Article by Nelson Berry

An increasing number of women are now seeing for themselves the reality behind the concept of post-partum depression. Research shows that 10 percent of women experience major post partum depression after giving birth, and this has caused lasting effects on them. A greater percentage, at about 30 to 80 percent, experience a certain level of depression that, though mild, nevertheless affects their self-esteem and state of mind.

Post partum depression, also known as baby blues, is usually accompanied by a lot of weeping, fatigue, mood swings, and irritability. It has been attributed to many factors, such as hormonal changes. It can last anywhere between a few hours and a couple of weeks, although it occurs longer in some women. In fact, some women have had to seek treatment such as a medication or a therapy, or both, just to get past this difficult stage.

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Article by Morag Macphail

I am currently working as a Health Visitor, but I am also a nursing research student at the University of the West of Scotland conducting an online study to investigate infant to parent attachment relationships. As doctors and midwives we are now aware that emotions play a large part in pregnancy, adjustment to parenthood, and in the development of a healthy parent- child relationship.As part of a study we are conducting into how much emotions change during pregnancy and early parenthood, and the affect this has on the relationship with the child, we would be very grateful for your help in completing the following questionnaires, in order to try and see how much emotions change over a period of time.

Most of the questionnaires require you to put a tick in a box.

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Article by William Delaney

Old Wives’ Tales…..Can it really kick start labor?The moment I saw the two pink lines on the pregnancy test, I was ready to become a mommy. I daydreamed about all things baby related. How would I decorate the nursery? Would it be a boy or a girl? Would the baby look like me or my husband? Needless to say I was anxious to get to 40 weeks and start the mommy journey.At the end of my third trimester I started to research “old wives’ tales” on how to induce labor. I was ready to meet my little girl and I was willing to try some bizarre things I read online.The “old wives’ tales” were endless! Eggplant parmesan, caster oil, walking, swinging, sex, etc. Game on! But how did I get to this point of depression? It didn’t happen over night and it wasn’t without reason. Here is my story on why I tried these crazy tales and what everyone wants to know…did it work?Texas heat + Pregnancy – Patience= Ready to be done!Huge, hot and pregnant! I endured one of the hottest Texas summers during my pregnancy. I would break a sweat just putting my socks on. Every day I would look at the weather hoping for rain but my hopes were crushed when the extended forecast read 100 and up! I spent the entire summer secluded indoors. Being an active person, this was torture. I longed for the days of playing volleyball, going for walks or even a little retail therapy. But the thought of getting out of the A/C to waddle to the car was daunting. Unless I was going to the pool, I didn’t want to step foot out of the house. Not only was I hot but I was uncomfortable! I had heartburn, indigestion, back pain and swelling! All of these factors combined made me even more anxious to go into labor. All of these symptoms would finally be a thing of the past and the best part of all; I would finally get to meet my baby girl. My doctor gave me the option of being induced and I jumped at the opportunity. I had an official countdown to D-day. With the passing of each day I was one step closer to the end. I had the nursery complete, my hospital bag packed, and family on high alert. If this weren’t enough I deep cleaned my house and my husband even shampooed the carpets. We were ready!The night before my induction my husband and I celebrated our last night with just the two of us. We went out to eat and spent the night talking about becoming a mom and dad and greeting our baby girl. We got home and set our alarms extra early, not that I needed an alarm to wake up. I didn’t sleep more than 3 hours! It was like the night before Christmas. I thought about what she would look like, how the labor would go and I envisioned our family and friends congratulating us and sharing our joy.As soon as the clock hit 6:30 am I called the hospital like my doctor instructed to let them know that I was ready to get the show on the road. I expected a quick call saying “see you in 20 minutes”. Imagine my surprise when the nurse said “I’m sorry Miss, can you call back in an hour?” I was down but not out. My husband and I showered, got dressed and even packed the car up with pillows, bags and the car seat. It felt like a crawl to get to 7:30 am. But when it did I was back on the phone and the nurse said “I’m sorry Miss, can you call back in an hour, all of our beds our full right now”. At this point worry started to set in. What if they postponed my induction to later in the day? They don’t let you eat after midnight, so I was really starting to get hungry and frustrated….not a good combination for me! Then another thought entered my mind. What if they not only postponed my induction, what if they cancel it? This was not an option I was ready to handle. My husband had taken two weeks off of work to spend time with the baby and if the induction were moved to another date, he would have less time to bond with her. Well, after another excruciating hour it was time to call the nurse again. I had the phone pressed against my check as I crossed all of my fingers and toes, hoping that she would tell me that they were ready for me and to come in. The nurse put me on hold, not a good sign. I looked across the room at my husband and he gave me a hopeful glance. The head nurse got on the phone…again, not a good sign. She informed me that due to a lot of women going into labor the night before that they could not do the induction and they would have to cancel. She said she would call my doctor to let her know but I needed to call her office to schedule my appointment for the week.Um…did she just say set an appointment? Why couldn’t I just set another date for the induction? Why did I have to go back into the office for another appointment? Stage five melt down in 5…4….3…2….1….I was crying and not just a tear rolling down the check. I’m talking ugly face crying. Where your face gets distorted and you are snorting and snotting all over yourself. It was not a good moment for me. I was upset because I thought I was going to see my baby, I wouldn’t be pregnant anymore and my husband was losing precious vacation time with our baby.My husband finally got me to settle down and we were forced to roll with the punches. I called my doctor’s office and made an appointment to see my doctor the next day. Not too bad, I thought. I bet I will go into the office and she would schedule me for the following day, worst case scenario the day after that.I was sitting in the waiting room and trying to stay optimistic. Today was my mom’s birthday and I knew she was not so secretly wishing I would go into labor today. She wanted her granddaughter to share her birthday and I thought that would be special too. They called me back and I sat on the table covered with the annoying paper, shifting around waiting for my doctor to come in.I heard her voice down the hall and I knew she was headed for my room. The handle turned and I saw a big grin on her face. She said “I have great news”! Awesome, I thought! “You can get me in tomorrow”? “No” she said, “I got you in on Monday, which is great because it was going to be next Friday”.How is this good news? Is this a joke? Did she want me to cry? That was a week away from my original induction date! Just then, the door opened and I saw a familiar face. My mom came to my appointment. She took the morning off for her birthday and to support me at my appointment. She knew how disappointed I was that the induction was cancelled.The doctor repeated everything she told me and my husband. Hearing it twice was like salt in the wound. The first thing my mom asked was if there were any “old wives’ tales we could try to get this going on our own. The doctor listed a few things like caster oil and walking and then we all sulked out of the office. As they walked and I waddled to the parking lot we invited my mom to breakfast for her birthday. We had just reached the parking lot when my mom asked me if I would try caster oil if she bought it. I was a little hesitant since I had read online that it was a powerful laxative and I didn’t want a bad day to get worse by having that situation all day. But I was desperate, so I agreed to give it a try.My mom turned around and went back into the hospital to their pharmacy to buy the caster oil. She was going to meet us at the diner with the first of the “old wives’ tales” I would try that week. And so began my exploratory journey of the “old wives’ tales”.Old Wives Tale #1: Caster OilI sat at the diner table still in shock that I had to wait another week. I ordered a stack of pancakes ready to drown my sorrows in maple syrup. Before I ate the delicious consolation prize I downed two tablespoons of caster oil. It was gross! It tasted very waxy like melted lip stick. I dry gagged as I took the last tablespoon. It truly was nasty but if it worked it would be worth it. Hours passed and I waited for something to happen. I wanted contractions, labor pains, or maybe my water breaking. But my hopes were met with a rumbling in my stomach. We had planned to go to the mall and try the next “old wives’ tale”: walking but I was afraid to leave the house. I ran to the bathroom and spent the afternoon on the porcelain throne.The verdict was in and it was a fail. The only thing that worked about the caster oil was cleaning out my system. After nine months of constipation it was nice to have some relief but I would never try that again. I regretted opening that Pandora’s Box.

Old Wives’ Tale #2: Eggplant ParmesanWe have the most delicious Italian restaurant by our house. So, when I read about the eggplant parmesan “old wives’ tale” this seemed like a much better option than the failed caster oil! I got dressed up in the only maternity dress that still fit me and then my husband and I took our date night for Italian.I am not in to veggies at all! I am very much a meat and potatoes kind of gal, so I didn’t know if I was going to like eggplant. However, it is breaded and paired with pasta and marinara sauce, which made it very yummy. I ate until I felt like I would pass out into a food coma. This I thought, should do the trick. I had researched online and found many women that claimed that this dish would induce labor. I read reviews that claimed that anywhere from 8 hours to 48 hours after eating the eggplant parmesan that women had gone into labor. There was even an Italian restaurant that boasted that their eggplant parmesan was guaranteed to induce labor within 48 hours or they would give you a gift card. Needless to say, I was very hopeful.I laid in bed that night waiting for labor signs. Hour after hour passed and each time I got up to make my bathroom trips I became less hopeful.As the sun came up I started to write it off as a fail. But I needed to give this tale the entire 48 hours.Well, 48 hours came and when nothing happened, I gave up. My contractions never got stronger or closer together. Just the same old false contractions I had been feeling for weeks.Even though this made for a fun night out with my husband and I tried a delicious dish I never, this “old wive’s tale” is debunked.Old Wives’ Tale #3: Walk the WalkNext on my list was walking. I’m not talking about a stroll around the block either. I’m talking power walking. Since it was a very hot summer, I waited until the sun was setting and my husband and I took off for the park down the street and I walked the ½ mile trail. I walked about 2 miles at a pace that got my heart rate up. I felt stronger contractions and they were more frequent. Walking might actually work!The next day I went to the galleria and I walked around each floor and up and down the stairs. Again, I had stronger contractions and they were more frequent. I followed this up with another evening walk around the park. Even though my contractions were stronger and the frequency increased, it did not result in labor.

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Article by Roger Design

Paxil remains one of the most commonly prescribed selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants on the market as many people have seen the symptoms of their behavioral disorders lessened with use of the medication. Doctors have prescribed Paxil to people suffering from stress, anxiety, depression and other conditions while providing warnings about the potential for certain Paxil side effects since it was released on the market in 1992. This still remains true today, however, the warnings of the potential side effects now include the risk of Paxil birth defects if the medication is used by women during or around their pregnancy.When Paxil was first released, patients weren’t told of the possible damage done to the unborn child if taken by a pregnant mother. This resulted in a number of women using Paxil and giving birth to a heart defect baby or a newborn suffering from other Paxil birth defects, such as clubbed foot or anal atresia. As more research was done on Paxil, it became clear the risks were too great and in 2005, the FDA reclassified Paxil as a Category D drug. Medications in this category specifically indicate a risk to the fetus when taken by a woman during pregnancy.While this move by the FDA has since greatly reduced the incidents of Paxil birth defects, it certainly wasn’t made soon enough. Mothers that have given birth to a heart defect baby that they later learned was a result of Paxil have a strong case for litigation against the makers of the medication, GlaxoSmithKline. Those that have hired quality representation have seen their Paxil lawsuits result in financial compensation being awarded, which is typically needed to offset the costs of medical care for their heart defect baby. Such compensation doesn’t make up for the damage caused by Paxil, but it lessens the long term blow and hardships they’ll be facing.The congenital heart conditions that fall under the umbrella of Paxil birth defects include tetralogy of fallot, transposition of the great arteries, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, double outlet right ventricle and other serious health problems. Doctors will usually recommend corrective surgery right away in hopes of preventing long term issues, but many times a heart defect baby will need to undergo multiple procedures if there’s any hope of recovery. With the help of an experienced Paxil attorney, you can file a prescription drug lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline to hold them accountable for the pain and suffering they’ve caused your family.

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Article by John Dipmore

Above and beyond pregnancy, uterine abnormalities (like endometriosis), advanced level of drinking, eating disorders (like bulimia, anorexia), sudden putting on weight or losing weight coupled with emotional stress could lead to disruption of menstrual cycles. Most of the time, menstrual cycles can be associated with cramps and intense headache. There are several natural methods of fix this challenge.

Among the list of well-proved solutions is using herbs like Rehmannia (employed in gynecology for balancing hormones); Vitex (regulates progesterone and estrogen efficiently). A medicine made available from Dimmak Herbs, namely, PSYCLE- Female Hormone Balancing Formula constitutes these herbs coupled with others to help to regulate the cycles.

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Article by Dr. Jason Richards

Although fish oil or omega-3 fatty acids aren’t strictly a back pain issue in pregnancy, I’ve decided to write a little bit about them because of the myriad questions I get about them and of their importance for the expectant mother.

Now for a little biology lesson:We all know that an infant gets all of its nutrition from the mother during pregnancy. What a mother eats greatly is passed directly to the baby through the umbilical cord. We all know that it is important to get folic acid for spinal cord development, iron for blood supply, and calcium to help build those little bones. However, you may not know that omega-3 fatty acids are essential for brain development! Pretty important, huh?

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Article by Peter Hutch

Causes of Postpartum Depression

The exact causes of postpartum depression are unknown,but rapid hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy and delivery may trigger depression. Levels of the hormones estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol fall dramatically within 48 hours after delivery. Women who go on to develop postpartum depression may be more sensitive to these hormonal changes. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a condition that describes a range of physical and emotional changes that many mothers can have after having a baby.

After PregnancyDepression after pregnancy is called postpartum depression or peripartum depression. After pregnancy, hormonal changes in a woman’s body may trigger symptoms of depression. During pregnancy, the amount of two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone, in a woman’s body increases greatly. In the first 24 hours after childbirth, the amount of these hormones rapidly drops back down to their normal non-pregnant levels. Researchers think the fast change in hormone levels may lead to depression, just as smaller changes in hormones can affect a woman’s moods before she gets her menstrual period.

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