Pregnancy and Birthing

Andrew asked:


A documentary named “Queen Leah” within “Australian Story” shown by the ABC television network describes the changes that happened within an Aboriginal woman, Leah Purcell, as a consequence of her aspiration of her dream of becoming a performer, her establishment of her own personality and her learning more about the world surrounding her. Beginning with the main character in a room preparing to go on the scene, the responder can see from the beginning that Leah has come a long way since her beginnings, as she colors her face and organizes her clothing for the evening, she does it not to hide herself behind the mask and costume, but to show her changed self.

Whilst this is going on, Leah Purcell introduces a self-narration of her childhood in regional Queensland. She tells about the absence of optimism in the town and the way children of Aboriginal descent were looked upon, people told her that she was going nowhere. Leah Purcell discloses the way in which her past has affected her persona, the absence of her white father, domestic violence, her mother’s and her own fight against alcoholism with hers starting at just nine years old and her unforeseen teenage pregnancy at the age of seventeen and the shake of her mother’s death only one month after the birth. Because of her traumatic biography she has received many important life lessons which have formed the well grounded, determined woman she has become. The change in her persona is visually accessible to people. An emotive tone is noticeable throughout the documentary, intensified by visualization of Leah’s unruly emotions, and her narrating in the background, inspires the people to feel with her and accept the changes that have happened in her life. The main character had suffered a lot and had experienced many problems, but consequently they only made her strong, purposeful and inspiring.



Danny

Groshan Fabiola asked:


There’s not one television show that can please all the critics all at once, that’s a fact. Recently, television reviewer for the New York Times, Gina Bellafante wrote an article about One Tree Hill’s fifth season, and in it accusing the coming of age drama of displaying “an almost aggressive aversion to moralizing about teenage pregnancy.” She’s referring to Haley’s (Bethany Joy Galleoti) recent pregnancy, claiming that it “[refuses] to lay out the grim consequences of premature motherhood, [and] wants to make fans on either end of the political spectrum stick their heads in fiery hampers.” With the recent events in the media, including 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears’ pregnancy, is One Tree Hill really biased in showing just the joyous side of young motherhood?

Bellafante also took offense to the lack of realism in Haley’s struggles. She wrote, “Haley, a teacher, isn’t applying for food stamps or stripping to keep her child in clean pajamas. She is living instead in a nicely appointed house, dealing with middle-aged problems.”

Bellafante also pointed out that because the show skipped the college years, we did not get to see Haley go through all the struggles of pursuing her education while being a young mother. Bellafante wrote, “we never get to see how Haley balanced psych finals and colic, keg parties and vaccinations, and just having to say no, presumably, to any chance of a junior year abroad in a hedonistic Western European capital.”

Surely, Bellafante has a point. However, we must take into consideration that One Tree Hill is a show that never really thrived in reality. In fact, this series is more of escapist, soapy fantasy. If one wants to watch a show depicting teenagers with real teenage problems, then head over to NBC’s Friday Night Lights.

As for Haley’s struggles, or lack thereof, One Tree Hill may have overlooked this, and all the pieces of Haley’s life may seem unrealistically perfect. Nonetheless Bellafante admits that she can’t resist the addictive nature of the series. “One Tree Hill is a no-arrogance, no-entitlement zone and I’m (shamefully) happy to pull up and park.”

For more resources about One Tree Hill or for the full story of Does One Tree Hill Send a Poor Message about Teen Pregnancy? please review http://www.buddytv.com



Adrianna

Groshan Fabiola asked:


Pregnancy is a natural condition and even though brings significant changes in women’s life, it can be easily overcome by having a balanced lifestyle and support from the family. It is important to mention that a pregnant woman should be aware of her condition and should adopt a proper diet in order to mantain a good health for herself and for the baby. In addition to this, women should inform themselves regarding the foods that should present risks and should be avoided during the pregnancy and choose only the ones that aren’t considered dangerous for the baby.

First of all, pregnant women should avoid undercooked meats because of their risk to be infested with harmful bacteria such as e.coli or salmonella. By eating undercooked meats, preganant women may face serious disfunctions like diarrhea or nausea and even more they can lead to other complications which may put the life of the baby in danger by causing miscarriage or preterm birth. Moreover this category of dangerous foods includes: deli meats, undercooked chicken, pork or read meat, sushi and raw seafood.

Secondly, another aliment which is not allowed in the diets for pregnant women are raw eggs. Due to their risk of carrying salmonella, raw eggs can cause food poisoning that may lead to severe diarrhea or sickness and even preterm labor. In order to avoid raw eggs, pregnant women should quit eating different foods such as eggnog, cookie batter, ceasar salad dressing and also homemade ice cream. Furthermore, other categories of dangerous foods during pregnancy are the unpasteurized food and beverages. Even though, milk is considered an healthy drinking bacause it provides calcium to the body, unpasteurised milk may consist a dangerous bacteria called listeria which is responsible for many illnesses every year. Foods which may contain listeria are :first of all raw milk, unpasteurised juice and also different kinds of cheeses.

Thirdly, even though many people consider that fish is an healthy food, the truth is that not all the fish is good for pregnancy. Moreover, fish is importnat for an healthy pregnancy by providing omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand there are certain fish which have very high levels of methyl mercury. In addition to this methyl mercury is very dangerous for the unborn baby by causing serious neurogical damages and also developmental problems. In the category of fish which contain high levels of methyl mercury are : the shark, the swordfish, the tilefish and king mackerel. Another category of dangerous fish is farm raised fish which contain polycarbonated biphenyls (PCBs), environmental toxins that may affect the health of the fetus.

Pregnant women should be quite careful when they choose their foods and drinks and they should always look on the labels in order to detect the substances that are considered dangerous for their pregnancy. A toxic substance which is found most of the times in soft drink and candies is aspartame, a chemical product that may lead to severe disease such as cancer. It is important to mention that alcohol during pregnancy may cause severe damages to the baby by preventing him from getting oxygen and nutrients and moreover heavy drinking may produce to the baby serious mental and physical disfunctions.

For more inforamtion about teenage pregnancy please visit http://www.pregnancy-1st-guide.com/teenage-pregnancy.htm or http://www.pregnancy-1st-guide.com/



Summer

Groshan Fabiola asked:


During pregnancy a woman’s body suffers many changes. From the conception to birth her body undertakes the processes of fertilization, implantation and growth of the baby or sometimes even babies. The child is growing in her body getting to develop in there for the next nine months after the conception. These 40 weeks of pregnancy may lead to new physical sensations for each woman. It is known that each woman body reacts different to each individual pregnancy whether it is the first, the second, third or more pregnancy.

The first trimester of pregnancy that it is considered to be the first 12 weeks leads to a woman’s body changes. These changes consist of providing a nurturing and protective environment for the baby to grow and develop. Depending on each case these changes can be subtle or can be pretty obvious. Many women do not realize they are pregnant until their menstrual period gets a few weeks overdue. Some of the women just know they are pregnant before missing a period because they feel strange and suspect something is different or in change.

Sometimes the first signs of pregnancy make a woman feel confused. This thing is realized because of the first symptoms in pregnancy that are similar to the pre-menstrual symptoms such as swollen breasts, feeling tired or possible cramping or pelvic discomfort.

There are known cases of women that will not have periods until their baby is partially or fully weaned of the breast, perhaps 6 to 12 months and sometimes even more. Even so it is possible for a woman to be fertile in about 8 weeks after giving birth. So breastfeeding, as a form of contraception tends to be reliable for about 30 % of the women, especially after the child is 3 to 4 months old. A subsequent baby could mean for a mother a very exhausting period and more then that a greater sensitivity for the nipples, especially when the child lathes and suckles at the breasts. These women are also prone to feel nauseated or sick especially in the mornings. Their milk begins to taste more salted then before which may cause a refusal of breastfeeding from the child.

It is a normal fact for women to ask questions about pregnancy. They usually feel unsecure and wonder what is normal during pregnancy. They concern about their health even if they experience the typical pregnancy problems or not. In some cases women do not realize that they are pregnant before a pregnancy test because the changes night not be always so obvious.

For more inforamtion about ectopic pregnancy please visit teenage pregnancy or http://www.pregnancy-1st-guide.com/



Tony

Kacy Carr asked:


How many times does a parent have to remind their child about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases. What does it take for a parent to be heard. Some children just do not listen and choose to ignore the best advice any parent can give to their child. It is hard for a parent to see their child raising a child. Unwanted pregnancies are sad situations, however if the damage is done then face up to your responsibilities

Matters tend to get out of hand by leaving it to late to consult a doctor or talking to your parents. You could be putting yourself and that of your unborn child in danger. If you have any inclination that you are pregnant seek help right away. What mum and dad might say may be causing you unnecessary worry. I can not say that they will be happy with the news you are about to spring on them. Remember at the end of the day this is your mum and what do mums do they give their support.

Words may be spoken in raised voice like “I told you this would happen” or “How could you have been so stupid”.

After mum has calmed down and accepted she is going to be a grandmother the situation eases.

If ever you needed anyone to give you support throughout your teenage pregnancy it is your mum so talk to her. Contraception should be used to help prevent an unwanted pregnancy or STD. Which is the worst an unwanted teen pregnancy or a STD. Well they both come with a life sentence i.e heartache and pain and any partying stops here?

Come on girls and boys this is the 21st century so no need to destroy your childhood. I am not saying that every teen pregnancy has not worked out, but for a great many it has ruined their lives. Do you want to raise a baby, especially one that has ruined your life. Will you ever love that infant in the way you should? Sadly many teen mums don’t so the innocent baby has to suffer.

Most teenage mothers end up raising their child on their own all because daddy is still growing up too.

Come on girls and boys think of the consequences. If you choose to ignore all the golden rules then you have to accept the consequences. Please have yourself checked over by a doctor early to make sure that there are no complications. I do not wish to frighten you but teen mums that have not fully reached puberty themselves may need extra care and attention.

People who deal with situations as such are very understanding and compassionate towards any concerns relating to teen pregnancies.

If you find talking on the matter embarrasses you, then ask a friend to go with you and let them do the talking. If all fails in getting you to speak with some one, then next time you collect your pocket money - consider buying a condom not a cornet.



Jenny

Adrian Adams asked:


Teenagers have different health needs than children and adults, but they are not always aware of what makes a good health decision. The issue is further complicated by changing moods and temperaments, which could leave your steak-loving teen declaring they are now a vegetarian at any time. Fortunately, parents can take steps to help their teen stay healthy.

Physical Health

The physical health needs of a teenager are different from both younger children and adults. Between physical changes, hormonal changes, and lifestyle changes, teenagers encounter a variety of influences that have bearing on their physical health. The following can help you ensure that your teen stays physically healthy:

Discuss sexual health. Granted, this is a difficult topic for any parent to discuss with their child, but it is of vital importance. According to statistics, sexually active teens are more likely to drop out of school, as well as being more likely to use drugs and alcohol. They also face the possibility of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, some of which are treatable but not curable. Discuss abstinence, condom and birth control use, and sexually transmitted diseases with your teen. Don’t leave it to the health teacher to explain things or you run the risk of your teen getting all of their knowledge from their friends.

Help with food choices. Most teens do not get enough calcium or iron, but they get too much fat and sugar. Their food choices not only affect them now, but they can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, anemia and osteoporosis later. Make sure you have healthy food choices, like fruit for snacks, available in the home. While talking to them about future risks can help them choose wisely, you will get more results if you show them how healthy choices will help them now. For example, point out that a healthy diet and plenty of water will help them have clearer skin.

Give them vitamins. Sometimes, teens simply have less-than-ideal diets. Make sure you keep a good multi-vitamin, preferably one with calcium, available for your teen. While it is a good idea to suggest or encourage taking vitamins, remember that pushing the issue will only cause your teen to refuse.

Encourage exercise. Teens need more physical activity than pushing buttons on a cell phone. Encourage your teen to be physically active. For some, the easiest way to ensure exercise is to allow them to participate in team sports. Another method of getting your teen moving is to have family activities, like volleyball, basketball, or bicycling.

The physical health of your teen influences their physical health as an adult, so it is important that you help them maintain their physical health. Remember that one of the best ways of helping your teen stay physically healthy is to set a good example with your own choices.



George

Groshan Fabiola asked:


Before giving birth to a child, a woman must go through different stages during labor and childbirth. These stages are three and consist of: the first stage begins with the onset of the contraction and gradual effacement and dilatation of the cervix. While the cervix dilates the contractions are longer and stronger. The last part of active labor which is the end of the first stage the cervix dilates to 10 centimeters. This last part is called transition.

Afterwards the second stage of labor begins after the full dilatation and ends after the birth of the baby. This stage is also known as the pushing stage.

The final stage begins after the birth of the baby and involves the separation and the delivery of the placenta.

For women that are facing the first birth labor and delivery lasts about 15 hours. There are many cases of women that give birth in more than 20 hours. Few of them are lucky and deliver more quickly. For women who gave birth before the average period for a delivery is around 8 hours.

The premier phase in the first stage is called early labor. This phase consists of regular contraction and progressively cervix dilatation. This stage occurs at 37 weeks after the conception. If the contractions occur before this time the future mothers should ask a specialist that can determine if it is preterm labor. As we said before the contractions begin to be longer and stronger. The contractions might come from ten to ten minutes and might last about 30 seconds. Sometimes these early labor contractions are quite painful.

During this phase women can experience increasing mucousy vaginal discharge which may be tinged with blood. This is a normal thing but if more than a tinge of blood is seen, a doctor should be called.

Active labor is the second phase in the first stage. In this phase contractions become frequent and the cervix begins to dilate faster going from 3-4 centimeters to 10. Toward the end of the active labor the baby might deign to descend.

This phase lasts different from woman to woman. For a woman that has his first baby this phase might last about six hours until she will get to full dilation.

The last part of the active phase is transition. This period marks the transition to the second stage of labor. This phase is the most intense part of the labor because the contractions begin to be stronger, coming about every two or three minutes. This phase might last from a few minutes to a few hours.

Pushing, the second stage comes, after the transition.

In a few minutes after giving birth the uterus begins to contract. The first contraction separates the placenta from the uterine wall. This phase usually lasts a few minutes.

For more inforamtion about teenage pregnancy please visit ectopic pregnancy or http://www.pregnancy-1st-guide.com/



Josue

Jasmine Stone asked:


Morning sickness can be one of your first signs that you are pregnant. This doesn’t always mean that you’ll get sick only in the morning. This can happen, morning, noon or night. It will normally occur in the first trimester or your pregnancy and end by the second, this isn’t the case in all pregnancies though. Some women will continue with it until the very end of term.

Nausea can happen immediately or you may get lucky and have no morning sickness at all. No one is for certain what causes morning sickness, it is a change in the body that happens during pregnancy. Many women seem to get sick after taking the prenatal pill, try taking it later in the day. Your doctor may even advise you to take some other form of vitamin instead of the pill. Always find out first with your doctor before taking anything new or taking yourself off medication, even prenatal pills.

There are a few ways to minimize the sickness, but they don’t work for everyone. Try keeping crackers on hand, I prefer saltines for some reason. Try drinking some ginger ale, it calms the stomach down. Dry cereal is another good thing to eat, your stomach may just be a little bit hungry and trying to tell you. Remember to take small portions, this way you know if it is all going to come up or not. Sleeping is another good way to avoid it, however it will wake you up. Keep yourself hydrated, not only can this make your sickness come but you can become dehydrated and need to go to the emergency room if you aren’t careful.

Smells is another thing that seems to cause morning sickness. Imagine walking into a restaurant and the first thing you smell is grease. Yes, this can easily set it off. Bad smells and even certain tastes, get the feel for your body during the pregnancy and figure out just what sets it off. Knowing how to avoid it, can make a world of difference.

A few reasons you should go to your doctor would be if you begin losing weight because you are constantly sick. If you become dehydrated, faint, look pale, confused or throw up more than four times in a day. Your doctor may be able to prescribe something that will stop it.

Try slowing down a bit, sometimes your body is just exhausted from all the errands you are running and it tries to give you a break. Listen to your body, take a nap, relax and watch a television show…take some time off. If you are looking for remedies for your morning sickness, you may try buying some pregnancy pops. Or if you’d prefer to stay away from the sweets you can wear a bracelet designed to stop morning sickness, they are just like the motion sickness bracelets. They don’t work for everyone but they could work for you.



Dean

Jasmine Stone asked:


Are you a woman who has just recently had a baby? If you are, congratulations! The birth of a new child is a fun, adventurous, and memorable experience. Although work may be the farthest thing from your mind right now, it is something that you may want to take the time to think about. After having a baby, a large number of women wonder whether or not they should return to work.

When it comes to determining if you should return to work after having a baby, there are a number of important factors that you will want to take into consideration. For many women, money is an issue. How is your current financial situation? Before your baby was born, were you relying on one or two incomes? This simple question may play an important role in your decision. Many women are able to stay at home with their children if they have another source of income, like a regular paycheck from their spouse or live in partner.

Although money may be an issue for you, when determining if you should return to work after the birth of your child, it is also important to examine the money that you may save. As a parent, you likely wouldn’t send your child to just any daycare center. Unfortunately, daycare providers that come highly rated and recommend often have high fees. It is not uncommon for parents to pay one hundred dollars or more a week in childcare expenses, just for one child. It is also important to examine the reduction in work purchased snacks and drinks, as well as gasoline to and from work. After this comparison, you may find that staying home with your child, after their birth, is actually a cost effective solution.

When determining if you should return to work after the birth of your child, you are also urged to examine the benefits of staying home. From birth to the toddler age, children are at an important stage in their life. Many experts have stated that close contact between parents and their children can help improve their relationship, as well as improve their developmental skills, as someone is working with them at all times. These are just important factors to take into consideration.

Of course, it is also important to remember that you don’t just have to be a stay-at-home mom. There are a large number of mothers in the United States who are considered work-at-home moms. With a computer and internet access, there are a number of work-at-home jobs or home-based business opportunities that can allow you to stay at home with your new baby, as well as bring in a source of income. If you have yet to return to work, working from home is something that you may at least want to take into consideration.

The above mentioned points are mostly centered on the benefits of staying at home with your child, after their birth. While there are a number of benefits to doing so, you should also know that there are a number of benefits to sending your child to daycare, as long as that daycare comes highly rated and recommended. Perhaps, the greatest benefit is the social interaction that your child will likely receive by being around other children. It is also important to mention your own needs. Working from home or staying at home with kids is a large task, one that can occasionally be stressful. That is why many mothers make the decision to return to the workforce after having a child, for their own sanity.

As you likely already know, the decision as to whether or not you want to return to work after the birth of your baby is your decision to make, but the above mentioned points are ones that you may want to keep in mind. Regardless of whether you decide to return to work or stay at home with your child, your and your child will likely have a long and healthy relationship with each other for years and years to come.



Shaun

Jonathon Hardcastle asked:


Being a teenager is a troubling time. While adjusting to all the changes going on both in your biology and your responsibilities, making the right decisions can be hard when it comes to topics such as relationships. In this article, we’ll offer some statistics regarding teenage relationships so that you can better understand exactly what’s in store for the average teenager who is dating.

While domestic violence is a terrible aspect of adult relationships, few adults realize that this problem also occurs in their sons and daughters. A study conducted by “Children Now” in 1995 saw that a full 89 percent of teens have been in dating relationships and a whopping 40 percent of all teenagers know someone their age that was beaten or abused by a boyfriend in a relationship. This is a serious problem that every parent needs to watch out for to ensure the health and safety of their children. Another study, conducted by Silverman, Raj, Mucci and Hathaway in 2001 showed that young women who were in relationships that involved violence were more likely to abuse substances, develop eating disorders, conduct risky sexual behaviors, get pregnant, and even commit suicide. As you can see, domestic violence in teenagers is very worrisome for a host of reasons.

In the good news department, the number of teen pregnancies occurring in the United States has been declining since the early nineties. These decreases are found across the board, with age, marital status, and ethnicity not being a significant factor in the decrease, representing a uniform drop. Studies show that this drop in teen pregnancy can be due to the greater use of contraceptives by teens. Lowered rates of sexual activity amongst adolescents also are a factor in the declining rate. However, the teen pregnancy rate in the United States is still one of the highest rates in any industrialized nation. The use of contraceptives needs to be encouraged by all parties, regardless of religion or creed. If a teenager has sex unprotected, they run a risk of getting pregnant that is approximately 90%.

One aspect of teenage pregnancy that is frightening is the number of adult males that are having sexual relationships with teenage females. In cases where a girl aged 15 to 17 gets pregnant, over 50% of the time, an adult male is the father. A study conducted in California showed that seven out of ten teenage births were caused by men aged twenty or above.



Sergio