Post Partum Care
Mamas on Bedrest: Should Breastfeeding be the Law?
August 4th, 2010
Mamas around the US are weighing in on the “Breastfeeding should be mandatory”statement declared by supermodel Gisele Bundchen. Mamas on Bedrest, Should Breastfeeding be the law?
There are many reasons that mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their babies. First of all, breastmilk contains antibodies that are protective to the newborn. We all know that a newborn has a very sensitive, immature immune system. Breast Milk contains many of the antibodies and protective agents from the mother that protect the newborn from illness and disease until its own immune system becomes more competent. Research has shown that babies who breastfeed exclusively for at least 6 months have a lower incidence of allergies, ear infections and other childhood illnesses. The following are many of the cited health benefits (from www.womenshealth.gov and www.aap.org):
Breastmilk adapts to meet the nutritional needs of the nursing child. The initial colostrum that feeds a newborn is dramatically different from the mature breast milk that nourishes a nursing toddler. Yet at each stage, breast milk is just the right composition of protein, carbohydrates, fats and water needed to meet the nutritional needs of the nursing child. Breast Milk also has enzymes that make it easier to digest so that there is little to no stomach upset in the child.
And one can’t deny the economics of breastfeeding. Breast Milk is free. It is always ready, no mixing necessary and it is always the right temperature. Some breastfeeding advocates has gone so far as to say that low income women should be forced to breastfeed. Low income, less educated women are less likely than women of higher economic and educational status to breastfeed. Their children are also more likely to have frequent ear infections, allergies, asthma and other childhood illnesses. Proponents state that educating and encouraging lower income and less educated women to breastfeed their babies could reduce healthcare costs and improve the long term health, intelligence and well-being of lower income children. (There is currently no data to support these claims)
But opponents of mandatory breastfeeding state that breastfeeding is not for every mom. Many women cite pain, inability to produce sufficient quantities of milk, lack of support for breastfeeding amongst their famiies and friends, work schedules and feeling embarrassed while nursing as reasons they did not breastfeed for very long or at all. Still, breastfeeding has many benefits for mama as well including:
- Reduced risk of breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers
- Reduced risk of anemia
- Protection against osteoporosis and hip fracture in later life
- Reduced risk of mortality for women with rheumatoid arthritis has bee associated with total time of lactation
- Helps mother’s body return to its pre-pregnancy state faster-promotes weigh loss; 1/2 of calories needed to make milk is pulled from fat stores
- Helps delay return of fertility and to space subsequent pregnancies
- Moms miss less time from work due to child related illnesses
- Helps the uterus contract after birth to control postpartum bleeding
And althoug it is not listed here, breastfeeding has been linked to reduction in post partum depression. (Read our previous blog posts -April and May 2010-on the topic!)
US culture does not support breastfeeding as evidenced by restaurants and other public establishments banning breastfeeding or banishing breastfeeding mothers to restrooms to feed their babies. Breastfeeding mothers have had to file lawsuits to be able to breastfeed their babies or to have breastfeeding/breast pumping areas available in their workplace. The US’s lack of paid maternity leave makes it nearly impossible for new mothers to establish breastfeeding. When faced with the choice of staying home to breastfeed and/or adjusting their work environments or schedules in order to breastfeed, many women are not only unwilling but are also unable to make such concessions. Many women say they won’t have a job to come back to and can’t put their entire family’s security in jeopardy.
The breastfeeding debate will wage on and every mama will have to decide for herself what is the best method of feeding her baby. Since August is World Breastfeeding Month, Mamas on Bedrest, take this time on bedrest to consider what is the best method for you to feed your baby and if it is breastfeeding, gather your resources and support now. Mamas on Bedrest & Beyond is pleased to offer several resources for breastfeeding mamas on our website as well as in our Amazon.com store.
How are you planning to feed your baby? Share your comments with us below.
If we can be of assistance, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@mamasonbedrest.com
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5 Tips to Enhance Your Post Bed Rest, Post Partum Walking Program.
July 22nd, 2010As many of you know I have been traveling around the country with my kids visiting family and friends for the past several weeks. Early on I wrote a blog describing how many new mamas were working diligently to regain their pre-pregnancy physiques in a park in East Tennessee. These mamas were walking and while I wholeheartedly support their efforts, observing them prompted me to write Walking Gets Mama into Shape After Bedrest giving 4 tips on how to start a walking program after being a mama on bed rest.
I’ve thought about those mamas and the many others I’ve seen along my journey. The gentle strolls around the park are a good start, but if they want to enhance their effort, they should incorporate these 5 tips into their walking programs.
- Increase the duration of the workouts. Many new mamas, especially mamas who had been on bed rest prior to delivery, start out only able to walk for just a few minutes. But as you get stronger, try to exercise for longer durations. Walking for 30-45 minutes daily at a moderate pace will increase cardiovascular health, increase leg muscle tone and will aid in weight loss when combined with a reduced calorie diet.
- Increase the intensity of the workouts. Now that you are stronger, press yourself a bit. Walk faster and see if you can cover the same distance in a shorter amount of time. Vary your route. If you typically walk in a flat park, try to find a route that has a few small hills. Increasing the intensity of your workouts will increase your cardiovascular health, improve your muscle tone and will increase your energy expenditure . This is important if your goal is to lose weight. To lose weight you must burn/expend more calories than your take in. So walking more intensely will burn more calories than strolling.Walking a more strenuous course will increase muscle tone in your legs. The more muscle you have, thttp://www.mamasonbedrest.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=1418he more calories you burn. Combined with a reduced calorie diet, you will be more likely to lose your pregnancy weight faster and keep it off.
- Practice contracting and holding in your abdominal muscles while you walk. One of the most common complaints of post partum women is the “poochie belly”. The abdominal muscles are so stretched from pregnancy that they must be rehabilitated not only to regain the flat pre-pregnancy belly but also to improve posture and to increase core muscle strength. While walking, draw your abdominal muscles in, pulling your navel to your spine. DO NOT HOLD YOUR BREATH!! Hold for 1-2 seconds and release. Repeat several times during your walk. Gradually increase the amount of time you are able to hold your abs in while you walk. With practice, you will be able to hold you abs in for an entire walk.
- Do Kegel Exercises while you walk. Kegels are also important exercises to help strengthen the core as well as the pelvic floor muscles. Several repetitions should be performed several times a day in order to strengthen the pelvic floor, strengthen the core, reduce incontinence and reduce the incidence of organ prolapse. Our blog post Kegels: Essential Exercises for Mamas on Bed Rest gives a full explanation of the benefits of Kegels as well as how to do them.
- Get Support. Numerous studies have shown that exercise and weight loss efforts are enhanced when people, especially women, have a partner. When I was walking in the park and watching the mamas walk, I was really pleased to see a dad walking alongside a new mama. While working out with a significant other can have its challenges, it can also draw a couple closer, an added benefit for new parents who may be feeling stressed.
What are your tips for working out post partum? Please share with our community by posting in the comments section below.
Reading this while on bed rest? Wondering what exercises you can do? Sign up for our free e-newsletter and receive a free download of 10 lower body exercises, stretches and Kegel exercise instructions.
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Walking Gets Mama into Shape After Bed Rest
July 5th, 2010I was really excited to see several new mamas out walking with their babies in the sunshine this morning. Walking is an excellent way for mama to lose the pre-pregnancy weight and spend time with her baby. Additionally it is an exceptional way for a former mama on bed rest to regain her lower body muscle strength,endurance and her pre-pregnancy physique.
After as little as two weeks of inactivity, a mama on bed rest can lose substantial muscle strength and endurance. Judith Maloni, Ph.d, notes in her publication, Astronauts and Pregnancy Bed Rest: What NASA is teaching us about inactivity,
“Many mamas who deliver after being on prescribed bed rest report that they have difficulty standing up, get dizzy when they first stand up and they have hip and leg pain.”
Many Mamas are unable to support themselves while standing, let alone themselves and their babies immediately post partum! The longer that a mama had been on prescribed bed rest, the longer-and perhaps harder-it is for her to regain her pre-pregnancy strength, endurance and her pre-pregnancy physique.
Most obstetricians advise new mamas not to engage in vigorous physical activity before 6 weeks post partum. While this is sage advice as it applies to engaging is structured aerobic activity, heavy lifting or strenuous activity, it does not apply to walking. In fact, new mamas should take a short walks daily-beginning almost immediately. At first, this may simply be walking down to the nursery to see their newborns. Once they are home, it may be walking around the house, around the yard or around the block. The sooner mama can begin re-engaging her muscles and reactivating the dormant connections between her brain and her limbs, the sooner she can begin the reconditioning process.But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. I want to keep this post purely on walking and the early post partum mama.
So there I was, walking my 9 laps around the park in my husband’s home town (a mile=3 loops around the park path and I walk 3 miles), watching the mamas walking with their baby strollers and several important tips came to mind that insprired this post.
- Start with a good pair of athletic shoes. It is very likely that you will need to buy a new pair of athletic shoes after you have your baby. Your feet probably swelled or spread to accommodate the added weight of your pregnancy. For some women, myself included, their feet are now a full size larger (or more) as a result of their pregnancies. Even if you are able to wear the same gym shoes you wore while pregnant, you’ll probably notice that they have stretched and/or worn in such a way that they no longer provide adequate support to your feet now. For example, I “waddled” when I was pregnant and to be able to support my weight, I walked on the outside of my feet. Once I delivered and my weight shifted back to a more even, central distribution, my old shoes actually caused pain in my calves when I wore them to walk. If you can afford to do so, get new athletic shoes.
- Wear a good supportive bra. It’s summertime and while tank tops are appealing, be sure to wear a good, supportive bra when you walk. “But walking is low impact,” you may be thinking. True enough, but if you are nursing, you may have noticed that your breasts are not only heavier but also more sensitive than normal. The mere feeling of cloth against your nipples or extra movement of the breast tissue may be very uncomfortable right now. Make sure to wear a bra that keeps you cool and “wicks” moisture away from your breast as well as one that helps minimize movement.
- Wear an abdominal support if necessary.I had cesarean sections with each of my children and my belly was very tender post partum-especially after the birth of my son, my second c-section. I wore a support garment after both pregnancies to help relieve pressure on my belly. There are several good one on the market and Special Addition Maternity and Nursing Boutique has several great support garments-I bought mine there and you can order online and get sizing support during normal business hours.
- Get a good walking stroller. If you can, get a stroller that is designed for walking. These strollers will have larger wheels and the wheels often pivot so that they are easy to turn and maneuver. Today I saw a Graco stroller that had handles that were similar to those that competitive bikes have so that mama can either grip them with her hands or rest her forearms on them. Additionally, many strollers allow you to adjust the handles so that your arms rest comfortably at your sides, not too high and not too low. Very ergonomic!!InStep, BabyTrend and other jogging strollers are great brands to start with. Also, check sporting goods stores as they often stock jogging strollers.
- Once you have the right equipment, you need to walk with the correct posture. Be sure to stand up straight behind the stroller, not hunched over the handles. New mamas often have rounded shoulders from the weight of their pregnancies, nursing and constantly bending forward to care for their babies. Likewise, mama should not be bent at the waist with arms extended in front of her pushing the stroller as if she is hoisting a huge bolder up a hill like Sisyphus. This stance will lead to arm, shoulder, neck and back pain. It’s important that new mamas stand up straight behind the strollers as they walk to minimize pain or injury.
Once mama has these few essential pieces of equipment and posture pointers, she is ready to begin an initial walking program and the journey back to her “pre-pregnancy” self. Our next blog post will address some specific training techniques mamas can use to enhance their walking program.
Still on bed rest yet want to maintain muscle strength and tone? Order Bedrest Fitness, the first DVD fitness program modified specifically for mamas on bed rest.
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