Natural Beginning Birth Center Blog

The article below, by Adrian Kulp, was originally written for TheBump.com and was posted today on the Sacramento Bee. The article quotes our very own, Dr. Sebestyen, in an informative article for expecting Dads. Enjoy! Lessons for a Labor Coach When it was my turn to coach my wife through the birth of our first, I wish I'd been better prepared. Case in point: As I rode the hospital elevator with another expectant dad, he asked me if I knew about "the bathing suit thing." What!? (More on that below.) Since I've been down that road three times now, allow me to share my experiences with you, along with some advice from the experts. YOU'VE GOT TO MAKE A PLAN And I'm not talking about an escape plan! (It's too late for that.) Before labor, sit down with your partner to map out how you want delivery day to go. To get started, research different hospitals, consult a doula or take a childbirth class together. Discuss what will make her feel positive a

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females in the United States and the second most common cause of cancer death in women. Approximately one-half of newly diagnosed breast cancers can be explained by known risk factors, such as age at menarche, first live birth, menopause, and proliferative breast disease. An additional 10% are associated with a positive family history. Risk factors for breast cancer may be modified by demographic, lifestyle, and environmental factors.  So, what increases our risk? What can we change? What do have no control over?  Age:  the risk of breast cancer increases with older age.  In recent surveillance risk stratifies as such: Birth to age 39 - 1 in 203 women;  Age 40 to 59 - 1 in 27 women;  Age 60 to 69 - 1 in 28 women; Age 70 and older - 1 in 15 women;  Birth to death - 1 in 8 women. Female gender :  Breast cancer occurs 100 times more frequently in women than in men.  In the United States, over 200,000 women are diagnosed with invasive

National Women’s Health Week kicked off on Mother’s Day and yesterday was National Women’s Checkup Day. These nationwide awareness campaigns happen every year in the month of May to encourage women to schedule their annual well-women visits.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests women set aside time to discuss their health habits, family history and goals for optimal health at their annual well-women visit. During these visits, women receive preventative care and necessary screenings for blood pressure, cholesterol, cervical cancer and many other conditions.  People often confuse the well-woman exam as just a pap smear—but it is truly our opportunity as women to assess our whole health status. Well-women visits help identify diseases such as cervical precancers early, when they are easier to treat. They allow providers to teach preventative strategies that empower women to reduce their risk for illness. And now, under the Affordable Care Act, most health p

Breast self exam has long been included with the standard instructions during the annual well woman exam. However, there are very few randomized trials examining the effectiveness of this routine.  One large study in China compared breast self exam (BSE) to a control group who did not do them. The BSE group was instructed in proper technique and received a review of those instructions at one and 5 years. They also had supervised exams every 6 months for 5 years.  The women were followed for 10 years and they found no difference between the two groups in breast cancer deaths but more benign breast lesions were diagnosed in the self-examination group.  Other studies also failed to find a benefit of regular BSE in the rate of breast cancer diagnosis, death, or tumor size. These studies also found an increased rate of biopsy for benign breast disease in the BSE groups. The findings of two other case controlled studies suggest that proper BSE technique is important. Despite these studies a

The best way to meet your nutritional needs is through a healthy, balanced diet.  However, you may still be missing some key nutrients.  Prenatal vitamins help to ensure pregnant women get the extra vitamins and minerals needed for the development of a healthy baby.  They also help to meet your nutritional needs when trying to conceive and while breastfeeding. Prenatal vitamins provide the same nutrients as standard multivitamins with extra folic acid and iron.  Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps to prevent neural tube defects – abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. There is also evidence that supplemental folic acid during pregnancy may also lower the risk of other abnormalities like cleft lip and palate and heart defects. Taking folic acid may also decrease risk factors for preeclampsia. Iron is a mineral and is often deficient in the diet.  Supplemental iron aids in the production of hemoglobin, prevents anemia and decreases the risk of low birth weight babies and prema

At OB GYN North and Natural Beginning Birth Center , we see the value of the latest medical technology in improving your health and ensuring you have the safest and least invasive obstetric and gynecological care.  Therefore, we continue to invest our time and resources in having access to some of the most recent improvements in technology like 3D ultrasounds, laparoscopic and robotic surgery, and wireless electronic fetal monitoring. Ultrasound What is ultrasound? Ultrasound is a technique to make images of the baby in the uterus (womb) by using sound waves (far beyond the range of human hearing). The ultrasound begins by placing gel over your abdomen to help the ultrasonographer get a picture of the baby. Then a transducer (scanning device) is moved lightly over your abdomen making sound waves that pass through the abdomen and uterus. These sound waves bounce off the developing baby and are sent back to the transducer. The information that comes back to the transducer gener

Gynecology Gynecology as a branch of medicine dates back to Greco-Roman civilization, if not earlier. In the early and mid-19th century, physicians became able to successfully perform a limited variety of surgical operations on the ovaries and uterus. The American surgeon James Marion Sims and other pioneers of operative gynecology also had to combat the violent prejudice of the public against any exposure or examination of the female sexual organs. The two great advances that finally overcame such opposition and made gynecologic surgery generally available were the use of anesthesia and antiseptic methods. The separate specialty of gynecology had become fairly well established by 1880; its union with the specialty of obstetrics, arising from an overlap of natural concerns, began late in the century and has continued to the present day. Gynecologists make routine examinations of cervical and vaginal secretions to detect cancer of the uterus and cervix. They perform two main ty

Choosing a contraceptive option is not an easy task. Before choosing the method right for you, you must consider several things including: method of delivery and your comfort level with that method, benefits, risks, side effects, and efficacy. Always consult your healthcare provider if you have any underlying medical conditions to see which methods are safe for you. This is meant as a brief overview. Each method could be discussed for pages upon pages, so always discuss the option that sounds the most suitable for your life with your provider prior to initiation. Natural Family Planning: Natural Family Planning is when you do not have sex or use a barrier method on the days you are most fertile. A woman choosing this method needs to keep record of her cycles, cervical mucous and basal body temperature. Cervical mucus is the discharge from your vagina. You are most fertile when it is clear and slippery like raw egg whites. To record your basal body temperature, you need to char

A birth plan is a document that tells your healthcare provider and delivery team your wishes and preferences for your childbirth and early postpartum period.  The birth plan is not a legal contract but a written outline of your desires.  It serves as an opportunity for the expectant parents to consider and communicate their ideal birth experience. Because childbirth doesn’t always go as planned, it is important to remain flexible and know that the plan may need to change for you and your baby’s health and safety. There are many tools and sample birth plans available online and on our website to help you create your birth plan. Some things you may wish to consider include: Who will attend your delivery Methods and medications preferred for induction or augmentation of labor Methods, techniques and medications preferred for pain management Fetal monitoring preferences Eating and drinking during labor IV access or saline lock Position for delivery Cu

In 2013 we saw 1500 births, of these only 13% were primary cesarean section.  Additionally we had an 82% VBAC success rate and 67% of patients planning birth without an epidural were successful. 4th Quarter Birth Statistics October 68 deliveries 55 vaginal 13 c/s (7 repeats) November 57 deliveries 46 vaginal 11 c/s (9 repeats) December 66 deliveries 50 vaginal 16 c/s (6 repeats) ***Our December stats included 4 unsuccessful planned vaginal deliveries and 12 scheduled c-sections planned prior to labor for breech, placenta previa, repeat cesarean and other specific situations***

Get Ready for Birth!  In-House Childbirth Classes exclusively for OBGYN North Patients  Classes facilitated by Shelley Scotka, certified Childbirth Educator and Birth Doula Prepared Childbirth    $200 for a four week series Tuesday evenings, 6:30-9:00pm This class is perfect for first time parents who need a comprehensive preparation for childbirth. We'll cover the physiology of labor and delivery, recognizing signs of labor, when to call your care provider, and the normal stages of labor. We'll learn and practice with your support person a variety of methods to cope with labor pain including breathing, relaxation, visualizations/meditation, touch and massage, positioning, and water therapy. We'll discuss what happens at the birth both in a hospital and birth center setting. What if medical interventions become necessary? We'll look at the possible interventions that are common, and cover the risks and benefits of each, including cesarean birth. We'll a