Maternity units are ‘conveyor belts’….

Following on from last month’s report from the Royal College of Midwives, the UK Healthcare Commission say that the experience of childbirth for many women is blighted by a lack of beds, showers and toilets. Staff shortages and poor teamworking is also blamed for poor standards in some trusts, including those that have been investigated for unacceptable rates of deaths among new mothers. The report also claims that mothers are giving birth on Health Service ‘conveyor belts’ with beds being used for more than one birth a day in some maternity units.

The report concludes that it is virtually impossible to give women proper choice over where to give birth - one of the UK Government’s key aims.
Overall, 20% of trusts with mater4nity units were rated as performing poorly, and 33% of trusts didn’t provide personal support from a named midwife.

In January, the government announced an additional £330m funding (none of it ring-fenced) and action to recruit an additional 4,000 midwives by 2012.

But, according to the Royal College of Midwives current final year maternity students are finding it hard to find jobs and more and more midwives are now working part-time. So if the same thing happens with this extra 4,000 midwives, then we will have more midwives, but the total number of hours worked will not have increased in the same proportion, so the maternity service will not have improved by as much as the government would like us to believe.
To coin an old saying, “you can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time”

Me? Pregnancy cravings……never!

Well that’s what you thought before you became pregnant, but what’s the reality now?
Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches at midnight, dying for a chocolate brownie, cream and ice cream at 3am?

We all know that it’s not really you that needs, really, really needs, this particular food - it’s really that baby of yours that needs it right now! And if you can’t indulge hiom or her a little from time to time, who can you indulge?

Does pizza and salt and vinegar crisps do it for you, or is there another bizarre craving that you can’t live without?

There are lots of great things about having a baby

So what’s on your list of the things that make it great to have a baby? To give you a start, here are some of our suggestions:
1. You’re extra special - as soon as you announce you’re pregnant, you become the centre of attention.
2. Together Forever - many couples find that having a baby improves their relationship.
3. Take It Easy - pregnancy is a great excuse for putting your feet up and watching re-runs of 24, Lost and Friends
4. Talking Shop - planning what to buy for yourt new baby
5. Spend! Spend! Spend! - you’ve done the planning (see 4) so it’s time to hit the shops
6. Mum’s The Word - no not us, but having a baby can bring you closer to your mum. (We’d love to see you to help with 5 above!)
7.Fantastic Fun - time to act like a big kid again
8. New Friends - you’ll make lots of new friends who are going through the same experiences as you are.
9. When two becomes three - you’ve stopped being a couple and become a family
10. Cuddle Up! - nothing beats having a cuddle with your new baby

My bump looks much bigger/smaller than everyone else’s!

Your bump’s size is dictated by many things, not just the size of your baby.

Size can be affected by the way the baby is lying, how tall you are, whether or not it’s your first baby, how fit you are, and not least, how many babies you’re carrying!

Remember, not all babies are the ‘average size’, some are bigger and some are smaller, but they all tend to grow to ‘fit’ their mum’s pelvis.
So when you cast that envious sideways look at the mum’s neat bump next to you in the antenatal clinic, she might just be looking sideways at you and thinking ‘I wish my bump was that big.

Chocolate’s good for you (well we knew that didn’t we?)

According to scientists at Yale University, women who ate chocolate (especially dark chocolate) at least 5 times a week were 40% less likely to develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy than women who had it less than once a week.

But (and there’s always a but with chocolate) only have a few squares a day, as it is also high in fat and sugar.

How do you bond with your bump?

Dr Miriam Stoppard believes it is very important that a mum starts to bond with her baby while it is still in the womb qand she suggests a number of ways by which you can encourage this closeness between mother and unborn baby.

Just smile - the physical act of smiling releases your body’s own feel-good hormones, which then cross the placenta and help your baby feel calm and serene.

Talk to your bump - just for a few minutes every day. By 6 months, your baby can distinguish your voice, her heart rate slows down when she hears you speak, and she’ll be able to recognise your voice after birth.

Massage your bump - use a quailty stretch mark oil or cream to massage your bump in a circular motion and not only can you help to keep stretch marks at bay, but the massage motion promotes relaxation and calming hormones will be released which in turn can help soothe your baby.

Let us know if you have tried any of these ideas, and did they work for you?

How can I feel less tired?

Unfortunately, there is no ‘cure’ for tiredness when you have a new baby, but these few tips may help you to feel a little more rested.
1. Sleep or rest when your baby does - even if it is mid-morning. Put your mobile on silent and ignore the doorbell. Cat-naps like this will really help top up your energy levels.
2. Be realistic about what you can achieve. You are not Wonder Woman or the Bionic Woman, so you can’t do everything today - spread it out in more easily manageable tasks.
3. Accept all offers of help. Absolutely! Cooking, cleaning, ironing (especially ironing!!) - the more practical help you can get in the early days the better.
4. Stop ironing or at least cut down! Not everything needs to be ironed (plus see 2. above).
5. Eat well - soups, baked potatoes, sandwiches and fresh fruit will help to keep your blood sugar steady, stabilise your mood and help maintain your energy levels.

What worked for you? Any of the above or something completely different? Let us know!

Did you know….?

From about four months, the stress level of your baby in the womb rises and falls in line with yours. So taking a “chill pill” not only helps you, it also helps your unborn baby.
Do you have a favourite way of chilling out during your pregnancy? If so, please share it here with other mums-to-be

Morning Sickness - what worked for you?

Are you one of the 90% of women who have suffered or are suffering from morning sickness during your pregnancy?
If you are, which remedy did you find worked the best in either ‘curing’ or alleviating the symptoms?
On the MumsTheWord website, we have 14 alternative morning sickness remedies from which you can choose, and although we know which one we sell the most of, (Muti’s Morning Sickness Relief Stick), we don’t know how effective the remedies are.
So please help your fellow sufferers out and let them know which remedy worked best for you

Breast milk boosts IQ

According to a survey of 14,000 children over a period of 6 years by researchers from McGill University in Canada, up to 6 IQ points separate babies that were breast fed compared to those fed on formula milk

The study which was carried out in Belarus was designed not to be influenced by factors such as the mother’s intelligence or the way she interacted with her baby.

At 6, exclusively breast-fed children scored 5.9 points higher on average in tests of overall intelligence. It is thought that breastmilk contains ingredients which boost mental skills, whilst the intimacy of breastfeeding may also help children.

The survey was lead by Professor Michael Kramer who said that breast milk may have nutrients not found in formula milk which stimulate brain development, but he could not rule out other influences such as the physical and psychological closeness between mother and child during feeding.