This is a wonderful article by Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC (see at the end of this article his bio). In short, don’t give up ladies even if the pain becomes intense. I never suffered from mastitis but I did frequently get blocked ducts. As he describes, it felt like hard nodules of tissue and was usually a sign to sit on the couch and have a hardcore breastfeeding session. My daughter never seemed to complain and after a while my boobs were drained and everyone got on with their lives……

Mastitis…

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In week 34 it’s worth preparing your perineum for delivery. This seems to be particularly true for first time mothers over the age of 30 or for women who have not experienced tears or episiotomies in previous deliveries. Fans of perineal massage also believe, regardless of how many babies you have had, that massage helps you cope with the stinging sensation as your baby’s head crowns and helps familiarize you with the stretching sensations of delivery so you can more easily relax these muscles

Frank Anderson, MD, MPH, an assistant professor…

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Nausea during pregnancy is a weird thing. Most of the time, it just feels like an all-enveloping cloud that doesn’t always result in vomiting but can just make you feel “blachhhh.” Usually it goes hand in hand with hunger or fatigue, but sometimes it is just there. Kind of oppressive and a big downer. I found myself making this fruit cocktail with OJ and soda water, it seemed to freshen things up. But sometimes it didn’t.

I know women who didn’t get nauseated but for those of you who are…

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The fatigue seemed to arrive like a 300lb gorilla just around the same time as the nausea. It was absolutely overwhelming. Feeling drugged I found myself panting as I pushed my daughter’s stroller up the high-street in the evening, and I would have to catch my breath as I climbed some stairs. Like my tender boobs, this seemed to be another physical manifestation that something profound was going on in my body.

Suddenly I wanted to take little naps around the same time as my two year old in the…

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I am now in week 29 of my pregnancy and there I am again trying to figure out why I am having such a hard time sleeping at night…. I know this is nature’s way of preparing me for sleepless night but still, I have to find some relief here. It seems 78% of women have insomnia and sleep problems during pregnancy…. anything from anxiety, leg cramps, not being able to find a comfortable spot, frequent trips to the bathroom, it all seems to be in a night’s work… And…

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I think the important thing to remember here, is that you will eventually regain the desire to have sex. Keep that in your mind as you go through the first few weeks and sometimes months feeling like sex is the last thing on your mind. You have to realize, you are going through a massive transformation. I know personally, after my pregnancy, it took me at least three months to feel as if I was even half myself and even then, I was deeply immersed in distorted sleeping hours, pounds…

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So my friend and I were wondering if our babies in utero are enjoying clitoral stimulation using a vibrator as much as we do? Does it create stress on their brains? Do they feel our bodies contracting? What about sex toys? Can they feel the buzz from an electric vibrator? No one really seems to have done any clinical research to establish whether it is actually safe. All the same, most people seem to agree that having orgasm, even the big rippling ones caused by a vibrator, are safe for…

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A lot of people think I was crazy not to have requested pain relief during labor. But honestly, it was one of the most empowering, intense, and real moments of my life. Ina May writes, “Have you never heard anyone speak positively about labor and birth before? If so, you are not alone. One of the best-kept secrets in North American culture is that birth can be ecstatic and strengthening.”

She continues, “Ecstatic birth gives inner power and wisdom to the woman who experiences it, as you will learn from many…

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Our bodies are going through immense changes and for me that period was a blur. I remember telling my best friend I felt really overwhelmed and later when she had her own emergency delivery and serious complications with her new son, she doubted her ability to be a mother. Such are the ebbs and flows of post pregnancy.

On day twelve, after crying daily for a week, I remember sobbing to my mother about the injustices of the world and why had I brought such a perfect specimen to the planet?…

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I was around seven weeks pregnant when my dear 2 year old daughter got head lice and then gave them to me. It was a big deal because I have long thick hair and I really didn’t feel like covering my head in Rid. I did some research into Rid to see if it was considered toxic for pregnant women but like so many products, it just had the statutory "check with your healthcare physician" paragraph. I wasn’t really sure he was going to come up with any smart solutions,…

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