Tag: Health

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UTIs in Pregnancy & Postpartum

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are unfortunately very common during pregnancy and postpartum. Your urinary tract includes your urethra, kidneys, and bladder. Pregnancy causes changes to the urethra, hormones, pressure on the bladder, prolapse, a weak pelvic floor, and a harder time staying clean, these are all factors that can cause infection. Pregnancy is also a state of immunocompromise, meaning you have a lowered ability to fight infections and diseases.

It’s rare that a UTI will cause problems with your pregnancy and usually, they are easy to treat. But when you’re pregnant or have a newborn, it’s the last thing you want to think about.

How Do you get a UTI?

 

These infections happen when outside bacteria get into the urethra or develop in the urinary tract. Symptoms of a UTI can include,

  • Persistent urge to urinate
  • A burning or painful sensation while using the bathroom
  • Only peeing in small amounts
  • Cloudy, red, pink, or brown colored urine
  • Bad smelling urine
  • Pelvic pain or pressure
  • Pain during sex
  • Incontinence
  • Chills, fever, nausea, vomiting

Obesity, diabetes, a weak pelvic floor, organ prolapse, age, disabilities, and injuries can also all make UTIs more common.

How to Avoid UTIs 

 

  • Drink enough fluids
  • Adopt a healthy diet
  • Go to the bathroom regularly
  • Wipe from front to back
  • Use a mild soap
  • Pee and rinse off after sex
  • Wear clean, breathable underwear
  • Don’t wear clothing that is too tight
  • Avoid long or soapy baths

UTIs while Pregnant or Breastfeeding 

 

Talk with your doctor about your UTI. UTIs are common and safe to have while pregnant and breastfeeding (not that you want them!). The important thing is making sure they don’t spread into something more serious.

Kidney infections (pyelonephritis) can happen when your UTI is not taken care of or because your urine is not being properly drained from the kidney to the bladder due to pressure from pregnancy and hormones. Pyelonephritis can cause an infection of your blood (sepsis), respiratory problems, and preterm labor if untreated.

Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics that are safe for pregnancy and breastfeeding. Make sure you take all of the doses, even if you start to feel better. Learn the signs of a UTI and do what you can to prevent them!

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Postpartum Health Must Haves

How will pregnancy and birth change my body? This is one of the big questions EVERYONE asks. This is a fair question because although it is a natural process, we aren’t meant to “bounce back” to the way we were before.

Having a baby changes you permanently and can leave you with side effects or injuries. In fact, some issues are so common that they are overlooked as a “necessary evil” such as incontinence (lack of control over your bladder or bowels). It’s crucial to have the right tools and know-how to navigate your postpartum period for a lifetime of health. Here are some of our top suggestions…

Access to Knowledge

 

The first thing on our list of postpartum necessities is access to knowledge. Give yourself several credible and evidence-based resources for information. There are many great books out there, or sign up for a free copy of our Hair to Toe Guide.

There you can find out what postpartum symptoms are normal, common, exist on a spectrum, or should have a doctor’s opinion.

There is no substitute for the advice of your trusted doctor. Postpartum groups, friends, and your doula can all have great insight too. Just remember, everyone’s experience is different, you are an individual with a unique body and medical history.

Physical Therapy

 

You may never look or feel like you did before pregnancy, and that’s ok! You just went through something HUGE. The important thing is to feel healthy, capable, and pain-free. Physical therapy is something to consider to help pelvic weakness, back pain, separated abdominal muscles, pelvic girdle pain, incontinence, prolapse, sexual dysfunction, and more.

Check with your insurance provider to see if they will help cover your physical therapy. If you can’t get to a physical therapist, check with your doctor to see what at-home movements or exercises are safe for you. It’s a good idea to wear a support brace to help stabilize your core and protect you from injury. Never push yourself to the point of pain. 

Pelvic Support Bracing

 

When you get hurt as an athlete, there’s a brace to help get you back in the game. There are ankle, wrist, shoulder, arm, knee, neck, and more braces! These braces can be used for compression therapy to ease pain and swelling, they support and protect the injured area, and they use what’s called optimal loading to gradually let your body do more work to return to normal function.

What about bracing for after having a baby?! We asked the same question before making the Mama Strut. Studies have shown that injuries sustained while pregnant and giving birth look similar to sports injuries. So throw away your girdles, corsets, and waist trainers. These are not built for health. The Mama Strut postpartum brace does everything the sports braces do, but it is specially designed for mamas and the issues they encounter!

Learn More

Ice and Heat Therapy

 

We won’t stop comparing athletes to mamas (because Mama, you are an athlete!). Let’s take another page out of the Sports Therapy Handbook. Ice and heat therapy has been around for centuries as an all-natural remedy to pain, swelling, and mobility problems.

Ice: Use right after giving birth (and any time after) on your perineum, abdominals, and lower back for instant pain and swelling relief. 

Heat: Use after your swelling has gone down for pain relief, better mobility in muscles and joints, and to help with muscle spasms.

The Mama Strut pelvic bracing mentioned above comes with hot and cold packs that are easily insertable between your legs, on your tummy, and your back!

Postpartum Pads

 

We all know what period bleeding is like…your postpartum bleeding is NOT that. Your bleeding will last for weeks and you may see blood clots. You can’t use tampons and normal pads don’t usually cut it. Invest in postpartum pads built to stand up to the task. These will help you feel more comfortable and dry, giving you more time to focus on your baby and other things. 

Check out Postpartum Pads

Stool Softener

 

Many mamas will feel constipated due to hormones, stretched muscles, anxiety, and vitamin supplements. It also may be painful to go to the bathroom because of tears, episiotomy, or hemorrhoids. You want to avoid straining too much at this time. A stool softener will help you pass your first movement and relieve some of the anxiety you may have about it. You should never try to hold back your bowel movements because it could end up being more uncomfortable in the end.

Getting exercise, eating right, and taking care of the area and any stitches you might have are also great ways to make things easier down there. 

Perineal Spray or Wipes

 

There are many sprays and wipes that can help cool, soothe, numb, protect, and clean anywhere between your legs that may need it. These can be especially helpful before or after you go to the bathroom. Make sure you read the ingredients list, after all, this is going on and around one of the most sensitive areas on your body!

Peri Bottle

 

“Peri” refers to your perineum (the area between your vagina and anus). The peri bottle is just a squirt bottle you use before, after, or during your trip to the bathroom. Wiping with toilet paper can cause friction, pain, and leave traces of itself behind. You will most likely be given a peri bottle at the hospital but you can find other bottles with various designs and features. Always use clean water, experiment with temperature, but don’t make it too extreme, and consider adding other safe liquids to the water like witch hazel.

 

We began by saying knowledge is key, and that is how we will end. Prepare for the postpartum period as much as you prepared for your pregnancy, your birth plan, and your baby!

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Can Advocating for Your Health Plan Lead to Discrimination?

hospital procedure discrimination

Researchers have been studying what factors may contribute to women experiencing poor hospital visits when giving birth, and have found that refusal of certain procedures leads to discrimination by doctors or nurses.

When thinking about what to include in your hospital bag, a birth plan may be a significant part. Detailing aesthetic choices such as music to be played, who to have in the room, whether you want to use a tub, or if someone will be taking video and photos. But birth plans can also include more serious conversations such as epidurals, episiotomies, cord cutting, and c-sections. Using a birth plan can help communicate desires and concerns in the delivery room, but it is not always guaranteed that the intended plan will be followed.

Because of the Internet, more women are advocating for their health and develop a more comprehensive plan, and doctors record seeing more mothers become active participants while in labor. Despite this, many women report an increase in discrimination from nurses and doctors during their hospital stay if they refuse a specific procedure or course of treatment in delivery.

According to a research study by Laura Attanasio of the University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences, she found that for women who decline procedures, they reported having a poor hospital stay and a higher reporting of discrimination likely due to being labeled as uncooperative or non-compliant. These numbers were even worse for women of color who reported five times the amount of poor treatment due to race or ethnicity when compared to White women.

Racial Implicit Bias

Women of color already expend more energy trying to overcome racial stereotypes in the hospital, such as insurance-based bias, or not being seen as an “angry Black woman” simply for speaking up about their concerns and preferences for treatment.

Labor and the moments following birth are precious. Pain or trauma experienced during this time has been shown to lead to higher rates of postpartum depression. Agonizing over how you were treated during a crucial and sometimes scary moment can have lasting affects. Attanasio stated that the experience many women have while giving birth is their first real encounter with a hospital system, and can inform their opinion of the medical community for years to follow. Given the horrific rates of maternal mortality and morbidity amongst Black women, it’s clear that more implicit racial bias training for health care staff should be implemented across the country to address this issue that affects all mothers.

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The Science Behind Mama Strut Postpartum Brace

Mama Strut Postpartum Brace breakdown

We want to give a little depth to the science behind the design for the Mama Strut Postpartum Brace. New research and techniques in medicine come out constantly, and our team stays up-to-date on the most relevant postpartum and women’s health news. Which is why Mama Strut uses the sports medicine P.O.L.I.C.E. Method:

PROTECT the pelvis with gentle support that maintains a level of protection and rest of the pelvic floor.

OPTIMAL LOADING allows for gradual loading at the areas affected by pregnancy and postpartum to prevent atrophy. Icing affected areas will help manage swelling and acute pain.

COMPRESSION not only holds ice to the body, but helps new mamas reduce swelling.

ELEVATION contractions and exercise of the pelvic floor help reduce bladder incontinence.

A lot of mamas ask if the Mama Strut is a wrap or band but it’s so much more than those options. The Mama Strut is a brace that addresses the full range of needs mamas face postpartum and allows for optimal healing instead of being focused on “bouncing back” or “getting the body back” as many wraps and bands are. Our most important role is being a support you can count on during your postpartum journey.