Question to ask from your Care Provider

From "Giving Birth with Confidence" Blog

 Q:

I think I want to have a more natural labor and birth — or at the very least, I want the options available to me in my birth setting. What questions should I ask my care provider to make sure that they’re the right fit for my birth plan?

A:

Choosing the right care provider plays a big role in the health, happiness and safety of your birth experience. It’s a good idea to interview care providers before settling in on the one you want. If you’ve already chosen your care provider, make sure to talk to him/her about your intended birth plan. If they aren’t supportive of what you would like during birth, look into changing your care provider, even if you’re in the middle or late stages of your pregnancy. Here are a few questions to consider when talking to your care provider about their birth practices:

• What can I expect at routine visits throughout my pregnancy?
• Do you support natural labor and birth?
• Can I expect you to attend my birth?
• Who can be with me during labor and birth?
• Do you support women who want to labor out of bed?
• Will I be able to use comfort measures during labor and birth? (example: shower, birth ball, walking)
• What positions do you recommend for labor and birth?
• Will I be able to eat and drink when I am in labor?
• What happens during a normal labor and birth in your care?
• What do you normally do to help women in labor? Delivery?
• What do you consider routine interventions for labor? (example: IV fluids, continuous fetal heart monitor, episiotomy, breaking my membranes)
• Instead of drugs, what would you recommend for pain relief during labor?
• How would you support me to breastfeed?

Learn more about the recommended Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices for a safe and healthy birth, as well as this tip sheet for considering a care provider.
Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator Rachel Bohn has been a doula for 9 years and has been teaching Lamaze classes for 3 years. She currently teaches private Lamaze classes in the comfort of clients’ homes. Visit Rachel’s Web site to learn more about her services.

The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative

You should learn as much as you can about all your choices. There are many different ways of caring for a mother and her baby during labor and birth. Birthing care that is better and healthier for mothers and babies is called "mother-friendly." Some birth places or settings are more mother-friendly than others.
A group of experts in birthing care came up with this list of 10 things to look for and ask about. Medical research supports all of these things. 

      
Hospitals and Birthing Centers that hold to the Mother-Baby Friendly Initiative have to follow certain standards.  Want to know if your local place of birth is?  

Click here

Ten Steps of the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative for Mother- Friendly Hospitals, Birth Centers, and Home Birth Services

Hyperemesis Gravidarum - The idea can make you nauseous!

About 2% of pregnant women develop a condition called Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), a severe and persistent nausea an vomiting resulting in dramatic weight loss and possible health issues in the mother and the baby.

I've had friends and even clients who have suffered from HG, and it was just that, a horrible suffering.  Many women have to be hospitalized.  This makes "enjoying being pregnant" a big task.  As a doula clients and friends who have dealt with HG ask me why this happened and what they could do about it? 

Recent studies have shown that when these symptoms occur in addition to ketones found in urine the bacteria H. Pylori is usually the culprit.  Research shows that as many as half of the world's population has H. Pylori.  You usually contract it as a child and it sit dormant in your stomach and/or intestine not really bothering you at all until something disrupts it and it causes cramping, vomiting, nausea etc. 

A recent review looked for an association between H. Pylori infection and HG.  The results were impressive!  Turns out H. Pylori is found more often in women who have HG than those who don't! Women who showed diagnosable signs of HG were 3 TIMES more likely to test positive for H. Pylori!

So what does that mean to you? It means that if you test positive for H. Pylori you have an increased chance of developing HG! BUT THERE IS GOOD NEWS SO DON'T FREAK OUT! LOL

H. Pylori is easily treated with medications that are safe during pregnancy.  So to all our preggo mommy's out there who are feeling more nauseous than the "morning sickness" type nausea and/or vomiting more often....TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR OR MIDWIFE about H. Pylori!  You may be able to find help and relief! And hey, anything that can get your head out of the toilet is a good thing...don't you think?

Systematic review: Severe Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy is Associated with H. Pylori Infection

Sandven I, Abdelnoor M, Nesheim BI, Melby KK. Helicobacter pylori infection and hyperemesis gravidarum: a systematic review and meta-analysis of case-control studies. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2009;88(11):1190-200.