How your pain relief affects your baby

1. TENS machines and Entonox (gas and air) are safe for your baby, although the entonox may leave you feeling a little light-headed and sick
2. Pethidine – the timing of this drug is significant. If it’s given too close to delivery, it can slow the baby’s breathing and he’s more likely to bne drowsy on arrival. It can take several days for the drug to clear out of his system.
3. Meptid is similar to pethidine, but doesn’t affect your baby’s breathing to the same degree, so it can be given closer to delivery
4. Epidural – your blood pressure can drop, so you and your baby have to be monitored, but other side effects are rare

BellyBra helps ease back pain.

 Researchers at Australia’s Melbourne University carried out studies with pregnant women who were between 20 and 36 weeks pregnant and were suffering from lower back or pelvic pain, and found that the BellyBra reduced their symptoms and made them less likely to resort to painkillers.
Results of the trials, which compared theBellyBra with Tubigrip elasticated support bandages,  showed that women in the last  10 weeks of pregnancy who wore  some form of lower back support found it easier to get up from being seated, and to get to sleep comfortable.
However, the BellaBra was more effective in alleviating pain during everyday physical activities such as walking

Inverted nipples make breastfeeding a no-no

Not necessarily, it may be easier for a baby to latch onto a breast with a sticking-out nipple, but it’s certainly not vital. Getting the right help at the start can often resolve any problems

I know I’m pregnant because

…I’m banned from watching TV because the happy adverts make me cry, and those little babies are just so sweet

Just for Dads – things not to say to the midwife

“You can’t buy these cheeky little nurses’ uniforms can you?”

“So a midwife is still like a proper nurse, right? So can you hae a look at this rash for me”

“Out of the way! I need room to zoom in for a real close up”

“I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, but are you sure there’s not another one hiding in there? Just look at the size of her

True or false?

“Morning sickness stops at 12 weeks”
False – although it trails off from the end of the 1st trimester, some women suffer throughout their pregnancies. It is believed that this is because they are more sensitive to pregnancy hormones.

“If you have small feet you’ll have a difficult birth”
False – there is no correlation between shoe size and ease of delivery

“You lose a tooth for every baby”
False – this may have been true once, but nowadays it’s easy to get enough calcium to fulfil both your and your baby’s requirements.

“Severe morning sickness means you’re having twins”
True for many women

“Having a bath could harm your baby”
False, but avoid spas and saunas where the temperatures are likely to be much higher than the recommended 37 degree.

“Sex can bring on labour”
Truish – semen conatins prostaglandins, the hormone that initiates labour, but you’d have to do it a lot!

“Eating for two means eating double”
No – eating for two means improving the quality of your diet, not the quantity

“If you need to wee, you can relive yourself in a policeman’s helmet”
True – it’s an ancient English law that has never been repealed, but probably not to be recommended

5 ways to sleep well tonight

1. Exercise during the day to improve your circulation and prevent leg cramps
2. Have a calming massage before bed to help you wind down.
3. Put a pillow between your knees to prevent straining your back
4. Sprinkle a few drops of lavender essential oil on your pillow
5. Practise your birth breathing technique – in through the nose and out through the mouth

Give yoga a try

Yoga is a great way to exercise your mind and body during pregnancy. By stretching, toning and improving your posture, yoga can help relieve complaints such as backache, sciatica and heartburn.
The deep breathing and relaxation techniques involved can also help to reduce stress and promote a positive frame of mind, and help you feel more in control during labour as well.

Big boobs are better for breastfeeding

Whether you’ve got a voluptuous bosum or a pert pair, you’ll be able to breastfeed.
Milk is produced in glandular tissue which has nothing to do with the size of your breasts

I can’t get pregnant if I’m breastfeeding

Oh yes you can.
However, your chnaces of conceiving in the first six months are low (around 2%) as long as you’re breastfeeding your baby on demand and your menstrual cycle hasn’t returned. If these factors change, the chances of conceiving rise.