Getting ready for vacuum delivery

Many women have had problem-free pregnancies, only for complications to emerge on the last leg of the race-during delivery. Sandra narrates her experience, which saw her first baby unexpectedly delivered by vacuum extraction, and says; ‘I think if you do not know much about vacuum delivery, there is nothing like getting ready for it, as…

Read More

Passing your EDD – Should it worry you?

I passed my EDD by nine days. My boyfriend was to be my birth partner but he freaked out on the material day and my mum became my birth partner. My mother arrived when I was being induced and she decided to stay with me. We chatted for a while but when the pain increased,…

Read More

Vaginal examinations — what the nurse told me

For a first timer like me, it probably comes as a very shy incident when a doctor or other medical professionals request to examine one of the most hidden and guarded parts of your body. The first nurse to request me to do this obviously thought she was ‘examining’ me, but in my mind it…

Read More

I Will Never Give Birth Again!

Labor pains get first-time mum, Sophia, into a vowing mood Every woman, whether she has given birth or not, fears labor pains. Some say the pains are unbearable while others will tell you it wasn’t too bad. Yet others say they have forgotten the pain. But not so for Sophia (the second name withheld). After…

Read More

About breech presentation and what it represents

What is breech presentation? In normal labour, we expect the head of a foetus to emanate first from the birth canal. Breech presentation refers to when the hind parts (buttocks or feet) present first at the birth canal during labour. The types of breech presentations  Extended or footling breech – the legs of the baby present…

Read More

Coping with labour pains -the natural way

Body positions Taking certain body positions can ease your labour pains. For example, during the first stage of labour, you may stand or lean backwards against the wall of a room, kneel on all fours on the floor, lean forward against a chair or a partner or sit with your legs astride in an armless chair…

Read More

Caesarean section

Dr. David Kiragu Explains Why And How The Operation Is Done Undergoing a Caesarean section just a few years back was something so rare, that those who delivered this way, did not speak publicly about it. Many people have argued that giving birth naturally, brings more satisfaction to mothers (when one is able to push…

Read More

False labour

According to Dr. Blasio Omuga, an obstetrician, false labour is a condition where a woman has labour pains that may not increase in intensity or frequency, and where labour does not progress. The contractions are weak and irregular and may not cause the cervix to dilate. Labour pains in a natural delivery increase with time…

Read More

Death in the uterus

Many women deliver stillborns, without getting to know the cause of their baby’s death. Even though Angelina lost her baby, she was lucky to know the reason behind her baby’s death—foetal distress. Knowing the cause of death of a loved one is part of the healing process, and puts the mind to rest. Causes Of Foetal…

Read More

Forceful pulling of the placenta is not advisable

Delivering your placenta must be done safely THERE are millions of women who deliver babies in hospitals but hear nothing about the placenta, let alone see it. The placenta is delivered naturally after the offspring, a process referred to as a ‘physiological third stage.’ If you come from the rural areas, you must be familiar…

Read More