Natural coping strategies: Massage
Massage is a valuable coping strategy to enhance your wellbeing in pregnancy and labour. In general terms, massage can help:
You feel more relaxed
Alleviate lower back pain
Relieve the build-up of tension in your muscles
Release oxytocin and endorphins
Help you conserve energy
It is also a great way to connect with your birth partner, β¦
Natural coping strategies: Mindfulness
Do you regularly meditate? If so, you'll know its many benefits, backed by a growing body of research.Β
If not, pregnancy is a great time to start practising and enjoying these benefits!
Benefits of Mindfulness
Reduces:Β
Feelings of fear, stress and anxiety.
Emotional reactivity (improves self-control)
Aches and pains.
Insomnia.
Improves:
Concentration and memory.
Physical and mental stamina.
Confidence.
Bonding between parents β¦
Natural coping strategies: Breath
Learning to breathe and relax during a contraction helps release your bodyβs natural pain relievers β endorphins!
Itβs entirely normal for your breathing pattern to change during labour in response to the following:
Contractions
Feelings of anxiety
Lack of control
The sensations of birth, including pressure and pain
Tiredness or exhaustion.
This may show up as holding β¦
Jaundice in newborns
Why do babies get jaundice?
Jaundice is really common in newborn babies. Approximately 6 in 10 full-term newborns and 8 in 10 preterm babies (born before 37 weeks) will get jaundice.
Babies have more red blood cells when they are born than they need outside the womb. When these red blood cells β¦
Pregnancy conditions explained: Gestational diabetes
What is gestational diabetes?
Gestational diabetes (GD) is diabetes that develops during pregnancy. It means that you have high sugar levels in your bloodstream. Whilst it can occur at any time, it usually develops during the second or third trimester.
Our bodies use glucose or sugar for energy. If we eat more β¦
