Giving birth is an intimate job. And intimate affairs take place when you are relaxed. If there is something important about your birth, it is relaxation and confidence. Your body will not let the baby go so easily if you are full of tension yourself!
Since we have to deal with new and strict guidelines due to corona, there is a lot of tension. What are you dealing with if you are going to give birth now? How do you stay relaxed? And where is your space?
Look for the options that make you feel safe. Question yourself very seriously; what puts you in the saddle The better you know yourself, the more you can stay with yourself during childbirth.
So prepare yourself well;
- How are things in the hospital?
- What can you encounter with a home birth?
- Are you unable to contact your healthcare provider with your essential wishes? Find out if there is another healthcare provider who can work with you.
- Talk a lot with your partner, how you can do so much together. Make sure you are a team.
- Also examine within yourself how you can trust yourself even more and more deeply. What ensures that you can keep your strength within yourself?
What do we know about pregnant women and this virus?
• It follows the same course as in women who are not pregnant
• As far as is known, there is no risk of miscarriage or congenital abnormalities
• It seems that the virus does not cross the placenta, so you cannot infect your baby in the belly
• Until now, this virus could not be detected in mothers with the corona virus in breast milk, so breastfeeding seems safe.
When you are distressed by a cororna infection harm to your baby?
Shortness of breath is a common complaint with COVID-19. With mild complaints with a little shortness of breath, your baby will not be bothered by this. the oxygen level in your blood is still high enough for your baby to get enough oxygen from it. What helps with this is that your baby has a different type hemoglobin has than adults. This is the protein in red blood cells that binds with oxygen. It hemoglobin of a baby binds extra easily to oxygen.
The situation is different with serious complaints. the oxygen level in your blood can then drop below 85-90%. This while it is normally around 95-99%. You should not have such a low oxygen level for too long. Therefore, if you have complaints of severe shortness of breath, go to the hospital, even if you would rather not go there now! You often recover quickly with oxygen treatment.
How do you recognize the difference between shortness of breath that often occurs in the last trimester or the corona symptom?
The distinction can be difficult. During pregnancy you breathe faster than normal anyway. Also, your belly presses on your diaphragm and lungs, which can make you a little short of breath. This is a normal phenomenon. To distinguish it from corona, you can pay attention to additional complaints, such as cough, nose cold, fever and sore throat. If you notice this, it is wise to ring the bell. Even if your shortness of breath suddenly increases or becomes different than before, this may indicate corona.
Do pregnant women fall into a risk group for the virus?
So far, there is no evidence that pregnant women are more susceptible or that they are more severely affected by COVID-19. That automatically means that you do not fall into a risk group.
You have to be careful with this, because it is a new virus!
Giving birth, can your partner be there?
Every hospital handles this differently. Fortunately, many hospitals see the birth as a unique experience. That is why an exception is often made for this, also in the case of complaints. And sometimes even if the partner has a positive test. Partners must then wear protective clothing and a mouth mask.
In Amsterdam UMC, they allow the partner to be there, whether he/she has complaints or is infected or not. This is the only exception, otherwise no one with complaints or a positive test is allowed to enter the hospital as a visitor.
If you give birth at home, your delivery will in principle run as usual. The midwife and maternity nurse will adhere to the extra hygiene measures. do you have mild complaints, but you do not have to go to hospital for this. Then the midwife will wear protective clothing and a mouth mask during your delivery.
How to deal with maternity visits and your baby?
This actually applies to everyone. The advice from the RIVM is to limit social contact as much as possible. Maternity care agencies also advise not to receive a maternity visit for the time being.
It is your own choice to follow this or not. But it is wise to do this preferably remotely.
As a final tip, ring the bell if something is wrong.
So call pregnant ladies and go to the hospital in case of serious complaints! This applies not only to respiratory complaints, but also to other symptoms that you should not ignore during your pregnancy. think of not feeling your baby move or blood loss. It is important to report this, because often serious problems can be prevented.
Tips to prevent viruses
Nutritional advice:
The virus (eg corona) consists of a virus core wrapped by a protein.
- The virus multiplies on animal proteins. Stop consuming animal proteins immediately if you want, such as meat, fish, cow's dairy, goat and shelf dairy, eggs.
- The virus cannot reproduce on vegetable proteins, such as nuts, seeds, coconut products (coconut yogurt, cheese, etc) or soy products (such as soy cheese, yogurt, milk, etc).
- It is also important to avoid refined sugar, such as beet sugar and cane sugar. Note that sugar is hidden in many products.
- Fruit and vegetables contain the right sugars for the body (note that eg figs and most cranberries have refined sugars added).
- Make your own fresh green smoothies for more resistance and to improve your immune system.
Health advice:
- You can clean your nose and throat every one and a half to two hours with a small (drink) glass of (lukewarm) water. For the nose you put one or two drops of echinaforce in it and you can sniff it from your hand.
- For your throat you put 5 drops in the glass. Gargle with it and swallow it.
- You can also work with Symbioflor 1 instead of echinaforce, whose dosage is different.
- This involves taking 15mg of zinc citrate every one and a half to two hours. This ensures the reduction of viruses.
- Walking outside helps, UV and vitamin D help fight the virus. In addition, the virus cannot tolerate heat.
If you have symptoms, do this entire protocol for at least three full days. If you apply this diet and tips, the virus cannot survive, is the experience of an expert. There are also certain essential oils that help your body protect itself against viruses and bacteria.
For nursing mothers, take regular sips of (your own) breast milk. Breast milk fights viruses. The position of the breastfeeding organization LLL (La Leche League) is: breastfeeding protects the baby if he or a family member is ill. Even in an imminent emergency. Always feed often so that your baby gets a constant flow of breast milk.
It is also important that you:
- Sleep well
- Healthy food
- Drink enough water
- Yoga, this promotes your resistance and immune system
- Apply breathing techniques; that ensure that your waste products are better removed and your stress level will go down
- Relax and have confidence
Take care of yourself, namaste