Lil General cried incessantly for two days this week. Wondering what made him restless I tried quite a few things such as feeding him repeatedly, making sure he wasn't too cold or too hot and comforting him all the time. But nothing worked. That's when I decided to review my diet to see what had changed. I had tea to soothe my infected throat those 2 days. So I decided to stop it and see if he was doing fine. That did wonders ..the rest of my diet remained the same. Apparently caffeine causes restlessness in babies. To my surprise a cup of coffee that I have every morning suits him just fine. If you want to continue with your limited intake of caffeine you might want to have atleast 8 glasses of water so that it doesn't bother the baby much. This is ofcourse only if you are breastfeeding your baby. There are no diet restrictions if your baby is exclusively on supplements.
Pain relief in labour : Epidural Anasthesia
Here's a great article in this week's Hindu on Pain relief in Labour. Unlike Supriya, I never worried about the pain during labour as every day during those 9 months in the pre natal period itself was a struggle. I never fathomed how painful the delivery process was going to be and always imagined it would be a breeze and the kid would be out in no time. My husband Vivek mentioned about Epidural Anasthesia to me earlier and how it made labor less painful. I wish I had done some more research to find out which hospitals did that or spoke to my gynaec about that much before. Believe me, delivery through normal process is very painful and the pain just goes exponentially as the hours tick by. The pain is something that I cannot equate to anything else, something that you would have never experienced before. One thing that helped a bit during the labour pain was deep breathing.
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Here is the full article:
Supriya has been talking to her friends. She is apprehensive about going through labour. As her due date approaches, her anxiety and fear increase exponentially. Some of her friends and relatives have used some ill-chosen words to describe the travails of labour. She is really frightened about going through labour. Will she be able to tolerate it? Her husband has promised to be with her through the labour but she still needs reassurance that there will be pain relief offered to her during labour and delivery. Supriya need not worry. Modern obstetrics offers her many choices.
In every language in the world, the words for childbirth and labour are synonymous with pain. The joy of giving birth is always coloured with the fear of pain during labour. Some women dread childbirth to the extent of demanding a caesarean section instead of going through natural childbirth.
There are many ways to lessen pain during labour and the birth of a baby. Being prepared with knowledge of the birth process is the first step towards being able to handle labour pains. Labour preparation classes for the couple are important. There are also safe pain-relieving drugs that can be given as an injection. Newer methods include epidural analgesia, which cuts off the pain of labour without interfering with the action of labour contractions.
The type of pain relief that is right for you depends on your pain threshold. Some women can tolerate pain to a greater extent than others. Some women have a low threshold for pain and this, combined with the fear of labour pains, can make them intolerant of the slightest pain. A woman's physical fitness, having taken labour preparation classes, the length of labour, the intensity of labour pains, and the size of the baby play a role in the ability to handle the pain of labour.
What types of drugs are used for pain relief?
Pain relief offered during labour is safe for both the mother and the baby.
Narcotics (such as Pethidine) may be used during the first stage of labour to help you relax. Narcotics are usually injected into a muscle (IM) or into a vein (IV). They affect the entire body. Narcotics lessen the pain and can help you feel less tense or anxious.
Regional anaesthesia lessens or completely blocks the pain in a specific part of the body. The epidural block is a commonly used type of regional anaesthesia during labour. Spinal anaesthesia is also a regional block but is used only for a caesarean and not for pain relief during labour.
With either narcotic pain relief or epidural anaesthesia, there is no loss of consciousness, so the mother can actively participate in the process of delivery.
What is an epidural block?
For an epidural block, pain-relieving medicine is injected into the lower part of the back. Usually a small tube (catheter) is inserted into this area of the back. The medicine can be repeated through the catheter when the effect of the medicine wears off.
In low doses, an epidural block eases the pain of contractions and numbs the birth canal during labour and delivery. The pressure of the contractions is still felt with an epidural block but the pain component will be minimised. In higher doses, an epidural may be used for caesarean sections.
Are there any risks?
Because a narcotic like pethidine affects the entire body, both the mother and the baby may have mild side effects from this drug. Drowsiness and feeling dizzy are the commonest side effects. They are usually not used when the baby is just about to be delivered so that the baby does not have any difficulty.
The medicines used in epidural analgesia are less likely to pass to the baby and affect the baby because the medicine does not enter the bloodstream. An epidural may cause the blood pressure to drop. This may slow the baby's heartbeat. To help stop this from happening, fluids are given through a drip before the block is given.
How can pain during labour be relieved without drugs?
Each woman has a different threshold for pain. How a person deals with the pain depends on her attitude to labour. Attending labour preparation classes help relieve the anxiety about labour. Breathing exercises are an important part of pain relief during labour.
Your husband's presence in the labour room is also important. Your husband can encourage you as you go through labour and it is a strong bonding experience.
You and your husband can take classes to learn about childbirth, body conditioning exercises, and methods of relaxation. All of these techniques can be used with other treatments for labour pain.
GITA ARJUN
Cracked or sore nipples?
To say that the first few weeks as a new mom has been challenging is an understatement. It brings with it a lot of unknowns, situations you have never been subjected to before and more and more questions for which you have no answers. Ignorance is definitely not bliss when it comes to your kid. Every time our son cried, we thought he was angry. That was the most easiest thing to presume and I would feed him.
In situations such as this, it is quite possible that breastfeeding may possibly make your nipples feel a little sore at the beginning of a feed during the first few days. This can also happen if your baby is not latched on properly or if you are feeding him after a long interval. Due to hunger, kids become restless and hurry for the feed. This would cause your nipples to crack or bleed and the pain is very intense - a needlelike pain. Here is what was prescribed to me and what I suggest:
- Get medical attention as soon as possible. Even before your delivery talk to your doctor about any care you need to take.
- Do not use syringes to extract milk on cracked nipples.
- Do not use soaps or lotions on the cracked area.
- Massage it with warm water using a clean cloth.
- Medication : Most importantly this is what helped. A Lanolin based ointment like Nipcare (in India) can be applied before and after the feed to the breasts. You can do this even before delivery. This will help the pores open up. It is safe to feed the baby with the ointment applied.
My baby's diet : First month
Mother's feed. Exclusive on-demand breastfeeding. I do not go by the clock. Feeding is erratic and the intervals or the duration of the feed is not set. I feed LG as long as he wishes to and looks satisfied.
Mother's feed. Exclusive on-demand breastfeeding. I do not go by the clock. Feeding is erratic and the intervals or the duration of the feed is not set. I feed LG as long as he wishes to and looks satisfied.
