Virtually every woman claims that she wants to lose weight, so those that decide to do something about it there’s then the dilemma about which diet to try, well STOP right there! These diets are often very expensive and don’t actually work.
Diet pills only actually make you lose water because the majority of them contain a diuretic (it makes you pee alot). Some of them can interfere with contraceptives such as the pill. Add into the equation that diet pills are pretty expensive too, for example a packet of alli costs approximately £32.95 for 42 tablets. You have to take 1 3 times a day so a packet of 42 will last 14 days so you end up spending approximately £70 a month.
So here is a link to a website that I found helpful beauty secrets for you. The information on this site is useful provided that you don’t pay attention to the adverts on the page.
According to german researchers babies begin to pick up the nuances of their parents’ accents while still in the womb. They studied the cries of 60 healthy babies born to families speaking French and German. The French newborns cried with a rising “accent” while the German babies’ cries had a falling inflection. They suggest that the babies are probably trying to form a bond with their mothers by imitating them.
The findings suggest that unborn babies are influenced by the sound of the first language that penetrates the womb. It was already known that foetuses could memorise sounds from the outside world in the last three months of pregnancy and were particularly sensitive to the contour of the melody in both music and human voices. Earlier studies had shown that infants could match vowel sounds presented to them by adult speakers, but only from 12 weeks of age.
Kathleen Wermke from the University of Wurzburg, who led the research, said: “The dramatic finding of this study is that not only are human neonates capable of producing different cry melodies, but they prefer to produce those melody patterns that are typical for the ambient language they have heard during their foetal life. Newborns are highly motivated to imitate their mother’s behaviour in order to attract her and hence to foster bonding. “Contrary to orthodox interpretations, these data support the importance of human infants’ crying for seeding language development.” Dr Wermke’s team recorded and analysed the cries of 60 healthy newborns when they were three to five days old.
The analysis revealed clear differences in the shape of the infants’ cry melodies that corresponded to their mother tongue. They say the babies need only well-co-ordinated respiratory-laryngeal systems to imitate melody contours and not the vocal control that develops later. Dr Wermke said: “Newborns are highly motivated to imitate their mother’s behaviour in order to attract her and hence to foster bonding. Because melody contour may be the only aspect of their mother’s speech that newborns are able to imitate, this might explain why we found melody contour imitation at that early age.”
Debbie Mills, a reader in developmental cognitive neuroscience at Bangor University, said: “This is really interesting because it suggests that they are producing sounds they have heard in the womb and that means learning and that it is not an innate behaviour. Many of the early infant behaviours are almost like reflexes that go away after the first month and then come back later in a different form. It would be interesting to look at these babies after a month and see if their ability to follow the melodic contours of their language is still there.”
It is a standard piece of advice during antenatal care to quit smoking and the reason for this is is could cause problems with development. However new research suggests that smoking during pregnancy significantly increases the risk of having a child with behavioural problems.
Writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, they say the problems can be evident in children as young as three years old. They believe smoking in pregnancy may damage the developing structure of the baby’s brain. The researchers from the universities of York, Hull and Illinois looked at more than 14,000 mother and child pairs who were taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study. The mothers were categorised as light or heavy smokers depending on how many cigarettes they smoked every day during pregnancy.
They were asked to score their three-year-old children’s behaviour using a questionnaire called Strengths and Difficulties, which focuses on behaviour problems and hyperactivity, or attention deficit disorders. They took into account factors likely to influence the results, including the mother’s age at the child’s birth, her level of education and socioeconomic status, family stability and problematic parenting.
Mothers who were light smokers were 44% more likely to have boys who had problems with their conduct.
Heavy smokers were 80% more likely to have boys with these problems. Both heavy and light smokers were also significantly more likely to have boys who were hyperactive or had attention deficit disorders. For three-year-old girls, light and heavy smoking in pregnancy were significantly associated with conduct problems but not with hyperactivity and attention deficit behaviours.
Professor Kate Pickett, who lead the research, said their findings were consistent with previous research in older age groups. She said: “Smoking in pregnancy may have direct effects on the foetal development of brain structure and functioning which has been shown in studies of rats. “Or it may be a marker for the transmission of processes between the generations that are associated with both smoking in pregnancy and behaviour problems in children.”
“There are four thousand toxic substances in cigarette smoke and many of these will pass into the brain of the foetus and it is possible that they could have an effect on how the brain chemistry works.”
According to the University of London, the number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies has risen by more than 70% over the last 20 years. These statistics reflect the growing number of older women becoming pregnant, when there is a higher risk. An increase in the number of subsequent abortions and more antenatal diagnoses means slightly fewer children are being born with Down’s syndrome.
The number of Down’s syndrome pregnancies rose from 1,075 diagnoses in 1990 to 1,843 by 2008 in England and Wales. Despite this the number of Down’s pregnancies, the number of babies with Down’s syndrome has fallen by 1%, from 752 to 743. According to the study this is because improved antenatal screening means more Down’s pregnancies are being spotted and more abortions are taking place. Without the improved screening, the number of babies born with Down’s would have risen by 48%.
So what is Down’s syndrome?
A genetic disorder named after the British physician John Langdon Down, who identified it in 1866.
Inhibits the ability to learn and develop mentally.
About 60,000 people have Down’s syndrome in the UK.
Joan Morris, professor of medical statistics at Queen Mary, led the research and she said: “What we’re seeing here is a steep rise in pregnancies with Down’s syndrome but that is being offset by improvements in screening. Doctors told Natasha and Eddie Batha that there was a one-in-170 chance that their daughter Mia, who is now three, would be born with the condition, when it was discovered that Mia did have the condition they realised that it was not as bad as they had feared.
People seem to forget that there is a person behind the label who is just a little bit different, in some cases unless you were told a person has a specific condition you wouldn’t know. It would seem that if people were better informed about things like this then there may be fewer terminations because mothers are led to believe that if their child is diagnosed with something then it is the worst thing ever.
Research has suggested that a drug used to treat cancer can stop contractions and may prevent premature labour. This research was carried out by a team from Newcastle University, they tested the drug Trichostatin A on tissue taken from 36 women undergoing a caesarean. They claim that it worked by increasing the levels of a protein that controls muscle relaxation.
Preterm labour and birth is the single biggest cause of death in infants in the developed world, around 1,500 babies die in the UK every year. There are a number of drugs which are used to attempt to stop early labour but research has shown them to have serious side effects.
The researchers got permission to take samples of the muscles of women undergoing caesarean sections at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle. They exposed the muscle to TSA, a dfrug used to treat cancer, and measured the effects on both spontaneous contractions and those induced by the labour drug, oxytocin.
They recorded an average 46% reduction in contractions for the spontaneously contracting tissue and an average 54% reduction in the oxytocin induced contractions.
Professor Jane Norman, a spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG), said: “At the moment, it’s not possible to treat preterm labour effectively. We only have drugs that delay it by 24 hours or so – not enough to deliver the baby safely. There are experts who say that until doctors understand the cause of premature labour there is no way to develop a successful a treatment.
Of course as with any research there are those who feel that premature labour and birth can’t be or shouldn’t be prevented as the body has started labour early for a reason therefore doctors shouldn’t mess with nature. However mothers who have lost a baby because they were born prematurely would disagree and would claim that their child’s life should have been saved.
We’ve all heard of these celebrities that seem to snap back into a size zero within a week or two of giving birth, using extreme fitness regimes or diets. However for the rest of it’s not going to happen that fast unless you are really lucky.
So how do we shift the weight we’ve gained whilst carrying that little bundle of joy? Well as we all know breastfeeding is a good start, because it releases chemicals which help the uterus to contract. Other things that you can do is going for walks, this not only benefits you physically but it is also good mentally as it gets you out of the house and the excercise releases endorphines which elevates your mood.
Here are a few excercises that will help you get into shape:
- Swing-Sitting cross-legged, have your baby in your lap. Hold on to their chest as you rock backwards and forwards to provide a gentle workout for your abs.
- Seesaw-Whilst sitting on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, place your baby on your lower legs. Now lie back as you do so lift your legs, then lift and lower your baby a few times. Then using your stomach muscles return to a sitting position
I still do the seesaw with my 2 year old except she calls it the aeroplane. All I can say is be patient and take it at your own pace, I’ve only just managed to shift my baby weight and my youngest is nearly 5 months.
Diet also plays a big part in shifting the bulge by eating sensibly and exercising regularly you will be able to shift the bulge in a few months. Obviously if you have had a C section or other complications such as SPD then please take it easy and don’t over do it otherwise you won’t be able to enjoy your new arrival.
Research has shown that in 20% of pregnant women suffer from depression of these 1% of these children have a small but important increased risk of heart defects. Although the overall risk is very low and women should speak to doctors before stopping their drugs. It is worth pointing out that if you have taken antidepressants a specialist scan is sometimes offered to check your baby’s heart and that there are other treatments that don’t require the use of drugs.
It is not all doom and gloom if your baby does have a heart defect as some spontaneously resolve without medical intervention. Speaking as a mother who took anti depressants during the first trimester I can assure you that this risk is very small so there is no need to launch into a major panic. As long as the professionals involved in your care are aware that you have/are taking the antidepressants, they will take this into consideration when deciding on the best plan of action.
RPOC stands for retained products of conception. This is where all or part of the placenta or membranes are left in the uterus during the final stage of labour. In most cases this is detected following the examination of the placenta after delivery.
Retained placenta can be caused by:
- failed separation due to failure of uterine contraction or morbid adherence e.g. to a fibroid or scar
- separated but retained due to e.g. a snapped cord contracted uterus, closed cervix
Reports suggest that retained placenta is one of the mosts common causes of postpartum haemorrhage.
There are a number of options for treating RPOC here is the most commonly used
Women with a retained placenta oxytocin injection into the umbilical vein with 20 IU of oxytocin in 20 ml of saline is recommended, followed by proximal clamping of the cord. If the placenta is still retained 30 minutes after oxytocin injection, or sooner if there is concern about the woman’s condition, women should be offered an assessment of the need to remove the placenta. Women should be informed that this assessment can be painful and they should be advised to have analgesia or even anaesthesia for this assessment
It is worth pointing out that this is very rare and that it very rarely causes any problems however in few cases a hysterectomy may be needed as a PPH occurs or a severe infection.
It is reported that a simple saliva test could help to cut the toll of potentially dangerous premature births. The test detects levels of progesterone (which stops the uterus contracting before full term), the lower the level of the hormone the greater the risk of them going into premature labour. To clarify premature labour is any births occurring before 37 weeks gestation.
This is a significant breakthrough as the 48,000 premature babies each year in England and Wales are more at risk of serious health problems, learning difficulties and disabilities. Women who are at risk would be closely monitored and preventive measures could be taken such as hormone supplements to delay delivery.
This study is the first time lower saliva concentrations of progesterone have been investigated in women known to be at higher risk of premature birth. The experts are unable to explain why a low level of progesterone may lead to premature birth.
This is a huge breakthrough however, this is simply a test to identify women who are at risk of delivering prematurely. It can’t eliminate premature births but measures can be taken in some cases, at present this test is not readily available to women, hopefully it will be soon
It is estimated that 1 in 5 women have to have their labour induced. There are a number of reasons why doctors may induce labour:
- If you have gone past your due date
- If there is something wrong with the foetus
- If there is something wrong with the mother
The most common method of induction is using Prostin an artificial version of the hormone prostaglandin which causes the cervix to ripen. If your doctor decides to use this method they will book you an appointment, when you arrive they will take a blood and a urine sample and perform a CTG which monitors the baby’s heart rate.
An internal examination is then performed to assess the condition of the cervix assuming the cervix is closed a pessary will be inserted, after which they will perform another CTG to ensure that the baby isn’t distressed by the pessary. Six hours later they will perform another internal examination and if the cervix is still closed the process is repeated, they will only give you 3 pessarys, if labour still isn’t occurring then a caesarean is performed.
However if the cervix is dilated they will attempt to break your waters by using a tool which looks a little bit like a knitting needle with a tiny hook on the end, or if after any of the doses labour seems to be progressing OK they may leave it and let nature take its course. If they have to break your waters for you they usually start you on a drip with an artificial form of oxytocin.
If you have your labour induced you can eat and drink as normal until you are in established labour and are still able to have all the methods of pain relief available to those who go into labour naturally.
It is worth pointing out that as with any medical procedure there risks, however these are rare.
- Increased risk of caesarean – this is either a result of the foetus becoming distressed or if labour isn’t progressing
- If you have to have your waters broken there is an increased risk of infection both to you and baby although this is rare
- The baby may react to the prostin again this is rare and staff are monitoring the baby regularly
Having had my labour induced due to a declining fluid index and my baby’s abdominal circumference wasn’t increasing, I can say that it can seem scary but the staff are very good and explain what is going on at every stage so you know what is happening and it is worth it if they can save your baby.