To find a doula, consult an agency, ask other moms for recommendations and consult our article on hiring a doula. Some laboring women actually find they need less pain medication - or none at all - when a doula is present, although a good birth doula will explore all pain relief options with you and help you choose what's right for your situation.īut a doula's most important role may be the emotional comfort provided during a potentially frightening time, and that might be just what the doctor - or midwife - ordered. The other is a postpartum one ( read more about them in week 42).Ī birth doula knows all about breathing and relaxation techniques for labor, as well as the best positions to alleviate the pain. First, there's the birth doula, a companion who's professionally trained to provide support - and a hand to hold - during labor. What's a doula? The literal translation is 'woman's servant.' Now, if only you could find a chef, massage therapist and chauffeur…Ī doula can do double duty when you need it the most. Instead, empty your bladder as completely as possible by leaning forward - just be careful not to tip over - wear a panty liner if you need one and practice your Kegel exercises, which will strengthen the pelvic muscles and prevent or correct most cases of pregnancy-induced incontinence. Whatever you do, don't cut back on fluids. The result? A need to pee all the time.Īs if that's not enough, you may also experience urgency - gotta go now! - or a lack of bladder control when you cough, sneeze or even laugh (though there's nothing funny about it). Now that your baby is head-down in preparation for delivery, his noggin is pressing squarely on your bladder. Yep, it's first trimester déjà vu all over again, but this time, instead of pregnancy hormones to blame, it's the position of your baby's head. Something else that'll remind you just how far along you are in your pregnancy: frequent urination. Frequent urination and urinary incontinence It's an easy way to remember how far along you are - as if you'd ever lose track.

So when you're 35 weeks pregnant, your practitioner will likely be measuring about 35 centimeters on the tape measure. Did you know that the measurement in centimeters from the top of your pubic bone to the top of your uterus is roughly equivalent to the number of weeks of pregnancy?

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