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Postpartum ponderings
The postpartum period can be a special bonding time for mom and baby, but new guidelines recommend moms make time for a series of follow-up visits. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Pregnancy is such an...
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When pregnancy takes its toll
Hip or pelvic pain affects about 50 percent of pregnant women at some point. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Pregnancy affects your body in many different ways—some obvious, some not. The size of your belly...
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Preeclampsia? Be proactive
Your obstetrician will check your blood pressure all throughout your pregnancy to watch for preeclampsia and hypertensive disorders. (For Spectrum Health Beat) High blood pressure is a concern for...
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Smart steps to reduce SIDS
The Safe to Sleep campaign promotes awareness about sleep conditions that help reduce the risk of SIDS. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Just about everyone has heard of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. All...
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How should I handle and store breast milk?
It’s a lot of work to pump and store breast milk, but at day’s end it’s worth it. There is strong evidence of breast milk’s superior role in delivering maximum health benefits to your baby. (For...
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Having a baby this summer?
Pregnant this summer? Keep your cool and make it to your due date with these healthful tips. (For Spectrum Health Beat) When is your baby due? August has been reported by the Centers for Disease...
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Listen up, baby
Enjoy some good tunes with your baby. (For Spectrum Health Beat) For years parents have been told they should talk, sing and read to their babies, even before they are born. We know this encourages the...
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The curative chorus
Research continues to hint at an array of psychological and physical benefits to music, even at the earliest ages. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Music has always played a significant role in my life. I...
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Probiotics for babies?
Food manufacturers are enhancing yogurts, baby foods and formula with prebiotics and probiotics. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Strolling through the baby aisle at a local store recently, I couldn’t help...
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Miracles of life, marvels of technology
Smartphone apps are just one area where technology has profoundly impacted new mamahood. (For Spectrum Health Beat) From 1,000 years ago to today, the essential experience of having a baby has remained...
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Just breathe
Paired with other pain-relieving techniques during labor, breathing exercises can be especially effective. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Breathing is something we do every day without thinking one bit...
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Baby blues—or something worse?
Postpartum depression can affect up to 20 percent of new moms, making it difficult for them to care for their baby. (For Spectrum Health Beat) If you’ve experienced depression, it may help to know you...
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Top tips for labor prep
Prenatal yoga is an ideal approach to exercise during pregnancy, offering relaxation and muscle toning. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Labor is something most women don’t look forward to. In fact, most men...
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Eating for two this holiday season?
The key is to prioritize water, lean protein and complex carbs. (For Spectrum Health Beat) The holiday season is always a busy time of the year, with decorating, shopping, baking, parties and...
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Top 5 delivery positions
Surveying 2,400 pregnant women, one research study found that about 68 percent of moms chose to give birth lying on their back. (For Spectrum Health Beat) When your delivery date arrives, there will be...
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Don’t let King Louis dictate your delivery
A supine position may be well-suited for many deliveries, but other options are often possible as long as there are no underlying medical concerns. (For Spectrum Health Beat) If you’re pregnant, you’re...
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That feel-good ingredient
Love at the molecular level is all about oxytocin—the key ingredient in a mother’s intimate connection with her baby. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Male and female alike, we all have hormones. It’s part...
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Pregnant? Plan it like a duchess
While planning that baby shower, don’t forget to pencil in dates for hypnotherapy and a doula. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Did you know that four babies are born every single second on earth? That’s 250...
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When rest is best
Sleeping on your side during pregnancy—also known as SOS—is one of the best positions for the health of you and your growing baby. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Newborns, teens, retirees, middle-aged—no...
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Ready for the 5 P’s?
Your months as an expectant mom should involve ample time preparing mentally as much as physically. (For Spectrum Health Beat) If you’re pregnant, one of the most exciting days is the birth day of your...
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Relaxin—how much is too much?
An excess of relaxin can lead to some issues, which may be remedied partly by stretching and physical therapy. (For Spectrum Health Beat) It’s quite amazing to watch the pregnancy and childbirth...
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Spotlight on maternal depression
Having a ready list of friends and family to help out can make all the difference for new moms on those overwhelming days. (For Spectrum Health Beat) There’s no shortage of official and unofficial...
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New option for postpartum depression
A more challenging aspect of a new treatment for postpartum depression is that it must be administered intravenously over a 60-hour period. (For Spectrum Health Beat) One of the handy things about...
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The postpartum doula
The period immediately after childbirth, sometimes called the fourth trimester, is critical for new moms and their babies. A postpartum doula can play an essential role early in this period. (For...
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Counting on TENS
The TENS unit works by sending electrical currents to electrodes on the body. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Labor. The mere mention of the word can conjure up many thoughts in a woman’s mind, ranging from...
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Loosening up the timetable
Researchers in 2012 relaxed the parameters that define labor stages, providing moms more time to give birth without the need for a C-section. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Let’s jump right in with a...
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Bath time for new babies
Waiting at least 12 hours to bathe your newborn could lead to improvements in breastfeeding and temperature regulation, among other benefits. (For Spectrum Health Beat) You’ve waited for the big day...
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Gallstones—the post-pregnancy affliction
Treatment for gallstones may come in the form of antibiotics or surgery. (For Spectrum Health Beat) I recently heard about two patients who ended up in the hospital with gallstones just a short while...
View Article‘It is the hardest day’
Five and a half years later, Rachel Neubert still gets emotional when talking about leaving her son Blake in the neonatal intensive care unit after his premature birth. “It was the hardest part of the...
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Pregnant moms gain benefits from exercise
Keep up your activities at the gym for a better pregnancy. (For Spectrum Health Beat) For most healthy women, exercise during pregnancy is as important as it is at all times of life. It brings benefits...
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Breastfeeding’s great for baby—and mom, too
Researchers suspect breastfeeding may help some moms ward off Type 2 diabetes and cancer. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Conversations about breastfeeding often center on the many health benefits to new...
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New baby? Build safe sleep habits
To lessen the risk of SIDS or related troubles, infants should be placed on their back during sleep time. (For Spectrum Health Beat) A few weeks ago, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer designated September...
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Expecting? 10 tips to manage the merrymaking
Yoga offers twice the benefit for pregnant moms—it’s the perfect chance to unwind, but it also helps prepare the body for the approaching delivery. (For Spectrum Health Beat) We’re now in the thick of...
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Thoughts about C-sections
About 32% of babies are born by C-section in the U.S., more than double the rate recommended by the World Health Organization. (For Spectrum Health Beat) I recently visited my daughter in Virginia for...
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Steady, sleepless parent
A well-established routine can ensure your new family member gets an adequate amount of sleep. It’ll also give you a much-needed break. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Ever heard of sleep deprivation? If...
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Miscarriage trauma could trigger PTSD
Women who face miscarriage should be provided ample access to mental health services, social support and clinical care. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Post-traumatic stress disorder isn’t confined to...
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Does mom’s stress affect baby’s brain?
MRI scans showed mental health symptoms correlated with differences in fetal brain structure and chemistry. In moms with heightened stress, the fetal hippocampus tended to be smaller. (For Spectrum...
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Having a C-section?
One of the most important things you can do in the wake of a C-section is pencil in some alone time to relax and recover. (For Spectrum Health Beat) In a recent post, we looked at some of the national...
View Article‘The greatest feeling ever’
Without stops, it takes about 25 seconds for the elevator to reach the ninth floor at Spectrum Health Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital. Katie Ammeraal’s mind would wander, ever so briefly, in those...
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Your baby’s water world
The amniotic fluid in your womb keeps your baby warm and cozy—but it also helps your baby identify your smell, which helps later with breastfeeding. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Everybody loves that...
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Don’t settle for pregnancy pains
Exercise can play a leading role in fighting the rigors of pregnancy. A specially designed regimen can help bolster pelvic health. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Once your baby is born, it seems like...
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Rise of the techie toddler
Even if you and the kids are cooped up in the house, aim for no more than one hour of tech time each day. (For Spectrum Health Beat) How are you reading this? On your phone? A computer? An iPad?...
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Breastfeeding troubles? There’s help
By logging breastfeeding behaviors, you’ll get a better sense of how much breast milk your little one is consuming. (For Spectrum Health Beat) The moment you find out you’re having a baby, it opens a...
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Astounding facts about breast milk
Breastfed babies may develop healthier brains and experience fewer problems with allergies and asthma. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Breast milk is almost always baby’s best source of nutrition, as it...
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Another option for pregnancy pain?
Acupressure may help some women combat pregnancy troubles such as nausea. (For Spectrum Health Beat) You may have heard of acupuncture, the alternative form of medicine where an acupuncturist inserts...
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Building the baby-safe world
Car seats should go in the rear seats whenever possible. (For Spectrum Health Beat) With sweater weather upon us, fall activities are getting into full swing. That means plenty of fun activities with...
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New baby, new roles
Your newest family member will demand lots of attention—and there’ll be plenty of opportunities for dad to help out. (For Spectrum Health Beat) Your beautiful baby has been born and you’re all back at...
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What’s a dad-to-be to do?
Want to be especially helpful to an expectant mom leading up to labor and delivery? Familiarize yourself with her birth plan so you can help see it through. (For Spectrum Health Beat) We focus quite a...
View Article‘Pure joy and celebration’
Eight-month-old Axle Lensky was dealt a difficult hand right from the start. Born prematurely at just 24 weeks gestation as one in a set of identical triplets, he found himself in the Gerber Foundation...
View ArticleNew year, new bundles of joy
New Year’s Day always rings in with all sorts of hopes and dreams offering endless possibilities for the year ahead. A chance to start fresh, refocus and celebrate the joys in life. And for some, even...
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