Questions to ask care provider(s) –

About You and Your Pregnancy:

What is my due date?
What is the size of my uterus?
Is the placement of the sac where it should be?
Are the symptoms I’m experiencing normal?
Are the lack of symptoms I’m not experiencing anything to be concerned about?
Does s/he have specific recommendations concerning weight gain, exercise and diet?
What things should I avoid?
What kinds of exercise are ok and which are possibly dangerous?
Is sleeping on my back as bad as some books say?
What are his/her thoughts on sex during pregnancy?
How often will s/he see me during pregnancy?
What does a typical prenatal office visit consist of? (urine sample, weighing in, listening to heartbeat, etc)
How often does s/he do vaginal exams?
What is his/her recommendation/practice for the use of ultrasound?
Does s/he offer alternatives to ultrasound? (e.g. fetoscope)
How often will an ultrasound be performed?
Does s/he recommend certain pre-natal classes? Which ones?
Is s/he open/supportive of me attending Lamaze, Bradley &/or others?
Will s/he be in town around my due date?

About the Careprovider:
How long has the doctor/midwife been in practice?
When and where did s/he receive training?
Does s/he have references?
What sources of information does s/he recommend?
What is his/her general philosophy concerning pregnancy and birth?
Why did s/he decide to become a doctor/midwife?
Does s/he have any children? How were they born?
How many babies does s/he deliver per week/month/year?
What percentage of his/her patients does s/he deliver him/herself?
What percentage of his/her patients start labor spontaneously?
Which hospitals/birth centers does s/he have privledges at?
Does s/he do homebirths?
If a physicain, does s/he use a nurse practitioner for visits?
Who does s/he share on-call duties with? What is the rotation schedule?
How long have the others been in practice?
Will I be seen by every practitioner with whom s/he rotates?
Do I have a choice about who I see?
Will other practitioners respect the agreements that are made between me and the dr/midwife?
What are his/her guidelines for a “normal” vs. “high-risk” pregnancy?
What is his/her definition of a high-risk pregnancy?
Does s/he return calls personally, or ask a nurse/receptionist to call me back?
How does s/he feel about partners being involved at prenatal exams and during labor and birth?
Is s/he open to me hiring a doula or monitrice (personal private duty nurse)?
How does s/he regard written Birthing Plans? Are they respected?
What is his/her policy on induction if I go beyond my due date?
How long beyond term, for what reasons and what percentage of women does s/he induce?

About Testing:
What routine tests does s/he require?
What tests does s/he usually perform on a woman with my background (age, history of m/c, etc.)?
Ask him/her to explain fully each test that will be performed (CVS, Alpha Fetal Protein, hCG, etc.).

About the Hospital/Birthing Center:

Is there a facility you prefer? Why?
When can I take a tour of the facility? (Doing so may answer most of these questions for you).
When a mother arrives in labor what standard procedures are done?
Is there a one-room option in which I can labor, give birth and recover?
Is this room always staffed?
What are the features of the birthing room? (dim lights, tape player, tv, etc.)
What is the nurse to patient ratio? (according to ACOG, one nurse for two women in early labor, and then one to one for those in the pushing stage is ideal)
Does the hospital have a policy on required use of Electronic Fetal Monitoring during labor?
If so, what is the required length of time?
Can this be waived or reduced?
Do you have a squat bar or birthing chair?
Do the beds break down?
Are water births done at the facility?
Is there access to a whirlpool/tub for those in labor?
What percentage of mothers go without chemical pain relief?
What is the hospital’s cesarean rate?
What is the epidural rate?
Can my partner and/or doula be with me at all times, including in the operating room, if I have a c-section?
How many other people can I have with me at all times? (a doula, friend, relative, etc).
Will my baby be with me at all times while I’m in the facility?
Is video taping allowed?
Is there a place for my partner to lay down or sleep somewhere during labor?
Can my partner spend the night in my room if he wishes to (after the birth)?
Is there a lactation consultant on staff?
Is she accredited?
Is she full time or part time?
Is she on call to be available for me, when I need her?
Will I automatically get to meet with her? When?
When can family and guests visit me?
Is there an age limit on visitors? Does that apply to my own children?
Is there free parking?
How soon after birth can/must I leave the facility?
What is the average cost or vaginal birth? Cesarean birth?

About Labor & Delivery:
At what point in labor does s/he recommend coming to the birth center?
Do you have different recommendations for women who want less interventions and fewer medications?
How long does s/he allow women to labor before starting interventions?
How soon after I start labor will the doctor/midwife come to see me?
How much time will s/he spend with me when I’m in labor?
What is the dr’s c-section rate? (suggested that dr’s not limited to high risk pregnancies should not exceed 15%)
What is the c-section rate of his/her colleagues with whom he/she shares on-call responsibilities?
For what reasons does s/he perform cesarean sections?
Does s/he do vaginal breech births?
Will s/he encourage and attempt external version (turning a breech before birth)?
Does s/he encourage VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)?
Does s/he require IVs during labor?
What is his/her recommendation for the use of the EFM (fetal monitor)? Continuous? Can doppler be used instead?
How often does s/he do vaginal exams during labor?
Does s/he do episiotomies?
When, why and on what percentage of women?
How often do your clients give birth with intact perimeums?
Does s/he ever use warm compresses or perineal massage instead of/prior to episiotomies?
What does s/he recommend to help me avoid an episiotomy?
What percentage of mothers go without chemical pain relief?
What percentage of his/her patients have epidurals?
Can my partner/doula be present during the amdinistration of epidural anesthesia?
Other drugs?
What is his/her standard IV medication?
What is his/her policy for using Pitocin in labor?
When, why and on what percentage of women do you use it?
In what percentage of mothers is pitocin used to help expell the placenta?
What percentage of mothers have manual help delivering the placenta?
Does s/he use pictocin routinely after birth?
How does s/he handle a long labor?
What is your policy when labor ‘stalls’, are there time limits?
What does s/he do when dilation is slow?
Does s/he use vacuum extraction or forceps? Under what conditions?
On what percentage?
How does s/he handle premature rupture of the membranes at term? (PROM)
What is his/her policy concerning artificially rupturing or stripping membranes?
How often is stripping of membranes used to help start labor? And is it done with the mother’s knowledge and consent?
What percentage of mothers have their water broken artifically?
What is his/her policy concerning interventions after my water breaks?
Do you encourage the mother to push whether or not the urge is felt?
Am I allowed to touch my perinial area during birth?
Does s/he allow showering and/or bathing during labor?
Can I use a warm bath for pain relief in labor, even if my water has broken?
How do you feel about water births?
Is video taping allowed?
Can my partner and/or doula be with me at all times, including in the operating room, if I have a c-section?
How many other people can I have with me at all times? (a doula, friend, relative, etc).
Can I have my well prepared and attended children with me during birth?
Does s/he allow food and drink during labor?
Does s/he encourage women in labor to walk, squat or be in positions they find helpful during labor?
Does s/he have a set position they want me to birth my baby in?
Do I have a choice of positions? What laboring positions are recommended?
Is the partner allowed to catch the baby?
What happens to the baby immediately after birth? How long does s/he wait to cut the cord and deliver the placenta?
Does s/he allow the partner to cut the cord if that is requested?
Can I breastfeed immediately after birth?
If the baby needs the immediate care of a pediatrician, how is this handled?
How soon after birth can/must I leave the facility?

About Baby After the Birth:
What percentage of babies have suction used to clear airways?
How often are warmers used?
Do you allow the vernix to be rubbed in rather than washed off?
Can the family be allowed some bonding time before routine exams are given?
Can examination of baby be done while still held by parents?
Is weighing done in the room?
What is used and when is eye care done, can it be delayed?
What is his/her view of breastfeeding?
Does s/he encourage women to breastfeed?
What is his/her view of circumcision?
When, why and on what percentage of boys does s/he do circumcision?
Does s/he use anesthesia for circumcision?
Will s/he participate in religious rituals regarding circumcision?
How soon after going home, and how often thereafter, does the dr. see the mother and baby?

1. What To Expect When You’re Expecting
2. Parenting Baby Must-Haves
3. The ABCs of Breastfeeding
4. The Nursing Mother’s Companion
5. The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems
6. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
7. Baby Signs
8. Small Talk

Plus some others I have either read or have and have given away or still think I’ll refer to.
What do you think? Any suggestions to add to the list for age infant to two?

So then he proceeds to say “When I’m a daddy, can I use a big bowl for cereal?” (BTW, daddy is code for grownup in Jax language). “Of course you can, Jax”, I say.

“And I can use a big glass and I won’t ask to watch like Nick Jr or Noggin’. I can watch grownup shows like Days of Our Lives and American Idol when I’m a big big daddy.”  

He  sounded so cute and had such a big smile on his face. You probably had to be there to appreciate it, but I wanted to mark this one down for the books because you know all big daddies probably watch Soap Operas and Reality TV Game Shows, right? HA!

Let’s just say that OCBG is on a break. Not to worry, I will be back in full force beginning next week, new picture and all.

The kids are sick, we are travelling, packing for 3 people is like packing for 20 so I’ve been kinda busy. Not a lot of time to exercise or cook and prepare healthy snacks and meals. I actually had McDonald’s yesterday. How’s that for a weight loss plan?

Back atcha next week. Have a great weekend all.

Then came FitFlops, the flip flop derivative from a different company, with a very do-able price tag. However, after trying them on, I was not convinced. I see women wearing them all the time and each person I questioned admits that although they are super comfy (which personally I didn’t feel), they don’t do a thing as far as fitness.

Enter Skechers Shape Ups, the newest of the bunch to claim cellulite reduction and perkier buns just by wearing them. The design makes sense and I can see how you have to work your muscles just to prevent yourself from toppling over. They are about $100 less costly than the MBTs, but will still dent your wallet a bit and I am worried that I’ll be wasting money on a very uncomfortable (and quite ugly) shoe.

Have you tried any of these shoes? What’s your opinion? Oh and Skechers or MBT, if you would like to send me a pair of sneaks so I can review them for real, send me a note and I’ll be happy to test them out!

I have another little secret……and it is that I am totally in love with chocolate covered popcorn. Like, I need to have it sometimes. I know I am supposed to be watching what I eat, but I will watch that chocolate popcorn going from my hand right into my mouth anytime. It could be worse….

Anyway, today I had planned on going to a pilates class but I’m telling you the weekends are just too hard to follow any kind of scheduled routine. So, Day 8 or 9 or whatever day it was is now completed on the Wii Active 30 day challenge. Plus, I did about 5-10 minutes of ab exercises. Tomorrow I am going to the gym for some cardio. I already planned it out with a friend so I can’t bail.

Eating on the weekends is hard to manage as well. It was a random day, but I am still watching very closely what goes into my mouth and how much of it. Minus the chocolate covered popcorn, I did really well. Monday is always a good day to start being stricter again anyway. I was thinking of doing some sort of  my own combo of the South Beach Diet and the Flat Belly Diet so I don’t really have to give up anything I like. I will expand more on that tomorrow. Have a good night!

So, one of my children is finally asleep after a long day, while my other is bugging me to eat dessert. I want to laugh in his face. He didn’t even eat lunch today, but was lucky enough to have an enormous piece of cake complete with fondant at a 1st birthday party we went to today.

Yes, I did taste the cake…….AND the fondant…..AND I had two pieces of this ridiculous concoction called popcorn thunder cake!  What you do is take popcorn, crushed oreos, marshmallows, strawberries, blueberries, peanut m&m’s, then cover it in a mixture of melted chocolate and caramel, quickly put it in a cake pan to set and put in the freezer to cool. It was totally worth the extra gazillion calories.

Other than that, I ate a bunch of celery sticks, some fruit, a mini tuna sandwich and some roastbeef. I tried to keep the snacking to a minimum, but it is definitely hard to do at a party.

I had 2 low-fat turkey dogs for dinner and a salad of baby spinach, hot peppers, feta cheese, olives and spiced olive oil. This morning, I had my usual ezekiel toast with almond butter and raisins. Love that!

I also completed day 7 of my 30 day challenge on the Wii, plus some extra boxing, baseball and tennis. I feel like I need to get to the gym tomorrow though. A longer workout is definitely needed, not to mention it would be nice to get out by myself for a while. A massage and a pedicure would be nice too, but I doubt that will happen so I’m reaching for more attainable goals. Ha!