Category: Child Birth

The day a woman gives birth to a child is one of the most important days in her life. Most mothers even want to remember the birth with birth photos. Birth photos are very important because they are the first ones taken of your new child as he or she enters the world.

There are many different types of birth photos you can take. You will need to decide if you want birth photos of the baby actually coming out of the birth canal. Many people like to take videos of the actual birth and save birth photos for shots of the mom and dad with the new baby. Another good birth photo to take is as soon as the physician lifts the baby up. Be warned that this shot may be a bit gruesome, as the baby has not been cleaned, but the mother will love having that moment preserved on film. Most people like to take shots of the happy family after the baby has been checked out by the physician and nurses, cleaned, and wrapped in a blanket. One of the cutest poses for birth photos is to have the dad holding the baby next to the mother while she is still on the delivery table. You can also ask your physician to appear in the photo with the baby and mother.

Although most will allow it, check to see if the hospital allows cameras in the birthing rooms before you take one in. Make sure your camera is working well before the birth – there are no chances for retakes with this event! Make sure the film is loaded or if you are using a digital camera, make sure your battery is charged and all old photos are removed from memory. Make sure the flash works. It is even a good idea to have a backup camera or even an extra set of hands to help you take photos from different angles.

Births are a great and exciting occasion. Unfortunately, so many families live in different cities and even different countries today that is makes it almost impossible for everyone who is important in your life to be there for the birth of your child. This means great looking birth pics are very important! If your loved ones cannot be there for the birth, at least they can help share the experience with you later by looking at incredible birth pics.

Before you enter the hospital, talk to your doctor about birth pics. Make sure it is okay for you to take a camera or video recorder into the birthing room. You may even ask if the hospital has professional photographers on staff to take photos immediately after the birth. After all, birth fathers are often overwhelmed after the birth of a child and may completely forget about taking photos. If there isn’t a professional photographer on staff, consider having a family member or friend in the birthing room with you to take photos. This way, not only can you get photos of the new baby with mom, but also family photos. If you have an older child that is old enough to work a camera and they plan to be in the room when the baby is delivered, as them to take photos as well. Not only does this give you additional photos, but it also allows the older child to have an important role in the birthing process.

Make sure you take more than one camera, just in case there is any faulty equipment. There is just no way to stop the birth while you run out and get another camera, so be prepared! Be sure to take photos of the baby as he or she is born, is being cleaned by the nurses, and after he or she is wrapped up and given to the mother. Birth pics are a great way to share the experience with those who cannot be there. You can never take too many birth pics!

The first pictures of a newborn infant are meant to be treasured forever and are always a sight to behold. Birth pictures can be clicked right from the moment of birth and even earlier when labor is in progress. It is, of course, a matter for you and your partner to decide when to start recording the arrival of your baby. Most hospitals allow documentation of a baby’s birth from any time the parents wish to do so. This applies to both Caesarean and vaginal births. Birth pictures are particularly useful when compiling a birth diary that you can pass on to your child when he or she is of a suitable age.

Birth pictures are also the ideal way of sharing with your near and dear ones this joyous event irrespective of where in the world they happen to be. It is also a good idea to collect pictures of your little one beginning from birth because it helps you see the changes he or she undergoes in a matter of weeks, even days during the first few months. You can choose some of the good birth pictures and have them enlarged and use them as part of your nursery décor.

You can also use some of the birth pictures to make birth announcements to send to friends and relatives to inform them of the joyful event. The photos do not have to be clicked professionally or on a sophisticated camera. Even a disposable camera would do the job just as well. Make sure you click a lot of photographs though, since you won’t know which ones would be technically good since you won’t be able to pay any attention to things like focus, flash, and background. Once you have a lot of pictures to choose from, you can pick only the ones you like and turn them into keepsakes of your choice.

When you have a baby and he is delivered in a hospital you will be provided with forms which will be your child’s birth records. A birth certificate in most countries will contain information such as the date your baby was born, along with the time of day, your baby’s sex, length, weight and your baby’s blood type.

A birth certificate will also contain the signature(s) of the nurse, doctor or midwife who helped to deliver your baby. In addition, the legal parent’s names will be listed and some countries even list the occupation of the parents. This vital birth record is issued for the new baby shortly after the baby’s birth. A physician will generally file the birth records with the government agency in their area.

Birth records are usually stored in a government office and copies of the certificate are issued upon request. Many people have the option of requesting how many copies of their child’s birth certificate they would like while they are still in the hospital. It is a good idea to get a few copies and to have them on hand. One should be kept in a safe place such as a fire box or a safety deposit box. You will need a copy of your child’s birth certificate during important milestones in your child’s life such as starting school, obtaining a passport or getting a driver’s license.

Many people find that they are interested in searching their family history once they have started their own family. If the arrival of your baby has made you curious about your lineage you should begin your search with birth records. Birth records are being searched more and more as people have started using the Internet to search for their genealogy. Birth records are generally available to anyone for a small nominal fee.

Around the ninth month, a pregnant woman is waiting for birth signs that will signal the arrival of the new addition to her family. While a very anxious mother-to-be might be likely to be alert for every slight twinge of discomfort as birth signs, others might not realize they are actually in labor until it is time to get in the car and go to the hospital or to call the midwife. Birth signs can be clear or obscure can occur quickly or slowly.

Some symptoms of the ninth months, such as Braxton-Hicks contractions, may be interpreted as birth signs, but are actually a part of the pregnancy. Many women at this time wonder whether what they are experiencing are cramp like Braxton-Hicks contractions or actual labor. Among many birth signs is that real contractions become more intense and occur closer together. Braxton-Hicks contractions do not become more painful and closer together. Once a woman has contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting one minute and has experienced this for about an hour, she can be considered to be in labor.

There are many other birth signs, but their appearance does not indicate that labor is happening at that moment. There may be a delay of a few weeks or a few days, and even some of these birth signs can occur a few hours before labor or during labor itself. In addition to more rapid Braxton-Hicks contractions, a woman may feel the baby “drop” lower down. This is usually experienced as increased pressure on the pelvis. A woman might notice a mucus plug or a “bloody show.” This plug has been in the cervix since the beginning of the pregnancy and is released before labor. Other birth signs include breaking water, which occurs when water in the amniotic sac leaks. However, this rarely occurs before labor has begun, and is one of the later birth signs.

END MORNING SICKNESS!!
For a Happy Pregnancy

The birth control pill is one of the most popular and most effective forms of contraception, and is relatively easy to take, but requires constant vigilance, since a woman must take a pill every day at about the same time. Missing even one dose, especially for women who are taking the progesterone pill, means a significant risk of pregnancy. Therefore, a woman should always keep her pills with her at all times in her purse, and in case her birth control pill case is lost, she needs to have it replaced as soon as possible.

The most commonly used birth control pill contains a combination of progesterone and estrogen hormones. The birth control pill works by leading the body to “think” it is pregnant by preventing ovulation and thickening the lining of the uterus. The birth control pill comes in 21 day and 28 day packs, and each pill is assigned to a certain day. This is to ensure that she never misses a day.

The birth control pill is not 100% foolproof, and it is estimated that 5 to 8 pregnancies occur for every 100 women who are taking the pill. However, these pregnancies can be the result of human error, such as problems with drug interactions. Care must be taken even when using herbal remedies, since it has been shown that some medicines and herbs such as S. John’s Wort can interfere with the effectiveness of the birth control pill.

There can be side effects to using the birth control pill, and it seems that the positive effects balance out the negative. While a woman might experience unpredictable and irregular menstrual bleeding, headaches, dizzy spells, moodiness, she also reduces the severity of her periods and can lessen acne breakouts with the birth control pill. There have been cases of blood clots that have been blamed on the pill, but these are very rare among women under 35 who do not smoke.

There are many different forms of birth control. Each form should be evaluated for its benefits and its risks. Birth control pills are the choice that many women make to prevent pregnancy. It is important to understand that while birth control pills can prevent pregnancy they do not prevent you from contracting a sexually transmitted disease. You should still consider using condoms to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases.

Birth control pills require a bit more work than other forms of birth control. You will need to have a prescription to get birth control pills. There are actually two different types of birth control pills to choose from: mini-pills and combined oral contraceptives.

Mini-pills only contain progestin. These pills work by thickening cervical mucus which keeps sperm from getting to the egg. They may also work to keep the ovaries from releasing eggs at all. Mini-pills should be taken every day to be effective.

Combined oral contraceptives have two hormones in them: progestin and estrogen. These hormones keep the ovaries from producing eggs. Combined oral contraceptives should be taken every day to be effective. It is thought that the combined oral contraceptives are more effective than the mini-pills.

Other forms of birth control include injections, implants, IUDs, Sterilization, condoms, Norplant and diaphragms with spermicides. However, the only true form of birth control is abstinence. You should talk with your doctor about the different forms of birth control that are available so that a suitable match can be made for you. Every person is unique and each form of birth control has its own effectiveness.

Make sure the form of birth control that you have chosen will meet your needs. Things that you should consider before deciding which form of birth control you will choose should include your age, sexual lifestyle, family history and family planning.

END MORNING SICKNESS!!
For a Happy Pregnancy

If you have never taken oral contraceptives before, you many have many birth control questions. One of the first birth control questions you may have is exactly how to birth control pills work. Most contain artificial estrogen that mimics the hormones of your body. They increase the levels of hormones in your body, making your body adjust. These extra hormones thicken the cervical mucus causing an uninviting environment for sperm, thus preventing pregnancy. Physicians usually advise you to take your birth control pills at the same time each day.

One of the most frequently asked birth control questions if “I forgot to take my pill! What do I do?” If you have forgotten to take your birth control pill, take it as soon as you remember, then take the next pill at the normal time. The risk of pregnancy is only slightly increased, but you may want to use another form of birth control as a back up for the next week. If you have forgotten to take the pill for two days, you should take them as soon as you remember, but use an alternative form of birth control for the rest of the month. Missing more than three pills may mean you need to stop taking the rest of the pack for the month, but you will need to consult your physician or nurse to make sure.

Some birth control questions concern stopping the usage of oral contraceptives. Many women who have taken oral contraceptives for years may decide they want to get pregnant. How long does it take for your body to return to normal? This varies from woman to woman, but most women should wait until they have had at least two normal menstrual cycles before trying to conceive. This can range anywhere from three months to a year as some women go through a period where they are infertile after they stop taking birth control pills.

If you have any additional birth control questions, don’t hesitate to contact your physician at any time.

Once labor sets in for a pregnant woman, it is an indication that the end of the pregnancy is near. However, labor itself has various stages with the second stage being the more intensive and painful besides requiring more effort. This is when the baby moves into the birth canal and every instinct urges the woman to keep pushing. At this time it is best to follow the doctor’s or midwife’s instructions on when and how to push. This stage of labor takes at least a couple of hours for first-timers and it may be slightly shorter for women who have given birth previously.

The contractions and the pushing move the baby along the birth canal and soon the baby’s head begins to peep out through the vaginal opening. This is the birth crowning. As this takes place the mother is likely to experience a burning sensation. However, this will pass in a few moments and then the major part of the laboring is over. As the birth crowning occurs the doctor is also able to determine if the umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby’s neck or if there is any other such obstruction.

Remember to ease up on the pushing once the birth crowning occurs for otherwise, you are likely to end up tearing your vagina and this is something you don’t want to do to yourself. Taking a few deep breaths can help you relax your body and stop pushing till the contractions do their job and ease out the baby after birth crowning. Sometimes, the doctor might have to use forceps or some other means of assistance if the baby gets stuck in the birth canal and has to be manually taken out. Then the baby and mother are all cleaned up and allowed to rest after all their hard work.

Two healthy parents can have a baby with birth defects even if they have no risk factors or health problems. Pregnant women who do everything in their power to have a healthy pregnancy may still have a child with a birth defect. The March of Dimes reports that the cause of nearly 60% of birth defects is unknown. The remaining percent of birth defects is thought to be caused by genetic or environmental factors – or both.

Every person has about 35,000 genes per cell. These genes determine things such as the color of a person’s eyes, their hair color and height and so on. One faulty gene can cause a baby to be born with a birth defect. A baby inherits his chromosomes — and the genes they contain — from his parents. A baby will have one pair of chromosomes from his father and one pair from his mother. A child can be born with a birth defect even if only one half of his chromosomes have a defect or a disease. This is known as dominant inheritance. Birth defects that are sometimes caused by dominant inheritance include dwarfism and Marfan syndrome.

Recessive inheritance is when the baby has inherited a faulty gene for the same condition or disease from both parents. Recessive inheritance can include conditions such as cystic fibrosis or Tay-Sachs.

Other genetic factors that can lead to birth defects are those which are X-linked. This means a male baby has received a faulty gene from their mothers. The structure or number of chromosomes a baby inherits can also cause birth defects. Down syndrome is a birth defect that is caused by chromosome problems.

There are steps that can be taken to make sure a baby does not have birth defects. However, there is no way to guarantee that a baby will be born without birth defects – even if there is no family history of birth defects.