Outer and inner thigh raises work the glutes, thighs and pelvic floor. Engage your abdominals during this exercise for added benefit. Senior Oh Baby! Fitness Instructor Kathleen Donahoe leads you through a demonstration. If you have any questions about pregnancy and exercise go to www.ohbabyfitness.com for more info.

One of the best yoga exercises for pregnancy to relieve back pain is called Cat-Cow. It’s a pelvic tilt and back stretch. Senior Instructor Kathleen Donahoe leads a demonstration of the proper form for the stretch. If you have any questions about safe pregnancy exercise, go to www.ohbabyfitness.com

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If you’re concerned about the best way to keep your body and baby healthy during pregnancy—or how you’ll ever lose the excess weight afterward—you’re not alone. Fitness expert Tracey Mallett faced those same challenges when she gained 55 pounds that didn’t melt right off after her daughter’s birth. But gone were the days where she had endless hours and energy to exercise. So she created workouts that take only a few minutes a day—after all, busy moms are short on time!

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Best answer:

Answer by natalia
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/ppd/general/379.html

Add your own answer in the comments!

The main omega 3 fatty acid that is important is called DHA and is naturally present in breast milk. It makes up around 70% of a baby’s brain and nervous system.

By ensuring they receive enough prenatal omega 3 in the womb, it helps to improve their development later in life in areas including speech, vocabulary, hand-eye coordination and general cognitive awareness.

In addition DHA helps to promote a healthier pregnancy with a significantly reduced risk of post natal depression.

The problem is that many mothers are deficient in this like the general population, partly down to the fact that the best source is fatty fish. As they contain so many toxins today, it is not recommended to eat more than one portion a week.

Experts agree that the best way is to supplement your diet with distilled fish oils, but you need to be careful which ones you choose.

Many prenatal omega 3 supplements have not been distilled to remove the toxins which could mean you and your baby may unwittingly ingest them. These include mercury, PCB’s, lead and arsenic and traces have been found in many supplements.

To avoid this only use oils that have been distilled to remove them completely to leave you with a safe and more effective oil.

As you can see, making sure you get plenty of DHA fats is vital so it pays to check carefully.

Again, most oils contain very little and much more of the other less useful fatty acid EPA. Check the label to see as it is recommended to get a minimum of 250mg of DHA in each 1000mg capsule or soft gel.

These oils also provide many important health benefits too including prevention of heart disease, improved brain health and mental well being, lower blood pressure and a stronger immune system.

The importance of prenatal omega 3 cannot be underestimated if you want to help your baby to have the best start in life and help you to stay healthy as well.

If you would like to learn more about the pure DHA omega 3 supplements I personally recommend, visit my website below.

Importance of prenatal omega 3 fats for the mother

1.Protection from post partum depression

2.Reduced risk of miscarriages, pre-term labor and cesarean

3.Reduced chances of breast cancer

4.Protection from pre-eclampsia

5.Safe delivery

Importance of prenatal omega 3 fats for the baby

1.Proper brain development

2.Better eye sight

3.Less sleep disorder

4.Better hand/eye coordination

5.Good nervous system development

6.Reduced risk of neurobehavioral disorders like Autism, Dyslexia, etc

7.Enhanced concentrating and comprehending skills

8.Improved memory

9.Higher IQ

10.Better immunity

Because of the enormous and unmatched health benefits of omegs3 fats for both mother and baby, doctors around the globe recommend a high DHA omega3 diet during as well as after the pregnancy. This is because pregnant women are the only source of nutrition for both fetus and the newborn baby. She has to have high levels of DHA fats to cater the need of both baby and her body.

Experts recommend that pregnant females should take 500mg of DHA daily. This is equivalent to having one healthy, oily and naturally DHA rich fish (like hoki, tuna, salmon, etc.) serving daily. However, because of increase in water pollution, there is an increased risk of toxin poisoning by eating too much fish. Thus, fish supplements that undergo refining process to filter out the harmful chemicals from the oil are recommended instead.

Ideal prenatal omega 3 fish oil supplement

1.High DHA content Since, DHA fat is often called as brain food, it is vital to have a supplement that is rich in DHA fats. 1000mg of oil should at least have 250 mg of DHA.

2.Fresh Supplement should be fresh and should smell like ocean waters. Consumption of stale oil could result in fishy burps, long lasting metallic after taste, and increased free radical activity in the body.

3.Pure The presence of impurities like mercury, lead, arsenic, etc. in the oil via fish caught from polluted ocean waters could be dangerous. Look for supplements that undergo the molecular distillation process to ensure that all the oil is of pharmaceutical grade quality.

Now that you know the importance of prenatal omega 3 fats and what to look for in an effective fish oil supplement, your next step should be put this information to test and find out an effective prenatal omega 3 supplement and start taking it for safe delivery and healthy baby.

In prenatal yoga, perform the happy baby pose by drawing the knees towards the chest and dropping the shoulders to the ground. Learn the happy baby pose with tips from a certified yoga instructor in this free video on prenatal yoga poses. Expert: April Kirkhart Contact: www.workofheartyoga.com Bio: April Kirkhart, MSW, has been practicing yoga for over 12 years and became a certified yoga instructor in 2004 through the Queens Yoga Institutes YogaVeda 260 hour Teacher Training. Filmmaker: Nili Nathan
Video Rating: 5 / 5

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• Specially designed to supply important nutrients to meet the needs of a womans body before, during and after pregnancy.
• Choosing a prenatal vitamin can be a very important step toward having a healthy baby.
• Even before you know you are pregnant, your baby can benefit from essential nutrients provides by the right vitamin supplement.
• It’s made with the same high quality ingredients as our prescription vitamins.

Product Description
INDICATIONS: Stuart Prenatal Tablets For A Healthy Baby. Multivitamin/Multimineral Supplement USP. Use before, during and after pregnancy. Choosing a prenatal vitamin can be a very important step…. More >>

Stuart Prenatal Tablets For A Healthy Baby – 100 Ea

Product Description
A collection of hundreds of superstitions and old wives tales from every corner of the world related to every aspect of pregnancy, birth and babycare. There’s tribal beliefs from Aborigine to Romany Gypsy to Inuit (Eskimo) and superstitions from countries as diverse as Canada and China. There’s beliefs on everything from influencing a baby’s sex at conception to making a baby walk early or easing baby’s teething pains. Some examples: ~ A broom sweeps away th… More >>

Baby Lore: Superstitions and Old Wives Tales from the World Over Related to Pregnancy, Birth and Babycare

Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Cate Blanchett have unveiled post-baby bodies in the past that have surprised women worldwide.

Squeezing back into your favourite little black dress so soon after childbirth may not be a realistic option for new mums who don’t have the luxury and expertise of a full-time dietician, nanny and personal trainer, on hand, 24/7. Especially, if you are a more mature new mum, being part of the strong, modern trend of having kids later in life.

New mums, at any age, are often overwhelmed with their changed body shape and extra baby weight. According to fitness expert Angela Houseman, the average woman should not use celebrities as role models. “It’s inevitable that women will envy superstars who go from being 9 months pregnant to a size 6 overnight,” said Ms Houseman.

Angela Houseman has had two children and understands the pressures that are placed on women who have just given birth. “When I had both my children, I suffered envy when I read magazines of celebrity mums who had given birth and looked terrific. But the reality is, the average person does not have a host of staff to help out with everyday living.”

According to Embracing Motherhood, an organisation that supports mums after giving birth, most new mums will go through dramatic changes both emotionally and physically before, during and after the birth process.  The more mums look after themselves, the greater their chances of a recovery in both areas.

It is the norm in our culture for the attention to move away from the mum and onto the new born baby after childbirth, often to the detriment of the mum.  In traditional cultures within Asia, South America, the Middle East and India there is recognition that mums will need a longer period of time to rest and recover after childbirth.  This can be anywhere from a few weeks up to a few months for their rest and recovery.

“A woman’s body can take as long to recover as it does to make a baby: but in particular, the six week postnatal period is extremely important for supporting new mums back to health,” says Ms Flack from Embracing Motherhood.  “Women who give birth go through a complete physical and emotional change and require enormous support during the postnatal period.  Unfortunately, often society does not acknowledge this need.”

Six facts for new mums:
• Up to 20% of women have postnatal weight retention.
• Up to 76% of new mums report ongoing fatigue in the postnatal period.  Fatigue is a major contributor to depression.
• At least 15% of Australian mums suffer Postnatal Depression.
• 83% of new mums initiate breastfeeding and less than 18% of mums continue to breastfeed after 6 months.
• Approximately 50% of new mums report ongoing backache.
• More than 40% of women have caesareans leading to longer recovery times.

Amy Hopes, wife of Grinspoon drummer Kristian, recently undertook the 30 day postnatal recovery program with Embracing Motherhood, after giving birth to her first child in September last year.  The aim of the postnatal recovery program is to support mums in getting their body and mind back to a full recovery.  Amy feels her inexperience is typical of most first time mums.  “I had the perfect pregnancy and presumed I would have the perfect birth. But I was in for a big shock.  I had a terrible, gruelling 36 hour labour.  In the end, the doctors had to break my waters and use suction to get the baby out.  I was very traumatised by it and can really only now, after 4 months, start to re-live it in my mind.”

Amy found it shocking that professionals encouraged her not to talk about her traumatic birth, suggesting that she would upset other first time mums.  “When I went to see the midwife I burst into tears, I was so overwhelmed.  The midwife said, “Don’t tell other mums, you’ll only put them off,” which was completely shocking to me.  I think mums really need to know and understand what can happen both physically and mentally.  It is not focusing on the negative, but preparing yourself for what might happen.”

Surprising for Amy, it was the psychological impact of childbirth that was most challenging.  “Physically, I recovered well and my postnatal program was instrumental in that smooth recovery.  I was very healthy and fit before I gave birth too, doing yoga exercises each day and I think this helped.”

For a new mum, a feeling of isolation is inevitable. “The most important thing is knowing that someone is looking out for you and you are not on your own,” says 32 year old Amy.  “The problem is that if you do gain a lot of weight and you don’t bounce back easily, you are stuck at home and can’t get out to do any exercise. Then your weight gain can start to spiral.  I think how fit and healthy you are before the baby comes has a lot to do with it.”

Weightwatchers Australia recommends that you gain between 11-16 kilos during your pregnancy and advises that too much weight gain affects your ability to bounce back after birth.  “On average, after the birthing process it is around .5 to 3 kilos that women struggle to lose, although some hold on to a lot more weight.  Coming into pregnancy with excess weight and gaining a lot of weight during pregnancy can make it harder to lose weight afterwards.”   Weightwatchers suggest that achieving a healthy pre-pregnancy weight, not gaining too much weight during pregnancy, making wise food choices and getting plenty of exercise in the months following delivery, are all useful strategies for maintaining a healthy weight throughout the child-bearing years.”

“If you put in the effort, you will see your post baby body start to take shape again,” says personal trainer Adriana Solorzano from Optimum Personal Training. “Much of the recovery process is tied in with the mum’s body type and her level of fitness and health during the pregnancy.  If you’ve really embraced the ‘eating for two’ concept, it is likely you have developed some bad eating habits during your pregnancy.  Many mums think the weight will fall off but bad eating habits will make it hard to lose weight, especially when you are at home with your baby and are unable to get out and exercise.  The isolation and uncertainty can make new mums comfort eat too.  When I get new mums to keep a food diary, they are often shocked by how much their eating habits have changed.”

Physically and mentally new mums need to allow themselves time to recover and adjust after giving birth.  It’s important to remember that YOU are just as important in the post birth recovery process, as your precious new baby.  There is plenty of support available here in Brisbane so spend some time researching and tapping into this before your baby arrives.  A happy and healthy mum will be the best carer of a new born.

‘Me time’ for Mums in Brisbane:

Spas: Mummabubba beauty spa in Windsor allows mums to have some serious pampering time while their baby is being minded.

Coffee Break: There is an increasing number of child-friendly cafes, such as Cafe Mama at Windsor and Breathing Space at Kenmore, combining the much deserved coffee break or lunch experience with childminding in a ‘kid friendly’ atmosphere, so mums can relax.

Movies: ‘Babes in arms’ has become very popular in Brisbane for mums still wanting to be able to go to the movies and enjoy some relaxing time without having to worry about disrupting other movie goers.  In Brisbane, Babes in Arms sessions are run regularly at Palace Centro in The Valley, Palace Barracks at Paddington, Birch Carol and Coyle Cinemas Carindale, Chermside, Garden City, George Street and Loganholme.

Gyms: Most gyms in Brisbane now offer childcare facilities, so check your local gym or find one close by that offers this.

Staying in touch: The Bub Hub (www.bubhub.com.au) is an online information centre for new Brisbane parents.  The site is endorsed by the Australian College of Midwives, the Australian Lactation Consultants Association and the Playgroup Association.  It now has 40 000 registered users.

Playgroups: Check out www.playgroupaustralia.com.au to find a local playgroup for you and your baby.  It is a great way to get you out of the house and meeting other new mums.

Everybody in this world goes through certain life experiences, which trigger him or her to learn more about it or to resolve it. But this can only happen if you are able to identify an issue or realize that it is an issue. One of the issues that many of the women experience and don’t know is Baby blue or post partum depression.

 An interview with my patient gave me an insight that many of our females suffers from this tragedy “Baby blue” and don’t even know that it has a major impact on mother as well as for the infant’s development. My patient went through a post delivery period and she recalls that sometimes she had unusual thoughts and fears such as she felt if she’ll loose her child, she’ll forget her child in some shop, or she may harm her own child. These were very horrible thoughts that took my breath away. Sometimes she use to dream that someone has taken away her child or she is giving bath to her baby and suddenly her baby is out of her hands and gone inside the drain. After these kinds of thought and dream she used to become very restless, no sleep, she used to wake up even when a slightest noise is there. She became overprotected towards her child. Her husband many times commented that how do you know beforehand what does the baby wants? Because she was always making fuss about everything even telling her husband what to do and what not to do as if her daughter was only her property. After this interview I wanted to learn more about it that why she had these symptoms, what are the usual risk factors of it?

 Baby blue or Post partum depression can happen a few days or even months after any childbirth, and not just the first child. It can be of mild and temporary form i.e. baby blue or postpartum blue as well as more severe that is psychotic form. In its mild form it is mostly treated as harmless unworthy of any treatment and thus neglected by the person herself or by the family members, which may lead to its severe form. According to Lusskin S.I & Misri,S Baby blue is characterized by feeling of changes in “sleep, energy level, appetite, weight, gastrointestinal functioning, and libido” are the most common symptoms of postpartum blue along with additional symptom such as “significant anxiety often with panic attacks, intense irritability and anger, feeling of guilt, sadness, weeping, fatigue, loss of interest in usual activities, overwhelmed or unable to care for the baby, feeling of inadequacy or failure as a mother and no bonding with the baby , which further exacerbates feeling of guilt and shame and leads women to suffer in silence”. 

 Te prevalence of Baby Blue in developing countries is increasing from 16% to 35 %. In Pakistan its prevalence is said to be very high. Several studies have been conducted to get the estimated prevalence regarding this topic in hospitals of Pakistan, but no overall statistics are found.

 There are many risk factors of postpartum depression some of them are discussed here such as:

1) In post delivery period there is sudden decrease in hormones level which add up with the other risk factors thus causing postpartum depression. 2) Psychological factors also play a major role in postpartum depression. According to Rahman.A, “in many of the studies a major complaint reported by the new mothers was a feeling of `inadequacy’ regarding childbearing”. Further problems arise if mother is of low age. The childbirth trauma and change in their role itself gives stress to the young mothers. Therefore proper antenatal teaching is required during the visits to doctors and midwifes, even the husband should be encouraged to attend these session. 3) Rahman, A’s study in a rural community states that “Antenatal depression often precedes postnatal depression”. Over half of mothers who are depressed in the third trimester of pregnancy, continued to be depressed one year after giving birth. It is important for a health care professional to identify the signs of the depression in early pregnancy and do interventions, which can help in preventing postpartum depression. 4). The problematic relationship among husband and wife, violence by husband and Psychological and physical abuse especially during pregnancy, lack of empowerment of the women leads her towards emotional instability and distress, which can further add up to postpartum depression.

 If we see our Pakistani women who are not very literate or illiterate and less empowered they are more prone to get postpartum depression. The woman firstly faces her husband who if not very supportive can be the cause of her emotional instability. She is further not able to take any decision but when the time comes for giving birth to the child she is expected to give birth to only male gender and not female. Not coming up to the expectation of her husband and in laws she is further tortured by verbal abuse or physical abuse. Living in joint family system where she is the only one who is taking care of the whole family, giving less time to herself, could add up to her mental stresses. It is necessary for a woman not to expect too much from herself. She should express her feelings with her partner. Should not get overwhelmed by the work and do one thing at a time. Get medical support if identifies this kind of emotions. It is necessary that today’s women should be educated toward her physical and mental health. But the question arises can she do anything for herself. Yes she can but she requires social support love and certain amount of empowerment to take decision for herself. The life partners can play a key role in not only helping in wife’s emotional stability but also in preventing other stressors in life which are making her more vulnerable to baby blue.

 My recommendations are that further studies are required to be conducted in future focusing on prevalence and screening of baby blue. The husband’s role in prevention can be studied in great detail. Detection of women for developing postnatal depressive symptoms can be done during late pregnancy in antenatal care clinics. Finally I would like to conclude that the postnatal period is very important because of the impact of maternal depression on the infant’s development. By knowing the risk factors, symptoms can by identified early, proper antenatal teaching and extra support; love and affection could improve outcomes in both mothers and their infants.

References:

Rahman.A & Creed.F. (2007) Outcome of prenatal depression and risk factors associated with persistence in the first postnatal year: Prospective study from Rawalpindi, Pakistan Journal of Affective Disorders; 100(1-3): 115–121

Rahman, A; Iqbal, Z &Harrington, R. 2003 Life events, social support and depression in childbirth: perspectives from a rural community in the developing world. Psychological Medicine 33:1161–1167.

Lusskin S.I & Misri,S (2008) Postpartum blues and depression Literature review version

Most people will tell you that having a baby is a joyous time. That there are few things in life that can compare to the elation that comes with having baby and becoming a mom… why then do you feel so down and depressed. The fact is that postpartum depression is more common than many want to admit. What’s more is that it is completely treatable, and you can treat it naturally so that you can enjoy being a mom to your new baby.

In order to fix a problem you must first admit that you have a problem. Unfortunately, postpartum depression (aka PPD) is not only not talked about; many mothers deny the fact that they have it. Look, you are not a bad mother because you feel the way you do. If you had baby almost a month ago and you are still feeling sad, blue and tired… you need to acknowledge the fact that you could have postpartum depression. That way you can do something about it, and despite what the professionals say you can do it on your own, and you can do it naturally.

There are number of natural treatments that you can do to help you get through your postpartum depression, once you admit that you have it. One treatment option is to talk to someone, this can be a therapists, it can be your best friend… or another mother. Often joining a new mom support group is helpful because then you know you are not alone. You need to know that you aren’t alone, as a matter a of fact some research shows that PPD affects 70% of new moms.

You can also try to include natural herbs in your daily diet that will help you boost your mood and energy. While there are many different natural herbs and supplements available here, I will list just a few. Please keep in mind that I am not offering medical advice and I encourage you to talk to your doctor before taking any herbal supplement especially if you are breast feeding to make sure that there are not any negative effects for baby.

Aurum metallicum can be used by women who feel that their PPD is dark and they feel helpless. Women that should look into this herbal supplement would be those that are starting to believe that baby would be better off without them, that the world would be better off without them.

Another remedy that is used by women when they feel that their depression is for emotional as well as hormonal reasons is cimicifuga. Ignatia is another that is used by many mothers when they are starting to feel upset, tense or grief-stricken after giving birth.

There are still other natural treatments for postpartum depression including mediation, yoga, and aromatherapy and music therapy. Ask yourself right now, if there was someone that would show you how to feel better so that you can be a better mom to your baby, would you listen to them? Postpartum depression is completely treatable, and you can treat it effectively naturally.