The Importance of Postpartum Support

Women are doing excellent jobs of preparing for childbirth. They begin labor with many weeks or months of studying, preparing, exercising, and practicing.  Even these women, though, can be side swiped when it comes to the postpartum period.  It's overwhelming, but something that women can also prepare for.
Postpartum support in American is dramatically undervalued.  Women are discharged from the hospital in 48 hours (sometimes less) and expected to go back to work in 6 weeks.  There are no routine/standard home visits or groups for women from their hospital or providers like in many other countries and women are expected to figure it out on their own and basically cope as opposed to thrive.
The rise of postpartum depression has escalated. Up to 80% of women experience postpartum blues or a milder, generally shorter lived and non-medicated form of postpartum depression. While it is often fleeting, it's disconcerting and emotionally taxing. While hormonal changes are often the culprit for postpartum blues, women report that feel they have ample postpartum support from family, friends or professional support (doulas, nurses, midwives, lactation specialists) seldom report postpartum blues and depression.
Postpartum depression occurs about 10% of the time while major depression occurs in 6% of women.  The difference between postpartum depression and postpartum blues is that in order to be diagnosed as depressed, the woman must have the symptoms of depression most of the day, every day for two weeks or longer.
Women who are at risk for postpartum depression include women who have: marital stress, childcare stress, a lack of perceived social support from family and friends, lack of emotional and financial support from the partner, living without a partner, and complications with their own relationship with their mother.  There are other factors that place a women as risk, but each of these aforementioned risk factors involve a perceived sense of lack of support.  It is proven that in cultures where support from extended family is available and where spousal support is encouraged the rates of postpartum depression are lower.  So, as part of a labor team, family, or circle of friends . . . support those mommas!

Natural Hospital Birth

At the risk of being a groupie, I just have to mention how excited I am by Cynthia Gabriel's book Natural Hospital Birth, The Best of Both Worlds.
In America, we are so unindated with compromise and moderation.  We have business class, crossover SUVs, and 2% milk, but when it comes to birth we have been black and white for a long time,  Cynthia's book, however,  is an anthem to the 50 Shades of Grey natural hospital birth allows us.

I'm elated that this middle of the road option is also being applied to the birthing room.  I mean, where would America be without the middle class? Women no longer have to choose between the two extremes of home birth or overly defensive hospital birth, armed only with a birth plan and a semi-supportive, annoyed practioner.  We are seeing all types of women, providers, and births in the hosptial setting. It's darn well about time!

Amazon link to the book

The Importance of Kegels

Kegels - Never to be Underestimated

I feel I can never stress enough the importance of doing Kegels.   After a recent gal pal date, over coffee, I realized "do your kegels" is the "monthly self-breast exam" and "practice safe sex" women's health motto for this new decade. 

We, as women, do Kegels to prevent complications that arise with the pelvic floor from age, regardless of whether or not we had children.  These complications can include urinary incontinence, urinary urgency, pain during intercourse, pelvic organ prolapse, and uterine or cervical prolapse.

Ok, but what are Kegels?  The Kegel muscles are the group of muscles that make up the pelvic floor. Kegel exercise are the subsequent exercise that strengthen these muscles.

How do I do Kegels? The best way for women to do Kegel exercises is to imagine they are trying to pick up a marble with their vagina.   Another way to know a woman is doing them correctly is to try to stop the flow of urine. They can be done in any position (sitting, standing, lying).  They should be done in 3-5 times a day for 10 reps each set.  Pilates exercises are known for consistently engaging the Kegel muscles.  Most women need 3-4 weeks before they will begin to see improvement.

Benefits in Pregnancy. Kegels can also be beneficial in pregnancy and labor and delivery, as a strong pelvic floor offers the pregnant woman more support during pregnancy and more strength in delivery. 

Some resources:

 The Mayo Clinic Guide to Kegels a step-by-step guide to exercising the pelvic floor.

Kegelmasters - Like lifting weights for the pelvic floor. Products that provide resistance and increased strength training.

Light Bladder Leakage - information about light bladder leakage and it's link to menopause.