Potty Training

Potty Training

While it may seem to you that pregnancy was not too long ago, before you know it, your baby will soon be a toddler! The shift from diapers to potty training is an important stage of development for every toddler, just like the shift from breastfeeding to eating solid foods. In fact, toilet training is a big change for young children, as it is based on the accumulation of a variety of other developmental milestones, such as acquiring the necessary motor skills to be able to go potty. If you're looking for advice on how to potty training, we have some great potty training tips that will help you potty train your child.

Tips on Potty Training Your Toddler

When Will My Toddler Be Ready for Toilet Training?
Most children are ready to potty train at age two; however the range of readiness for toilet training spans from eighteen months all the way to four years of age. The average time at which infants change from diapers to toilet training is between 18 and 24 months.

Your toddler's ability to be ready to potty train is based on his overall development. For example, your toddler will have mastered the following skill clusters by the time he is ready for potty training:

• gross motor: sitting, walking, controlling the head
• fine motor: holding a spoon, picking up cereal between the thumb and finger
• language: demonstrates clear speech, can understand and be understood by others
• social: plays with family members, other children
• sensory: developed sense of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell

Signs of Potty Training Readiness
The following are signs that your toddler is ready to begin to potty train:

• asking to use regular underwear
• demonstrating discomfort with diapers, particularly dirty diapers
• knowing the words for stool and urine
• staying dry for two hours at a time
• having regular bowel movements

Potty Training Tips
Before beginning toilet training, it is important to keep the following guidelines in mind so that the potty training experience will be a positive one for both you and your toddler:

• do not start potty training at a stressful time; for example, during a move or when a baby is on the way or if you have just given birth
• do not punish for accidents or mistakes; instead, treat these lightly
• follow your child's pace; provide encouragement and support for even the smallest of milestones

Potty Training Resistance
If your toddler becomes resistant, she may refuse to sit on the potty or even have a bowel movement in the bathroom. Other signs of potty training resistance include becoming irritable and insisting on wearing diapers.

Reasons for toilet training resistance include:

• being scared to sit on the potty
• starting potty training before your child is ready
• having inconsistent training (i.e. having different caregivers for potty training)
• experiencing punishment

Labor Medications

Medications Used During Birth

Now that you are pregnant, your excitement is probably growing as you anticipate welcoming your new little baby into the world. But despite this excitement, you may be a little (or even a lot) nervous about getting through labor first. Deciding whether or not to use medications during labor and delivery can be particularly nerve wracking for many moms-to-be. But you can lower your anxiety levels considerably just by becoming familiar with the types of medications that you may be offered during childbirth. Here is some detailed information about the various types of labor medications, their side effects, and the pros and cons of using them.

Epidural
The epidural is by far the most common type of medication given to women during birth. An epidural is actually a mixture of anesthetic medications (like lidocaine or chloroprocaine) and narcotics (like Demerol or morphine). An epidural is administered through a catheter. This catheter is inserted in your back into the space surrounding the outside membrane of your spine. It helps to relieve labor pains by blocking most of the pain that you experience in your lower body. The epidural takes about 20 minutes to start working, but it allows for continuous pain relief while you are giving birth.

Pros:

• The epidural blocks most child birth pains
• It works for extended periods of time
• You can easily control the amount of medication that runs through the epidural catheter
• An epidural leaves you awake and alert for labor

Cons:

• It is an awkward procedure and takes time to begin working
• An epidural makes it necessary to have continuous fetal monitoring
• You may lose your ability to stand or get out of bed for the rest of your labor
• Epidurals can interfere with your ability to push, extending your labor
• Occasionally, epidurals can cause your blood pressure to drop, decreasing baby’s heart rate
• Very rarely, epidurals can cause severe headaches (if spinal fluid leaks during insertion of the catheter)

Spinal Block
Like the epidural, the spinal block is a mixture of anesthetic medications and narcotics. It is administered during the active stages of labor or just prior to a cesarean section. The spinal block works immediately to relieve pain as the medication is injected directly into the fluid in your spinal column. A spinal block provides total pain relief from the chest down for up to two hours.

Pros:

• Spinal blocks allow for complete pain relief
• A spinal block allows you to remain awake and alert throughout labor

Cons:

• The spinal block procedure can be uncomfortable to have administered
• A spinal block can cause loss of bladder control, necessitating a catheter
• Spinal blocks can cause a decrease in your blood pressure, which may lower baby’s heart rate
• A spinal block may interfere with your ability to push
• Side effects can include itching, tingling, nausea, and lightheadedness

Systemic Medications
During labor you may also be offered various narcotics and tranquilizers to help you deal with any pain and anxiety that you may be experiencing. Narcotics help to dull your labor pains, but they won’t eliminate them completely. Tranquilizers won’t be helpful for your pain, but they can help to reduce your anxiety, allowing you to rest during labor. These medications are usually given intravenously or through intramuscular injection. They usually last between four and eight hours.

Pros:

• These medications can reduce pain and relieve anxiety effectively
• They may allow you to catch up on rest during the early stages of labor
• Tranquilizers and narcotics can be administered easily, without the help of an anesthesiologist
• They are less likely to slow labor

Cons:

• Systemic medications can pass through the placenta and enter baby’s bloodstream, making him less active upon delivery
• These medications may affect baby’s health, including his heart rate and ability to breathe
• Side effects can be unpleasant and include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, and itching
• Narcotics are less effective on pain than the epidural or the spinal block
• These medications may reduce your memory of labor and delivery

Pudendal Block
A pudendal block uses anesthetic medications to numb the area between the vagina and the anus. You may be offered a pudendal block if you have had an episiotomy or if a tear has occurred during labor. A pudendal block can also help reduce the pain associated with a vacuum-assisted delivery or a forceps delivery. A pudendal block lasts anywhere from several minutes to an hour.

Pros:

• A pudendal block provides excellent local pain relief
• The pudendal block rarely causes any side effects for mom or baby

Cons:

• A pudendal block doesn’t relieve labor contractions
• This medication can sometimes decrease your urge to push
• Rarely, a pudendal block can cause your blood pressure to drop, which may interfere with your baby’s heart rate
• There is a possibility of an allergic reaction with a pudendal block

Breastfeeding as Contraception

Contraceptive Benefits of Breastfeeding

If you are pregnant or have just given birth, you may be considering breastfeeding your child. Breastfeeding is one of the healthiest things that you can do for your baby. Your breast milk is designed specially to provide your baby with all of the vitamins, nutrients, and antibodies that she needs to stay healthy. But breastfeeding is not only beneficial to your baby. It can also be very healthy for you as well. In addition to helping you recover from pregnancy more quickly, breastfeeding can also be used as a natural family planning method. Known as the lactational amenorrhea method (LAM), this method is highly effective in preventing pregnancy in the months after childbirth.

What is the Lactational Amenorrhea Method?
The lactational amenorrhea method is just one of a variety of highly effective natural family planning methods. This method is used after childbirth, and involves breastfeeding your child exclusively for at least six months in order to prevent pregnancy. The LAM method has been around for thousands of years but declined greatly in popularity over the past century. In 1988, however, the LAM method was reintroduced thanks to new studies that proved its effectiveness in preventing pregnancies during the postpartum period.

How Does the Lactational Amenorrhea Method Work?
The LAM method works by changing the way in which your body produces your reproductive hormones. In order to ovulate and menstruate, your pituitary gland (a small gland inside of your brain) produces two hormones: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH). These hormones send signals to your eggs to mature and subsequently be released during ovulation. When you breastfeed, though, this process gets interrupted, thereby interfering with the production of both FSH and GnRH.

As your baby suckles, nerve impulses travel through your body and are received by your brain. This signals the production of a hormone called prolactin, which works to inhibit both FSH and GnRH. As a result, ovulation does not occur and menstruation stops, making it almost impossible to become pregnant.

Who Can Use the Lactational Amenorrhea Method?
Any woman who is dedicated to exclusively breastfeeding her child after birth can use the LAM method to protect against pregnancy. It is most effective in women who:

• are exclusively or almost exclusively (85% of feeds) breastfeeding
• have not experienced the return of their menstrual periods
• are less than six months postpartum

How Do You Use the Lactational Amenorrhea Method?
LAM is one of the simplest natural family planning methods to use. It involves no complex calculations or calendars and requires little preparation or planning. Simply follow these steps when feeding your baby for the first six months of life:

• begin breastfeeding as soon as possible after delivery
• breastfeed between six and ten times a day, upon request
• avoid long intervals between feeds
• avoid the use of bottles and pacifiers
• don’t give any supplemental food or liquids to your baby (such as juice or water)

How Effective is the Lactational Amenorrhea Method?
The LAM method is actually highly effective in preventing pregnancy when used correctly during the first six months of the postpartum period. If you continue to breastfeed regularly and exclusively and your periods do not return, LAM is between 98% and 99% effective. Most women have trouble maintaining such a rigorous breastfeeding schedule, though. These women should use an alternate form of birth control in addition to LAM.

Advantages of the Lactational Amenorrhea Method
There are a number of advantages of breastfeeding for contraceptive purposes:

• LAM is highly effective in preventing pregnancy when used correctly.
• LAM is easy and simple to use.
• LAM is inexpensive and causes no side effects.
• LAM doesn’t interfere with intercourse.
• LAM is acceptable in most cultures.
• There are numerous health benefits of breastfeeding for both you and baby.

Disadvantages to the Lactational Amenorrhea Method
As with any birth control method, LAM is not without its drawbacks:

• LAM is most effective in the first six months of postpartum. After six months, LAM becomes less effective.
• It can be difficult to maintain regular breastfeeding schedules, especially for working mothers.
• LAM does not protect against STDS.

Lactational Amenorrhea Method after Six Months
LAM can be continued after your baby has turned six months of age, though it will be less effective than it is during the early postpartum period. After six months, your baby will require supplemental feeding, and this may interfere with breastfeeding. As long as your baby continues to breastfeed for more than 65 minutes a day, and your periods have not returned, LAM should still be quite effective in preventing pregnancy.

With perfect use, the LAM method is between 90% and 96% effective in guarding against pregnancy after six months. However, it is recommended that women use an additional type of birth control after their baby turns six months of age.