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Midwife webchat clinic with PB's Nikki Khan, Monday 28th November from 12-1pm

Prima Baby's resident midwife, Nikki Khan will be hosting a webchat here on Monday 28th November, between 12-1pm.



An expert midwife for the past decade, Nikki will advise on all areas of pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn babies.



For more information about Nikki Khan cut and paste the following link into your browser bar: http://tinyurl.com/3gnfmx2



Don't worry if you can't make the time and date, post your question now and Nikki will answer as many queries on the day as possible.

Replies

  • Hi Nikki,



    I'm in the early days of being pregnant for the first time and as excited as I am the morning sickness is killing me. I am so sick at different times of the day.



    What can I do to keep the sickness at bay as it's making me feel rubbish and I'm having to take time off from work at a really busy time of year for us.



    I'm also worried that its not normal and I've spoken to all my friends and none of them were this sick. Is everthing ok or do ya think there might be something wrong? I know it's probably nothing... but I'm freaking out!!!



    Thanks!

    xx
  • Hi Nikki



    I'm about 9 weeks pregnant, and after having pretty bad sickness for about 2 1/2 weeks a few days ago it calmed down. I still feel nauseous and gag, but it has considerably lessened. I can't help feeling worried about this, as it seems too early. When I was pregnant with my daughter nothing like this happened and I was constantly sick for quite some time.



    Thanks alot xxx
  • Hello everyone



    My name is Nikki Khan and I am Prima Baby's Expert Midwife and am here to help alleviate any concerns you may have about pregnancy and childbirth over the next hour.



    So am awaiting your questions and looking forward to chatting with you!



    Nikki
  • Hi Nikki!!



    I'm due in a few weeks and have been getting what I think could be the Braxton Hicks. Like a kind of uncomfortable tigthening feeling? ha!



    Should I see my doctor about these?



    Also, how will I know the difference between real ones and when I'm in labour?!! I guess it will be obvious but it's my first time you see.



    Thanks Nikki!!!!! xx
  • Dear Lalalove 19

    Firstly everyone is different & every pregnancy is different, so your friends may have been lucky, but many women suffer severely from morning sickness in the first trimester so you are not alone. Usually although not always, the morning sickness starts to subside after the 12 weeks as the hormone levels settle down.

    There are several tips, but ironically the sickness is often associated with low blood sugars, so eating little and often can help. Ginger is also very good for some women and there are other remedies, including acupressure bands used for travel sickness. The best thing is to try the various remedies around and helpfully one will work. However, if you are not managing to keep water down or are suffering excessive weight loss, you should seek medical advice as you may need hospital admission.

    Another thing is to eat a little before you get out of bed, so leave some crackers by the bedside as this will help if you need a snack overnight too!

    Hopefully by 12 weeks, things should start to improve... fingers crossed!

    Nikki
  • Hi KimmyS84

    Congratulations on the pregnancy!

    No pregnancy is the same but the fact that the nausea symptoms have subsided are obviously concerning you with regards to your ongoing pregnancy.

    You are likely to only have had the 2 ???? weeks of vomiting and are just lucky, but I do appreciate your concerns and if you feel you want some reassurance you should talk to your GP who could send you for an early scan if necessary. This would be especially indicated if you also have any abdominal pain or vaginal bleeding.

    However, many women do just experience nausea in the initial few weeks not for the whole of the first trimester, so please do not be too anxious...

    Good luck

    Nikki
  • Hi Richard,

    I empathise with your poor wife as pelvic girdle pain can be really uncomfortable and debilitating but you need to ensure that the Obstetric Physiotherapy appointment be expedited and even contact the Physiotherapy Department to do this. There are certain remedies that exist including exercises given by the physiotherapist to ease the pain and a pelvic support belt which in 8 out of 10 women has been shown to give immediate relief. Acupuncture can also help but always ensure the practitioner is experienced in treating pregnant women.

    Another point to note is that as your baby is showing as 2 ???? weeks bigger on the 26 weeks scan and she appears large for dates (although this needs to be checked by her Midwife), it may be an idea to ask your GP or Midwife, if your wife needs her blood sugar testing to exclude gestational diabetes which can cause large babies. This would help to reassure you that all is progressing as planned.

    Other pain relief methods for your wife may be the TENS machine which although used for labour pains many women found it helpful when suffering for pelvic girdle pain. Worth a try if you have already purchased one for labour!

    Hopefully your wife will get to see the Obstetric Physiotherapist soon as she can also give tips on positions in child birth as well as exercises to do now to help alleviate the discomfort...

    Good Luck!

    Nikki
  • Hi Nikki,



    When can you start taking raspberry leaf tea? some people say 32 weeks, some 34 and some 36 weeks?



    Also, do you think it works? I tried it last time and don't think it made much difference, so not sure whether to try again this time!
  • Hi pinkypink5

    How excited you must be!

    Braxton Hicks contractions leading up to delivery are perfectly normal and are preparing the cervix for labour and can also be an indicator to slow down! The difference between Braxton Hicks and true contractions is that true labour pains become consistently longer, stronger, more painful and closer together and also do not subside with rest. However, if you are having more than 4 contractions an hour and not yet 37 weeks , it may be a sign of premature labour so always play on the safe side and get yourself checked out on labour ward if you are at all concerned.



    Good luck with the birth!



    Nikki
  • Hi Cas1980

    Raspberry Leaf Tea can take a while to build up in the body so most midwives advise to start taking the tea around 36 weeks, however advice from Homeopaths may differ in that you can safely commence at 32 weeks, so it is probably us midwives erring on the side of caution as we don't want to start premature labour! However, it generally helps to tone the uterus rather than kick start labour, with some women being more sensitive than others and for some women it does not work at all! Raspberry leaf tea can take several weeks to accumulate in your body, so it cannot bring on labour if you are overdue.

    As it is a Homeopathic medicine, ask your registered Homeopath for advice

    Good luck

    Nikki
  • Thank you to everyone for all your questions.

    Am signing off now and wish you all good luck in your pregnancies and the arrival of your little ones!



    Check out my website for Intensive Antenatal Classes starting in February 2012.



    www.nikkikhan.co.uk



    See you for next month's webchat



    Nikki x
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