News Moms Need

Your baby hasn’t arrived yet, so why is it so hard to get enough sleep? Getting up to go to the bathroom, heartburn and having to adjust pillows to find a comfortable sleep position are just a few of the discomforts of pregnancy.

If you’re like me, you may have spent most of your life sleeping on your back. But now that you’re pregnant, you need to adjust to sleeping on your side. The issue with lying on your back during pregnancy is that the weight of your uterus can flatten a major blood vessel that carries blood between your lower body and heart. It is better to lie on your side, especially the left side, which will promote circulation and help reduce swelling in your feet.

So how can you catch up on your sleep?

• Reduce your stress before bedtime – try breathing deeply, closing your eyes or relaxing in your favorite armchair before bed. You can take a warm shower or bath before bedtime too.
• Use pillows: between your legs, to support your back and abdomen, and to lift up your upper body if you suffer from shortness of breath.
• Use your bed only for sleep- don’t watch TV or use your iPad while in bed. Keep the room at a comfortable temperature and try using a noise machine to block out other sounds.
• Go to bed earlier – you need as much rest as possible.
• Avoid drinking fluids right before bedtime. If you suffer from heartburn, try to eat your last meal a few hours before going to sleep.
• Exercising during the day can help you get a better night’s sleep, but don’t exercise too close to bedtime or it may make it hard for you to fall asleep. Read about our tips to stay active.

Your baby will be here before you know it. Take this time to grab a few extra zzzz’s whenever possible.

Have questions? Email us at AskUs@marchofdimes.org.

In this video, Dr. Siobhan Dolan visits a new mom to give her tips on how to put her newborn to sleep.

I love watching my little girl sleep in her crib! She looks like an angel, all peaceful and quiet – nothing like the silly, giggly goose she is when she’s awake.

When we first set her crib up and laid out all the crib bedding, I couldn’t wait to see how it would brighten up her room. But I wasn’t quite sure about the bumper. It looked so cute, but was it safe?

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has new sleep safety guidelines for baby and now says a big fat NO to crib bumpers.  The AAP says loose bedding, like crib bumpers, and soft objects, like stuffed animals or pillows, put babies at risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), suffocation and strangulation.

The AAP guidelines highlight other ways to reduce the risk of SIDS, like:
• Put your baby to sleep on her back.
• Use a firm crib mattress.
• Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib.
• Have your baby sleep in her crib in your room.
• Offer your baby a pacifier at night and during nap times.
• Avoid overheating your baby. Overbundling or using too many layers can overheat your baby.
• Breastfeed. Breastfeeding has shown to lessen the risk of SIDS.
• Don’t smoke, use drugs or drink alcohol.

Dr. Siobhan Dolan visits a new mom to give her tips on how to put her newborn to sleep

As many as 1 out of 5 pregnant women have symptoms of depression. This is a serious illness that the woman and her health care provider need to address.

Today the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued treatment recommendations about depression during pregnancy.

Untreated depression has risks for both the woman and the fetus. Antidepressants also carry some risks. So treating this illness during pregnancy is a balancing act. In some mild cases, therapy may be preferred over medication.

Bottom line: Each woman needs to work with her health care provider to find the best solution for herself and her baby. Decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis, taking into acount the seriousness of the illness. If a woman has depression and is thinking about getting pregnant, she should talk to her provider beforehand.

One major concern is that depression often goes unrecognized during pregnancy. This isn’t good for anyone. A woman who is depressed feels sad or “blue” and has other symptoms that last for 2 weeks or longer. Other symptoms include the following:

• Trouble sleeping
• Sleeping too much
• Lack of interest
• Feelings of guilt
• Loss of energy
• Difficulty concentrating
• Changes in appetite
• Restlessness, agitation or slowed movement
• Thoughts or ideas about suicide

If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your health care provider. For yourself and your baby.

If you have depression, are taking medication and find out you’re pregnant, keep taking your meds for now and talk to your provider right away.

Once when I was a kid, I was riding my bike, and a neighbor’s dog ran out and bit me on the leg. I cried all the way home. I love dogs, but I also respect them.

Next week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week. Thanks to dog vaccinations  and other public health efforts, rabies is rare in the United States. But it’s still a serious concern. And dog bites can also cause infection and serious injury.

Here’s what you and you family can do to protect yourselves from dog bites:

* Don’t approach an unfamiliar dog.

* Don’t run from a dog or scream when you’re around a dog.

* Be “still like a tree” if an unfamiliar dog approaches.

* If a dog knocks you down, roll into a ball and lie “still like a log.”

* Avoid direct eye contact with a dog.

* Don’t disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.

* Before petting a dog, let it see and sniff you.

* Report stray dogs or dogs acting strangely to your local animal control agency.

For more information, read Dog Bite Prevention on the Web site of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.