Self Care Info for Self Assisted Prenatal Care

[moonfirefaery]

unassisted prenatal care / pregnancy self-care?

It would be useful to have some resources about alternatives to hospital testing, like where you can buy test strips to check for protein in the urine, as well as information about checking yourself for dialation/effacement, palpitating your stomach to locate the position of the baby and possibly determine multiple pregnancies, etc. Some home treatment remedies for pregnancy care, such as suggestions for handling possible gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, would be helpful as well. It seems like people ask about this stuff all the time (including me!) so it just seems like a sticky would be a good idea. The UC resources stick is awesome, but I just think a UP one would be good too.

[nznats]

:

[moonfirefaery]

Maybe we could at least start compiling our favorite UP resources and just bump the thread now and again.

[moonfirefaery]

Vital Signs

Pure-birth Australia has an excellent Unassisted Pregnancy section:
http://www.purebirth-australia.com/

You don't have to do all of these things, and some people won't want to do anything at all... However, if you are interested in monitoring your pregnancy and performing tests, here is some information about doing it yourself. Some of it is pretty common sense, but I figured I'd address it anyway.

Weight & Blood Pressure
Some things are simple enough, such as taking your weight and blood pressure. Scales can be purchased pretty cheaply at many stores, such as Walmart, and many pharmacies have machines which will take your blood pressure for free. If you'd rather do it at home, you can buy a sphygmomanometer. Usually this is checked once a month, though you can do it as often or as infrequently as you like.

Pulse & Fetal Heartbeat
To take your pulse, you can locate it on your wrist. Counting how many beats in 20 seconds than multiplying by 4 will tell you how many beats per minute. You may be able to hear the baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope or a fetoscope, usually after 16 weeks. It should be beating very quickly, sounding almost like a train approaching. The amniotic fliud, placenta, and baby's movements will make a static like sound. This is checked once a month at hospital prenatal visits, but again you can do it whenever you like.

Most of the cheapest things I am finding are coming up on allheart.com but I will find some alternatives later.
http://www.allheart.com/allheartscopes.html Stethoscopes
http://www.allheart.com/om13fetal.html Fetoscopes
http://www.allheart.com/aneroidbp.html Blood Pressure Cuffs
http://www.allheart.com/nicolet.html Dopplers (not recommended)

I'm going to go for now but will look up some information about handling complications and morning sickness, as well as self-checking, palpitating for location of the baby, fundal height, alternatives to scheduled tests, etc. It may take a while to find so be patient

[moonfirefaery]

Urinalysis
You can check your urine at home for ketones, glucose, protein, pH, even leukocytes, nitrites, & bilirubin. If anything higher than trace is detected you can

begin treating it in your own manner, or seek the opinion of a doctor. Here is a place to buy some strips: http://www.craigmedical.com/urine_diagnostics.htm

What do the results mean?

Ketones in the urine can mean you may have diabetes or gestational diabetes, or that you are at risk for diabetic ketoacidosis http://www.webmd.com/hw/health_guide...?navbar=hw7738 It is normal for a pregnant woman to have some ketones in the urine but a more moderate amount can mean you are at risk.

Normally there is very little glucose in one's urine. Glucose in the urine can mean you're at risk for diabetes or a sign of kidney damage or disease.

Proteins in the urine can be a sign of preeclampsia, though it can be normal for a pregnant woman to have some protein in her urine.

Nitrites in the urine indicate a UTI.

Here's more information about this: http://www.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw6580.asp

Vaginosis
To check for vaginosis, indicated by high pH levels & prescense of amines in vaginal fluid, you can purchase a test here

http://www.craigmedical.com/vaginitis.htm

Anemia
If you suspect you may be affected by anemia, you can purchase a hemogloben test here http://www.craigmedical.com/Anemia.htm

STDS:
http://www.craigmedical.com/HIV_home.htm HIV
http://www.craigmedical.com/Hepatitis_C_Test.htm Hepatitis C

Gestational Diabetes
They usually test for this around 24 weeks. You need to fast for 8-10 hours, drink the special beverage, then test an hour later for glucose.

A result of more than 140 mg of glucose per deciliter of blood plasma means you are at risk for gestational diabetes. You can either proceed with caution or go in for the glucose intolerance test.

Here is where you can buy the Gestational Diabetes drink:
http://www.medicalsupply4sale.com/pr...ottle-117.html
They usually use the one thats 50 grams.

The OneTouch blood glucose test is only $20:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/produ...ec=frgl_581554

Note that the test is considered unnecessary if you are less than 25 years old, not a member of a racial or ethnic group with a high prevalence of diabetes, have a BMI of less than 25, and have no history of glucose intolerance, negative pregnancy outcomes associated with GDM, or of diabetes in first-degree relatives.

So far I am unable to find information about home tets for GBS, HPV, & HBV. I'm off for now but will add more to this from time to time. Tomorrow I'll try to post information about self-checking, palpitation, baby rotation, etc, followed by how to treat situations you detect. Feel free to add if you like. Any details are useful!

[georgia]

All input welcome We're trying to get a stickie together to place in the Pregnancy Forum with a stickied link here in UC.

Please keep reminding me if this falls off the front page!

[bikruca]

www.spinningbabies.com

someone just sent me this one- its about finding the position of the baby...

[moonfirefaery]

www.purebirth-australia.com has a great unassisted pregnancy section

I'm going to do some research and post about managing complications, too, when I have some time.

[georgia]

Anyone else have any UP recommendations? I wil be working on getting this up shortly. Thanks for your patience and recommendations

moonfirefaery---you might consider starting a thread in Preg. asking for resource recommendations, and I can combine any posted in there to the sticky

[rajahkat]

Heather~

You rock! Wow thanks for sharing all the resources you've found!

Kat

[Turkish Kate]

Originally Posted by moonfirefaery

Pure-birth Australia has an excellent Unassisted Pregnancy section:
http://www.purebirth-australia.com/

Pulse & Fetal Heartbeat
To take your pulse, you can locate it on your wrist. Counting how many beats in 20 seconds than multiplying by 4 will tell you how many beats per minute.

Ack! Nope! Multiplying by four will tell you how many beats in one minute and 20 seconds (4 x 20 = 80). Multiplying by 3 will give you the number of beats in one minute (60 seconds). For the mathematically challenged, count for 30 seconds and double. Much easier.

[Codi's Mama]

Here are 2 pages I found on Fetal positioning. Optimum Foetal Positioning and Posterior Positioning

And here's another page about a good, balanced diet to stay healthy during pregnancy. Blueribbonbaby

Dr. Thom has a home GBS test, but you have to buy it with the Chlamydia test. At least that's the only one I saw.

HTH! I'd love to have this sticky!

[georgia]

Still collecting, thanks to everyone so far

[moonfirefaery]

Sorry, I meant 3! lol!

Anyone else have any useful resources?

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/childbirth.html

Unhindered Living has a lot of information for unassisted birth and pregnancy!

[moonfirefaery]

I am hearing that the Sklar Leff ($310) and Allen Series 10 ($120) fetoscopes, available at Cascade online, are excellent and can pick up tones as early as 13-14 weeks.

[moonfirefaery]

I also hear the Allen economy with long tubing is great and can pick up heart tones by 20 weeks

[moonfirefaery]

I am loving Spiritual Midwifery. It has some nutrition guidelines, but not a whole lot to help with UP. I wonder if there are any UP specific books out there.

[MammaKoz]

:

[moonfirefaery]

Ginger is really helping me with my morning sickness.

And I've been trying to keep my stomach full, which helps too, and make sure I get enough sleep and pace myself.

I'm on Reglan for my nausea. It's class B. Phenarghan is class C. So if you do ask a doc for some medication try to get Reglan, since it's less dangerous.

[moonfirefaery]

From Christian UC, some unassisted pregnancy journals

http://www.christianuc.com/unassiste...ancy/journals/