Go Ahead, Swear in Labor
Monday July 13, 2009
There are a lot of things that you could
say in labor to help ease the pain. I spend some time in childbirth class telling my students that
vocalization in labor is really good for helping to ease pain and feel "on top" of a contraction. In my practice as a doula, there are always some women who swear in labor. Usually you will hear a simple expletive here and there. According to a
study, swearing may actually help increase your pain tolerance. So before you think you need to chant the F bomb to get any benefit, the good news is that any word that you choose as your swear word seems to work.
I know that in one of my labors I chanted the words "60 seconds" over and over. But I do know that with my 7th baby, she was in a funny position and it hurt a lot more than I had remembered and it was a fast labor. I said a choice word. I opened my eyes and looked up and thought, "Maybe I shouldn't say that word." Next contraction, said it again. Maybe it was working for me. Thankfully the baby was born a contraction or two later. Think it would work for you?
Source:
Swearing as a response to pain
Stephens, Richard; Atkins, John; Kingston, Andrew
NeuroReport. 20(12):1056-1060, August 5, 2009.
doi: 10.1097/WNR.0b013e32832e64b1
Connecticut Bans Keepsake Ultrasounds
Sunday July 12, 2009
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has long
warned consumers against the use of ultrasound purely for keepsakes. This doesn't mean that you can't take an
ultrasound photo home from the doctor's office, what it means is that you shouldn't go to the mall and get an ultrasound, even if the people working there do ultrasounds in doctor's offices all day long. The fear was that women would use this in place of the physician or midwife or that they would be over or under diagnosed. (The FDA's warning also extends to the renting of fetal dopplers.)
Some of these shops have been closed sporadically over the years, but until recently, nothing has really happened. And then Connecticut goes and signs a bill into law saying that they are placing a ban on fetal ultrasounds that are not done under doctor's orders or for diagnostic purposes. "Using ultrasound equipment only through a prescription ensures that pregnant women will receive professional care that contributes to their health and to the health of their babies, and that ultrasound will be used when medically indicated," according to the FDA.
Why would you or wouldn't you get an ultrasound done for entertainment? Should women be allowed to get an ultrasound at the mall? Have you had one done? How was it different than one you got at your doctor's office? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Pit to Distress
Friday July 10, 2009
There is a lot of talk going on about a phenomena called "Pit to Distress." Basically this means that an obstetrician or midwife orders
pitocin to be given, typically during an
induction, at a rate or in such a way that it is likely to cause the baby to go into
fetal distress and require a
cesarean. The
Unnecesarean and
Keyboard Revolutionary wrote about this first, but NursingBirth's blog really hit home. Not only did she talk about how it
actually happens in her hospital, but she gives some great advice to try to
prevent pit to distress from happening in your birth. Perhaps you'd be better off
skipping the elective induction?
So have you had this happen to you or someone you love? Perhaps you're a doula or nurse and you've seen it in action? Tell us your story in the comments section.
Oxford English Dictionary of First Names
Friday July 10, 2009
There are tons of free sources for baby names available on the web, but none, quite like the
Oxford English Dictionary of First Names. Besides being a trusted authority, I really like the way they word their answers to searches. Here's my names, for example:
"Originally a pet form of Robert, from the short form Rob + the diminutive suffix -in (of Old French origin), but now nearly always used as an independent name. In recent years it has been increasingly used as a girl's name, partly under the influence of the vocabulary word denoting the bird."
Perhaps I just like the stuffy feel to the sentence structure, like you can see some older gentleman in a tweed jacket churning out the text on the other end of the computer. If you're looking for another site, I really like
NameBerry from the creators of
Beyond Ava and Aiden. What are your thoughts and your favorite baby naming resources on or offline, just hit the comments section and let me know!
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