Safe pregnancies, successful deliveries, and what to expect after a baby is born, were the topics of a radio interview last week on CHI Mercy Healths Talking Health program on KQEN News Radio 1240.
Dr. Linda Sewell, an OB-GYN in Roseburg, talked with host Lisa Platt about pregnancy all the way to taking care of your newborn baby.
The following is an edited version of that interview.
Lisa: Lets talk about some of the major health issues facing women today?
Linda: In Roseburg in particular, access to womens health care is limited. As physicians and providers, we all have wait lists and it takes quite a while to get in for an appointment. The good news is we did just get a new nurse midwife so were hoping her practice will start to thrive.
Lisa: What are the top concerns for women that are considering becoming pregnant?
Linda: Before you become pregnant, you should be in good physical health. We recommend getting lab work done to make sure you are not diabetic, dont have high cholesterol, cardiac issues, or high blood pressure.
If you do have health issues, make sure youre getting them under control before you get pregnant. There are complications that can arise and babies can have complications including birth defects and difficulties during labor.
Lisa: Lets talk a little about prenatal care and why that is so important?
Linda: Prenatal care is extremely important because its when we catch things early, so we can act on problems.
Lisa: Walk us through what a prenatal appointment might look like?
Linda: In the first visit I will usually do an ultrasound to make sure we have a good due date because its the basis for everything we do after that. It lets us know when the baby is going to be mature enough to be delivered safely.
Future prenatal visits are to make sure the baby is growing well and has a good heartbeat, checking your blood pressure and your lab results for any abnormalities.
At 16 to 20 weeks, you need blood tests done to check for Down syndrome, and whether you have diabetes. After that, we have to determine if the baby is growing well, are extra ultrasounds needed, or are there extra tests that need to be done.
If youre having complications during your pregnancy, well probably have to do more checking and testing around 30 to 32 weeks. If everything is going great, well see you every couple of weeks.
Lisa: How is the length of the pregnancy determined?
Linda: We say pregnancy is 40 weeks, but women will have their babies at different times. Some women will only go 37 or 38 weeks and some will go 42 weeks.
Lisa: What are some recommendations for good prenatal care?
Linda: Being good to yourself during pregnancy is important, making sure you are eating well. Thats probably the number one thing I tell women is the importance of a healthy diet.
Exercise during pregnancy is also really good for you. Stretching exercises will really help during pregnancy, and will also help with delivery because its easier to deliver if youre flexible.
Lisa: Can you talk about prenatal challenges and are there specific tests that are done that may not be as intrusive as they were in the past?
Linda: Testing for Down syndrome. If your test is positive for Down syndrome screen, it prompts questions and stress. They now have a new test called the NITT. Its not 100 percent accurate, but its about 98 percent. We can tell you whether the baby has Down syndrome, whether the baby has Trisomy 18 or Trisomy 13, which are things that are similar to Down syndrome but more severe.
Lisa: How much weight gain is acceptable to gain during pregnancy?
Linda: We used to have the pat answer, you can gain 30 pounds, or no more than 35 pounds. But now we really base how much you should gain on how much you weigh now and how high your body mass index is.
Lisa: Do you have recommendations on prenatal classes?
Linda: We have excellent prenatal classes at Mercy and the classes are free. At the classes, the staff will go over what mom can expect in labor, during delivery and what to expect afterwards, including how to breastfeed and early child care.
Lisa: What causes morning sickness?
Linda: Its a hormone women make when they get pregnant. We actually test for it to see if you are pregnant. We can detect it in urine at very, very low concentrations.
Lisa: Is there a way to ease morning sickness?
Linda: Yes, and the number one way is to stay hydrated. You need to drink water.
We have lots of natural remedies; small amounts of ginger seems to be one of those things that helps with morning sickness. So you can try ginger suckers, ginger ale, ginger tea just grating some ginger over your food will sometimes help.
Also if you are low in B vitamins, your morning sickness may be worse, so taking vitamin B-12 and B-6 can also help with morning sickness.
Lisa: How can a mom ensure that shes having the best possible birth experience?
Linda: I tell people that your birth plan should say Im going to go to the hospital when Im in labor and Im going to have a baby and Im going to take my healthy baby home. What happens in between really should be up to each individual.
Some women do really well when theres nobody around them and they want to be left alone, and some women need five people holding their hands. You know what youre going to need and you know the people that are going to help you.
Lisa: What are your beliefs about pain relief during labor?
Linda: If someone says, Id like to have a natural birth, thats fine. Its very empowering for a woman to have a natural birth with no pain medication. Its also probably one of the hardest things youll ever do in your life and if you can do that, you can do anything.
Whats most important is that you choose what you want to do.
Lisa: What is postnatal care and why is that so important?
Linda: One of the most important things is to talk about depression. It is very common for women to get depressed and probably more than 80 percent of new moms will have some level of depression. Most of them will have what are called the baby blues. They cry easily and get emotional, but they take care of themselves and their baby.
Some women have depression that hits them very hard and it can be so severe that they become psychotic. They actually go into a psychosis and theyre really not aware of what theyre doing.
I ask every single woman during her postpartum visit are you feeling depressed? If you are, do you think you need medication? We also want to make sure we have a plan in place, if theyre getting worse, they know who they should call, or have somebody call for them.
Go here to read the rest:
Having a safe pregnancy and delivery - NRToday.com
