Search Results for: postpartum health

The Lowdown on Postpartum Periods

I have a new item to add to the list of “Things That Happen Postpartum That No One Ever Talks About”. Seriously, there is an entire list of things that happen postpartum that simply do not get discussed by most people, most of the time. Since these things do not get discussed, they take you completely by surprise when they happen. How do I know this? I am currently working my way through one of them, and I am just beginning to understand it. I wish that someone had given me the lowdown on postpartum periods at some point before … Continue reading →

Missouri’s HealthNet Covers Pregnant Women and Newborns

Every state has a Medicaid program. Typically, the Medicaid program of an individual state will be segmented into separate parts that are each designed to cover a particular population. At least one of them will cover women who are pregnant. In Missouri, that part is called MO HealthNet for Pregnant Women and Newborns. Medicaid is a government run, or public, form of health insurance coverage. It is designed to help people who are low-income have access to health insurance coverage, and therefore, health care. Medicaid is funded by both the federal government and the government of an individual state. In … Continue reading →

Postpartum Hair Loss

Since you are pregnant, you may be wondering about what happens after the baby is born. Of course many things happen after the baby is born – you learn to care for the baby, your body recovers from pregnancy and birth, and you begin watching your baby grow and change. There are also other things that happen too, and you may not know about them until they happen because they are not really things that people talk about that much. One of those things is postpartum hair loss. Of course, no one is going to say “wow, you’re pregnant – … Continue reading →

Postpartum Depression: Angie’s Story (1)

Looking back at her life, Angie could see that she typified the perfect candidate for postpartum depression. In the months prior to becoming pregnant, and she had been promoted in her job, but her boss had also taken leave and she was expected to take on a large part of his workload. In addition, her parents were having marital problems. When she was three months pregnant she received a hysterical phone call from her mother demanding that she come immediately to the family home as her father was threatening to leave and had also hidden his heart medication tablets in … Continue reading →

Preparing Your Health History

One of the major components of your first prenatal check up is the health history interview. It should feel somewhat familiar, since many doctors do this on your first visit, but the prenatal version is a little more detailed. To prepare, it may help to look over some of these questions beforehand in case you need to make a few phone calls to your mom or relatives. What is your history with pregnancy? Have you been pregnant before? Have you ever had a miscarriage? Have you ever had an abortion? If you have had a baby before, how did you … Continue reading →

Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression Screening

Depression can affect just as many pregnant women as it does postpartum women, if not more. Fourteen to twenty-three percent of pregnant women suffer from depression while five to twenty-five percent of women will have postpartum depression. Typically your obstetrician and your pediatrician will give you a short questionnaire on multiple occasions after your baby is born that will screen for signs of postpartum depression. The questionnaire might contain statements like “I cry more than usual” and ask you to rate that statement on a scale of one to five. Postpartum depression is not something you should try to hide … Continue reading →

Identifying and Treating Postpartum Depression

Post partum depression is often underdiagnosed. New mothers don’t seek help for a variety of reasons or fail to notice the symptoms of PPD. Health care providers have limited contact and women often put on a brave face, which prevents diagnosis in some cases. Researchers in England may have discovered the key to better diagnosis for women. Studies conducted in England involved training health visitors to recognize the signs and symptoms of post partum depression. The study looked at over 4,000 new mothers in England. The mothers were identified by the health care visitors. The women were divided into two … Continue reading →

What is a Postpartum Doula?

Whether you have had a baby before or this is your first, you have probably heard of a doula. In general, the role of the doula during labor and birth is to support the mother and her partner, advocate for the woman with health care staff and help keep the birth moving according to the mother’s birth plan and personal wishes for her birth experience. But, have you heard of a postpartum doula? This group of doulas specializes in offering care for new mothers and their families after the baby is born. The general idea isn’t new. Nurses have been … Continue reading →

New Survey Offers Startling Insight into the Postpartum Period

Most of us envision a blissfully happy time, cuddling our new bundles of joy after the long months of pregnancy. This happy picture is especially common if you have wanted a baby for a while. However, a new survey of women shortly after giving birth paints a very different picture of the days after the baby arrives. The survey was conducted by Childbirth Connection, an organization devoted to improving the quality of care during pregnancy. The survey was conducted twice, once about the child birth experiences of the women. The second was conducted six months later and looked at the … Continue reading →

Is Britney Spears Suffering From Postpartum Depression?

Shortly after Britney Spears had what the media calls her “meltdown” (which began with a self-induced head shaving, the addition of a couple of tattoos, multiple trips in and out of rehab, and a tirade, which included the young mom attacking a photographer’s vehicle with an umbrella… in the course of 36 hours), Hollywood insiders began to speculate that the pop princess may be suffering from more than just a substance dependency. Shortly after Spears’ head shaving incident “View” co-host Rosie O’Donnell hinted that the 25-year-old mother of two young sons may be suffering from postpartum psychosis. Of course, O’Donnell’s … Continue reading →