Knowing about the risks for preterm birth is important for all moms. Some risk factors should be managed before a woman becomes pregnant or early during her pregnancy. Some moms in the study were not told that having a previous premature birth would put them at risk for it to happen again. 

If you would like to learn more about preterm labor read our past blog posts Risks for Preterm Labor and Preterm Labor Can Happen to You .

Local pregnant women or moms who recently had a baby: when did your doctor or midwife talk to you about preterm labor?  How did learning about preterm labor make you feel?

Source: New Survey Reveals Communication about Preterm Birth is Too Little, Too Late

In honor of this year’s National Women’s Health Week, which was May 9-15, 2010, I would like to challenge you to get empowered! Take charge of your health! Make your mental, physical and social health number one! Here are a few simple steps to help you get started:

1. Getting at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate physical activity, 1 hour and 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, or a combination of both each week
2. Eating a nutritious diet
3. Visiting a health care professional to receive regular checkups and preventive screenings
4. Avoiding risky behaviors, such as smoking and not wearing a seatbelt
5. Paying attention to mental health, including getting enough sleep and managing stress

For more information click on National Women’s Health Week

 Would you like to honor an Everyday Hero or are you an Everyday Hero? We’d love to hear all about what makes you or someone you know an Everyday Hero.

Exercising regularly, along with having low body fat and avoiding large amounts of alcoholic or caffeinated drinks can reduce you chances of having Endometriosis. Endo what? Well, if you have never heard of Endometriosis before, it is a common health problem that affects more than 5 million women in the U.S. Endometriosis causes the lining of the Uterus or womb, the Endometrium, to grow outside of the uterus. This growth can be very painful and can make it more difficult for you to get pregnant.

Common places for Endometriosis to occur include:

• Ovaries
• Fallopian Tubes
• Tissues that hold the Uterus in place
• Outer surface of the Uterus
• Lining of the Pelvic Cavity

If you have, or had Endometriosis, you may be experiencing feelings of fear, anger or uncertainty, but remember you’re not alone. 

I have a family member who had surgery last year for Endometriosis. Surgery is the one treatment that can boost your chances for getting pregnant. Now, she and her husband are on the road to recovery and hopefully the road to parenthood (I’m keeping my fingers crossed). Have you or someone close to you had Endometriosis? As par of National Endometriosis Awareness Month, would you like to share your story to serve as inspiration for others? Please post your story or opinion in our comment section. 

If you would like more information about this disease, visit one of the websites below or talk to your doctor.

Sources:

National Women’s Health Center

Endometriosos Research Center

• Abnormal facial features
• Small head size
• Shorter-than-average height
• Low body weight
• Poor coordination
• Hyperactive behavior
• Difficulty paying attention
• Poor memory
• Difficulty in school (especially with math)
• Learning disabilities
• Speech and language delays
• Intellectual disability or low IQ
• Poor reasoning and judgment skills
• Sleep and sucking problems as a baby
• Vision or hearing problems
• Problems with the heart, kidneys, or bones

Some of these effects happen before a woman even knows she is pregnant. Remember FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) are the only birth defects that are 100% preventable.

Have a plan to prevent.  

If drinking alcohol is a part of your social life, what do you plan to do during your pregnancy so you’re not tempted to drink? What will you do to prevent boredom? Who will support you?

I’d love to hear your plan. Maybe your advice will help make it easier for other women.

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/fasd/facts.html

For more information, you can also call or visit your local public health.

Jefferson County Pubic Health Service

531 Meade Street, Watertown, NY

(315) 786-3720

Lewis County Public Health

7785 North State Street, Lowville, NY

(315) 376-5453

St. Lawrence County Public Health

80 State Highway 310, Suite #2, Canton, NY

(315) 386-2325

You can get folic acid in foods that are fortified with it, which means the manufacturer has added folic acid to the product. You can get folate, which is the B-vitamin when it naturally occurs, through a variety of foods. Below you will find a list of foods that will help you reach your daily requirements.

Fortified Foods

• Breakfast cereals (Some have 100% of the Daily Value of folic acid in each serving)
• Breads
• Flours
• Pastas
• Cornmeals
• White rice

Foods High in Folate

• Beans and lentils
• Peas (black-eyed peas, chickpeas, green peas)
• Juices (orange, tomato, grapefruit, pineapple)
• Fruits (oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, avocado, papaya, raspberries)
• Soymilk
• Vegetables (green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, and Chinese cabbage; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; asparagus; artichokes; okra; corn; cauliflower; potato; beets; green onions; sweet red peppers)
• Nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Peanuts and peanut butter
• Liver
• Giblets

Sources for this blog entry: Womens Health

Did you even know that there was a Folic Acid Awareness week? For that matter, do you even know what Folic Acid is or why it is important to take? I didn’t know what Folic Acid was until I started working here at NCPPC. If you have ever been pregnant, your doctor should have recommended that you take prenatal vitamins that have Folic Acid in them. Folic Acid is a B vitamin, which in its natural form in foods is called folate. This B vitamin is very important because it helps replace dead skin cells and hair, helps in the production of red blood cells and it may even help reduce the risk of some cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and hearing loss as you age. Another amazing benefit of Folic Acid is that it can reduce the risk of neural tube defects, which occur when the brain or spinal cord do not develop correctly in a baby. The most common neural tube defect is Spina Bifida. Folic Acid can actually help reduce the risk of these defects by up to 70%.

Stop right now! This next tidbit of information is crucial.

In order for Folic Acid to be effective in reducing the risk of the neuaral tube birth defects, a woman must be taking it before she is pregnant and during early pregnancy. Not planning on getting pregnant any time soon? Well, neither were 50% of the pregnancies last year. That’s right, every year in the United States nearly half of all pregnancies are not planned. This is another one of those “teachable moments.” I want you to be the smartest person in the room. So, tell your sister, your cousin, your best friends, and any woman of child bearing age you know, that they need to start taking folic acid today!

Sources for this blog entry: Womens Health, Kids Health

There are two areas of health that I feel are often neglected, oral health and ocular (eye)  health. So many diseases can get into the body through these venues. If detected early, optometrists and dentists can save your body from experiencing a full-blown attack of certain diseases and they may even save your life. Did you know that optometrists can detect high-blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and some cancers? Pretty amazing! See they are more than just the people that give you your prescription for glasses. Did you know that poor oral health, especially periodontal disease (chronic inflammation of the gums) may lead to heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease, and much more. Pregnant women need to be taking good care of their oral health because periodontal disease can lead to preterm labor.

Eating healthy and brushing your teeth are important for good oral health. Regular professional cleanings are very important too. If you haven’t had a recent teeth cleaning, are an adult with natural teeth, and would like a free cleaning, call Bobbi at 315-788-9834. Make sure you mention that you are interested in a FREE CLEANING by a DENTAL HYGIENE STUDENT. You can also make an appointment at childrens-clinic.org. Again, you have to mention the above bolded statement.

Need low-cost or free health insurance to cover your eye exams? Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus and Medicaid cover eye health too. If you live in the tri-county area, contact us at 315-788-8533 to see if you qualify for one of these health insurance programs.

  The known risk factors are:

• Carrying more than one baby (twins, triplets, quadruplets or more).
• Having a previous preterm birth.
• Problems with the uterus or cervix.
• Chronic health problems in the mother, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and clotting disorders.
• Certain infections during pregnancy.
• Cigarette smoking, alcohol use, or illicit drug use during pregnancy.

There are things you can do to help your own health and lower your risk of having a premature baby such as:

• Quit smoking and avoid substances such as alcohol or drugs.
• See your health care provider for a medical checkup before pregnancy.
• Work with your health care provider to control diseases such as high blood pressure or diabetes.
• Get prenatal care early, as soon as you think you may be pregnant, and throughout the pregnancy.
• Discuss concerns during pregnancy with your health care provider, and seek medical attention for any warning signs or symptoms of preterm labor.

More research still is needed to understand the risk factors for premature birth, such as how family history, genetics, lifestyle, and environment may interact to put some women at greater risk for a premature delivery.