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Sister Lilian’s
Pregnancy & birth companion
Human & Rousseau
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Introduction
We live in fortunate times for pregnancy and childbirth. Women have a wide range of choices that can help them fulfil the special dream they have for this amazing phase of their lives. Pregnancy and birth have, moreover, been far safer for many for some time.
Advances in medical care continue to ensure that health and pregnancy complications are mostly effectively managed. With good pregnancy care, women seldom need to worry about their babies’ or their own wellbeing. Should problems arise, they can be assured that they will be expertly cared for.
The emotional significance of carrying and giving birth to a baby is the one aspect that has not always received the same careful attention. This is a special time in the lives of every woman and couple, empowering them at the start of the challenging journey that is parenthood. Women have forty weeks of pregnancy at their disposal to find out about all their options for making the culmination of labour and birth a miraculous day in their lives. There is not only one correct way to have a baby; the best pregnancies and births are those most suited to the unfolding needs of each individual woman and baby.
Never before has there been the possibility to have optimal medical safety while enjoying the vast benefits of a more natural approach. This Companion will be the link to understanding how these two approaches can integrate and help fulfil your special dream. It will give you the wisdom you need to make the choices that are best for you.
It is natural to feel anxious in pregnancy – about the safety and health of your baby, about medical checkups, about a loss of privacy, about coping with labour, and about how you will feel both physically and emotionally after birth. Empower yourself with knowledge and tap into the wisdom of Mother Nature, while protected by the safety net of advanced medical care, to allay unnecessary fears and put your mind at ease. Pregnancy is an exciting part of life, an incredible time when your mind and body show you just what humans are capable of. Every woman deserves to and can enjoy this precious time.
Take this Companion along on the journey – it is dedicated to all women who carry the future of the world in their wombs. Embrace every new feeling with joy and wonder as your miracle baby grows. Play an active part in your pregnancy and birth, as they are your experiences. Pregnancy is not a medical condition, but a phase of life. Women are born with the ability to and talent for carrying and giving birth to a baby.
It is my wish that this Companion will stand by you, as an informative and nonjudgemental friend, every step of the way.
Sister Lilian
Part 1:
Preparing for Pregnancy
Ideally, prenatal care begins long before you are pregnant to enable you to conceive the healthiest baby possible, to make pregnancy and delivery easier and to enable you to best care for your planned-for baby. Your own reproductive health is one of the important preconception factors to consider.
Know your body
Most women are quite comfortable with the functions of their bodies by the time they plan a family, but it is distressing to see how many women – some pregnant – are uninformed about the most basic body processes. Life can and does unfold regardless of whether we have an intimate knowledge of the structure and functions of our bodies but I hope to shed light on the most important factors regarding pregnancy in the first section of this Pregnancy and Birth Companion for those who want to know more.
THE REPRODUCTIVE ANATOMY OF A WOMAN
THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE
Many women are unaware of the rhythm of their menstrual cycle. It is both interesting and helpful to be more observant as you plan for pregnancy. Amazingly, women who either live or work in close proximity tend to menstruate at about the same time. The phases of the moon seem to influence menstruation and other body fluids as they do the oceans. When a woman is not using hormonal contraceptives, ovulation will tend to occur at full moon and menstruation when the moon has waned.
Historically, we regard the first day of the menstrual period as the first day of the cycle and call it Day One. It would be more correct to see menstruation as the end of a natural cycle in which conception did not occur. The accompanying chart shows two menstrual cycles, the first in which conception did not occur and the second in which it did. This chart uses the convention of Day One as the first day of the menstrual period. Remember that ovulation will usually occur between nine and sixteen days before the next period. The length and regularity of your cycle, as well as general hormonal balance, will affect this. In addition, a woman’s emotions are closely linked to her endocrine system and the two can affect each other.
CHROMOSOMES
Every cell in the human body has 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs, one of which determines gender. In the female egg cell, called an ovum, the sex chromosomes are designated as XX, in the male sperm, XY. X’s produce female babies and Y’s male babies. When an ovum is fertilised by a sperm cell, 23 chromosomes from each join. If the X from the sperm’s sex chromosome unites with the X from the ovum, the baby will be a girl; if the Y of the sperm cell joins the mother’s X, a boy will be born. In effect, the father determines the baby’s gender. The other chromosomes combine to carry all the hereditary features from both parents and their families.
| CHROMOSOMES – HOW THEY WORK | ||
| Father supplies | X | Y |
| Mother supplies | X | X |
| Baby Girl | XX | XY Baby boy |
IMPORTANT HORMONES IN WOMEN
The endocrine system is very complex. Although it is not necessary to know about hormones in great detail, a brief overview of the most important ones for a woman’s reproductive function is informative. The various hormones occur in a dynamic balance, governed by the pituitary gland which is located in the middle of the brain.
OESTROGEN
•The word oestrogen is derived from the Greek words oistros, meaning ‘mad desire’ and gennan, ‘to produce’.
•Oestrogen is secreted by the ovaries, adrenal cortex and, in pregnancy, the placenta.
•It causes the typical female sexual characteristics at puberty.
•It is responsible for cyclic changes to the endometrium (inner lining of the womb) and the vagina.
•It sustains new life in the uterus.
•It is important for the metabolism of calcium.
•It can cause headaches, fatigue, irritability, tender breasts and water retention.
PROGESTERONE
•It is secreted by the corpus luteum (the place in the ovary where the monthly egg cell is shed), the adrenal glands and, in pregnancy, the placenta.
•It