The Birth Lounge Blog

Bed Sharing with Amanda Jansen Today we're talking about bed sharing with Amanda Jansen, who is a registered nurse and IBCLC. She has eight years of L & D and postpartum experience as a nurse.  (This blog is pulled from a The Birth Lounge podcast interview with Amanda Jansen.) So let's start off with the basics.  What is Bed Sharing?  If you get online, you'll realize there's not a set definition. Just to make it clear bed sharing, obviously infants in the bed with you. Co-sleeping, you know, there's something right beside the bed, like kind of like an arms reach but not necessarily, you know, right next to mom.  And then there's room sharing, which could just be a crib in the same room with you.  So those are the three levels parents should be informed of, and then of course the independent sleep in a separate room, that a lot of families choose to do. So a little bit more of my history. I did bed share with my first as a postpartum nurse, you know, I'm...

MTHFR Gene Mutation and Pregnancy Every human has the gene known as 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, but a significant percentage of humans have a mutation of that gene, simply known as MTHFR Mutation. MTHFR mutation boils down to the body’s inability to break down folate. Folate is imperative to the process of making DNA and modifying certain proteins as they relate to DNA. When looking closely into MTHFR, we find that people with this mutation have high levels of homocysteine. Homocysteine is the amino acid produced when proteins are broken down within the body. This high level of homocysteine can lead to arterial damage and blood clots. Hand in hand with this elevated homocysteine level, we find both a folate and vitamin B-12 deficiency. MTHFR mutation is hypothesized to affect 25% of hispanic people and 15% of white, and is likely to affect 40% of the overall population according to the genetic care and rare diseases information center. This mutation is not a random occurrence, in fact it...

Cesarean Recovery No matter how we bring our children into this world, our bodies will have some healing to do. Bringing a baby earthside is physically taxing, and involves so many different systems of the human body. In the case of cesarean delivery, there are a few more steps added to the recovery process. We tend to neglect these steps when leaving the hospital, but it’s important to know what tools are available in your recovery toolbox. Here are the five most impactful tools that ensure a faster and more complete recovery. Walking - After surgery your epidural or spinal will be removed and over the next few hours the numbness will begin fading away. While you may leave the OR expecting to take it as easy as possible, you will quickly find that the first task on your “to-do list” is getting up and taking a walk through the hospital corridor. While this can be painful and feel like it adds insult to injury, ambulation is imperative to proper recovery. Why? Because it is the action o...

The Truth about Glucola Alternatives What is gestational diabetes and how do we diagnose it? Gestational diabetes testing is a routine screening that almost all pregnant parents will encounter around 26 weeks gestation. To get the big picture of why we screen for this we should discuss how the pregnant body metabolizes sugar in comparison to a body that isn’t pregnant. So let's dive in. When we eat carbohydrates (think bread, rice, pasta) our bodies break them down into glucose. This glucose is what gives us energy as we go through our day, and it is aided by insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas. Insulin is also capable of turning excess glucose into stored fat. So how does this differ from how glucose is metabolized in a pregnant body? Think of hormones as the catalyst for nearly all bodily functions. Hormone levels in pregnancy are wildly elevated, and these higher hormone levels can actually impede the body’s ability to use insulin as efficiently. We refer to this as ins...

Breech Birth Breech birth is a variation of normal. Hopefully you’ve heard this before, but oftentimes parents carrying breech babes are met with dead ends and discouragement that leaves them with the idea that their baby or body hasn’t done its job properly. Before we go any further, allow me to repeat myself. Breech is a variation of normal, occurring in 3-4% of term pregnancies. Breech fetal presentation means our body, which has answers no text book can teach us, has chosen this position for reasons we may not understand. Remember, things are not inherently bad or dangerous just because we don’t understand them. It just means we have knowledge to gain. What’s important to know is that vaginal breech birth is absolutely possible, and not only that! Vaginal breech birth, when properly supported, can be totally safe. While many providers may push a planned cesarean, you have the right to decline . The Safety Factor If breech presentation is normal, why are discoveries of Breech babie...

Guide to Galactagogues Chances are that if you’ve ever had a baby, you’ve faced some of these agonizing anxieties: am I  making enough milk ?, is my baby getting enough milk?, is my baby gaining weight properly?, etc… While these questions may or may not be unfounded, we’ve all spent time wondering where we even start to look for answers.  Thankfully the options are plentiful, from basic body mechanics, to herbal support, all the way to off label prescriptions. So let’s die in and review the risks, benefits, and the mechanisms that make them effective. Body Mechanics Before jumping headfirst into costly supplement regimens, consider making an appointment with a recommended lactation consultant, or purchasing a scale for doing weighed feedings at home . This involves weighing your naked infant just before a feed and just after a feed. The increase in your baby’s weight will reflect how much your baby has eaten. Being able to visually see that your baby has taken in three to fiv...