Fancy A Makeover

Archive for the ‘Motherhood’ Category

Tesco has reported that they have seen a rise in pregnancy test sales, usually when there is a baby boom it tells us that the economy is thriving and stable but it’s not the case here. The job market, banks and housing market continue to suffer with experts predicting even more job losses and housing market losses. So why has 2011 seen an increase in pregnancy test sales and positive pregnancies?

It is thought that as people have been cutting back on luxuries such as meals out, theatre and cinema they have been entertaining themselves at home instead. Surprisingly as pregnancy test sales have risen condom sales have decreased. Tesco accounts for a third of all pregnancy tests sold with 3.5 million sold in 2010 alone. 2010 saw pregnancy test sales increase by 31% and it seems that this year the trend is continuing.

Essex is currently in the lead with the most tests sold but other areas such as Scotland, Northern Ireland and East Anglia have also seen demand increase. The areas that have seen the most demand Tesco is making sure that they are stocked up on essential baby items such as nappies, wipes, formula and food.

People are sceptical when it comes to the cause of this baby boom with many suggesting that it’s a ploy to claim benefits but as the government cracks down on this it may be harder to claim even if you have children. Others suggest that as people lose their jobs they cannot afford to buy condoms and take a chance having unprotected sex instead. Seems silly when you can get contraception for free in most sexual health clinics but they are just some of the reasons.

Another interesting theory is that it is immigrants who are accounting for the majority of pregnancies as they too try to stay in the country longer. We all know that people flock from all over the world to give birth in the UK as it is free and cleaner than some other places. Also those from the EU regularly come over to get free healthcare during pregnancy then decide to stay when they realise they can claim benefits.

I feel sorry for those that cannot afford to have children at this moment in time but feel they should do it anyway, if you haven’t got a home or job security it is unfair to expect the government to look after you. There are many hardworking people out there who have sacrificed or put having a family on hold until they are financially able to, why are so many people so selfish?

Hypnobirthing has been around for some time but in the last five years the demand for it has shot up significantly. As NHS trusts are trying to cut maternity units and midwives money has to be saved and trialling hypnobirthing and phasing out pain relief looks like the most likely option.

What is hypnobirthing?

Hypnobirthing is when you are hypnotised before giving birth so that you are in a trance-like state, it gives you better control and is said to reduce the pain you feel during labour. It’s used as alternative to drugs such as pethidine, epidurals and laughing gas during labour. As many women are scared of epidurals due the needle used to administer it only pethidine and laughing gas are offered as alternatives. Having an epidural means you are numb from the waist down, labour and recovery are also slow as you cannot feel when you have to push and you have to wait to get feeling back in your legs before being able to move around.

In a new trial being offered by the NHS more than 800 women will be taught hypnobirthing in a new measure that is hoped will save the NHS thousands. Currently hypnobirthing is offered privately at a cost of at least £60, you are taught to self hypnotise at the right time to ease labour pains and have a stress free and near enough pain free birth.

As the NHS continues to look for ways to cut spending this is the latest, many women around the country have complained that they were denied or made to ask up to six times for an epidural during labour. Epidurals need to be given at the correct time, having one too soon will slow labour down and too late will have no effect. Women have said that they were made to beg for epidurals whilst midwives fobbed them off; when it was time to push they were left traumatised.

Not everyone has a high pain threshold and to make a pregnant woman beg for pain relief is unacceptable. If money is an issue then maybe they should ask patients who want one to pay for it, I’m sure many would like to have this as an option rather than being in so much pain the end up needing assisted deliveries such as forceps or even a caesarean.

Currently for every epidural that a woman requests it costs the NHS around £500, the cost is high because it needs to be done by an anaesthesiologist and not a midwife or nurse. So by trialling free hypnobirthing classes to pregnant women they will in time save millions. Critics argue that hypnobirthing only works for one in four women and if left alone for a longer period of time complications can arise. When pain relief is administered midwives are advised to stay with the patient as high blood pressure and a distressed baby can be a sign that things aren’t going as smoothly as they could but hypnobirthing will mean that the woman will be in a trance like state giving the impression that everything is ok.

All women want the best for their children and sometimes that means being there every minute of the day. Some mums find that they have a very needy baby who will not sleep alone, so everyday things we take for granted like cooking, showering and watching TV become impossible. It seems that in most cases it’s because they child was never put down as a young baby and was always carried so mum could feel the comfort and security of just having a baby.

SIDS do not advise co-sleeping with babies as they are more prone to sudden infant death syndrome, a child sleeping alone in a moses basket, crib or cot are most likely to be fine but there are cases where even they can die suddenly. After 6 months babies should really be in their own room, this is so they can understand than mum and dad need some ‘alone time’ too.

Some parents get too much information from magazines and books they should be left to make up their own minds on how they should parent their children. For example children are supposed to have a blackout blind so they can sleep better in the dark, but what happens if you go on holiday or baby falls asleep whilst shopping? The same goes for when you put baby to sleep, why do you have to stop hovering, watching TV or listen to music? Babies need to be in a ‘real’ house where there is light and noise.

By going to extreme lengths to make a baby fall asleep you are creating a false interpretation of what life is all about, this is why many parents cannot have a baby sleep beside them for the recommended 6 months as they cannot sleep in a room with a light on or people talking.

Did you know as much as 40% of parents in the UK share their bed with their children? Most of them are of school age and do not require nappies to be changed or milk. Co-sleeping with older children can also be a passion killer and children end up causing a rift between parents as they shuffle around in their sleep causing at least one parent to not have slept well at all. Most families who let one or more children sleep in their bed will find that the marriage collapses after a few years as men are most likely to be pushed out of their own bed to make room for the children.

We all know co-sleeping with a newborn up to the age of six months is dangerous but keeping them in your room after this time means it will be harder for them to move out afterwards. So make sure you and your partner discuss parenting before having children so you can work together to bring up your family without the risk of co-sleeping.

10 years ago the World Health Organisation issued guidelines on breastfed babies, the Health Organisation agreed that it was best for the baby if they were exclusively breastfed for the first six months on their life. Now in an unexpected u-turn research conducted by the British Medical Journal has found that weaning a baby off mother’s milk at 6 months or later actually increases iron deficiency and food allergies.

Not all women follow the guidelines as set out by the WHO and midwives also support this, at around 26 weeks of pregnancy midwives are already encouraging mothers to try breastfeeding and to do this as long as possible. Those who cannot breastfeed use formula instead and will start the weaning process as soon as baby is 6months old or more.

Breastfeeding specialists have dismissed the new findings and say that new mothers do not follow advice as it is anyway; most women know when their child is ready to be weaned whether it is above or below the recommended time. There have been many mothers who have weaned babies off milk and onto solids as early as 4 months! It is only advisable if the baby is unable to fill up on milk alone and can sit up. Weaning a baby that is not yet able to sit up unaided is a cause for concern as they will choke if fed solids as it will just sit on the stomach instead of sitting up to aid digestion.

How breastfeeding advice has changed over the last 50 years

• In the early 1900’s formula was rare and hard to come by, the limited supply that was available was only given to women who were unable to feed naturally.
• In the1950’s just before the war formula was popular are milk went down, the baby boom started and claims by the U.S that it was just as good as breast milk
• By 1975 more than half of all babies were bottle fed from birth as women continued to work after having children and formula was widely available and advertised
• The 1990’s saw the WHO suggest breastfeeding for the first 3 months exclusively
• By 2001 after much research the WHO guidelines changed and breastfeeding was recommended for the first 6 months
• By 2005 breastfeeding was over the 75% threshold as many mothers chose breast over formula
• A change in the law in 2008 meant a ban on all advertising formula milk for babies less than 6 months, though it is widely available in the shops

Breastfeeding advice has changed a lot over the last 50 years and will no doubt keep changing in the future. How you decide to feed and nourish your children is up to you but before you drastically change a babies feeding and diet needs its best to consult your midwife or family GP first.

Most pregnant women will need to get some maternity clothing during some stage of pregnancy, the lucky ones will only start needing bigger and looser clothing in the last trimester but those who need maternity clothes sooner like me will find that it’s not so easy to find what you’re looking for.

There are many high street brands that cater for maternity clothing with the most popular being, Next, Mothercare, Mamas and Papas, Dorothy Perkins, Topshop, New Look and H&M. That’s quite a selection but what I found was that not all stores have a maternity section inside so there aren’t that many places to shop for maternity clothing, only larger stores have a small section for maternity wear. When you look online it’s a different story, there are many different outfits and styles of clothing to choose from but they are not available in all stores and finding out which stocks what is just too time consuming.

I have resorted to buying all my maternity clothes online, yes it is risky because of sizing and material quality but I have been to all different shopping centres and still cannot find a store that has a selection for me to choose from. I have been a customer with ASOS for many years now and have always found their clothing to be of good quality and excellent customer service and delivery, so when I noticed they had a maternity selection I wasn’t afraid to order from them.

ASOS have a large maternity clothes selection mostly made up of their own line of clothing but there are other brands being sold on their website too like, French Connection maternity and Mamalicious. Since I have bought a pair of maternity jeans from Next I know that I have only gone up one size during pregnancy but if I find that clothes from ASOS are too small then it’s easy to return as it’s free.

ASOS maternity clothes review

I spent nearly £200 in maternity clothing from ASOS the most expensive item being a maternity winter coat which was only £80 down to £40, it fits well and the quality is good. I bought large shirts, a few dresses and tops, a pair of maternity leggings and a maternity cardigan at the bargain price of £14 down from £40! I was pleased with my items though I had to return a pair of jeans as I found them too snug. The maternity jeans were not very accommodating as Next were, they looked more like skinny jeans than boyfriend jeans but the last thing a pregnant woman wants is to feel restricted during pregnancy, so I returned them through their free Collect+ service.

As most of the ASOS maternity clothes I bought were their own brand of clothing I still expected them to be of good quality but my maternity leggings started to bobble after wearing them only twice! My lovely knee length cardigan also fell apart the first time I wore it! If I paid the original price of £40 I would have been absolutely devastated but since paying only £14 in the sale it’s not a big setback but never the less still very disappointing!

I have contacted ASOS telling them I am not happy but 3 days later I have still not had a reply! Their own brand of clothing is very poor quality and I don’t hold out much faith that they will last the last few months I have of pregnancy. Don’t bother spending money on ASOS maternity as its too overpriced for the poor materials that they use, you would be better off buying bigger sizes in Primark!

Years ago pregnant women used to embrace their womanly pregnancy curves, even supermodels put on weight and get a large bump during pregnancy, but as celebrities fuel the trend for the perfect pregnancy shape many women are resorting to pregnancy shape wear to keep everything look smooth and lump free.

Shape wear or control pants as they are most commonly known have been around for years but as the media get more obsessed with the trend to be slim people have started to wear control pants even during pregnancy and not after as many struggle to lose the baby weight. Not everyone has the perfect round bump when pregnant nor do they have pert bottoms and slim thighs but it’s all part of being pregnant and the changing shape of a woman as the approach a new chapter in life, motherhood.

Body shaping underwear during pregnancy doesn’t necessarily make the stomach area smaller as they provide support to the growing heavy bump; they do however smooth out the waist area and the thighs to make them look nicer under tight fitting clothes. Many celebrities have admitted to wearing such undergarments during pregnancy and after, as women look up to many female celebrities they also feel the need to follow the trend.

Women charities fear that this will only put more pressure on women to lose weight after pregnancy, women who have children are advised to lose weight slowly and sensibly and not go on crash diets. Those that breast feed will also need to consume more calories though breastfeeding can help regain that pre-pregnancy figure.

Nowadays being pregnant doesn’t mean you can wear designer clothes or tight fitting party wear, many fashion brands cater for maternity wear too. So if you have a birthday or special occasion to attend you can still buy a sexy or stylish outfit that will compliment your bump, they only thing that is troublesome to some women are the unsightly lumps that can appear as the weight gain increases. This is where body shaping underwear or control pants make a difference, it can make the bum look firmer and pert and smooth out the silhouette under those figure hugging clothes.

There is no wrong or right you have to feel comfortable during pregnancy if you are worried that it may be inappropriate to wear such shape wear then consult your GP or midwife who will be able to advise you.

After your first ultrasound you will be given the option to make an appointment for your second and final ultrasound commonly referred to as the ’20 week scan’ or ‘anomaly scan’. They are usually done around 20 week’s gestation and are performed to check that the baby is forming well and all growth is as recommended for that stage of pregnancy.  The 20 week ultrasound is also the time to find out whether you are having a boy or girl.

Some couples choose to not know the gender of their unborn baby, if you are one of them then let the sonographer know so that they don’t go looking for girl / boy parts. Depending on the position of the baby you may be able to tell when you are having the scan if the baby is positioned incorrectly for gender analysis then you may be asked to come back after a short walk or another appointment will be made for you to come in and have another scan. Some hospitals will ask you to drink plenty of water so that the uterus is pushed up and a clearer view of the baby can be seen, you will be able to go toilet straight after so don’t worry. I have found that once you are on the couch looking at the growing baby you forget how much you need to go toilet until you need to get up and walk around, so relax and don’t think about it too much.

Anomaly scan

The anomaly scan or anatomy scan as it is also referred to will check that the baby’s brain, heart, kidneys and lungs are all developing well. The spine is also checked and abnormalities in the arms and legs are also checked. Anomaly scans can tell you if there are any growth problems but if a baby was to be born with growth issues such as dwarfism the scan may not necessarily indicate this unless it runs in the family.  An old wives tale about the second ultrasound is still circulating today, many women used to believe that depending on the heartbeat you could tell the gender of the baby. This is not true you could ask and then make a note of it but in general they beat faster than ours anyway and the beats per minute have nothing to do with if it’s a boy or girl.

Sometimes there are abnormalities found so a further ultrasound with a senior technician or obstetrician may be needed. Otherwise an amniocentesis may be required for a more in depth analysis. An amniocentesis is performed using a needle to draw out amniotic fluid that is then checked for abnormalities in the chromosomes and foetal development. If a problem was to be found at the ultrasound you would be given a choice on how to proceed so you don’t be afraid you will not be forced to do anything that you are not comfortable with.

The anomaly scan is always anxiously anticipated as it is usually the last one that is performed on the NHS; it gives you a chance to further bond with the baby and also reassure you that all is well before baby is born. Unfortunately you will then have a further 20 weeks to wait until the birth of the baby but ultrasounds are very accurate nowadays in detecting abnormalities and confirming gender. You will also get the last picture of your growing baby before he/she is born.

In the UK when a woman suspects they are pregnant or takes a home pregnancy test to confirm that it is positive the next step is to inform your GP who will refer you to women’s health services at your local hospital, clinic or centre. Most GPs in the UK will not perform a pregnancy test to confirm that you are pregnant unless you ask for one. You should receive a letter before 12 weeks for a booking in appointment with your midwife who may or may not arrange for your first ultrasound.

When do you get your first ultrasound?

Here in the UK you will usually receive an appointment or letter to make an appointment for your first ultrasound between 11 -14 weeks, if you are not sure when you had your last period you may be asked to come in sooner. If you are over 6 weeks then you will see a small sac and possibly a heartbeat, this is the earliest a viable pregnancy can be detected. Some hospitals will now offer a combined test that involves dating the pregnancy and also nuchal translucency at the same time.

The dating scan is very important as you cannot go by your last menstrual period (LMP) to accurately determine how far along you are. The dating scan is accurate because they measure the baby and the details are put into the computer which then calculates your estimated due date. This due date does not usually change the further along you get as all babies are the same size between 11-14 weeks gestation.

The nuchal translucency scan is optional and you do not need to have it if you don’t want to, it basically involves measuring the fold at the back of the neck to see if there is a risk of Down’s syndrome. They combine this with a blood test for accurate results, if your test result shows a high risk of Down’s syndrome you may be offered further tests to confirm this.

What happens when you go for an ultrasound?

You will be asked to lie on a comfortable flat bed and you should lift up your shirt so the sonographer can put some gel on your stomach before a small device is placed on your stomach to see the ‘baby’. Ultrasounds are perfectly safe for both mother and baby it works by sending high frequency sound waves that bounce off the baby and create the image you see on screen. Even at 12 weeks you can make out the growing baby, the hands, feet, face and stomach are all clear to see on screen.

Ultrasounds are not really thought of as a must during pregnancy so some trusts may offer you only one to make sure the growth of the baby is fine. If this is the case then there is not much you can do but pay for private scans that can cost as much as £75 each time. In general you will get two ultrasounds during pregnancy.

When you have successfully conceived there is a mountain of questions surrounding pregnancy that mounts up in your head, yes the internet is a great source of information but after some time you get bored trawling through the pages to find the necessary answers to your questions. You won’t really get to see you midwife properly until after you first ultrasound, usually around 16 weeks so you miss out on all the little milestones that your baby goes through on a daily and weekly basis. You can sign up to receive weekly emails from places such as Bounty, Emma’s Diary, Huggies, and Pampers and so on but they will only repeat what you already know. The best thing to do is to invest in an up to date pregnancy book that tells you everything from start to finish.

When I first found out I was pregnant I had so many questions and little niggles that I wanted answering but trawling the internet got boring after a while so I decided to research the best pregnancy book around. Nearly every forum advised ‘What to expect when you’re expecting’ so I thought I’d take a look when I went to the bookstore. I found it but it was rather small and crammed full of text, others are more reader friendly and have little illustrations and so on. I did read ‘what to expect when you’re expecting’ but found it to be too boring. After reading a few other pregnancy books I stumbled upon the day-by-day pregnancy book by Maggie Blott a well known obstetrician from the University College London Hospital.

What I liked about this book is it has many real 2D and 3D pictures of the growing baby so it was fascinating to see how the changes occur the further along you go. It is a daily book with around a page of text and images for each day of pregnancy; I got too excited and always read on a little further. There are also lots of tips and advice as you progress from nausea and morning sickness to travelling abroad. I thoroughly enjoy reading this book as it makes me feel closer to my little bean as I can see how much he is developing and all the stages are explained thoroughly. I loved this book so much that when my sister in law announced she was also expecting I bought her one too!

The book is very large and heavy and costs around £25 but WHsmith and Amazon regularly give discounts so I got mine for around £16 including delivery. It also has some valuable information for after the birth and coping with a newborn baby so there is no need to buy another book after the baby is born. The information is as up to date as possible but look out for the newest revisions as things like benefits and NICE guidelines can change.

It’s normal to start thinking and planning about the birth of your baby from the very beginning of pregnancy but most midwives will not really go into detail about this until you are at least 30 weeks pregnant. In the UK most NHS trusts give out a pregnancy guide book that costs the NHS £10 each, you only get one no matter how many children you will go on to have in the future, it tells you everything you need to know regarding the pregnancy and the first few months after the birth.

It is wise to do a little reading in regards to what kind of pain relief is available to you so when it comes to the time to decide you have fairly good knowledge when the midwife is explaining it all to you. When it comes to pain relief an epidural is the most common form that is requested, you can only have an epidural if you have a hospital birth and not a home birth or birthing centre. The reason is because a trained anaesthetist will need to administer it directly into the spine using a needle, midwives and nurses are not qualified to do this.

But in recent years requesting an epidural has increased tenfold, women no longer want a natural pain free birth or end up changing their mind when they go into labour. Due to the increase and many women requesting an epidural at the last minute they have been inserted wrong or did not have a pain free birth. As a result of this many women are so traumatised by the first birth experience that they put off having any more children altogether, those that do have another child after having an epidural end up having a caesarean instead.

If done right an epidural will mean you have a pain free birth but if done too late it will be ineffective, in some rare cases the epidural had no effect on pain even when topped up and medical intervention is needed. Many women don’t realise that you need to push when you feel a contraction so the baby will come out but with an epidural you cannot feel the contraction so you need to be told when to do so, this results in tearing, needing and episiotomy or even forceps to aid delivery.

Make sure you have gone through all your pain relief options with your midwife; you might even want to try alternative therapies such as hypnobirthing to help with the pain.