ePregnancy - February to March 2016

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ISSUE 1 • FEBRUARY 2016
Are you packed and ready
Best labour
Win a R500
list ever
Carriwell voucher!
Am I in labour?
Telling fact from phony
Just
breathe
Rethinking birth
breathing!
How to banish
Natural birth
birth
Nausea
Heartburn
Stretch marks
Pigmentation

CONTENTS
 Firstthingsfirst–SisterLilian’smessage
 DearSisterLilian…
Yourquestionsaboutantenatalchecks,eating
inlabourandwaterbirthanswered
pregnancy power

 Yourbirthbagsorted!
 Nomorenauseaandhaltingheartburn
 Skinsense
beautiful birth

Core Team
Business manager Alan Paramor
Editor Sister Lilian
Sub-editor Melanie Liebenberg
Advertising sales Gillian Richards
Design UltraDesign
Email info@sisterlilian.co.za
Call +27 12 809 3342
Fax2email +27 86 691 2485
Snailmail PO Box 11156, Silver Lakes, Pretoria, 0054
Published by Sister Lilian Centre®
Copyright: Sister Lilian Centre®
No part of ePregnancy online magazine may be
reproduced in any format without written consent of the
publisher. All rights reserved.
Every precaution has been taken to ensure correctness
of information, but advice given and opinions expressed
in ePregnancy do not replace a consultation with a
midwife or doctor. However, the publishers and editorial
team set great store by ethical, responsible pregnancy
and birthing advice. While we firmly believe that the
content found here will help improve your pregnancy
and birth, responsibility cannot be taken for individual
readers’ experiences. The publication is intended for the
interest and perspective of expectant couples only.
Read our blog
www.sisterlilian.co.za
 Trueorfalse–isthisreallylabour?
 Justbreathe!Labourwillbeeasier
 Fear-freelabour
first things
first
We’ve got a new magazine,
and you’ve got a new belly and birth, to look forward to!
xpectant couples, meet ePregnancy, the new
online magazine from the Sister Lilian Centre! Basically, your
much-loved eBaby magazine has divided into two: ePregnancy
focusses on all things pregnancy and birth related, and eBaby
is your trusty guide for after Baby is born. The best part?
They’re both FREE!
We’re thrilled to share our in-a-nutshell take on pregnancy,
labour, and birth in ePregnancy, and we pride ourselves on
offering only the best advice, tips, and articles. Our advice is
well known for being sensitive and reliable – that’s because
we listen to your needs, and we respect the original midwife,
Mother Nature. We’re your gentle online midwife. Share us with
your friends, and visit our other resources on sisterlilian.co.za
and Facebook.
E
2
ePregnancy Issue 1 • February 2016
Dear
Sister
Lilian...
They say I must eat
makes it possible
for you to ask Sister Lilian
for pregnancy, labour
and birth advice
My friend has just had a baby with a midwife
and she says that she ate quite a bit during
labour. Is that right? My baby is due in two
weeks and I’m worried I’ll need to go to
the loo if I eat! Ona
Don’t worry, what goes in takes at least 12 hours
to come out! Evidence shows that women should
be allowed to eat during labour if they feel the
need to. You’ll need energy to keep up your birth
stamina, so light, nutritious, healthy foods like
fruits can greatly improve your experience.
I have check-up stress
I’ve just found out I’m pregnant – how often
should I see my doctor? Also, I’m nervous
about what he’ll do – help! Marilynn
Which is the best birth?
Good antenatal care is very important for both
Mom and Baby! Visit your doctor (or a midwife)
between 10 and 12 weeks, unless you are
concerned earlier in pregnancy. If all goes well,
you should go monthly until 28 weeks, every
two weeks until 36 weeks, and then every week
until your due date.
I’d like a water birth, but my husband insists that
it’s not normal for humans and my doctor says it
can be risky. How do I decide? Hayley
You have the main vote because it’s your body
and your birth. Humans have been taking to
water for centuries to relieve stress and ease
discomfort; you’re responding to that intuitive
knowledge. Water often makes labour progress
better – be it wet cloths wrapped around your
belly or even just the thought of water! If you have
an experienced water birth midwife who monitors
you unobtrusively throughout, and Baby is born
directly into the water with the umbilical cord left
to pulsate until he emerges a short while later,
research confirms that water birth is very safe.
At your first visit, you’ll complete forms with your
personal and health information. At each visit,
your and Baby’s overall well-being and your
blood pressure, weight, and urine will be checked.
Your practitioner will also feel your abdomen to
check your womb’s growth. At some visits,
special blood tests and in-depth scans will be
done. Vaginal examinations should only be done
at the first visit and at about 37 weeks, to avoid
risk of infection.
3
ePregnancy Issue 1 • February 2016
pregnancy power
Your birth bag
sorted!
Y ou’ll find these items on
Sister Lilian’s list super useful
during and just after labour!
As your due date draws near
and your excitement mounts,
it’s a good idea to have your
labour bag ready and packed.
Labour progresses quite slowly
at first, so you could probably
pack once labour begins –
but you may be so excited that
you forget important items!
Some things will also need
to be bought beforehand.
For a better labour:
A comfortable, loose T-shirt
made from natural fibres
Tissues – noses often run
in labour
An elastic band for long hair
Socks to warm cold feet
Lip balm
Fruit or a fructose drink
for a quick energy boost
A water bottle with a straw
A facecloth, for a refreshing
wipe of your face and neck
A comfort item from home
A homeopathic birth remedy
to improve labour progress
Uplifting music to relax and
distract you
maternity pads for
once your waters have broken
Nightclothes, slippers, gown
4
ePregnancy Issue 1 • February 2016
10–16 February
is Pregnancy
Awareness Week
and you could win
a R500 Carriwell
voucher on
For the postnatal ward:
A bar of gentle soap
Other personal cosmetics
breast pads
cooling gel pads
for engorged breasts
Feme pad for
perineum discomfort
maternity pads
nursing bra
nursing sleep shirt
linen savers
Plastic bags for laundry
Clothes for Mom and Baby
to come home in – you’ll still
need one of your preggy outfits
A blanket to wrap Baby in
The clinic usually supplies
these items:
Disposable breast pads
Disinfectant for cleaning your
perineum (stitches)
Baby clothes for the duration
of the hospital stay
Ice packs
Infra-red lamps for painful
breasts or perineum
Disposable nappies for Baby
Cotton wool balls for cleaning
the navel and umbilical stump
Surgical spirits to clean the navel
Basic cosmetic items for Mom
and Baby
pregnancy power
No more
nausea
and halting heartburn
Heartburn and indigestion
T hese two troublesome
These are quite common in the third trimester
because the valve between stomach and gullet
is relaxed due to increased progesterone
in pregnancy. Also, Baby grows and presses
up against the stomach, pushing the acidic
contents through to the gullet and burning
the membrane lining.
pregnancy symptoms
share many common
causes and have one
important but lesser-known
solution: slow down a bit!
Heartburn first aid
Pregnancy nausea
Eat smaller meals more regularly rather
than big meals
Don’t eat for three hours before sleep
Reduce spicy, fatty and rich foods considerably
Take a homeopathic remedy for heartburn
and the tissue salt remedy Nat phos
Sip a cup of hot water with a few drops of
peppermint essence in it
Chew a mint leaf or a small piece of liquorice
Raise the head of your bed a little or sleep
on a continental pillow or two
Nausea doesn’t strike in every pregnancy, but
makes life a misery for many. Mostly blamed
on changing hormones, it is actually more
common in anxious women and perfectionists.
Nausea is also believed to protect women
from ingesting harmful substances during
the first trimester.
Fast fact file
Pregnancy nausea
May occur at any time of day
Mostly begins after six weeks of pregnancy
Mostly improves by about 12–14 weeks but
may last longer
Increases with Vitamin B6 deficiency
Can be caused by pregnancy supplements
Do THe HearTburn STreTcH!
Sit on your haunches,
knees splayed wide,
about 30 cm from a wall.
Keep your toes together
and your heels opened
away from each other.
Keep your buttocks firmly
on your feet and place
your palms against the
wall. ‘Walk’ your hands up
the wall, keeping buttocks
and shoulder blades as
low as possible, until you
feel stretching between
your shoulder blades and less pressure
from Baby on the diaphragm area.
Doctor yourself when queasy!
Take a homeopathic remedy for safe relief
Supplement vitamin B6
Sip ginger tea
Eat smaller meals more frequently
Eat a little before rising in the morning
Stop pregnancy supplements for a few days
to check if this is the cause and change brands
Perform regular tongue-scraping
Time to seek help
Excessive nausea and vomiting, called
hyperemesis gravidarum, must be treated
to ensure you don’t dehydrate, which can
be serious for Baby. Nausea starting in the
second half of pregnancy must be checked
for links to blood pressure abnormalities,
low blood sugar or anaemia.
See your doctor
… if these tips don’t help sufficiently. Take
antacids only as prescribed by your practitioner
or pharmacist, as women tend to have greater
alkalinity in pregnancy.
5
ePregnancy Issue 1 • February 2016
pregnancy power
ERO TOLERENCE OF NAPPY RASH
Every Mom wants her baby to have smooth,
blemish-free buttocks… with Zinplex she can!
Zinc has been acclaimed for its skin-healing, antiseptic
and anti-inflammatory properties for thousands of years.
Use convenient ZINPLEX BABY BUM SPRAY or
ZINPLEX BABY BUM CREAM at every nappy change to help:
Protect your baby’s sensitive buttock skin from rash.
Keep irritants away from direct buttock skin contact.
Moisturise, soothe and heal dry, red and painful skin.
skin
sense
S
kin blemishes can be an
embarrassing part of pregnancy, but don’t
despair – we’re here to help!
Did you know that stretchmarks are actually scars?
Although race, diet, and skin hydration all play
a role, some women are simply genetically prone
to stretchmarks. They can be treated the same
way as regular scars and should fade to a less
noticeable silvery colour after pregnancy, but they’ll
never disappear completely. To help prevent scars
during pregnancy:
Apply vitamin E lotion or oils to areas like your
breasts and belly
Take Calc fluor and Ferrum phos tissue salts
three times daily to help improve elasticity
To help reduce the appearance of scars:
Apply tissue oils or oils containing rose-hip
or avocado oil after bathing or showering
Massage any scars to help break up and
soften scar tissue
Limit exposure to UV light, especially for
the first year
Pregnancy pigmentation
GET THE FULL ZINPLEX RANGE AT YOUR LOCAL PHARMACY
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Freckles, moles, and blotches often get bigger
and darker during pregnancy – you may even
develop some butterfly-like markings on your
nose and cheeks! Brunettes and darker skinned
women are more prone to pigmentation, so be
extra careful to wear sunscreen and stay out of
the sun. Most of the markings should disappear
within six months after pregnancy.
6
ePregnancy Issue 1 • February 2016
or
beautiful birth
rue
Tfalse
A
re you becoming
fidgety now that
pregnancy is almost over,
your back aches, and you
can’t wait to meet Junior?
Make sure you know
the difference between
true and false labour.
And eventually…
1
A normal pregnancy lasts anything from
37 to 42 weeks with most first labours starting
at around 40 to 41 weeks. Contrary to what you
might have heard, very important maturing and
finishing touches take place right to the end!
True labour usually begins at night when
the body and mind are relaxed, more often
than not after the original predicted due date
in first pregnancies. For active labour to be
present, you must have a show, the amniotic
membranes must rupture, and there must be
regular contractions with dilation of the cervix.
These three things can occur in any order,
which is why there is often confusion.
Contractions
The show
This is the discharge of a slightly blood-tinged
mucus plug from the vagina
The show will continue throughout labour
to lubricate the birth canal for easier birth
In the two weeks before labour,
you are likely to experience:
2
A sudden spurt of preparation energy
An increased mucus discharge (much
like before menstruation) until the birth
Very little or no further weight gain
Irritability
Backache and twinges that feel like
mini-contractions
A heavy feeling in the pelvis with pressure
on the bladder if Baby drops (this sometimes
only happens when in active labour)
Rupture of the amniotic membranes
The amniotic fluid that has surrounded Baby
during pregnancy will either trickle out or come
in a big gush with trickling afterwards
This also continues throughout labour to assist
with Baby’s passage
Contractions
3
Contractions
These often begin as back ache or lower
pelvic cramping
They gradually become stronger, more regular
and closer together
They increase in length from about 20 seconds
initially to about 60–90 seconds just before
Baby is born
If contractions don’t become increasingly
regular, have a warm bath – false labour pains
usually disappear in water!
A day or two before true-blue labour:
Expect looser bowel motions, but not diarrhoea
– that’s nature’s way of preparing you
Braxton Hicks contractions may become
more frequent
Restless sleep due to general discomfort
8
ePregnancy Issue 1 • February 2016
breathe
Just
N
atural breathing control is one of the very
best ways to keep yourself calm during
birth. This will quieten your mind and help you
to focus on the job at hand, ensuring an efficient
and gentle labour. Follow these tips to keep
yourself breathing easy during labour:
In early labour, breathe in through your nose
and out through your mouth. As you breathe out,
allow your body to crumple a bit. Stick to as normal
a pace and rhythm of breathing as you can.
As the contractions become
more powerful, keep the speed
of your breathing as normal as
possible. Continue to breathe in
through your nose, but breathe out
more forcefully through your mouth.
Your lips should be slightly open,
and the outgoing air should push
them apart.
beautiful birth
As first stage progresses and you’re having
stronger contractions, it’s helpful to make a deep,
lowing sound on each out-breath. This helps
release the brain’s natural painkillers. Don’t
make a high-pitched sound, as this will just
make you more anxious.
When it is time to deliver your baby, don’t
be tempted to hold your breath for a long time.
The latest research shows that it is best to simply
respond to your body’s pushing signals while
you continue to breathe as normally as possible.
If you’re in an upright position, your womb will
do the work! You can, however, make grunting
sounds and exert some downward pressure
during contractions to help.
Between contractions, use your
breath to help you relax. You may
be hyperventilating, so take a deep
breath, and slowly breathe out every
last bit of air; repeat a few times. As
your breathing slows, close your eyes,
stay calm, and allow your involuntary
breathing to continue normally.
There’s nothing
to worry about
We’re with you all
the way.
mom...
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free
labour
beautiful birth
FearSister Lilian
reassures you
when it comes to your three
biggest fears at the time of birth.
Many of the most common birth fears could
be avoided if you choose the right type of birth –
natural. I like to say there are three ‘types’ of birth:
1. Normal birth – a vaginal delivery in the
hospital or clinic.
Fear of intervention or C-section
The choice of birth practitioner plays a big role
here. If you’re seeing a gynae, ask about their
intervention and C-section rate. An experienced
private midwife is more likely to support your
wish for a natural birth, while still knowing when
intervention is needed. To greatly reduce the
chances of intervention, including an episiotomy,
or a forceps, vacuum or C-section delivery, follow
all the pain-relieving tips in this article. Remember,
interventions can save your baby’s life, but are
often undertaken unnecessarily.
2. Caesarean birth – surgical delivery should
only be used in case of an emergency.
3. Natural birth – as Mother Nature intended;
calm, peaceful and with minimal intervention
Pain
It is only difficult to cope with contractions if you
are anxious or tense. There are so many things
you can do to reduce labour discomfort, ensuring
you can handle it easily:
Relax; anxiety makes birth more difficult
by suppressing the hormones that help
to make labour easier.
Walk, rotate your hips and squat during labour.
This stretches the pelvis by up to 30% and
helps move Baby downwards.
Concentrate on the rhythm of your breathing,
play music you love, and dim the lighting.
Wrap towels soaked in warm water around
your belly, or relax in a deep, warm bath.
Get encouragement from your partner, doula
or midwife to help lower pain levels.
Take the remedy Rescue Birth & Recovery.
Use special techniques like visualisation and
medical hypnosis.
Try touch therapies like massage, reflexology
and acupuncture to support release of the
body’s natural painkillers.
All of these tips will also help prevent the need
for an episiotomy, and other interventions.
Mothering challenges
Birth transforms women into mothers, but much
of labour anxiety is often from stressing about how
to cope after birth. Some women worry about
physical challenges like perineal healing and
possible breastfeeding problems. A natural birth
experience means easier and quicker physical
healing – as well as an easier and safer birth.
Plus, the natural birth hormones set the scene for
a good breastfeeding experience. There are many
products to help mothers as they embark on this
journey of a lifetime, but remember that your
strongest allies are belief in yourself and nature.
Still scared? Read Sister Lilian’s blog
3 Top Tips to banish birth anxiety
10
ePregnancy Issue 1 • February 2016
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