After receiving numerous feedback, Sydney Midwife has won the award for Pregnancy and Childbirth blogs. The award recognises quality blogs and bloggers.

Have a look at the top ten Pregnancy and Childbirth blogs and congratulations to the other recipients.

Forum
I have also created a new forum to stimulate discussion about maternity services and birthing options in Australia and around the world, or to share new research and information about pregnancy, birth or maternity services. The aim of the forum is to increase family’s knowledge of the options that are available to them, especially as maternity services undergo a period of dramatic change this year.

Birth in Sydney Yahoo! Group
A new Yahoo! Group has also been created: Birth in Sydney, for those who prefer to chat via Yahoo! groups. Birth in Sydney is all about sharing information for a safer and more satisfying pregnancy and birth experience. It has been crated for families who are interested in all types of birth such as natural, caesarean, epidural, waterbirth, homebirth and so on. It’s a fun, supportive and friendly place to share information and talk about anything and everything related to pregnancy and birth.

What does an obstetrician cost in Sydney?

Fees vary greatly. As well as considering obstetrician’s fees, also consider costs such as private health insurance co-payment or excess, extra fees and charges associated with private hospital stays, paediatrician and anaesthetist fees and additional costs for ultrasounds and tests. All up, you’re looking at somewhere between $2,000 and $10,000.

Private midwifery care, on the other hand, costs somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000.

Are there any antenatal / prenatal birthing classes in the Westmead area?

Yes, this service provides antenatal classes in the Westmead area.

What is the ceasearan rate in Australia in 2009?

This won’t be known until around 2011. In 2007 it was around the 30% mark and caesarean rates have increased most years. The current caesarean rate is around 30% – 35%.

induction vs cesarean and diabetes

What about another option? What about a natural birth? Provided that there are no complications as a result of the diabetes, this might be a great option to discuss with your care provider. You might also wish to seek a second opinion with a private midwife.

Intervention in midwifery?

Midwives are experts in natural birth, and therefore tend not to intervene in births. If intervention was felt to be necessary, an obstetrician would be consulted.

natural birth in a hospital australia?

Natural birth is far more likely in a homebirth (homebirth has an average transfer rate of 25% and the births that occur at home are 100% natural). In some hospitals in Australia, natural births are around 5%. Private midwifery care dramatically increases the chance of a natural birth in any setting.

Prenatal classes sydney

Yes, this service provides antenatal classes in Sydney.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting 0400 418 448

This blog will contain the same sort of information that you’re used to reading – articles of interest that relate to pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding; contemporary issues in midwifery; and of course promotion of home birth, continuity of care and private midwifery in Australia.

Enjoy the new look of Sydney Midwife!

By Robert Preidt

Smoking by mothers has replaced infants sleeping on their stomachs as the greatest modifiable risk factor for sudden infant death syndrome. When mothers smoke, the sleep arousal process of infants, which awakens them in response to a life-threatening situation, is altered, increasing the risk for SIDS.

Infants who are exposed to smoke had reduced sub-cortical activation to cortical arousal, lower rates of full cortical arousals from sleep, and higher rates of sub-cortical activations than infants of non-smoking mothers. Maternal smoking can impair the arousal pathways of seemingly normal babies, which may explain the increased risk for SIDS.

- Yet another reason to quit!

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting.

For further information, contact Melissa at Essential Birth Consulting

Sex after baby
Melissa Maimann
January 12, 2009

Welcome to parenthood! New babies are amazing, wondrous beings, aren’t they? But, for someone so small, they can bring with them endless tasks. Is there any time or desire for sex?

Your new to do-list reads something like: nappies, feeding, settling, general household chores, shopping, washing, more nappies, more washing, feeding, tending to the older kids, work – the life of a parent is busy indeed. Sleep seems a pretty tall order, let alone sex. After the birth, it might be the last thing on your mind!

Both men and women can have issues with sex after birth. For men, the concern is often, “What if I hurt her?” Women, too have concerns about sex after birth, such as “will my stitches open up?” or “will it hurt or feel different for us both?” Women may not feel like sex for several weeks, months or even a year or more after birth. After giving birth, some women feel detached from their sexuality whilst they adjust to motherhood. This is a very normal response to having a new baby.

Women who have experienced physical trauma from birth are more likely to experience painful sex in the months and sometimes years after birth. In particular, a forceps birth and/or an episiotomy can often result in vaginal and perineal pain. Some other reasons why you might not feel like having sex are:

- Recovering from a long labour
- Exhausted from lack of sleep
- Sore and tender stitches
- A baby who is unsettled, perhaps having problems with feeding
- Experiencing an emotionally or physically traumatic birth
- Changing hormone levels
- Fear of another pregnancy

All of these concerns are normal and valid. It is important for couples to talk to each other about their fears and be sure to allow yourself the time you need.

When can we have sex again?
As a guide, it’s best to wait for any bleeding to stop before having intercourse, to minimise the risk of infection. This can take two to six weeks. Some women wait until they have their 6-week check with their doctor or midwife. Others wait longer. For some women, sexual desire returns soon after birth, while for other women, it takes many months. Generally speaking, you can resume sex as soon as you feel physically and emotionally comfortable to do so. It’s important not to have sex purely to please your partner as this can help resentment to build. Have sex when you’re both ready.

Ms Randa Saadeh, a Senior Scientist with the World Health Organization (WHO), is speaking at the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s national seminar series … [she] is stressing the need for hospitals, workplaces and the community to support mothers and babies to continue breastfeeding.

Current infant feeding practices in Australia are resulting in unnecessarily high hospitalisation rates. Early weaning increases, by five fold, the risk of respiratory disease, gastro, middle ear infections and obesity.

The Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) improves breastfeeding rates which result in fewer child health interventions, including costly hospital admissions. In Australia however, the number of BFHI accredited hospitals is just 20%. New Zealand boasts 90% of their hospitals with BFHI status as a result of strong government support.

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting.

Breast-Feeding May Reduce Risk for SIDS by Half Throughout Infancy
Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Penny Murata, MD

Breast-feeding reduces the risk for sudden infant
death syndrome (SIDS) by approximately 50% … Exclusive breast-feeding at age 1 month was associated with half the risk for SIDS. Although partial breast-feeding at age 1 month was also
associated with lower risk for SIDS, this risk was not significant …

SIDS is a leading cause of death in infants … [the] SIDS risk was 2-fold higher in formula-fed vs breast-fed infants … However, breast-feeding is not universally included in SIDS prevention guidelines.

- Yet another benefit of breastfeeding!

Melissa Maimann, Essential Birth Consulting.