may be given ice packs or anesthetic spray in the hospital to help with the discomfort. In addition, there are natural remedies that can aid in healing the perineum after your baby is born. Essential Oils are thought to be effective for postpartum healing. Some of the oils you may … Continue reading →

New Survey Offers Startling Insight into the Postpartum Period

Most of us envision a blissfully happy time, cuddling our new bundles of joy after the long months of pregnancy. This happy picture is especially common if you have wanted a baby for a while. However, a new survey of women shortly after giving birth paints a very different picture of the days after the baby arrives. The survey was conducted by Childbirth Connection, an organization devoted to improving the quality of care during pregnancy. The survey was conducted twice, once about the child birth experiences of the women. The second was conducted six months later and looked at the … Continue reading →

The Pregnancy Blog Week in Review for Feb 17- Feb 24

Another week has come and gone. The time passes so quickly that you may want to catch up on your reading with the week in review. Visit the pregnancy blog archives for hundreds of blogs on all topics related to pregnancy, labor, birth and the postpartum period. February 21 Sibling classes are offered at hospitals across the country. Should I Take My Child to a Sibling Class? gives an overview of a typical sibling class. Read this blog if you are considering signing your child up for a class. Hypnobirthing is becoming very popular among women seeking natural pain relief … Continue reading →

Hair Loss After Baby’s Birth

Whether or not they lost hair during pregnancy, most women will experience some degree of hair loss after the baby is born. This can occur from one to five months after delivery. Three months post partum is the average time for the most noticeable hair loss. The reasons for this hair loss are similar to the reasons for most side effects of pregnancy: your hormones. Gradually over the weeks and months following your baby’s birth, your hormone levels will return to normal. Shedding hair is one of the side effects of this shift in hormones back to the pre pregnancy … Continue reading →

Understanding the Language of Birth

Throughout your pregnancy, you will likely be reading about birth. You will encounter some words and phrases that will be unfamiliar. Learning some of the common language used during birth will help you feel more confident and prepared. Active labor is the phase of labor when your cervix reaches four centimeters until it is fully dilated. These contractions are more intense than early labor contractions. Analgesic medications are used to help dull the pain of labor. Some of these medications are given intravenously through an IV and others are injected into the muscle tissue. Back Labor occurs when the mother … Continue reading →