Tips to prevent the Occiput Posterior Baby

The occiput posterior baby is a that is facing the mother's spine. It's also known as sunny-side up. Otherwise known as OP, or the OP position. There are a few tricks to avoid this position at the end of pregnancy.

• Avoid the semi reclined position. Like that lounger you love.
• Do pelvic rocking 10-15 min three times a day
• Cat and cow yoga poses
• Walk on hands and knees 
• Yogic sun salutations and downward facing dog yoga poses
• Walk

Despite positioning, exercising and yoga, some babies persist in the OP position. The majority of these babies will turn in labor.  Those babies that don't turn, may have a very good reason for maintaining the OP position that is unclear to us. It may be the shape of the mother's pelvis or the position of her spine. It could also be the position of the baby's own cord, shoulder, placenta etc, that makes them favor the OP position and makes this is the optimum position for labor and birth.

Heartburn

Heartburn, while not serious, is painful.  In pregnancy, we are more suceptible to a hearburn attack due to an increase in certain hormones (like progesterone) slowing down the gatroiontetaila tract. Fortunatley, there are several home and pharmactolic remedies to this conundrum. 

Modifications

• Avoid large meals
• Eat smaller portions more frequently
• Eliminate foods that are triggers
• Don't eat 1-3 hours before reclining
• Sleep at a 35-45 degree angle
• Avoids spicy foods, fried foods, rich foods, fatty foods, caffeine and carbonate drinks
• Avoid tight clothing around the waist

Home Remedies

• Apples. Eat an apple (it's true an apple a day . . .)
• Baking soda. 1 teaspoon with a glass of water
• Green tea.  This tea coats the esophageous and can decrease heartburn symptom
• Aloe. Drink Aloe juice before meals

Pharmacologic Remedies
*Before taking any medications during pregnancy always consult your health care provider.

• Tums. Tums can be a pregnant gals best friend. Never leave home without them
• Rolaids. Calcium with added magnesum
• Pepcid
• Prevacid
• Some of these medications may interfere with other medications or vitamins. They may also not be recommended for various pregnancy situations. Always consult your provider. 

 
I had once a pain in the chestal area. Now, I was sure it was heartburn, y'know, cause at that time I was married and my wife cooking with her Nazi recipes, y'know, chicken Himmler. I didn't wanna pay 25 bucks to have it reaffirmed by some medic, that I had heartburn. But I was worried 'cause it was in the chestal area. Then it turns out my friend, Eggs Benedict, has a pain in his chestal area, in the same exact spot. I figured if I could get Eggs to go to the doctor, I could figure out what was wrong with me, at no charge, so I con Eggs. He goes. Turns out he's got heartburn. Cost him 25 dollars, and I feel great, cause I figured I beat the medic out of 25 big ones, y'know. Called up Eggs two days later... He died. I check into a hospital immediately, have a battery of test run... x-rays. Turns out I got heartburn. Cost me a 110 dollars. Now I'm furious. I run to Eggs' mother, and I say "Did he suffer much?" And she said: "No, it was quick. Car hit him and that was it.  

- From Eggs Benedict by Woody Allen (1968)

Update on Obamacare

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was passed  in March of 2012. The Supreme Court held that it is constitutional in June of 2012 and the full implementation will take place in January of 2014.  The full implementation includes: the individual mandate, employer responsibility provisions, insurance subsides, and state health insurance exchanges. Ok, what does that mean?
The individual mandate is: a shared responsibility that requires all individuals that do not have health insurance through their employer, Medicaid, Medicare or any other public insurance program, to secure private insurance or health insurance through some subsidy or government program.  If an individual fails to obtain health insurance they will be responsible for a fee, unless the they are a member of a recognized religious sect exempted by the IRS or the fee can be waived in circumstances where there is financial hardship.
Remember, the goal of Obamacare is to increase access to health care, increase the number of people in the United States that have health insurance, and to decrease the overall costs of health care.
The employer responsibility provisions is relevant for any business where there are over 50 employees. Any small business (less than 50 employees) will not be held to the penalties for failing to provide health insurance. Click here for a flow sheet.
Insurance subsidies will be offered by the government for eligible parties who wish to participate in health insurance exchanges. Health insurance exchanges will be different state-by-state and will be a place where individuals and small businesses can compare policies and premiums, and buy insurance. The states have the ability to set up these exchanges or have the federal government set up and operate the exchanges.

What has happened so far?

1.  The Act has now included coverage for young adults up to 26 years of age under their parents plan
2. There is a ban for pre-existing conditions for those under 19 years of age
3. There is no longer cost-sharing for preventiative services
4. There is a ban against lifetime overage limits and there are now restrictions on annual premium rate increases as well as annual limits
5. By September 2012, the Act's preventive service expansion improved coverage for approximately 47 million women.

What will happen?

1. Medicaid coverage will be extended to all adults (including anyone younger than 65) with incomes $30,657 or less for a family of four.
2. Beginning January 1, 2013, the limit on pre-tax contributions to healthcare flexible spending accounts will be capped at $2,500 per year
3. By January 1, 2014, Insurers will be prohibited from discriminating against or charging higher rates for any individuals based on gender or pre-existing conditions.

What will it cost?

1.  Major sources of new revenue include a much-broadened Medicare tax on incomes over $200,000 and $250,000, for individual and joint filers respectively, an annual fee on insurance providers, and a 40% on so called "Cadillac policies" or expensive policies that have a very broad coverage.  The income levels are not adjusted for inflation, leaving the possibility of increased taxes on incomes over 250,000 inflation-adjusted dollars after more than two decades.
2. There are also taxes on pharmaceuticals, high-cost diagnostic equipment.
3. A 10% federal sales tax on tanning services.

Summary of tax increases: (ten year projection)

• Increase Medicare tax rate by .9% and impose added tax of 3.8% on unearned income for high-income taxpayers: $210.2 billion
• Charge an annual fee on health insurance providers: $60 billion
• Impose a 40% excise tax on health insurance annual premiums in excess of $10,200 for an individual or $27,500 for a family: $32 billion
• Impose an annual fee on manufacturers and importers of branded drugs: $27 billion
• Impose a 2.3% excise tax on manufacturers and importers of certain medical devices:$20 billion
• Raise the 7.5% Adjusted Gross Income floor on medical expenses deduction to 10%: $15.2 billion
• Limit annual contributions to flexible spending arrangements in cafeteria plans to $2,500: $13 billion
• All other revenue sources: $14.9 billion

Summary of spending offsets: (ten year projection)

• Reduce funding for Medicare Advantage policies: $132 billion
• Reduce Medicare home health care payments: $40 billion
• Reduce certain Medicare hospital payments: $22 billion

The Power of Inspiring Birth Stories

Often as women enter into the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, they being to think more about the labor process. It's real. It's really going to happen. And apprehension can fill their minds.  My best advice for this time is to keep your mind full of inspiration when it comes to birth.  

Inspiring birth stories are ones in which women feel empowered, in love, and encouraged.  It's where mothers are born along with their babes.  In each birth, no matter what the circumstance, there is an opportunity for women to burst open into the beautiful women God intended them to be.

Some books that have great birth stories include:                     

• 1) Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: by Ina May Gaskin
• 2) Tree of Life: Stories of Birth by Diane Gregg
• 3) Easy Labor: Every Woman's Guide to Choosing Less Pain and More Joy During Childbirth 

• 4) Birthing from Within: An Extra-Ordinary Guide to Childbirth Preparation: Pam England
•  5) Mind over Labo: A Breakthrough Guide to Giving Birth: Carl Jones

 
 

  

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2)

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

SIDS or Sudden infant death syndrome is when a baby younger that is 1 year old or younger dies suddenly for no known reason.  While there is no way to prevent SIDS from happening, there are ways to decrease the likelihood that it will happen. These include:

• Use baby bed with a firm mattress.
• Do not keep soft pillows, toys near to your baby when she is sleeping.
• Maintain temperature in your baby’s room where she will be comfortable (68-72 Fahrenheit)
• No smoking, tobacco and drugs inside the home or around the baby.
• Keep your baby’s crib in the parents’ room.
• Breastfeed.  Breastfeeding reduces the chance of SIDS
• Do not over clothe your baby while she sleeps
• Do not cover your baby’s head when he is sleeping
• Do not have your baby sleep with another child

Facts about SIDS

• Boys are more likely to be a victim of SIDS
• The risk of SIDS peaks between age 2 months to 4 months and almost all infants that are a victim of SIDS are younger than 6 months old. 
• Native American's have the highest incidence of SIDS
• SIDS most commonly happens when the baby is sleeping
• SIDS most commonly happens between 12 AM and 6 AM
• Approximately, 2500 children per year die as a result of SIDS
• Approximately 15-20% of SIDS cases occur in a child care setting
• A woman who did not receive prenatal care will increase the risk of SIDS 
• Researchers have not found any known cause for SIDS
• Japan has the lowest rate of SIDS and they have the a high co-sleeping rate

Fighting the Flu

Here are some great ways to fight the flu this winter.
1) Wash you hands
2) Take 1000 - 2000 mg of vitamin C a day during the winter. Foods high in viamin C include:

•  Fruits: lemons, limes, oranges, guava, kiwi, canteloupe, grapefruit, strawberries
• Vegetables, red, yellow, & green peppers, brussel sprouts

3) Zinc. Foods high in zinc include:

• Oysters
• Wheat germ
• Pumpkin seeds
• Watermelon seeds
• Dark chocolate

4) Wash you hands!
5) Garlic. Garlic is a potent anitviral and antibacterial agent. Great for fighting colds and the flu.
6) Get adequate rest. The body does it's best work fighting the flu while you are resting.
7) Drink plenty of fluids: Drinking ample water and fluids helps the body to process toxins. Healthy fluids include, coconut water, mangosteen, noni, goji, aloe vera, and acai berry juices.
8) Did I mention: Wash you hands
9) Elderberry extract.  This is one the best kept secrects. It's like taking tamiflu when you feel sick. Does wonders!
9) Get the flu shot.

Birth Film

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & The Farm Midwives

January 16-24, 2013

At IFC Center: 323 6th ave (at W 3rd St) NYC

Don't miss this inspiring film about midwife Ina May Gaskin! Q&As with Ina May, filmmakers and birth professionals at select screenings!

Dates: January 16-24, 2013

Time: See ifccenter.com for showtimes and online ticket sales.

Q&A with Ina May Gaskin after select screenings Jan 16 & 17. Filmmaker Q&As Jan 16, 17, 18. Choices in Childbirth Q&A on Jan 18, 19.

Location: IFC Center, 323 6th Ave, at West 3rd Street, NYC

Ticket Information: Purchase at the box office or online. Details coming soon at: http://www.ifccenter.com/films/birth-story-ina-may-gaskin-the-farm-midwives/

View the trailer at: http://birthstorymovie.com/home/

"BIRTH STORY is a celebratory tribute to the endangered art of midwifery and its most influential practitioner, Ina May Gaskin. A disarming example of documentary filmmaking that stakes out an opinion with plain-spoken, commonsensical wisdom, this insightful effort from helmers Sara Lamm and Mary Wigmore doubles as a defense of natural childbirth." (Variety, 2012)

BIRTH STORY: INA MAY GASKIN AND THE FARM MIDWIVES tells the story of counterculture heroine Ina May Gaskin and her spirited friends, who began delivering each otherʼs babies in 1970, on a caravan of hippie school buses, headed to a patch of rural Tennessee land. With Ina May as their leader, the women taught themselves midwifery from the ground up, and became an integral part of a new, entirely communal, agricultural society called The Farm. The people of the Farm grew their own food, built their own houses, published their own books, and, as word of their social experiment spread, created a model of care for women and babies that changed a generationʼs approach to childbirth. Forty years ago Ina May led the charge away from isolated hospital birthing rooms, where husbands were not allowed and mandatory forceps deliveries were the norm. Today, as nearly one third of all US babies are born via C-section, she fights to preserve her community's hardwon knowledge. With incredible access to the midwivesʼ archival video collection, the film not only captures the unique sisterhood at The Farm Clinic--from its heyday into the present--but shows childbirth the way most people have never seen it--unadorned, unabashed, and awe-inspiring.

BIRTH STORY had its festival premiere at the LA Film Festival and was winner of the Audience Award.

Sister: A Film About Midwives in Ethipia, Camboida and Haiti

Sat, Jan. 19 @ 6PM – The Chapel, Teachers College, New York City
The story of health workers in Ethiopia, Cambodia and Haiti, Sister offers a revealing portrait of people whose daily work is to help women give birth in an atmosphere of low prenatal care and high maternal and child mortality. The filmmaker follows a Haitian midwife, a former freedom fighter in Ethiopia and a rural midwife who performs miracles in a heavily land-mined area in Cambodia. This inspiring film provides a strong lesson in hope and determination.
Directed by Brenda Davis, 2011, 94 min, USA, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Haiti, Documentary, Tigrinya, Khmer, Haitian Kreyol with English subtitles. Q&A after the screening.
Tickets: $12/$10