
Reply: Safe exercise?
As tlkittyat has suggested, whatever exercise you did before is safe with a few...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
As tlkittyat has suggested, whatever exercise you did before is safe with a few considerations that include a changing center of gravity. Another change is the softening of cartilage and ligaments that affect your joints. They become easier to hyperextend and therefore you can strain them easier. That's why so many women have lower back aches. The pelvis is a bit unstable and the muscles strain at holding everything together.
But exercise aimed at strengthing those muscles is helpful and stretches that ease the joints reduce some of the discomfort of late pregnancy.
So, certainly continue your running, with attention to your knees and hips. And dance away!
Theres a sweet You Tube video of one of my patients dancing to the song "Walk it Out"a week before her labor and delivery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TujmYJcYRGAView Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
But exercise aimed at strengthing those muscles is helpful and stretches that ease the joints reduce some of the discomfort of late pregnancy.
So, certainly continue your running, with attention to your knees and hips. And dance away!
Theres a sweet You Tube video of one of my patients dancing to the song "Walk it Out"a week before her labor and delivery.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TujmYJcYRGAView Thread
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Reply: expert advice please, baby seizures?
I see that it's been 3 days since this was posted. I hope you have been to the...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
I see that it's been 3 days since this was posted. I hope you have been to the hospital or office and have been assured that the baby is fine.
I would like to add that OBs, midwives and nurses all are concerned when the mother is worried about her baby. We feel that each concern needs to be addressed. I would have had you go to the hospital for a quick check on the heart rate monitor. It's an easy usually reassuring test for all of us when mom is worried.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
I would like to add that OBs, midwives and nurses all are concerned when the mother is worried about her baby. We feel that each concern needs to be addressed. I would have had you go to the hospital for a quick check on the heart rate monitor. It's an easy usually reassuring test for all of us when mom is worried.View Thread
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Reply: Lysol question
Did you spray the spider with Lysol or Raid? Certainly, pregnant women are more...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
Did you spray the spider with Lysol or Raid?
Certainly, pregnant women are more sensitive to smells and tastes. I can understand why the smell and taste lingered. But there's been no cases of either Lysol or Raid harming a baby used in the way you describe.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
Certainly, pregnant women are more sensitive to smells and tastes. I can understand why the smell and taste lingered. But there's been no cases of either Lysol or Raid harming a baby used in the way you describe.View Thread
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Reply: Every pregnancy it different....
Your cervix can produce lots of mucus. Some women have a constant trickle of it in...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
Your cervix can produce lots of mucus. Some women have a constant trickle of it in the last few months. Some women notice very little. It can be thick and gloppy or it can be as thin as water.
Unfortunately, either way, it is not a dependable sign of impending labor and is more common the more babies you have.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
Unfortunately, either way, it is not a dependable sign of impending labor and is more common the more babies you have.View Thread
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Reply: Woke up sleeping on my back. Is that bad?
I would say that this is an old wives tale, except, it's a recent scare. We never...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
I would say that this is an old wives tale, except, it's a recent scare. We never heard or worried about this 30 years ago.
It is possible that, late in pregnancy, you could lie so that your uterus compressed your large veins or arteries along your spine. If that happened, you would feel awful, awake or asleep, and roll over.
My theory is that when women started doing pregnancy aerobics, the instructors figured out that women could tolerate exercises on their backs. They made such a big issue of it in the classes that women carried this out to include sleeping at home.
There is no reported cases of babies being harmed in the way. I have, however, gotten lots of frightened women calling me at all hours of the day and night.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
It is possible that, late in pregnancy, you could lie so that your uterus compressed your large veins or arteries along your spine. If that happened, you would feel awful, awake or asleep, and roll over.
My theory is that when women started doing pregnancy aerobics, the instructors figured out that women could tolerate exercises on their backs. They made such a big issue of it in the classes that women carried this out to include sleeping at home.
There is no reported cases of babies being harmed in the way. I have, however, gotten lots of frightened women calling me at all hours of the day and night.View Thread
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Reply: Decaffeinated green tea during pregnancy
Women who have had medical problems associated with abnormalities in their...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
Women who have had medical problems associated with abnormalities in their clotting factors are told to avoid green tea. There are a few, rare medications that can interact with green tea, also. Those women taking those medications are told to avoid green tea.
Green tea, de-caffeinated or caffeinated, is otherwise safe to drink in pregnancy. There is some concern about the amount of caffeine that is safe. It's been recommended to limit the amount of caffeine to the equivalant of 1-2 cups of coffee a day. Most teas have much less.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
Green tea, de-caffeinated or caffeinated, is otherwise safe to drink in pregnancy. There is some concern about the amount of caffeine that is safe. It's been recommended to limit the amount of caffeine to the equivalant of 1-2 cups of coffee a day. Most teas have much less.View Thread
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Reply: Having a baby at 36 ??
There is nothing about being 35 that puts you at high risk other than the...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
There is nothing about being 35 that puts you at high risk other than the increased chances that you have developed a medical problem such as diabetes or high blood pressure. If that hasn't been a problem with the first 3 pregnancies, it shouldn't be much of a risk with this one. Testing for these and other medical problems are a normal part of prenatal care.
At 35, you have a 1/250 chance of having a baby with Downs Syndrome. This risk starts increasing rapidly at 35. Your OB or midwife should offer you testing for this and other kinds of birth defects. Many women decline to be tested.
There are an increasing number of women nowdays who are delaying their childbearing til their mid-30s. For those who are healthy, it's a reasonable choice.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
At 35, you have a 1/250 chance of having a baby with Downs Syndrome. This risk starts increasing rapidly at 35. Your OB or midwife should offer you testing for this and other kinds of birth defects. Many women decline to be tested.
There are an increasing number of women nowdays who are delaying their childbearing til their mid-30s. For those who are healthy, it's a reasonable choice.View Thread
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Reply: Pregnancy after an endometrial ablation
Since endometrial ablation is a procedure to burn out your uterine lining, it all...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
Since endometrial ablation is a procedure to burn out your uterine lining, it all depends on how extensive the ablation was in your case. Most ablations are very extensive and pregnancies are very unlikely to occur. A few ablations leave significant lining behind and the uterus will support a pregnancy.
The OB will most likely refer you to a specialist who will evaluate your uterine lining and it's ablility to carry the baby to full term.
The worst case, if you are indeed pregnant, would be that you will miscarry. It is also possible that you could carry a baby for less than full term and deliver early.
Let us know what happens.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
The OB will most likely refer you to a specialist who will evaluate your uterine lining and it's ablility to carry the baby to full term.
The worst case, if you are indeed pregnant, would be that you will miscarry. It is also possible that you could carry a baby for less than full term and deliver early.
Let us know what happens.View Thread
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Reply: Pregnant and no insurance
I agree with Anon 395. Unless you have a medical problem such as high blood...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
I agree with Anon 395. Unless you have a medical problem such as high blood pressure or diabetes, or a history of miscarriages, there's no problem in waiting to be seen at 12 weeks. Any problems with this pregnancy, such as bleeding would be handled in an emergency room.
There is testing offered for Down Syndrome between 11 and 14 weeks. If you want to be tested, you will want to be seen before 14 weeks. It sounds like Medi-Cal will be available to you by then.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
There is testing offered for Down Syndrome between 11 and 14 weeks. If you want to be tested, you will want to be seen before 14 weeks. It sounds like Medi-Cal will be available to you by then.View Thread
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Reply: pressure/ not sure what to call it
Most women feel a sort of heaviness in early pregnancy. Part of it is the...
Posted by Kay Johnson, CNM
Most women feel a sort of heaviness in early pregnancy. Part of it is the enlarging uterus and part it the increase in blood circulation into the tissues of the pelvis. Many women have this same feeling right before a period starts, although it's much more noticible in pregnancy.
The uterus isn't filling with fluid in early pregnancy so much as it's simply enlarging with the growing fetus.
There must be lots of other factors that effect how this all feels to a woman, because some women never notice any of this. It may have to do with the position that each woman carries her uterus. If it folds forward, there's often lots of pressure on the bladder. If it flods backward normally, there's more rectal pressure or back ache.
It's all good. The sign of a growing baby.View Thread
Posted byKay Johnson, CNM
The uterus isn't filling with fluid in early pregnancy so much as it's simply enlarging with the growing fetus.
There must be lots of other factors that effect how this all feels to a woman, because some women never notice any of this. It may have to do with the position that each woman carries her uterus. If it folds forward, there's often lots of pressure on the bladder. If it flods backward normally, there's more rectal pressure or back ache.
It's all good. The sign of a growing baby.View Thread
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