TheBumpOC.com

The birth process is a traumatic event for a newborn infant.  It has been documented by G.Gutmann, a published researcher, that 80% of all newboarns have had some form of nerve dysfunction resulting from the birth process.  What does that mean to your baby?  It means a decrease in the immune system response to ears, nose, and throat infections.   How can this be corrected?  Adjustments to correct spinal subluxations (misalignments of the vertebrae) caused by the  baby’s intrauterine position, and  from the journey through the birth canal or during the delivery process itself.  The adjustment to babies can be using the lightest pressure of the finger tips to correct the spinal subluxation.   According to “Explore, The Journal of Science and Healing” chiropractic care for children is deemed safe and effective.

Lamaze birthing method believes that the following are keys to having a healthy delivery process naturally.

1.  Let labor begin on its own.

2. Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor.

3. Bring a loved one, friend, or doula for continuous support.  Surround yourself with people that support  you and your birth plan.

4.  Avoid interventions that are not medically necessary.

5.  Avoid giving birth on the back and follow the body’s urges to push.

6.  Keep mother and baby together-it’s best for mother, baby and breastfeeding.

If you are in your 30’s and thinking about getting pregnant, you are not alone. Many women have opted to start a family later in life whether it is because of longer schooling, career advancement, or settling down at a later age. Fortunately, most women over age 35 will have healthy pregnancies and deliver healthy infants. Research studies shows that with advancing age, risks to both mom and babies also increases. Planning is one way that women can decrease their risks with advancing maternal age. Planning involves adopting healthy lifestyle habits and receiving good health care before conception and also during pregnancy. Women who are older than age 35 are more likely than younger women to have the following:
1. Diabetes related to pregnancy is often called gestational diabetes.
2. Hypertension or elevated blood pressure.
3. Ectopic pregnancy
4. Miscarriage- a 20% risk at age 35 and a 35% risk at age 40.
Just to name a few health issues that can arise after age 35. Women over age 35 need to plan for pregnancy just like women under age 35. It is important that you take care of yourself before you begin trying to conceive and not wait until after you are already pregnant.
A few things you can do to start preparing your body today are the following:
1. Take Folic acid in the bio active form. Please see our previous article about how important it is to have it in the bio active form. Call our office if you have any questions.
2. Quit smoking and drinking alcohol. Before you think about trying, quit the stuff that will cause harm to you and your baby.
3. Reduce stress. This seems hard to do at times but it is crucial to a healthy successful pregnancy. Stress hormones such as cortisol have a negative impact on your pregnancy and can lead to miscarriage. Do not underestimate the power of stress in your life and in the success of your becoming pregnant.
4. Eat a healthy diet. Nutrition is the building blocks of your body and also your baby. Provide your baby with the best available nutrients that you can through good nutrition for yourself.
5. Get regular exercise. Look up in our previous articles about how important exercise is for you regarding easing through labor. Start your program now!
6. Weight management is important also. Reduce your risks by maintaining an appropriate weight.

Okay mommies-2-be, we’ve got you covered in the munchies dept.  No, this isn’t the eat off the veggie tray only list.  BORING, don’t you think?  How about some lettuce wraps stuffed with organic chicken, water chestnuts, and carrot straws sauteed with ginger, garlic, in a splash of canola oil?  Is your mouth watering???  Well then read on…the keys to surviving the super bowl food fest is maintaining your blood sugar levels to curb food cravings and to treat yourself to some yummy culinary delights that support your nutrition goals for your pregnancy.  

On game day, start on the right foot nutritionally.  Even though kick off isn’t until the afternoon, your nutrition game starts in the AM.  Your first play of the day should be a balanced breakfast such as: egg whites scrambled with organic broccoli, red bell peppers, and a 1/4 c. of yukon gold potatoes.  Add a sprinkle of low fat  sharp cheddar cheese to kick up the flavor.Wrap this in a whole grain low-fat tortilla and some mild salsa and you’ve scored a few points for nutrition, flavor, and satisfaction!   

For your next play of the game, have some tasty treats like the asian lettuce wraps mentioned above, or baked potato skins stuffed with seasoned chicken and sprinkled with sharp cheddar cheese.  We think that the baked skins is a field goal solution for you and baby. Potatoes are a Super Bowl MVP in our book because it has a low glycemic load and has an enzyme found in the “juice” of the potato that signals the brain that your full!   Another great snack is hummus with grilled zucchini. We think that this will be sure to score some points for your running game. 

If you find yourself not able to prep some of these fab dishes we mentioned, don’t get blind-sided!  Make a play for  the baked low fat organic tortilla chips and double team it with a black bean dip or mild salsa.  Grilled organic chicken on a stick, dipped into some fun creative sauces will be a touch down right before half time. 

You don’t have time to run any of these food plays we mentioned?   Follow our drop back ten yards and punt rule; steer clear of overly spicy or greasy foods that could cause heartburn or indigestion. BabyMomma you’ve got the play book, let us know how you score!  Run your best offense nutritionally and you will be a winner on Super Bowl Sunday.

Need a little help in moving around while pregnant?  We’ve got a class for you!  Dr. Malley is sharing some healthy baby-momma secrets to make your pregnancy a safe and comfortable one!  Call our office today to get registered for this complimentary pregnancy ergonomics class.

Topics to be discussed

1. Bedroom ergonomics

-from sunrise to sunset and all that happens in between. We’ve got tips to keep you comfortable all through the night.

2. Work station ergonomics

-making changes at the office that make working while prego a little more comfortable

3. Automobile ergonomics

-entering & exiting the car safely

4.  Shopping

-from bagging it, carrying it, and loading it.

Interested in attending our class?  Contact our office for further details on the next class.

Wow! We hope that this will be exciting and promising research for those of you trying to get pregnant but are having trouble because of endometriosis.

What is endometriosis?  

Endometriosis is a condition where endometrial cells that normally line the uterus,  grow on other parts of the pelvic cavity outside of the uterus.  This is an extremely painful condition, especially during a women’s menstrual cycle.

How does nutrition play a part in the treatment of endometriosis?

We know from research that EPA/DHA naturally occuring in both fish oil and flax seed oil is excellent at quieting down inflammatory pathways in the body.  It has been used successfully in the treatment of other health conditions such as arthritis and heart disease.  It shouldn’t be a suprise to see that research is now being done with EPA-DHA with regards to other inflammatory conditions such as endometriosis.  We found a recent research study lead by Dr. Sachiho Netsu involving EPA/DHA and rats with endometriosis.  It was found that the EPA/DHA supplementation had a positive outcome.  The part of the uterine lining where most of the endometriosis occurs was suppressed by almost 50% in the supplementation test rats compared to the control group rats who were not given the supplement.

This article is for informational purposes only.  It is not intended to replace medical care.  Please contact our office  for further information about how nutrition can play an important role in the treatment of endometriosis.

References

“Oral eicosapentaenoic acid supplementation as possible therapy for endometriosis,” by Sachiho Netsu, M.D. Fertility and Sterility, Volume 90, Issue 4 Supplement, Pages 1496-1502 (October 2008).

“Wanna Be” Baby Daddy’s before you take that next bite of hamburger and fries, try taking a bite out of this article!  If you have been unsuccessful in the baby making department, the cheeseburger from your favorite fast food joint could be the culprit!  Don’t click off this page before finishing this article.  This article is  on how to  be a healthy baby maker naturally!

Most men think that all they have to do is get their partner in the mood and whammo, you are both off making babies successfully the rest of the evening.  Pregnancy planning from his eyes includes a Fillet Mignon dinner  by candle light, a bottle of your favorite wine, and Barry White singing in the background.  When it comes to pregnancy planning for men, you need to think again!  This little romantic dinner may deposit some bucks in the love bank but the reality is it may decrease your chances of conception (especially if the beef was grass-fed).  Now we are not trying to kill the mood, or discourage you from any romantic evening planning, but rather offer some suggestions on some healthy baby-making romantic dinners!

According to a study by Dr. Jaime Mendiola of the University of Murcia, Spain,  it was found that among the couples with fertility problems coming to the clinic, the men with good semen quality ate more vegetables and fruit than those men with low seminal quality. This means that the sperm were not only faster but there were more of them!!   Based on this study, men who want to be fathers should increase their intake of fruits and veggies and decrease their consumption of fatty foods like red meat and fried foods.  It’s time to start packing your lunch with some healthy food choices. Your little swimmers will be that much faster and healthier, who knows that dietary shift may mean that your the father of the next NFL top pick!  Remember that potential NFL possibility  if the guys at work razz you about your veggies and fruit food choice!

There are obviously many factors that influence fertility, and this is only one. But this is an easy one for you to correct and what a difference it will make in the bedroom when you are trying to be the baby making machine you want to be!

What are some other factors that affect male fertility?

Low sperm count has also been linked to phthalate exposure.  Phthalate is that evil chemical found in plastics and some skin care products.   Before you light up that next cigarette, think about the health of your sperm.  Smoking is another factor when we are talking about low sperm count.  Anti-depressants have also been linked to decreased fertility levels in men.  The beer belly may have been a result of too many college parties, but those college parties may come back to haunt you when you are trying to be a baby-making machine.  Obesity in men is a factor in male fertility.  Now that you have read this, it’s time to take your health seriously.  It has an impact on your children from conception forward.  Call us, we are here to help!

References

“Food Intake and its relationship to semen quality: a case control study,” by Jaime Mendiola, Ph.D., et al.  Fertility and Sterility, Volume 91, Issue 3, Pages 812-818 (March 2009)

How can chiropractic help with infertility?    In many couples who have been labled “infertile,” the egg isn’t able to make it through the fallopian tube to meet the sperm at the other end.  The muscles of the fallopian tube may not be receiving proper input from the nervous system to do their job.  This blockage of information from the nervous system could be caused by a vertebral subluxation, generally in the lower part of the spine.  Doesn’t it make sense that in this case,  chiropractic could help?  If the fallopian tube just isn’t getting the information from the brain because of the vertebral subluxation, then a spinal adjustment would clear the blockage and allow the information to travel from the brain to the spinal cord to the nerve that innervates the fallopian tube.  Remember that the egg doesn’t swim, it is carried along by muscle contractions of the fallopian tube, so if the fallopian tube does not receive the stimulus to contract,it won’t.

Please call our office and schedule an appointment to discuss how chiropractic care can help you.  We understand that this is not the case in every patient but we did want to point out the importance of spinal alignment in conception.  As always, this blog is for information purposes only and is not intended to replace medical treatment.

We found a few studies that support chiropractic care in the treatment of infertility.   The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research published a study in May, 2003 regarding the treatment of infertility. It revealed an impressive correlation between initiating chiropractic spinal care and resolving fertility problems.  This study involved 15 women who had previously been unable to get pregnant.  All participants were examined by doctors of chiropractic, and were found to have mechanical problems in their spines (vertebral subluxations).  In this particular study, all of the participants became pregnant with 2-20 months of initiating chiropractic spinal treatment.

Eleven other successful fertility case studies were published in another scientific periodical, the Journal of Clinical Chiropractic Pediatrics. Once again, the women in this study suffered from spinal problems, which were interfering with nerve impulses going to their reproductive organs.  The authors also commented on the tremendous costs and risks of various fertility treatments, such as in-vitro fertilization, compared to holistic or total-body health treatments.

Please call our office today for a chiropractic consultation.

The American Medical Association stated that stress is a factor in more than 75% of illness today.  The World Health Organization stated that stress is America’s  #1 health  problem.  The Center for Disease Control stated that the number one prescribed class of drugs  in the United States today is antidepressants.  Guess what triggers depression?  The body’s hormonal response to stress. 

What is stress?  Stress can be defined as your internal response to events both internal and external that are happening in your life.  Your spouse loses their job, the death of a loved one, an unreasonable work deadline.  You get the picture.  All of these are stressors that elicit a stress response in the body.   So how do these stressors affect your pregnancy?

According to a July, 2010 article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, stress does impact your pregnancy.  According to the study, there was an increase risk of preterm birth among women with higher levels of life stress in the first and second trimester.  Each unit increase of perceived life events stress during the first trimester was associated with a  99.09g (approximately .2 lbs  ) decrease in infant birth weight.

Since total elimination of stress is impossible, what does a baby momma do to balance out stress that can have a negative impact on her pregnancy?

Dr. Malley’s stress tool box

1.  Prayer.  God never gives us more than we can handle.  Begin your day with it, end your day with it, and any other time of day you feel like you need to pray.

2.  Take care of yourself.  Chiropractic care is important for maintaining spinal alignment that helps your body respond to the stressors  you face every day.  Massage therapy is also a great way to reduce the build up of physical, mental stressors that bombard you throughout the day.

2.  Build a support system externally.  Choose people to be in your life that will be a support network for you while you are pregnant.  We all need to have people in our lives for support and companionship.  Do not try and go through your pregnancy without this.

3.  Nutrition, nutrtition, nutrition.  I can’t say it enough, how you are what you eat.  A nutrient dense food program provides your body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to have a healthy stress response.

4.  Rest.  Give yourself time to rest and recover from each stressful event or day.  Make sure to limit your schedule when possible to avoid stress overload.  Establish a pre-bedtime routine that includes relaxation that will help you unwind from the day.

5.  Counseling.  Seek additional support if you are feeling overwhelmed.  Our office can refer you to a counselor in your area.  Professional help is beneficial for not only providing you with support, but helping you with coping strategies or developing skills that will enable you to handle stressors in a healthier way.

Remember, we are here to help you have a healthy pregnancy naturally.  This article is not a replacement for medical care, it is written for informational purpose only.

References

“Prenatal life events stress: implications for preterm birth and infant birthweight,” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Volume 203, Issue 1, Pages 34.e1-34.e8 (July 2010) Peng Zhu, MD,  et. al.