An oldie, but a goodie! 

Winter is here....like, all the time. It's Minnesota.

So your cousin gives you a baby snowsuit and when you place baby in it they look like a little baby marshmallow and IT IS THE CUTEST THING YOU HAVE EVERY SEEN.

But as cute as it is, it is not safe to have baby in a snowsuit while in the carseat locked into the car.  There is too much fluffiness, that the straps cannot be as snug to keep baby as safe as possible in their carseat.  Instead, best practice in keeping baby warm AND safe in their carseat is shown in the image above. 

Secure baby to their carseat ensuring they are nice and snug, and then wrap them with blankets and lastly place a shower cap like baby careseat cover over them.  Lock them into your carseat base, and then unzip the carseat cover and/or remove a blanket to ensure baby does not get overheated riding in the backseat (place your hand on their chest to gauge their temp and place or remove blankets as needed).

As your baby gets older and starts to fling their around around like the crazy monkey that they are, then ensure to wrap their blankets under their arms.

So when can you use that amazing snowsuit? When you are going for a wintery walk, that snowsuit will be amazing in keeping baby warm as you enjoy our never-ending winter wonderful that is the frozen Minnesota tundra. 
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 For more information, check out The Car Seat Lady: http://thecarseatlady.com/warmandsafe/

We spend so much time preparing for labor & birth and baby stuff, we often forget to prepare for our own recovery after birth (known as the postpartum period or 4th trimester).
 
I was the same. My day was spent nursing, healing cracked nipples, nursing, sitting in stiz baths, nursing, sitting on a donut pillow, nursing, wondering when I could take a shower, nursing, unable to grab my snacks, nursing…get the pattern?  I was overwhelmed by the newness of my healing postpartum body, learning how to breastfeed and how to keep a tiny human alive and thriving AND keep up with my pre-birth American life.
 
That’s where I went wrong.  I was trying to keep up with what I thought other American mothers were doing just days after delivery, and I could barely get food or a shower into my day.
 
I was reminded a couple of weeks into my parenthood by my Mexican cousins about the postpartum Cuarentena; 6-weeks of lying in to optimize postpartum healing and to help baby transition easily from the womb world to the outside world.
 
This Cuarentena lying in practice enables the brither’s body to recover more efficiently and effectively as it allows the uterus to cramp back to its regular size and back into its correct alignment and position.  It also helps lessen your postpartum bleeding, allows your perineum or cesarean incision feel better, calms swollen legs and feet, and gives your organs time to reposition to their old homes. Plus it benefits your breastmilk supply as you an focus on your baby and catch their early hunger cues to boost your milk supply.
 
And there are benefits to baby too – you are HOME to your baby.  Your baby goes through a crazy roller-coaster of birth, and its bright, cold, loud and so.much.space out here that babies are out of their element for awhile.  When mothers practice lying in, they hold their babies more which makes your baby feel more secure as your body will feel, smell, sound and taste like their womb home. 

You are your baby’s home.  These first 3months are an extension of the pregnancy for your baby.
 
But 6 WEEKS lying in?! Ugh, I was two weeks in and already sick of seeing the same four walls.
 
How about a 5-5-5 rule instead?  So much more doable. A rule of thumb to a healthier postpartum is a lying in period that is only 15days. 
 
5 days IN bed – Stay in bed or on the couch.  The goal is to be off your feet and allow others to serve you.  This is the beginning of your babymoon, where you chill with baby in bed, skin-to-skin and learn who they are and their personality.
 
5 days ON bed – No more than 30min cumulatively on your feet within a 3hr cycle. Getting sick of being only inside your house? Great, go get the mail and come back and sit/lie down. Make some lactation energy balls, and then go chill with baby and Netflix for awhile.  The goal is to still rest as much as you can, with minimal time on your feet.
 
5 days NEAR bed – No more than 30min cumulatively on your feet within a 90min cycle.  Maybe you are now feeling like taking on one household activity per day, some stretches or yoga.  But rest is still the utmost importance.  Do not take on all your previous responsibilities yet.

Note, if you are recovering from a cesarean birth then the recommendation changes to the 7-7-7 rule: 7 days IN bed, 7 days ON bed and 7 days NEAR bed.
 
Begin to make plans now in pregnancy to give yourself the gift of 15days of lying in and getting to know your baby.  Focusing on your well-being first will help you care for baby in amazing ways!

I love me some good trivia games.  I get a little over competitive and definitely over confident in wanting to crush my trivia opponents.

So, let's combine the fun of trivia and my love of labor education!! Doesn't this sound like the BEST date night during your pregnancy?! *wink, wink*

In my classes we discuss these options, and it can feel like an educational lecture.  Not as interactive as I would love for it to be.  So let's test your knowledge after our class together to see what you remember and where we can fill in gaps for education.

If you have yet to take a class with me, then let's connect and help feel more prepared for the labor process.  Connect with me here.

First up, let's test your knowledge around Common Labor Interventions such as fetal monitoring, IV fluids, pelvic exams and eating & drinking in labor.  Written in a jeopardy manner, play alongside your partner and see who will win the dessert in the back of your freezer.  PLAY HERE.

After you have beaten that game, follow it up in testing your knowledge around Labor Inductions and Augmentation (using medications to start and/or speed up labor), such as pitocin, cervical ripening, sweep/stripping the membranes, & AROM (breaking your bag of waters for you).  PLAY THIS GAME HERE.

Now comment below.  How did you do?  Who won the game?

Funny how the media portrays labor beginning: Water breaks everywhere, woman screams, hails a cab, shows up at the hospital and baby is born less than 5min. Woah!  What drama!  Seems like a woman in labor = everyone should freak out.

Let’s talk about how it really goes.  You are within 39-41weeks (as evidence supports about 90% of women go into labor on their own within these two weeks), you go to bed, get your fort of pillows built up around you and finally find a comfortable position to fall asleep.  In the middle of the night, you wake to the feeling of you peeing yourself. “Ah balls!” is your thought as you check to see if your partner is still asleep. So, you sprint (as quickly as a 39-41week woman can sprint) to the bathroom to clean up.  You go back to bed and as your leg hugs your pregnancy pillow, you feel more pee come out again. “WTF? I’ve lost full control of my body”

Are you peeing yourself? Maybe. But maybe your water is leaking.  Meaning, your water might have broken.

So, here’s the real deal…

About 8-10% of women start labor with their water breaking.

That’s all! Only about 8-10%. For the rest, it typically breaks the closer you are to pushing.

Okay, so what does water breaking have to do with tacos?  Well, if your water breaks outside of your birthplace you’ll want to take note of TACO.

(T.A.C.O.) Time, Amount, Color, Odor
These are things that your prenatal healthcare provider will want to know.

TIME – There is an increased risk of infection as time passes once your water breaks, especially with more frequent vaginal exams. Your midwife or doctor may want to induce labor if contractions do not start on their own within 12-24hrs.

AMOUNT – No, you don’t need to squeegee the fluid into a measuring cup to see how many ounces you are leaking.  Just note whether it is a trickle or a gush. If you are unsure if your water has broken, go to the bathroom, urinate, place a medium flow sanitary pad in your underwear, go lay down on your side for 10-15 minutes and then stand up. If water has pooled in your uterus and/or vagina and comes out when you stand up or if your pad fills up within half an hour, it would be a strong indication that your water broke.

COLOR – Should be clear. Yellow or greenish brown color would indicate that baby had a bowel movement in utero called meconium.

ODOR – A mild or odorless smell is normal but a strong odor may indicate infection.

After your water breaks, make sure to place a sanitary napkin in your underwear as you will continue to leak with many position changes and/or during a contraction as your placenta continues to produce amniotic fluid until it is birthed.
 
Extra Notes:
*If your water breaks and you are Group B Strep positive, your prenatal healthcare provider will want you to come to the birthplace right away so that they may administer antibiotics to you (as recommended by the CDC).

*If your water breaks, Group B Strep negative and are not having contractions, you may consider staying home to try to bring on contractions (evidence supports within 12hours 45% of birthers will begin to experience contractions). Walking and hula hoops on a birth ball can be helpful during this time.

*In labor, your prenatal healthcare provider will break your bags of water to ”help move your labor along” (aka augment labor). You always have a choice in this and have the right to discuss the benefits, risks and alternatives before following your intuition about this procedure (also called AROM, artificial rupture of membranes).

*As noted above, typically your water will break on its own at some point during labor. If this happens, let your healthcare team know so they can note TACO as well as provide you a pad for the continuous leaking.