По работе.... На перевод(((The Pregnancy Bible: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Early Parenthood follows every step of pregnancy from conception to labor to postpartum recovery (and even early newborn care). The book, edited by OB-GYNs Joanne Stone, MD and Keith Eddleman, MD, is full of helpful guides, lists and illustrations. This excerpt, "Ways Your Partner Can Help You Through Labor," helps labor partners prepare for their role in the delivery room.
Keep in mind that the needs of women in labor differ, so tune into what your partner wants. Here are some things you can do that may help her cope better with the process.
According to studies, women in labor have five basic needs: physical care and comfort; pain relief; the constant presence of a supportive person; unconditional acceptance and reassurance; and knowledge of what is happening. The support that a birth partner can offer has numerous positive effects. It has been shown to: decrease the need for medication and intervention; shorten labor; decrease the risk of cesarean birth; and improve outcomes for newborns.
Stay close by. Be aware that some women in labor like to be touched and others don’t. Physical touch can communicate caring and concern and prevent her feeling isolated.
Consider her position. Urge her to change position frequently, as this can help ease backache. Use pillows, rolled blankets, or towels to maximize relaxation. If she’s able to get up and walk, encourage and assist her. Some mothers use “birthing balls,” large air-filled ball on which they bounce to relieve the pain of a contraction.
Keep her clean and dry. Labor may cause a woman to move her bowels or urinate, and at some point her water will break. Help clean her quickly.
Relieve her dry mouth. Use of breathing techniques can dry out her mouth, making it feel uncomfortable, so help her drink liquids, or suck on ice chips, if permitted. Use lip balm to lubricate and moisten her lips. Also, help her brush her teeth.
Keep her cool. Apply a cool washcloth to her face, throat, or other body parts. Spray her face gently with water. Alternatively, make a fan from a washcloth, a piece of paper, or gown.
Praise her for her tremendous effort.Apply a warm or cold compress. Contractions may cause back pain or cramps. Help her out by applying a warm washcloth to her back.
Massage her lower back. Ask her to lie on her side so you can give her a back rub, using lotion. This may be particularly helpful if she’s having back labor (when the pain of contractions is felt mainly in the back). However, be aware that she might prefer you to stop the massage during a contraction.
Encourage her to pass urine. A full bladder may slow down labor, so remind her to go to the bathroom often — she should try at least every hour.
Use relaxation techniques. Ideally, practice these before labor begins. One easy technique involves asking her to tighten then relax each muscle in turn, starting with her upper body and progressing slowly down to her toes.
Help with breathing techniques. Learn whatever breathing exercise she wishes to use in advance, and help her focus on it during contractions. It may help if you ask her to take a deep breath and sigh after each contraction to help “exhale tension.”
Promote rest. Keep her surroundings as peaceful as possible, and encourage her to rest to prevent exhaustion.
Assure her privacy. Respect her need — or lack of need — for clothing and draping during labor.
Offer emotional support. Whisper words of encouragement. Praise her for her tremendous effort. Tell her, "you’re doing great!" Compliment her. Use words of endearment, and, if appropriate, express your love for her. As labor progresses, tell her it’s nearly over.
How To Stay Focused On Her Needs
Each woman is unique, responds individually, and has different needs in labor, so it’s important to ask her if a particular measure is helpful or desirable. Be prepared to change tactic or give her a bit of space, if that’s what she wants. Keep in mind these key points:
Consider your purpose. What are you trying to do with your support and comfort measures? Make sure that you focus on what she wants.
Be involved. Your constant presence and attention to how she is feeling and the procedures that are being carried out are necessary to enable you to provide meaningful support.
Be prepared. Pack necessary items several weeks before the due date, and plan your route to the hospital in advance.
Keep up your energy levels. To provide effective support you need to stay energized yourself. Be sure to get something to eat and drink during labor. It’s best to take food and beverages with you. Also, take a break, if possible. Relax in a chair in the labor room or take a short walk on the unit. But don’t leave the unit — you could miss the birth.
Excerpted from The Pregnancy Bible: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy and Early Parenthood, edited by Joanne Stone, MD and Keith Eddleman, MD. (Firefly Books; 2nd Edition September 30, 2008.)
Conception
How to get pregnant from ovulation to
fertility »
Health
Keep yourself and your future baby healthy »
Giving Birth
Everything you need to know for all types of births »
My Pregnancy
What to expect from conception to birth »
Products & Gear
All the things you need and want »
babble » pregnancy » being pregnant
Being Pregnant
Embarrassing Question: Will a Vibrator Induce Labor?
Posted by ceridwen on June 9th, 2010 at 11:13 am
Orgasm–no matter how or when it is achieved–releases oxytocin, the same hormone that causes labor contractions. If you orgasm at term (around 40 weeks), when your body is basically ready to go, this oxytocin burst *may* help trigger labor.
We don’t really know how effective this is, but it makes enough sense that sex is recommended as a “natural” way to induce labor. It’s often assumed that having “sex” to induce labor, means heterosexual sex.
This is because semen contains prostaglandins, the hormone-like substances that help ripen the cervix which, in turn, can trigger contractions. So you can go solo, or bring in some support. However you want to do it is fine though once the amniotic sac has ruptured, putting anything in the vagina is not recommended. Without the protection of the sac, risk of infection goes up. Sex and masturbation are still fine, just keep the vibrator and/or other parts of bodies on the outside.
And don’t worry, orgasm before term (from vibrator or anything else) will not trigger labor. Some women are advised by their doctor or midwife to avoid sex during pregnancy but that may refer to penetration and not orgasm, so try to get a more specific answer. For almost all women, orgasm during pregnancy is a dandy idea. And if a vibrator gets you going, when the time comes, it may get your birth going, too.
photo: Rachel Kramer Bussel/flickr
Sex During Pregnancy: Everybody’s Doing It… Or Not Doing It… Or Doing It Alone… Or While Sleeping…
Posted by ceridwen on June 15th, 2010 at 11:59 am
I am always so relieved when the words “And the survey says… “ are followed by “it really depends.” So you can imagine my delight when I came across a study showing that women and men react to sex during pregnancy in a huge variety of ways. According to data compiled by sex-educators Anne Semans and Cathy Winks and reported in Psychology Today: Some pregnant women “experienced a sexual awakening, others felt turned off.” Men’s libido changed, too. And not always in predictable ways.
Some pregnant women experience orgasm for the first time when pregnant. (Hmm, I guess that’s good news?) Many women reported stronger orgasms that were easier to achieve. And, here’s a good excuse to get busy: a study involving 596 pregnant women showed that lots of orgasms in the 3rd trimester correlated with reduced risk of prematurity. But really, don’t have sex because you’re worried about premature labor. The take-away here is: sex is generally a good, healthy thing to do.
Researching From The Hips, Rebecca and I learned that very sexual and orgasmic dreams were not uncommon in pregnancy. There are a bunch of reasons for this; engorged body parts high among them. Some women are so turned on during pregnancy they want sex constantly and not necessarily with anyone else. As Paula Bomer wrote in her pornographic story, Knocked Up and Getting Off’: “I’d borrow porn tapes from friends and spend hours watching them whacking off….these were the orgasms you’d read about in yoga books.” (Parental Advisory: The content of this story is explicit).
But not all of us feel it. At all. Sometimes those engorged genitals just feel large and heavy and numb. Sometimes one pregnancy triggers orgasms, while another doesn’t. And while some men love the curves of pregnancy and find this an incredibly sexual and sexy time, others are just not in the mood, especially in the third trimester. As I discovered yesterday, expecting dads can have lower levels of testosterone around the birth, which would explain a dip in libido at the end of pregnancy.
The article goes on to discuss the myriad ways sex plays out postpartum. I think an important message about sex during this transitional time is that there’s a lot of change and adjusting to be done. Sometimes the conventional wisdom (the second trimester is “the sexy trimester”) or doctor recommendations (you can have sex at 6 weeks postpartum) don’t match your reality. Some women are eager to have sex before six weeks is up. Many more others need more time. Or they would love to have sex in theory but it’s just not happening; the logistics are—no pun intended– insurmountable.
photo: Clair Kennedy/Flickr