Top 8 Tips for Breastfeeding Mums

Picture 1: Tips to help you when breastfeeding. Hold the baby securely and draw him towards your body

You may be a pregnant American woman and you’ve decided to breastfeed when you give birth to your baby.

And you are wondering how you can prepare your breasts for breastfeeding so that your nipple will not become sore when you start breastfeeding.

Or, you’ve given birth to a beautiful, bouncing baby.

And you agree with the World Health Organization that, “breast milk is the best food a child will ever have.”

And so you’ve decided that you will not give him food from a bottle for at least the first 6 months.

Congratulations! You are one of 24.9% of new mums  in the USA who breastfeed exclusively for 6 months.

But, what can you do to ensure your breastfeeding period goes smoothly? How do you breastfeed your baby? What can you do to ensure your baby gets enough milk?

In this article, I will share breastfeeding tips with you to help you answer these questions.

Let’s start by looking at how you can get your breasts ready for breastfeeding whilst you’re pregnant.

   

Picture 2: World Health Organization's endorsement of breastfeeding

1.    Prepare Your Breasts For Breast Feeding By Expressing Them

You want to express milk by hand for your baby when it is born, right?

Then express them often after 30 weeks of pregnancy, or when you have been pregnant for at least 6 months.

Why?

How The Breast Expression Exercise Can Help You

This exercise will help you in two ways:

1. It will help you to keep your breast duct system in great order so that breast milk can flow through them easily when your baby is born and you start breastfeeding; and
2. it will help you to perfect your breast milk expression skills so that you will find it easier to feed baby by hand when you need to do that when your baby is born.

How To Do The Exercise

Instructions

1. Put your left hand around the outer part of the left side of your left breast;
2. put your right hand around the outer part of the right side of your right breast;
3. make sure your hands enclose your breasts at its margin;
4. hold the breast firmly;
5. move both hands simultaneously towards the areola (or part of the breast around the nipple that looks black);
6. repeat 20 times for that same breast;
7. repeat the exercise with your right breast;
8. then, hold your right breast firmly with your left hand;
9. compress your areola by putting your thumb above it whilst your fingers lie below it;
10. apply pressure to your areola 10 times;
11. relax;
12. repeat compression 10 times;
13. repeat the exercise for your other breast.

At the end of the exercise, draw out your nipple gently.

Figure 1: How many babies are breastfed in the US in the first year

2.    Prepare Your Nipples For Breastfeeding

Some obstetricians assert that it’s a good idea to prepare your nipples for breastfeeding.

Why?

The Importance Of Preparing Your Nipples

It makes your nipple more supple and flexible. Consequently, it is less likely to crack when your baby is born and it starts sucking your breasts.

So, how do you prepare for your nipples?

How To Prepare Your Nipples

• From about the 30^th week of pregnancy, wash your nipples with water gently for 5 minutes after you have had your bath;
• then, dry them carefully;
• subsequently, apply a little anhydrous lanolin to them;
• then draw out each nipple and roll it very gently between your forefinger and your thumb for 5 minutes.

3.    The Technique Of Breastfeeding

There are a number of ways you can position yourself so that you can breastfeed your baby properly:

1. You can breastfeed a baby while sitting upright.
2. You can breastfeed a baby while lying down in bed.

 How To Breastfeed A Baby While Sitting Upright

1. Sit in an armchair.
2. Put a pillow on one arm of the chair. It will help to support your arm as you hold your baby.
3. Put the elbow of one arm on the pillow.
4. Place your baby on your thighs, support him with one hand, and let him latch onto your breast.
5. Your baby’s head must rest on the elbow joint of the hand you are using to support him. The lower part of that same arm should support his thigh or the lower part of his back.
6. Remove your breast and hold it with your other hand.
7. Push your nipple gently towards your baby’s mouth and press your breast away from his nose so that he can breathe properly.
8. Make sure that it is not only the nipple which is in the baby’s mouth, but that at least some of the areola is inside your baby’s mouth.

Why?

Why You Should Ensure Part Of The Areola Gets Into Your Baby’s Mouth

The breast is made up of between 15 and 25 sections called lobes. Each lobe has its own duct system which ends in a dilated area under the areola, and the ducts extend into the nipple.

So, a sort of “milk bank” or tiny reservoir is formed in the areola when lactation is established. This “milk bank” holds the milk and when the baby squeezes them with his gums, milk flows out of the nipple into the baby’s mouth.

So, if the baby only bites on the nipple, it will not get enough milk. Consequently, it may bite harder and you will get a sore nipple.

How To Deal With A Very Large Areola

If your areola is very large and your baby finds it hard to get it into its mouth, compress your areola between your thumb and forefinger when your baby wants to feed so that the nipple can go well into your baby’s mouth.

4.    How To Breastfeed A Baby While Lying Down In Bed

• Put your baby in a supine position on the bed.
• Lie down on your side on the bed beside your baby.
• Make sure you are comfortable. 
• Ensure your back and feet are supported.
• Draw your baby close to you and ensure he lies in line with you. Make sure his head is pointed directly at your nipple with its nose opposite your nipple.  This will prevent him from pulling your nipple to one side, which can cause you pain.

The breastfeeding tips above are for a baby who has not developed teeth yet. But what about a baby who has started growing teeth? How do you feed him or her so that their teeth will not create sores on your breast?

5.    How To Breastfeed A Baby With Teeth

Whether you breastfeed a baby with teeth while sitting upright or while lying down  in bed,

• hold your son or daughter against your bosom, with his or her head under your chin;
• support his neck and shoulders with your right hand, and his hips with your left hand;
• tilt his head back slightly to make it easy for him to suck, and support his head and neck with your hand;
• pull your baby close to you;

• tilt your baby’s whole body towards you. His head should face your nipple directly;
• make sure your baby’s chin is touching your breast;  
• then, push your nipple towards your baby’s mouth and ensure that his lips forms a seal around your areola. This will prevent the baby from biting your nipple.

6.    What To Avoid When Breastfeeding Your Baby

Avoid holding your baby’s head and directing it towards your nipple. And do not force its mouth open to put your nipple inside it.

Why?

Many pediatricians assert that this confuses a baby and makes him angry, and that will make him cry and refuse to feed.

All you need to do is to make your baby nuzzle your nipple and if the baby wants to feed, you may then ensure the areola goes into its mouth.

7.    How To Prevent Low Milk Supply When You Are Breastfeeding

You’re worried whether your baby is getting enough breast milk, right? You’re worried that your baby does not seem content after sucking for minutes, right?

Or, baby cries after you feed him and you don’t know whether he’s satisfied or not, right?

Letting such scenarios affect you and getting anxious can help to reduce the amount of breast milk you produce.

According to obstetricians, the best way to ensure that your baby gets enough milk is to avoid getting worried about how much milk your breasts are producing, as well as avoiding anxiety when your baby cries after you feed it.

Why?

How Milk Supply Occurs

Milk supply occurs in two stages:

1. Milk is first secreted into your alveoli; and then
2. the milk is ejected from the alveoli into your nipple.

How Milk Is Secreted Into Your Alveoli

Figure 2: Prolactin released from your brain makes cell in the breast called alveoli cells  to secrete milk

1. Once your baby is born, the cells of your pituitary gland, which is found at the base of the fore part of your brain, release a hormone called prolactin into your bloodstream.
2. The prolactin circulates in your blood and is taken up by the milk-making cells which are found in your alveoli. In other words, prolactin starts and maintains milk production in your breasts.

So, how does the milk move from the alveoli, through your nipples into your baby’s mouth?

How Milk Is Ejected From Your Alveoli Into Your Nipple

Figure 3: Oxytocin released from your brain makes muscles around milk-producing cells contract and that forces milk into the nipples 

1. When you hear your baby crying, when your baby nuzzles your nipples, or when your mind is free of worries and anxieties, a message is sent from your nipple along nerve pathways to your brain. 
2. The message then travels to your pituitary gland.
3. The message tells your pituitary gland to release a muscle-contracting hormone called oxytocin into your blood.
4. This oxytocin moves through your blood and when it reaches your alveoli, it causes muscles around your alveoli to contract and squeeze milk into your nipples.

8.     Avoid Worrying

When a nursing mother worries, it hinders the release of oxytocin from her brain. Consequently, the muscles around the alveoli will not contract strongly enough to stimulate the supply or flow of enough breast milk from the alveoli into the nipple for your baby.

So, how do you prevent worrying?

How To Prevent Worries  

You can ease your worries by

• observing your baby; if he seems content, you don’t need to worry about whether he’s getting enough nutrients or not;
• reading your Bible when you’re frustrated;
• praying for wisdom from God to help you know what baby wants (don’t forget God is omniscient and He knows); and
• making positive affirmations to help keep you positive.

Points To Remember

Some breastfeeding tips which I have shared with you include:

• how to prepare your breasts for breastfeeding;
• how to breastfeed your baby whether you are sitting or lying down; and
• what you can do to prevent low milk supply for your baby.

Following these tips will help you to make your breastfeeding a success. And your baby will be happy, and you will also feel happy and enjoy your baby better.

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Author Bio: I Am A Freelance Writer for Hire

Hi, I'm Isaac. I’m a health writer, health blogger, and health copywriter. I’m an indie author as well. I am very passionate about sharing health information with people to help them live healthy lives.

Thanks for reading this article. I hope you found it useful.

I wanted to let you know that I'm also a Freelance health writer and health copywriter for hire who offers blog writing, in-depth researched article writing, SEO writing, copywriting, proofreading, editing, and eBook writing services.

If you need a freelance writer to help you create content for your website or blog, or if you need someone to create an eBook for you, view my portfolio page, my hire my services page, and contact me.

Copyright © 2019 All rights reserved Heart Disease Issues

7 Best Ways to Take Good Care of Yourself During Pregnancy

Picture 1: Eating 5 portions of fruits such as bananas is a good way to take good care of yourself during pregnancy

Finally, you are about to start your family. Congratulations for being pregnant!

Yes, you’ve had a talk with your doctor or midwife. But as an African proverb says, “Preparing soup with a lot of meat does not make the soup taste any worse.”

So, in this article, I want to give you more pregnancy tips and info to help you take care of yourself during pregnancy and what to do to ensure that you have a healthy pregnancy so that you can give birth to the next George Clooney or the next Michael Jordan.

Now, here are the things you must do.

1.    Food

Figure 1: Eat a lot of carbs to help give you energy

Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet will help to keep you healthy and strong, and that will increase the chances that you will give birth to a healthy baby.

Carbohydrates

The World Health Organization recommends that to get the energy that she needs, a pregnant woman should eat these foods daily:

• At least 6 slices of bread; or
• about 4 or 5 cups of cooked pasta; or
• at least 4 cups of rice or oatmeal; or
• about 9 cups of dry cereal; or
• at least 600g of potato (6 medium-sized potatoes).

Fruits and Veggies

Eat at least 5 portions of fruits or veggies every day. Fruits and veggies are packed with fiber, which will stimulate your gut and make it easy for you to defecate without straining.

When you can move your bowels without straining, it will help you to avoid hemorrhoids, or the development of varicose veins in the anus, which affects some pregnant women.

Fish

Do your best to eat at least two portions of oily fish, such as salmon, every week. Oily fish is packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which will help to keep your heat working well.

Additionally, eat catfish and tuna, and avoid swordfish, shark, and king mackerel because they contain a lot of mercury, a chemical that can poison your body.

The FDA recommends that pregnant women eat up to 12 ounces of fish in a week.  

Fatty Foods And Sugary Foods

Reduce your consumption of cream, chocolate, crisps, pastries, sodas, soft drinks and other foods that contain a lot of fat and/or sugar.

These foods will increase the amount of cholesterol in your blood. That can increase the likelihood that you will put on weight, which can increase the risk that you may get pregnancy –induced hypertension, a condition that can be fatal.

2.    Limit Your Caffeine Consumption

According to Steven Meredith of John Hopkins University School of Medicine, caffeine is a drug. It can increase your anxiety and make it difficult for you to sleep soundly at night.
Moreover, it can increase the levels of sugar in your blood  and increase the risk that you will get diabetes.

So, limit the amount of caffeine you consume. The Food Standard Agency in the UK recommends that a pregnant woman should drink no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day. That is equivalent to

• four cups of coffee;  
• two mugs of coffee;
• two cans of energy drink; 
• four  50g bars of plain chocolate; or
• eight 50g bars of milk chocolate.

Figure 2: Hypertension cases in pregnant women in the US  increased between 1993 and 2014. Smoking is one of the risk factors for hypertension. 

3.    Don’t Smoke

Research has established a link between smoking and heart disease. Smoking can increase your risk of developing heart disease. Furthermore, smoking can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as getting hypertension.

Smoking also has implication for the health of your baby. Smoking can reduce the amount of oxygen that your blood will supply to your baby. Consequently, your baby will find it difficult to breathe.

So stop smoking during this period, if you are a smoker. And if it is hard for you to stop, you may use these tips to help you stop smoking.

Figure 3: Pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia (problems with the liver, kidneys etc), and eclampsia (seizures during pregnancy), increased substantially between 1993 and 2014.

4.    Don’t Drink Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can cloud your judgment. Consequently, you may make mistakes that can make you have accidents at home (falls), which can make you suffer injuries, and which can expose your baby to harm.

Furthermore, according to Professor Derek Llewelyn, an Obstetrician/ Gynecologist, women who drink more than three standard drinks of alcohol a day (or 30g a day) may give birth to babies which are smaller than expected, or they may give birth to babies which are mentally retarded.

The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence(NICE) also cautions pregnant women against drinking alcohol in the first trimester of pregnancy because it can increase their risk of having a miscarriage.

5.    Do Prenatal Exercises Regularly

Prenatal exercises can help you in these five ways:

1.       It will help to boost the strength of your heart so that your heart can pump oxygen more efficiently to all your body organs for you to stay healthy and fit.

2.       It can help to increase your awareness of your body.

3.       It can help to increase the flexibility of your muscles and your joints so that you will not suffer body aches often.

4.       Exercising can help you to reduce some of the discomforts of pregnancy such as backache and listlessness.

5.       It will help you to burn calories so that you can manage your weight.

Exercise Precautions You Must Observe

However, when you exercise, ensure that you do not exercise until your body heats up because an elevated body temperature can increase your risk of having a miscarriage.

Additionally, don’t exercise to the point of exhaustion. Obstetricians assert that in early pregnancy do aerobic exercises for about 15 minutes three times in a week is good enough to keep you healthy and strong.

You may increase it to 30 minutes of exercise, four times in a week, if there are no complications, and if your doctor feels you can do more exercise.  

6.    Wear Gloves When Handling Your Cat’s Poop

Avoid getting rid of your cat’s poop yourself. This is because the feces of cats contain a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii, which can causes toxoplasmosis. So, make your other children or your hubby dispose your cat’s poop.

If you live alone and have no other choice, ensure that you protect your hands with gloves before you get rid of the poop.

Figure 4: Quick Fact. Deep vein thrombosis rates dropped between 1993 and 2014

7.    Move Your Legs Often When You Travel

If you can, avoid travelling long distances in the last three months of your pregnancy. That’s because taking long journeys at this time can increase the risk that you may develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT or blood clots). Blood clots can increase you risk of getting a heart attack or having a stroke.

If you have no choice but to travel in the last trimester of your pregnancy, make sure you drink a lot of water during the journey to ensure your body stays well hydrated.

Furthermore, whilst in the plane, train, or car

• move your legs every 10 minutes to improve circulation;
• alternatively stretch and flex your legs at the knees every 10 minutes;
• flex your ankles for one minute every 10 minutes; or
• alternatively lift your feet off the ground and lower it every 5 minutes.

In Wrapping Up…

To take good care of yourself during pregnancy so that you can stay healthy, eat about 5 cups of pasta each day, reduce your consumption of cakes and jellies, and drink at most four cups of coffee. Furthermore, avoid alcohol and smoking altogether.

********************************************************************************* 

Author Bio: I Am A Freelance Writer for Hire

Hi, I'm Isaac. I’m a health writer, health blogger, and health copywriter. I’m an indie author as well. I am very passionate about sharing health information with people to help them live healthy lives.

Thanks for reading this article. I hope you found it useful.

I wanted to let you know that I'm also a Freelance health writer and health copywriter for hire who offers blog writing, in-depth researched article writing, SEO writing, copywriting, proofreading, editing, and eBook writing services.

If you need a freelance writer to help you create content for your website or blog, or if you need someone to create an eBook for you,  view my portfolio page, my hire my services page, and contact me.

Copyright © 2019 All rights reserved Heart Disease Issues

  

3 Best Ways to Cope With a Miscarriage

Adwoa already has one child, a boy. She got pregnant and was looking forward eagerly to the birth of her second child, a girl. Even before the birth, she began to bond with her baby.

“I had always dreamed of having two children when I was in University. My dream family was to have a boy first, and then a girl. So I was so glad when Kofi came first. And now I was going to have a girl. I can‘t describe how I felt when I did the pregnancy test and it turned out positive. And every time she moved, I was filled with indescribable love for her. I looked to the future knowing I would soon be in a “heaven on earth.”

“I started bleeding in the night one day. I got worried and the following morning, I went to the hospital to see the specialist. He told me I had a problem with my uterus. I was terrified. And when the scan was done…” She starts sobbing at this point.

Have you also been through this experience?

Have you lost your baby recently?

Do you want to know how you can cope with a miscarriage?

Then read on because in this article I will give you tips that can help you to deal with this very trying situation, as well as the contacts of organizations that can give a helping hand in this trying moment.

Related:  5 Smart Ways to Cope With a Miscarriage

1.    Do This Depression Fighting Exercise

You don’t feel like going out with your partner nowadays, right? Or, you eat about two tablespoons of your favorite rice and chicken stew and you don’t feel like eating anymore, right?

Or, you don’t feel like playing with your other kids, right? And when you go to bed at night, you toss and turn for hours without sleeping, right?

You are suffering from depression, which many studies have shown afflicts women who have a miscarriage.

According to A Harvard medical Expert, Exercise Can Help You

One way to fight it is to do exercises. According to Dr. Miller of the Harvard Medical School, exercise is as effective as antidepressants in treating depression.

How can exercise help one to battle depression?

How Exercise Helps To Fight Depression

It promotes neurogenesis, or it encourages the nerve cells in your brain to grow. When these cells  grow, they make new connections and that can make you feel more positive and upbeat about life and the future.

How To Do “The Depression Fighting Exercise”

Here is an exercise you can do easily every day to help you feel great:

• Put a mattress on the floor of your room.
• Spread your legs about one step apart.
• Stretch your arms out to the sides, ensuring that your palms touch the mattress.
• Consciously relax your whole body.
• Close your eyes and imagine your baby in Heaven enjoying without having to go through the stress, heartache, suffering, disappointment, and pain of this world.
• Then raise your arms gently and slowly until they meet over your head.
• Move your arms backwards as far as possible.
• Raise your right leg slowly until your right knee is bent, with your right foot touching the mattress.
• Raise your right leg into the air. Hold this position for 10 seconds.
• Bring your right leg back to its starting position.
• Bend your left knee slowly, and raise it in the air, whilst your right leg is in touch with the mattress. Hold this position for 10 seconds.
• Go back to the starting position.
• Rise slowly onto your feet.
• Place your arms on your hips.
• Breathe in deeply.
• Bend your body to the right as far as it can go.
• Breathe out.
• Repeat the step above, this time moving your body to the left.
• Then stretch back as far as practicable.
• Then bring your legs together.
• Hold your head.
• Tense the muscles of the upper part of your body whilst breathing slowly. Hold the position for 10 seconds.
• Relax.
• Repeat 10 times.

2.    Submit to Jehovah

You are a Christian, right? You are angry with Jehovah, right? You blame Him for taking your baby, right? And so you don’t want to hear His Name again, right?

That is your right, but It will only throw your spirit into turmoil. Consequently, you will lack peace and it will take you a long time to heal emotionally from the miscarriage.

A better option is to submit your will to God, who loves you very much, and who loves the baby you lost too!

A Story About A Mother Who Has Also Been Through It

Let me tell you a story to make things clearer.

Celia lost her child too. She sank under the blow. Christian friends prayed for her, but nothing seemed to reach and warm the numbness within.

After some days she lost consciousness. In a vision, she saw herself drifting down a deep, dark stream. Somehow, she knew she was headed for the sea of insanity.

Then, out of the terrible darkness and silence, a voice spoke out clear and strong, “I have always kept my word with you, haven’t I? Could I not take that which was my own?” That was God speaking to her to make the point to her that He also loved the baby that Celia lost.

Yes, you feel that the baby was yours. However, God, who created that baby, also cares about him/her. So, accept that He did the right thing for your baby.

As Job said in Job 22:21, “Submit to God, and you will have peace; thereby good will come to you.” In other words, if you agree with God and say, “LORD, your will be done. I accept that Your way is best. I am angry with you. I feel bitter towards You. Please help me to deal with the anger in my heart,” God will help you to experience peace. And that peace will drive away the emotional pain you are experiencing because you lost your baby.

  

3.    Connect With Other Mothers Who Have Miscarried Before

In the first and second week after the miscarriage, your emotions were extremely unstable, right? And you locked yourself up in your room and ruminated about what could have caused the miscarriage, right?

And now you don’t feel like talking about the miscarriage with your partner, friends, and relatives, right? You feel extremely lonely because of the miscarriage, right? Because whenever you talk about it, you feel sad and depressed, right?

It’s affecting your relationship with your partner, but you are so angry with the world that you just wish everybody would go away, right?

You are not alone if you feel this way. In fact, according to Karen Rivers, who deals with women who have been through this experience, people who go through this experience don’t like to talk about it because they feel uncomfortable sharing the experience.

However, opening up can go a long way to help you.

Why?

How Connecting Can Help You

When you connect with mothers who have also lost their babies, and when you get to know that other women have survived your ordeal, you will see that there is hope for tomorrow.

As a result, you are less likely to feel emotionally isolated and depressed. Consequently, knowing you have cheerleaders and people who will hold your hand and be there every step of the way, you will find it easier to look forward to a bright future.

Helpful Support For You

In that regard, here are some support groups that will give you the opportunity to connect with mothers and health professionals who will help you:

If You Are In the US

1. Helping After Neonatal Death (HAND)

Phone: 1.888.908.HAND(4263)

Website: www.handonline.org/

2. Compassionate Friends

Phone: (877)-969-0010   or    (630) 990-0010 

Website: www.compassionatefriends.org/

3. March of Dimes

Phone: 888-MODIMES (888-663-4637)

Website: www.marchofdimes.org/

4. Share Pregnancy And Infant Loss Support

What they do: They give phone support, as well as facilitate face-to-face meetings for women who have experienced the loss of a baby.

Phone: 800-821-6819

Email: info@nationalshare.org

Website: www.nationalshare.org/

If You Are In The UK

1. Tommys

Phone: 0800 0147 800

Email: mailbox@tommys.org

Website: www.tommys.org/

2. SANDS UK

Phone: 0808 164 3332

Email: helpline@sands.org.uk

Website: www.sands.org.uk/

3. Miscarriage Association

Phone: 01924 200799 or   01924 200795

Email: info@miscarriageassociation.org.uk

Website: www.miscarriageassociation.org.uk/

If You Are In Canada

1. Sunnybrook Pregnancy and Infant Loss Network

Phone: 888-303-7245-(PAIL)

Email: pailnetwork@sunybrook.ca

Website: pailnetwork.sunnybrook.ca/

2. Cope Foundation

What They Do: They have a parent support group where you can share your grief and receive instruction as to how to cope with your miscarriage.

Phone: (516) 832 –COPE (2673)

Email: info@copefoundation.org

Website: www.copefoundation.org/

3. Hope Exchange

Email: info@HopeXchange.com

Website: www.hopexchange.com/

4. Todays Parent

Website link: www.todaysparent.com/pregnancy/miscarriage-support-groups-and-events/

If You Are In Australia

1. Bears of Hope Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support

They provide professional help.

Phone: 1300 11 BEAR or    1300 11 HOPE

Email: support@bearsofhiope.org.au

Website: www.bearsofhope.org.au/

2. SANDS Australia

Phone: 03 8595 2400 or   1300 072 637

Email: admin@sands.org.au

3. Pregnancy Loss Australia

Website: www.pregnancylossaustralia.org.au/

If You Are In New Zealand

1. The Grief Support and Education Charitable Trust

What They Do: They offer you counseling services, as well as a chance to connect with mothers who have also been through your experience, and resources to help you such as books.

Phone: 0800 543 354 or   (64 9) 418 1457 or 1737 or    (09) 522 29999

Email: office@griefcentre.org.nz

Website:  www.griefcentre.org.nz/

2. Skylight Trust

What They Do: They lend coping with a loss books to you. Additionally, they give support packs.

Phone numbers: 0800 299 100   or   +64 4 939 6767

Website: www.skylight.org.nz/

3. SANDS New Zealand

What They Do: They give you an opportunity to meet parents who have also suffered from a miscarriage so that you can talk about your experiences, as well as listen to how others have survived.

Phone number: 027 44 91 019

Email: info@sands.org.nz

Website: www.sands.org.nz/

4. Miscarriage Support

Website: www.miscarriagesupport.org.nz/

Points To Remember   

To cope with a miscarriage:

• do “the depression fighting exercise”;
• submit to the LORD, if you are a Christian and you are angry with Him; and
• avoid isolating yourself and reach out to others.

*********************************************************************************

Author Bio: I Am A Freelance Writer for Hire

Hi, I'm Isaac. I’m a health writer, health blogger, and health copywriter. I’m an indie author as well. I am very passionate about sharing health information with people to help them live healthy lives.

Thanks for reading this article. I hope you found it useful.

I wanted to let you know that I'm also a Freelance health writer and health copywriter for hire who offers blog writing, in-depth researched article writing, SEO writing, copywriting, proofreading, editing, and eBook writing services.

If you need a freelance writer to help you create content for your website or blog, or if you need someone to create an eBook for you, view my portfolio page, my hire my services page, and contact me.

Copyright © 2019 All rights reserved Heart Disease Issues

5 Smart Ways to Cope With a Miscarriage

Picture 1: Prayer can help you to cope with a miscarriage

Your last pregnancy did not go as planned and you had a miscarriage.

Please accept my condolences!

And right now, you feel all sorts of emotions fighting for your attention.

And your emotional pain is compounded by physical effects of the miscarriage, such as pelvic pain, frequent cramps, and tenderness in your chest.

And that makes your sense of grief grow stronger and you wonder how you are going to survive the loss.

Your experience is not an isolated experience.  

According to estimates by the National Institute of Health of the USA, between 15% and 20% of pregnant women in the United States miscarry.

So, how do you cope with a miscarriage? How can you manage all the negative emotions that you experience?

Related:  3 Best Ways to Cope With a Miscarriage

1.    Remind Yourself Often That You Are A Mother

Envy grows in your heart when you see an expectant teenage woman going to antenatal clinic, right? You get jealous when your sister informs you that she’s pregnant, right?

 You switch off the TV when you see a pregnant woman in the office of an obstetrician, right? Or you feel envious when you hear a new mother talking about how beautiful her baby is, right?

You know why you are experiencing those feelings?

Why You Feel Envious

Psychologists assert that envy is an indication that one’s self-esteem is low. So when you see other pregnant women, you feel that having had a miscarriage makes you less of a woman than women who are pregnant. You feel that those women have more to give the world than you and that makes you resent what they have.   

How to Deal With Your Envy And Jealousy

To help you deal with these feelings,

• remind yourself often of all the great things that you have done for others; and
• remind yourself of the happiness you saw on those people’s faces and the impact your help had on their lives.

When you do that, it will help you to see that you also make valuable contributions to the world. Consequently, your perspective may change and you will see that you are a very valuable woman who shows motherly love to others. That can help to boost your self-worth.

2.    Anger

You feel angry with the nurses and doctors at the hospital where the miscarriage occurred, right? You feel that they should have done more in caring for your baby, right?

Or, you feel angry at your husband (or partner), sisters, brothers, or parents because you feel they were not supportive enough and that made you lose your baby, right?

And so you respond sarcastically when your partner asks you how you are feeling, right?

You know why you are angry?

No?

Why You Are Angry

1. It’s because you expected to have the baby so much and you are so frustrated because you couldn’t give birth to a healthy baby.
2. Alternatively, you feel angry because you feel that although your partner, friends, and relatives sympathize with you, they don’t really care about how you feel. This may stem from comments they may have passed. It may also stem from the fact that you see them looking happy, but you feel that if they really care about you, they must show sadness when they are around you.

Anger Will Affect Your Health Status

However, feeling angry is not good for your health. Research done by Dr. Rachel Lampert of the Yale School of Medicine, and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, has revealed that anger can help trigger a heart attack.

And we don’t want that to happen, right? We want you to get pregnant again and have another baby, don’t’ we?

So, how can you deal with this feeling?

How To Deal With Your Anger

• Accept the fact that you are angry. If you don’t and you repress it, it will cause guilt. Guilt may grow into bitterness, which may instigate you to start quarrels with your spouse. Consequently, your spouse may not feel willing to give you the emotional support you need. And that will make you feel neglected, which will make you feel even more angry.
• Admit your anger to those you are angry with so that you can have discussions with them. That will help you to clarify misconceptions so that you can be on the same page.
• Deal with anger daily as it comes up. When those angry feelings start to develop in your heart, communicate them to your partner immediately. It will help to prevent resentment, hostility, and grudges from taking root in your heart.

3.    Guilt

You often say to yourself, “If I had only eaten more fruits and veggies, maybe my baby would have survived!” right? Or you say to your partner sometimes, “Baby Yaa wouldn’t have died if only I had taken my vitamins!” right? Or, you sometimes think to yourself, “If I had exercised more often, I don’t think my baby would have died!” right?

Do you know why you feel guilty?

Why You Feel Guilty

It’s because you don’t understand what causes miscarriages. And you are not the only woman who lacks understanding about what medical experts call “spontaneous abortion.”

A study done by scientists at the Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York in 2013 revealed that many people are unable to identify the main causes of a miscarriage.

The study further revealed that 47% of women interviewed in that study, which polled more than 1000 respondents from  48 States in the United States, felt guilty because of their miscarriage.

So, how do you deal with feelings of guilt?

How To Deal With Feelings Of Guilt

Here are things you can do to help you conquer those feelings:

• Believe it when your doctors tell you that you are not the cause of the miscarriage.
• Write the explanations your obstetrician gives as the cause of your miscarriage on index cards.
• Keep these cards on you at all times.
• Whenever you feel troubled by guilty feelings, start read the cards aloud to yourself. Keep reading them until you are convinced of the truth again and it will help heal you.

4.    Do A “I Have Inner Strength” Exercise Often

You feel overwhelmed by your loss, right? And that makes you feel helpless, right?

Are you wondering why you feel that way?

Why You Feel Helpless

Figure 1: You feel helpless because you feel you're not in control of your life

Psychologists assert that when a woman has a miscarriage, it makes her feel that she has lost control of her life. Consequently, the affected woman may feel that she does not have the inner strength to cope with the situation. That feeling can make the miscarriage feel more terrible than it actually is.

So, what can you do, if you feel this way?

How to Deal With Feelings Of Helplessness

Psychologists assert that you can regain this sense of control by doing exercises that remind you that you have inner strength.

How can this exercise help you?

How The “I Have Inner Strength” Exercise Can Help You

The exercise will help to remind you that you have dealt with seemingly threatening and seemingly insurmountable situations in the past and so you have the strength within to handle the miscarriage. That can make the situation look less threatening and you will find it easier to live a normal life instead of getting depressed.  

How to Do the Exercise

• Sit down at a table.
• Breathe in deeply. Hold your breath for 5 seconds and release it.
• Repeat 10 times.
• Then recall 50 events from the past 5 years during which you showed great leadership.
• Write them down.
• Recall 50 occasions on which you felt powerful and in control of life.
• Write them down too.
• Then, reflect on it to help remind you of the fact that you have reserves of inner strength.

Keep reminding yourself of this throughout each day and it will boost your confidence and motivate you to draw on your inner strength to help you survive.

5.    Pray

You bought clothes for your baby, but when you came home and you walked into the room you had prepared for him, pain clutched at your heart, right? And since then you have been moving around with a numb feeling in your heart, right?

Or, you feel empty and incomplete inside, right? You feel as though your motherhood has been taken away from you, right? 

And, probably, you have relived the day of the birth of your baby for months since the miscarriage occurred, right? You grieve for the baby because you feel as though someone real has been lost, right?

 How to Deal With These Feelings

You can deal with these feelings by praying. Talk to the LORD about how you feel.

Why should you pray?

How Praying Will Help You

Figure 2: Praying will make you feel a sense of contentment

Because the Bible says in Acts 17:28, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” In other words, we become complete when we connect with our Maker, the Rock of Ages. And that reconnection with our Creator can help to heal us when we experience trauma.

How?

When you connect with Jehovah through prayer, you quicken His Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit will help you to feel a sense of completeness and you will live from one day to the next without feeling sad. 

Points To Remember

To cope with a miscarriage:

• remind yourself of benevolent acts you have done to help you deal with the envy you feel when you see expectant mothers;
• deal with the anger of the loss by communicating;
• believe your doctors more than you believe the negative thoughts in your head; and
• pray and God will make you feel whole.

When you do these things, and as time goes on, your emotional pain will reduce and you will experience a full recovery.

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