A free, monthly newsletter with a roundup of the best the internet has to offer about mom-to-be and baby.

Pregnancy

The flu in general is a serious illness, especially when you are pregnant

Getting the flu can cause serious problems when you are pregnant. Even if you are generally healthy, changes in immune, heart, and lung functions during pregnancy make you more likely to get severely ill from flu. Pregnant women who get flu are at high risk of developing serious illness, including being hospitalised.

COVID-19 virus infection and pregnancy

Information for pregnant women and their families What effect does coronavirus have on pregnant women? Pregnant women do not appear to be more susceptible to the consequences of coronavirus than the general population. As this is a new virus, how it may affect you is not yet clear. It is expected the large majority of pregnant women will experience only mild or moderate cold/flu like symptoms.

Pregnant? There's no evidence you're more at risk from Coronavirus

Unlike with catching the flu, pregnant women may be at no greater risk of developing severe symptoms from COVID-19 than the general population. While data are still limited and guidelines remain flexible, health officials in the United Kingdom have put the minds of many expectant mothers at ease.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding - Information about Coronavirus Disease 2019 – Q&A

Pregnant Women - What is the risk to pregnant women of getting COVID-19? Is it easier for pregnant women to become ill with the disease? If they become infected, will they be more sick than other people?

Birth

Working with pain in labour

Much is written on understanding pain and pain relief in labour. When new mothers are asked to describe the pain they felt in labour there are a variety of answers. Some women will depict a positive experience by saying labour was exhilarating, gave her a sense of strength and feel empowered. Others will depict a negative experience saying painful, exhausting and traumatic. Whilst some women may even say tedious, uncomfortable and manageable. The preparations a woman makes for birth influences her birth experience. When women are taught coping techniques and choices of pain relief, they cope with pain during contractions.

Balancing your birth wish list with hospital practice

I was scheduled to give birth in a private hospital close to where I lived – my medical aid limited services to this particular hospital but when I went on the labour ward tour I was discouraged to find that they didn’t allow birthing or labouring in the bath (in fact there were no baths); skin-to-skin wasn’t mentioned and no rooming-in was allowed on the first night after a caesarean. And so began my journey to have the birth I desired despite the restrictions (from hospital and medical aid) that I had no control over. Little did I know that added to the above, on night 3 after the birth of my twins I would be strongly encouraged to give my twins a formula top-up despite being a second-time breastfeeding mom.

Skin to Skin

Meeting baby for the first time

This video explores skin-to-skin contact, a practice at the heart of the Baby Friendly standards which supports feeding and relationship-building. Skin-to-skin contact as soon as possible after the birth is a special time for mother and baby and is a fantastic opportunity for helping them both recover from the birth and to get to know each other through all the senses. This video, produced by the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative, covers both the theory and practice of skin to skin, and what it can mean to mothers and babies meeting each other for the first time.

Breastfeeding

Interim guidance on breastfeeding for a mother confirmed or under investigation for COVID-19

This interim guidance is intended for women who are confirmed to have COVID-19 or are persons-under-investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 and are currently breastfeeding. This interim guidance is based on what is currently known about COVID-19 and the transmission of other viral respiratory infections. CDC will update this interim guidance as needed as additional information becomes available. For breastfeeding guidance in the immediate postpartum setting, refer to Interim Considerations for Infection Prevention and Control of 2019 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Inpatient Obstetric Healthcare Settings.

Transmission of COVID-19 through breast milk

Much is unknown about how COVID-19 is spread. Person-to-person spread is thought to occur mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza (flu) and other respiratory pathogens spread. In limited studies on women with COVID-19 and another coronavirus infection, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV), the virus has not been detected in breast milk; however we do not know whether mothers with COVID-19 can transmit the virus via breast milk.

Influenza (Flu)

Breast milk provides protections against many respiratory diseases, including influenza (flu). A mother with suspected or confirmed flu should take all possible precautions to avoid spreading the virus to her infant while continuing to provide breast milk to her infant. Influenza (also called flu) is an acute respiratory tract illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs, causing a contagious respiratory illness. Flu can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Pregnant women and young children, among others (e.g., adults 65 years of age and older, people with certain medical conditions) are at high risk of developing flu-related complications.

Coronavirus treatment and risk to breastfeeding women

Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine, states: "Given the reality that mothers infected with coronavirus have probably already colonised their nursing infant, continued breastfeeding has the potential of transmitting protective maternal antibodies to the infant via the breast milk. Thus, breastfeeding should be continued with the mother carefully practicing handwashing and wearing a mask while nursing, to minimise additional viral exposure to the infant."

Breastfeeding and Corona virus – Dr Jack Newman’s recommendations

There is a lot of concern about what to do about breastfeeding when either the baby or the mother has been exposed to coronavirus. The answer is to continue breastfeeding and keep the mother and baby together. Indeed, one can sense a panic about this virus which is new, and therefore few if any people in the world has been exposed to it. And many breastfeeding mothers have been told that they should not breastfeed if they have been exposed or actually have the infection.

Parenting

#ThanksDad – The Pregnancy Journey

Teaching children empathy

Teaching kids about empathy, kindness, and compassion is a must for schools. More than one out of every five students report being bullied. Of those students:

• 13% were made fun of, called names, or insulted
• 12% were the subject of rumours
• 5% were pushed, shoved, tripped, or spit on
• 5% were excluded from activities on purpose

In our nation’s high schools, a surrounding mob will routinely record school fights on cell phones, cheer on the violence and then post the videos on social media. The i-SAFE foundation states that over 25% of adolescents and teens have been bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet. Here’s a look at the research, and how to introduce a kindness and compassion practice.

Experts discuss COVID-19 impact on children, pregnant women

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) seems to be impacting children at lower rates than adults, and those who contract the virus typically have mild illness. While information is limited, experts discussed what they know about the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on children and pregnant women during a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) webinar Thursday that can be viewed at http://bit.ly/39LFtIl.

Inspiration

13 Powerful moms share inspiring advice to themselves as new mothers

Maternal health changemakers and advocates from Mom Congress reflect back on their motherhood journey to tell themselves the amazing person they are about to become. From the time a new baby arrives, a woman needs more support than ever as she embarks on her motherhood journey. It’s one that is bound by a rollercoaster of highs and lows as she finds her footing in this new stage of life. Between sleep deprivation, drastic hormonal changes in her body, and the unrealistic societal expectations of what motherhood ‘should’ look like, the postpartum period is one of the most challenging times for many new mothers.  Coupled with the fact that 25-34% of women report traumatic birth experiences, it’s no wonder her mental well-being is at risk.

60 Inspirational quotes for new moms

22 Mother-Daughter songs that celebrate their special relationship

Humour

The many surprising benefits of injecting Humour into parenting

From dealing with food fights to ignored curfews, you can use mindful levity for positive results. Contrary to what you may think, you don’t have to be a comic or jokester to make humour work for you and your children. Parents sometimes view joking as a distraction or departure from the usual routine – a break from the serious side of parenting. To the contrary, humour can be a parent’s most useful tool for calming situations, encouraging proper behaviour and cementing the parent-child bond. Yet, parents underuse humour and don't fully appreciate its ability to diffuse or reduce tension.