Postpartum Depression

Much more serious and lasting than the "baby blues," some women experience what is clinically referred to as postpartum depression. The following are the most common symptoms of postpartum depression. However, each woman experiences these symptoms differently. Symptoms include:

Pospartum Care

After delivering her baby, a mother will continue to be monitored and receive pain relief, if needed. A mother and baby usually remain at the hospital for a couple of days to recover.

Postpartum care for the mother:

As the mother recovers, the following symptoms are not uncommon:

Health Benefits to Moms Who Breastfeed

• Reduced risk of breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers

•     Reduced risk of anemia
•     Protection against osteoporosis and hip fracture later in life
•     Reduced risk of mortality for women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been associated with total time of lactation

Breastfeeding Facts

  

• Children receive the most complete and optimal mix of nutrients & antibodies

• The varying composition of breastmilk keeps pace with the infant's individual growth and changing nutritional needs

•     Have fewer incidences of vomiting and diarrhea in the US (20-35 million episodes of diarrhea occur in children under the age of 5, resulting in over 200,000 hospitalizations and 400-500 deaths in the U.S.)

•     Protection against gastroenteritis, necrotizing entercolitis

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is one of the most natural and beneficial acts a mother can do for her child.  Dramatic health benefits have been proven to pass from mother to child through breastmilk   From antibodies which protect an infant at birth...to the exclusive nutrients in mother's milk which have been shown to prevent a number of childhood diseases

Pregnancy Stages (First Trimester)

First Trimester

Week 1
Mother:


    You started your period on the first day of this week. The last period you will have for at least the next nine or ten months. Some women, especially those who choose to breastfeed exclusively, may not have another period for a year and a half!
    It seems odd to begin counting the weeks of your pregnancy with your last menstrual period, however, most women are not conscious of the day they ovulate, much less the day they conceive their baby. Since most can remember the day their period started, it makes a very clear starting point for determining the due date for your upcoming birth.
    Remember that your due date is just an estimate! The average pregnancy last 40 weeks. Most women deliver their babies between 38 and 40 weeks from the first day of their last period.
    If you are hoping or planning to become pregnant now is the time to begin improving your diet and adding vitamin supplements such as folic acid and iron.

Pregnancy Tests

A pregnancy test is done to determine if a woman is pregnant with a baby. When a woman gets pregnant, pregnancy hormone called the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is released in the blood and the urine. Pregnancy test detects the hormone hCG and confirms the pregnancy. The amount of the hormone is directly proportional to the length of your pregnancy and thus, pregnancy test also determines how far the pregnancy has reached by detecting the level of the hormone present in the blood or urine.


Time to go for a pregnancy test: