- As a person, one’s surroundings and expectations from future, ideals and one’s real situation could be so very different from the real world, so distracted and so inappropriate that being not able to reach these high standards may lead to weakness and loneliness thoughts and depression.

- One’s super ego could be so powerful and dominant that it restricts, blames, takes away from comforting and pleasure-giving activities, as if torturing.

- People around one may expect so many things that it’s impossible to establish. This may lead to some thoughts of weakness and misery and turn them into depression.

- There exists no one that one could love, respect, be proud of, get support and company, follow the footprints, idealize as a father, mother, teacher, relative etc. in a certain level. This affects the development of character in a negative way and may lead to loss of self- confidence and eventually depression.

- Separation or loss of parents in childhood may lead to build wrong or insufficient mechanisms to get over stressed circumstances lacking of support and this may prepare some base to depression.

- The characteristics are important in depression progress. The tendency to depression is higher in people who are obsessive- compulsive, addictive, hysterionic and in borderline having personal disorders.

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2. What Are The Symptoms of Depression? (Clinical Depression-Major Depression)
3. The Basics of Depression

Pain comes in many guises.  In my case, it was emotional.  My much hoped for home-birth went as far from what I wanted as it could possibly be when complications meant my baby was born 1 month prematurely by c-section under general anaesthetic.  My husband was not allowed to be in the room with me.  Neither of us saw our child come into this world.  Although the birth procedure itself was quick, the preparation and aftermath were physically and emotionally scarring.  Our son was born at 9.40 am in the morning.  I wasn’t able to see him until 7.00 pm that night.  Can any mother who has given birth naturally imagine that?  I had a baby that was only 3lb in weight in a neonatal ward.  I, on maternity, wasn’t able to get to him.  I lay in my bed listening to other babies on the corridor crying and wondering if my baby was crying for me.  Eventually my husband pushed my bed almost the entire length of the hospital from our room, to the neonatal area, and I saw and held my 10-hour-old son for the first time.   For first couple of days I wasn’t able to be with the baby unless someone could help me get there and I endured many hours of agony because I knew that if I went back to my room for pain relief, I might not be able to get back to the baby until someone was able to take me.  The baby meant more to me and so I blocked out the pain where possible.  Around this time there were a few articles in the local newspaper of women saying how easy a c-section was – well perhaps it was for them, but there were half a dozen women with babies in my son’s ward who could testify to the other side of the picture.

Women need to be aware that having a c-section isn’t just a cut and the baby’s born.  Even without the complications of a baby with special needs, the mother cannot just get out of bed and do things as she would if the baby had been born naturally.  A c-section is major surgery.  Those women that have a c-section with the aid of an epidural or spinal block, are able to have their chosen birth partner with them and they see the baby immediately it is born – but even they will not be able to quench that new mother’s instinct to pick her baby from the crib and cuddle it, unless there is someone in the room to hand it to her.   I believe that many women think that because some areas perform c-sections that are possibly un-necessary because it is quicker, that this means that it is easier on the mother.  This is not the case.  It is easier on the hospital because it then knows how many babies will be born that day, and how long the parents and baby are likely to occupy space in the hospital – but it is not easier on the mother who will endure days and nights of physical pain from the surgery, emotional pain from finding out that she cannot care for her baby in its first days without help, and the knowledge that many people think that she has taken the effortless way out.

Instead of newspapers writing up “feel good” stories that support the need of some hospitals to carry out c-sections simply for time management needs, I wish they would take up the cause of the mothers and deliver the reverse side.  Then those women who have needless c-sections, and those like myself who must have them, will not feel that we are less of a woman because we did not experience a lot of pain bringing our babies into the world “the easy way”.

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1. Usurping Mother Nature: The Rise in Induced Births
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Keep A Journal
One way that an expectant mother can help with the treatment of gestational diabetes is to keep a food journal with her charts of blood sugar readings.  The mother can track everything eaten for each of her meals and snacks to see how well she has kept to her prescribed diet.  Along with this, she should write down her blood sugar readings after each meal.  This will help her chart which foods create a blood sugar spike so she can modify her diet accordingly.

Walk It Off
The experience of gestational diabetes can be stressful with the dietary changes and prescribed medications.  Exercise is a key not only in helping to regulate gestational diabetes, but also to help alleviate stress.  This may become more difficult as the pregnancy comes to term.  However, an exercise program which keeps the doctor’s guidelines in mind will benefit both the mother and baby.

Build The Support System
Expectant mothers may feel like they live in a vacuum regarding their diagnosis, with little understanding from family and friends.  In order to keep up with the treatments prescribed, the mother should bring a close family member or friend to the doctor’s appointments and meetings with the dietitian.  She can cook carbohydrate-friendly meals for her family to show how one can be healthy and enjoy good food at the same time.  She can also allow her family to experiment with the glucometer, taking their blood sugar readings and comparing them with hers.

A diagnosis of gestational diabetes does not have to cast a shadow over an expectant mother’s pregnancy.  With these simple management tips, she can assist her doctor with controlling her blood sugar levels while enjoying all of the experiences of a healthy pregnancy.

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1. Gestational Diabetes: Treatment
2. Gestational Diabetes
3. Women with Diabetes Face Greater Risk of Heart Disease

The fetus’ growth is supported by the placenta, and it is hormones in the placenta which help the baby develop. However, these hormones can interrupt the natural function of insulin in the mother’s body. When this occurs it is called insulin resistance and when this happens it becomes difficult for the mother’s body to effectively use insulin and she may end up needing as much as three times the normal amount of insulin.

When the mother’s body is unable to make and effectively use all the insulin needed for pregnancy, glucose cannot be changed into energy when it leaves the blood, and as a result the glucose can build up to high levels.

Due to the fact that gestational diabetes does not affect the mother until late in pregnancy and until well after the fetus’ body and organs has been formed, the gestational diabetes will not cause birth defects that can sometimes result from pregnancies with pre-existing diabetes.

Untreated or mismanaged gestational diabetes can however, harm your baby. With this condition your body will signal your pancreas to work harder to produce more insulin, but this insulin is not effective in lowering the mother’s blood glucose levels. Even though this extra insulin will not cross through the placenta to the baby, the higher levels of glucose will. This will cause the baby’s pancreas to create extra insulin in order to get rid of the extra glucose. As a result, the baby gets more energy than needed and this extra energy can be stored as fat. This process can lead to a condition called macrosomia, or ‘fat’ baby. This condition can lead to damage to the baby’s shoulders during delivery, or due to the extra insulin the newborns may have low blood sugar levels and can be at risk for breathing issues. Finally, babies born from mothers with gestational diabetes often become children who are at higher risk for obesity and become adults with a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The good news is that gestational diabetes usually disappears after birth. However, once having had this condition, a woman is more likely to develop it again in future pregnancies. In some rare cases type 2 diabetes results from having gestational diabetes, or in other cases pre-existing diabetes is caught due to the screening process while pregnant.

While not cause for serious alarm, gestational diabetes can result in dire repercussions to the baby if not managed properly. The doctor or health care provider will advocate a strict course of diet, exercise and sometimes medication, in order to properly control blood sugars and to manage a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.

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1. Gestational Diabetes: Treatment
2. How to Manage Gestational Diabetes
3. Oral Agents for Type 2 Diabetes

However, while a number of inductions are carried out for bona fide medical reasons, many of them, apparently, are being performed for no other reason than convenience. “Social induction” is a term used for inducing labor for the convenience of the patient or physician, with reasons cited ranging from a mother’s wish to avoid her baby’s birth clashing with the family holiday, to the hospital’s staffing schedule running from 9-to-5 Monday to Friday with no after-hours care.

It seems that technology’s not only being used to save lives nowadays, but is also playing a role in making the process of giving birth more convenient and relatively hassle-free: good news for the expectant father who doesn’t have to extend his period of paternity leave, and the physician who gets the weekend off to play golf (statistics also show that in 2006, Sunday was the slowest day for births in the US).

But now some medical experts are asking if perhaps technology isn’t being used a little excessively in the birthing process and whether Mother Nature should be given more of a say in the matter; Mother Nature, after all, having a little more experience in delivering babies than technology. Because even with the advances in technology, induced labor doesn’t come risk-free: There are a number of potential repercussions, including the risk of a premature birth, which can have serious consequences on a baby’s health.

A full-term pregnancy is usually defined as lasting 37 weeks or more, although doctors commonly set a date at 40 weeks from the mother’s last full period. Late preterm babies are those born between 34 and 36 weeks’ gestation. And while they’re usually considered healthy, they are more likely to have medical problems than those born a few weeks later at full term (37 – 42 weeks). A baby’s lungs and brain mature later in pregnancy, which means that late preterm babies are more at risk of being jaundiced, and having problems with breathing, feeding, and maintaining their body temperature.

An induced labor can also be more painful than a natural one. Pitocin, a synthetic form of the hormone oxytocin, which is secreted during natural childbirth, is intravenously fed to the mother to induce labor. It generates contractions unnaturally close to one another, providing inadequate rest in between, often making the labor a lot more tiring than giving birth naturally. It also causes intense contractions to start earlier than they do in a natural delivery, before the cervix is significantly dilated. And if all that wasn’t enough, the mother has to be wired up to an electronic monitoring device, adding to her discomfort, to detect any fetal distress which may be caused by the drug.

The possibility of a mother having to undergo a Cesarean section also increases with an induced birth, and it’s no surprise that, in line with the rise in inductions, the percentage of Cesarean-delivered babies has also increased since 1996. In 2006, 31.1 percent of all births were delivered by Cesarean section representing a 50 percent increase since 1996.

But whether the rise in inductions is due to the wishes of the mother, or her physician, is unclear. It can be difficult for some women to know what’s best when it comes to giving birth. While some elect to be induced, others may feel they have little say in the matter, finding it difficult to refuse an induced labor if the advice from their physician is that induction really is in the best interests of both mother and baby.

However, while a doctor has to weigh up all the pros and cons of each individual situation when delivering a baby, a mother still has a say in how she gives birth.  Any woman who is advised to have an induced labor before 39 weeks can ask her physician if there’s any risk to her or her baby’s health that may necessitate inducing at this time. She can also ask to wait to have her baby closer to the 40-weeks mark. Even for older women and those expecting more than one baby, there’s scant evidence to show that inducing labor is beneficial to either mother or baby, provided there are no complications and both appear to be in good health.

It could be that the medical profession is losing confidence in a woman’s ability to deliver naturally without the intervention of technology, and in turn expectant moms are, too. Or maybe we’re using technology more than necessary simply because we can. Providing there’s no bona fide medical reason for an induced birth, shouldn’t we trust Mother Nature a little more to do the job she’s best at…?

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1. Mother Massage “A Handbook for Relieving the Discomforts of Pregnancy”
2. Caesarean Section – A Soft Option?
3. Nipple Stimulation to Induce Pregnancy is a Waste of Time

Breastfeeding can be a wonderful way to bond a new mother and baby.  Unfortunately, breastfeeding can also be a source of frustration if a mother’s milk supply is not enough to satiate the newborn.  Instead of turning to formula, there are some methods that a new mother can use to attempt to increase her milk supply.

Increase fluid intake:  This may be the simplest and easiest solution.  If a mother finds that she’s not producing enough milk, it’s possible that she has overlooked her own hydration needs.  A breastfeeding mom needs to continue with the average of 64 ounces per day of water that she consumed while pregnant.  With a newborn, it’s possible for a mom to find herself too busy with the baby to look after herself, but proper hydration is a necessity.  A healthy mom= a healthy baby.

Proper nutrition:  Along the lines of proper hydration is proper nutrition.  A breastfeeding mom burns approximately 500 calories per day simply through the act of producing milk.  As with proper hydration, a mom who finds herself too busy to eat a proper balanced diet may find herself with a short supply of milk.  It’s important for the mom to make time to feed herself so that baby can have adequate food as well.

Herbal supplements:  Fenugreek is an herb that is well-known for its ability to increase breast milk supply.  The herb can be found in capsule form at most health food stores, and should be taken two to three times per day, two to three capsules each time.  Results are likely to be seen between 24 hours and two weeks from the first dose.  It’s important that a breastfeeding mother should always check with her doctor or baby’s pediatrician before taking supplements that may interfere with other medication.

Lots of rest:  As any new mother knows, rest is not easy to come by with a newborn in the house.  Lack of sleep can damage a mother’s milk supply.  A recommendation for all new moms is to sleep when baby is sleeping.  This may mean several naps during the day, and while this may make a mom that is used to a schedule feel out of sorts, getting adequate sleep is important.  As baby gets older, they will sleep for longer stretches at night, and mom will in turn feel well-rested.

Feed baby more:  A woman’s milk store works on supply and demand.  The more often a baby feeds, the more milk her body will produce.  If a mom feels that her supply is diminishing, adding a few extra nursing sessions to her day can help to boost supply.  Conversely, if a mom stops nursing as often, her body will stop producing as much milk.

Above all else, know that while breastfeeding is a natural way to provide nourishment to a young child, it’s not always 100% successful for every mom.  If a baby is not getting enough milk through breastfeeding alone, it is important to discuss this with the baby’s pediatrician and choose other methods of providing nutrition to baby.

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