Blog

February 2012

January 2012

December 2011

November 2011

  • 27 Nov

    We get lots of questions from expectant mothers and fathers about what diet to follow during pregnancy. Many are confused by advice from colleagues, friends, relatives, mothers and mothers-in-law, and just about everyone out there. In this situation, it is important to have a balanced diet which gives you the right combination of carbohydrates, proteins [...]

  • 23 Nov

    One of the most frequently asked questions from not only new mothers but also from would-be mothers (and dads) is “What are some tips for breastfeeding my newborn infant?” There are innumerable myths and customs surrounding the issue of breastfeeding, not the least of which is found in our Indian cultures and customs. Some of [...]

October 2011

  • 30 Oct

    It is well-known that upright posture during birth reduces pressure on the major blood vessels, allowing for better oxygen supply to the baby. It also allows the mother to be more mobile, helps to manage her pain better, and makes more room in the pelvis. Positions such as squat, supported squat-dangle, squatting while pulling on [...]

  • 23 Oct

    As we at Healthy Mother are waiting for many of our babies to be born, I seem to be repeating the similar encouragements during each mother’s antenatal visit “it is okay to wait”; “your baby knows when she is ready”…… most mommies are tired of waiting; their “due date” has come and gone; and even [...]

  • 16 Oct

    We offer continuous labor at the Healthy Mother Birthing Center once you are admitted and labor is established. We do not use unnecessary medical interventions, and use hands-on skills and comfort techniques to help you manage labor pain. One of the more popular facility our mothers use is Hydrotherapy, which is one of our areas [...]

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  • 16 Oct

    The Healthy Mother Lamaze program is meant for parents in their 2nd & 3rd trimesters of pregnancy.  It aims to give them the skills and knowledge to cope with various aspects of labor and childbirth, thereby helping them to be informed and confident.. The focus is to teach women what to do in order that [...]

    Posted in: Services View Comments
  • 14 Oct

    In a climate where mothers-to-be are treated as patients, over-diagnosed, over-treated with medicines, and under-counseled, it is sometimes difficult for parents to grasp the depth to which mother-friendly care can affect pregnancy, labor and child-bearing experience of a woman. This blog is for all those who ask me how we at Healthy Mother, in providing [...]

  • 12 Oct

    The Six Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices are simple tools that you can use to approach your labor and birth with confidence. They are also proven to simplify the labor process, decrease fears and manage pain better. These Care Practices can help keep your labor and birth as safe and healthy as possible. Healthy Birth Practice [...]

  • 12 Oct

    Antenatal Checkups at Healthy Mother are very different from what you see in most other hospitals and doctor clinics. At the Healthy Mother Natural Birth Center, a large portion of your visit will be spent with you by our care providers face to face, encouraging you to discuss your questions, concerns, fears etc. According to [...]

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  • 12 Oct

    Water has been used over the ages to for labor and during actual childbirth. On closer examination, the baby is surrounded by amniotic fluid all throughout its stay in the womb. Waterbirth considerably eases the baby’s transition from inside her mother’s womb to the outside world. The benefits of waterbirth include being less traumatic for [...]

  • 12 Oct

    We welcome women of all ages to our practice for their Gynaecology and Well Woman care. We recommend annual examinations to assist women in maintaining optimal health. We spend a lot of time with women to discuss their health concerns and answer their individual questions. During these visits we thoroughly review your health history and [...]

    Posted in: Services View Comments
  • 10 Oct

    This blog is inspired by a conversation I had with a mom a couple of days ago. She said that she had been induced 8 times in a 24 hour period! When her labor did not pick up as expected, she was given the option of getting induced again the next day after a few [...]

September 2011

August 2011

  • 24 Aug

    Currently, we have 2 Swiss midwifery students interning with us. When they look at the practices that we follow at Healthy Mother, they are pleasantly surprised. This is what they had studied as “physiological normal birthing practices” as they were studying in their first year of Midwifery School in Switzerland. Then came the actual clinical [...]

  • 18 Aug

    As the clock struck Nine on August 17, 2011 we at Healthy Mother took a small but significant step in our mission to help mothers rediscover Natural Birth. We welcomed our 99th and 100th babies at our Natural Birth Center, The Sanctum. The occasion was made even sweeter by the fact that babies 99 and [...]

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  • 17 Aug

    Our midwife Marianne, just posted a link to how the current practice of Obstetrics has such little base on scientific evidence .. This is something we have known for a while! The fact that Cytotec or Misoprostol is used widely by OB-GYNs to induce labor, even after the manufacturer and FDA explicitly say that they [...]

  • 02 Aug

    Below is an excerpt from the International Mother Baby Childbirth Organization (IMBCO) July 2011 Newsletter welcoming Healthy Mother as the 9th member of the global Mother Baby Network (MBNET). INDIA WELCOME IMBCO is pleased to welcome Healthy Mother Wellness & Care of India as its ninth member of the global MotherBaby Network (MBNet). Healthy Mother [...]

  • 01 Aug

    Healthy Mother was recently invited to conduct a workshop in the Hyderabad campus of Infosys Technologies, the 2nd largest IT company in India. Infosys employees had an opportunity to learn about wellness during pregnancy and childbirth and how to empower mothers to give birth naturally and safely. Dr. Vijaya answered many questions from Infosys employees [...]

July 2011

  • 24 Jul

    Healthy Mother celebrates World Breastfeeding Week with a party for new mothers, would-be mothers, and breastfeeding advocates with a party on Sat, July 30th. Click Here for details Event: Inaugural meeting of Healthy Mother Breastfeeding Network Date: Saturday, July 30, 2011 Time: TEA House and Community Center, Rd. No. 86 Jubilee Hills. New mothers who [...]

  • 18 Jul

    Healthy Mother announced the formation of the Healthy Mother Breastfeeding Support Network, a worldwide online and Hyderabad-based offline community of breastfeeding mothers, new and experienced, as well as other community members and activists interested in promoting breastfeeding. Dr. Vijaya Krishnan, DPT, LCCE, FACCE, co-founder and Director of Healthy Mother Wellness & Care said on the [...]

  • 17 Jul

    Healthy Mother was featured in the Hyderabad Times edition of Times of India July 16th issue. Here is the link to the article

    Posted in: News View Comments
  • 12 Jul

    Today I had three new mothers-to-be come in for consultations. Two of them are first time moms – one was told that her baby had a big head, the other was told that her baby would become too big if she waited beyond 40 weeks. The third mother had already had a previous C-section after [...]

June 2011

  • 28 Jun

    Part of having true informed choices, is having true informed consent. However, true informed consent is hard to come by. With Epidural anesthesia rates standing at 80% or above in many private hospitals in India, and “painless delivery” becoming somewhat of a fashion statement, we at Healthy Mother ask couples to research and present the [...]

  • 27 Jun

    When I teach exercises during the Healthy Mother Lamaze classes, one of the first things I ask couples to do is to move their bodies freely and to do their version of the belly dance! Belly dance has its origins in African birth rituals, and many of the expectant parents in my class are surprised [...]

  • 27 Jun

    Much has been written about “Delivery Self-Attachment” or what was dubbed as “Breast Crawl”. This video has been around for a while, but I thought I would post it anyway. It shows with amazing simplicity, the awareness and ability the newborn possesses to seek comfort and nourishment at her mother’s breast. For those of us [...]

  • 20 Jun

    Attending births is like growing roses. You have to marvel at the ones that just open up and bloom at the first kiss of the sun but you would never pull open the petals of the tightly closed buds and force them to blossom to your time line – Gloria LeMay Midwives are qualified health [...]

  • 01 Jun

    Many times, when expectant parents call me about Lamaze classes, the first thing they ask is “Do you teach breathing techniques?” I tell them that I do, and then also tell them that “breathing” is not the most important part of the classes. Many women who come to me for postnatal exercises, or lactation consults, [...]

May 2011

April 2011

February 2011

January 2011

  • 28 Jan

    Healthy Mother becomes a member of the global MotherBaby Network (MBNet), a group of organizations which represent the global vanguard of compassionate, humanistic and evidence-based care in childbirth. Hyderabad, January 28, 2010: Healthy Mother Wellness & Care, India’s only institutional provider of comprehensive maternity services based on the Midwifery Model of Care, announced that the [...]

  • 22 Jan

    In response to growing demand from customers in Bangalore we are pleased to announce the addition of one more branch in Bangalore for conduct of Lamaze Childbirth Education Classes. The address of the 2nd center is as follows: Ayush Therapy Center # 401, 5th Main, 2nd Block Kalyan Nagar Bangalore. Healthy Mother’s other center is [...]

    Posted in: News View Comments

December 2010

November 2010

  • 05 Nov

    We get lots of calls from expectant mothers asking for tips for normal delivery. Such questions are more frequent from first time mothers whose natural apprehension for the safety and wellbeing of their babies, combined with lack of empathy and support from their current medical care givers and absence of a support system that used [...]

    Posted in: FAQ View Comments

October 2010

  • 31 Oct

    You are now the proud parents of a brand new baby. Amidst all the excitement (and some apprehension) of becoming a new parent I am sure you have a million questions that are waiting to be asked. Here are some facts about your new born that you should know in the first few days. These [...]

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  • 30 Oct

    Many a time we have noticed that the “energy of labor” stops flowing or is just not there when mothers go into labor. This situation manifests itself when mothers appear to become less involved in the process of labor. An otherwise normal, active labor stage then goes on and on, wearing down mother, her partner, [...]

    Posted in: FAQ View Comments
  • 18 Oct

    Dearest Vijaya, First of all thanks a lot for helping me in giving birth to my son Praman… The first time I came across you was on TV. One day I met my gynaec & came home, I asked her if I was supposed to do any exercises in order to give birth naturally she [...]

  • 02 Oct

    Weight Gain in Pregnancy is comprised of (approximately): Baby’s weight gain                                                                                    3.4 kg Maternal [...]

    Posted in: FAQ View Comments

September 2010

August 2010

July 2010

  • 28 Jul

    Many of our customers ask us “What is Birth Energy” that midwives talk about? The answer to the question is both easy and extremely difficult. Birth energy is felt, and seldom seen. As nature’s narcotics, the powerful Endorphins hormones transport the mother to a different different world during the active stage of labor, she goes [...]

  • 28 Jul

    This headline screamed in Page 2 of today’s Times of India, Hyderabad edition. While many readers may be surprised, this news has been a common fact for many years now. Since the time when Healthy Mother was founded we ourselves have seen c-section rates around 70% in most hospitals, including some of the large corporate [...]

  • 20 Jul

    Wikipedia defines Meconium as the “earliest stools of an infant”. As opposed to later feces, Meconium has no odor, and is sterile. According to studies, babies pass Meconium during their 12th to 41st weeks in mother’s uterus, with most occuring between the 15th and 41st weeks. Typically, it is thick, sticky and green/black in color. [...]

June 2010

April 2010

  • 05 Apr

    When I initially started helping moms birth their babies, I did not believe in numbers, sequences, patterns .. etc. The more births I attend, the more I am convinced that the energies that we as practitioners bring into a birth, has a potential of making an immense difference in the family’s birth experience. So, sometimes [...]

March 2010

  • 30 Mar

    So I was going to write something on the benefits of cord clamping to your baby and how it may or may not affect your choice about cord blood banking – a hot topic these days! In the process of looking for a few good studies to quote, I found this fabulous website! “Why re-invent [...]

  • 17 Mar

    A Most Wondrous Water Birth …. Invigorating …. that’s the word I feel like using this morning as I write this blog. The power that comes to women when they birth their babies, also permeates and makes those of us who assist labor feel invigorated! Our mom had gone past her due date (41 weeks) [...]

  • 11 Mar

    I’m back in Hyderabad after spending a couple of days at a birth workshop in Goa led by Elena Tonetti Vladimirova, a wonderful and wise woman (see link below). The workshop filled me with even more inspiration about birth as a natural, beautiful, intelligent process. It reaffirmed my awareness of the incomparable benefits that it [...]

February 2010

January 2010

  • 26 Jan

    The Times of India Hyderabad on 21/1 carried an editorial titled “Take it Easy” on a World Health Organization report on rising c-section rates in Asian countries, including India. While the WHO report mentions that in India overall, the c-section rate is 18%, in reality, if we take the urban and semi-urban population into consideration, [...]

  • 19 Jan

    Helps new mothers regain fitness, strength and muscle tone while losing weight. Program Highlights The program covers the following broad topics: Core abdominal strengthening and toning Back care and back muscle strengthening Stretching and flexibility Specific exercises to strengthen and tone hip, legs and thighs Assessment of any pain or discomfort after birth and relief [...]

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  • 19 Jan

    We offer individualized breastfeeding sessions for new mothers or for mothers who want to restart breastfeeding their babies Program Highlights Most hospitals perform poorly in preparing new mothers for breastfeeding and newborn baby care. Our breastfeeding support sessions help mothers learn the correct techniques for breastfeeding their babies. We have successfully helped new mothers breastfeed [...]

  • 19 Jan

    More important that you think…. World over experts concur over one thing – that breastfeeding your newborn child is the best birthday present you can possibly give. This being the World Breastfeeding Week, I want to emphasize this important fact that there is no substitute for mothers milk, especially during the first year of your [...]

  • 19 Jan

    Many of our customers ask us “What is Birth Energy” that midwives talk about? The answer to the question is both easy and extremely difficult. Birth energy is felt, and seldom seen. As nature’s narcotics, the powerful Endorphins hormones transport the mother to a different different world during the active stage of labor, she goes [...]

  • 19 Jan

    This headline screamed in Page 2 of today’s Times of India, Hyderabad edition. While many readers may be surprised, this news has been a common fact for many years now. Since the time when Healthy Mother was founded we ourselves have seen c-section rates around 70% in most hospitals, including some of the large corporate [...]

    Posted in: News View Comments
  • 19 Jan

    Latin for “a sacred place” or “a private place”. Our Birthing Center provides mothers uninhibited freedom to labor as they wish, with no unnecessary medical intervention. Healthy Mother Sanctum is India’s first Natural Birthing Center where mothers give birth to their babies in an atmosphere which is supportive, and caring, and which follows the Midwifery [...]

  • 19 Jan

    Contact us for more details

  • 19 Jan

December 2009

  • 26 Dec

    All of us at Healthy Mother were recently blessed to have supported a mother give birth to twins. Mom and dad had attended the Healthy Mother Lamaze Classes, and were very keen to try for natural childbirth. They had been seeing another medical care provider who had advised them that that with twins and a [...]

  • 19 Dec

    As I finally catch my breath from multiple back-to-back births, I cannot but reflect on a wonderful mother at our center who was trying for a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After a Previous Cesarean). Both parents were wonderfully informed and intent on letting the process of birth occur as naturally as possible. I bring this birth [...]

  • 09 Dec

    Hello everyone, We have been very busy with births at our birthing center, The Sanctum and our lamaze classes the past few weeks. I have some good news to announce – we now have the services of a Certified Professional Midwife from the US. Erinn Mandeville, is a midwife from Alaska and has been practicing [...]

September 2009

August 2009

  • 30 Aug

    It seems ages since my last posting…. But the fact is, we have been working hard on some new initiatives at Healthy Mother, ones which we hope will further the cause for Natural Childbirth and safe and healthy birth practices in India. First, we have partnered with Douglas College, Canada to bring Lamaze Teacher Training [...]

July 2009

  • 03 Jul

    In the past month we kicked off a monthly meeting / workshop titled “Transition to New Motherhood and Infant Care“. The workshop series is a collaboration between Healthy Mother and the global healthcare company Johnson & Johnson (India). The idea behind the workshop series is that many new mothers (dads), especially from nuclear families find [...]

    Posted in: Training View Comments

May 2009

  • 15 May

    An important announcement! In view of the concerns surrounding the Swine Flu virus, we have decided to postpone the Lamaze Childbirth Educator Workshop in Hyderabad to July 30, 31 and August 1, 2009. We have take this step in consultation with our partner Douglas College and Kathleen Lindstrom, with the belief that the WHO would [...]

    Posted in: Training View Comments

April 2009

March 2009

  • 01 Mar

    As the new batch of would-be mothers and dads join our Healthy Mother childbirth education classes, more than a few mothers have come up to me or have called me with a myriad of questions. One such call was from a first time mother-to-be, who wanted to find out how our program could help ease [...]

February 2009

January 2009

  • 27 Jan

    Dec 20, 2008: Our Mom started having pains on the night of the 18th. Pains were crampy, coming off and on with no particular rhythm. Since there was not much progress in either the duration or the intensity, we decided to wait and watch, since it could be false pains. By the next morning, the [...]

  • 21 Jan

    December 19th, 2008: I had known this mom since her 4th month of pregnancy. She had joined one of our antenatal programs early, since she knew she would be traveling to her hometown of Assam, in northeastern India within the next couple of months and would remain there for her delivery. However, the very next [...]

  • 21 Jan

    December, 18th 2008: Just around the time that our mom in Bangalore was starting to be induced, one more of our mothers went into labor here in Hyderabad. Mom and dad had attended our Healthy Mother antenatal sessions to re-prepare themselves for this birth: they already have a 7 year old boy. Since her first [...]

  • 04 Jan

    Dec 18th, 2008:: This particular mom had attended my Prenatal Lamaze program in Hyderabad, but went to Bangalore for her delivery – Bangalore being where her mother lives. At the start of the antenatal program, she expressed to me that she was so afraid of labor pains, that she had instructed her sister (who is [...]

  • 04 Jan

    Dec 17th, 2008: One more of my moms went into labor! This mom was extremely active, well-informed and conscientious about her exercise program. Her due date was on the 14th of December, but as mom and baby were healthy we decided to wait for labor to start on its own. In the meantime, mom practiced [...]

  • 04 Jan

    Dec 16th, 2008: Our second mom had been very active till the day of her delivery. In fact, on the night before her labor started, she and her husband went for a movie where she climbed 2 flights of stairs. She was also very good about doing her birth fitness exercises she learned in the [...]

  • 03 Jan

    I return to this blog, invigorated from having taken part in a number of incredible events, each marking a significant moment in the lives of seven members of our Healthy Mother family. Seven “Healthy Babies” joined our Healthy Mother family between the 9th and 21st of Dec. Five of our mothers gave birth in Hyderabad, [...]

  • 01 Jan

    Wishing All Mothers and their Families a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2009. The year 2008 was exciting for Healthy Mother, as we started our Lamaze and fitness classes for would-be mothers and new moms. I am happy to inform you that two weeks ago I was awarded the Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE) certification [...]

December 2008

November 2008

  • 27 Nov

    Things have been really busy the past couple of weeks… We have been busy preparing for the upcoming Hyderabad 10K Run event scheduled for November 30th. At Healthy Mother, we support such initiatives that promote health and fitness as a way of life. We are putting up an information booth near the main stage of [...]

  • 05 Nov

    Current practices in most hospitals in India separate mother and baby after birth. After a normal delivery, hospitals should follow evidence-based and WHO recommended guidelines to allow mother and baby to be in skin-to-skin contact, and encourage the practice of nursing within the first hour of birth. The American Academy of Pediatrics also strongly advocates [...]

  • 05 Nov

    What is needed for effective breastfeeding in the first hours after birth? First and foremost, multi-disciplinary research has shown that skin-to-skin contact between mother and baby within the first hour of birth (amongst its many other benefits), is extremely necessary to start off a series of responses – hormonal, physical, and psychological – in both [...]

  • 05 Nov

    Just yesterday, I got this email form one of my recent class participants. This mom-to-be has just finished her sessions, and in the meantime, visited her friend who has recently given birth in one of Hyderabad’s “super-specialty” hospitals. I am quoting her verbatim (with her permission) below: Dear Dr, One of my friends recently delivered [...]

October 2008

September 2008

August 2008

  • 05 Aug

    Two weeks ago, we welcomed one more baby into our Healthy Mother family. This story is a bit unique since mom had to go through quite a few trials and tribulations during the course of her pregnancy, but ultimately overcame all of it, and was able to have the natural childbirth that she had always [...]

July 2008

  • 16 Jul

    The cervix is the narrow, tubular, lower end of the uterus that extends into the vagina. When you’re not pregnant, the cervical canal remains open a tiny bit to allow sperm to enter the uterus and menstrual blood to flow out. Once you become pregnant, secretions fill the canal and form a protective barrier called [...]

  • 16 Jul

    In this week’s blog, I’ll concentrate on a concern that was brought to my attention two weeks ago. One of my moms, in her 34th week of pregnancy, was diagnosed with shortening of the cervix. Mom and dad were obviously concerned regarding what possible implication it might have, going into these final weeks of pregnancy. [...]

  • 05 Jul

    A lot has happened this past week and I thought it would be good to put down some of the happenings for future reference, both for myself and for my moms and dads. Firstly, two new babies joined our growing Healthy Mother family. The first baby, was a healthy baby boy, weighing 3.5 kilograms. Mom [...]

June 2008

  • 22 Jun

    In most of my labor and childbirth classes at Healthy Mother, moms- to-be are concerned about whether their baby is getting sufficient nutrition from their diet alone. At the same time, some of you are concerned about excessive weight gain during pregnancy. Both of these concerns can be taken care of, if you follow a [...]

  • 20 Jun

    June 15 was Father’s Day. World over, Father’s Day is celebrated by honoring dads and letting them know how important they are in our lives. India too is fast catching up to this celebration, in its own way. Today I will talk about that incredibly confusing and yet exhilarating time when a man is about [...]

  • 02 Jun

    By the middle of the second trimester, a lot of my moms-to-be tend to get aches and pains in various parts of their bodies. During the later stages of pregnancy, the expectant mother is carrying extra weight centered forward. To compensate for this forward weight, she adopts an unnatural posture and stance, which in turn [...]

  • 01 Jun

    One of the oft repeated questions that would-be moms in my ante-natal programs ask is: What is the chance of my having a Caesarean Section (C- Section), and will I be able to deal with it? While this is not an easy question to answer, research, clinical studies and reported rates of C-sections in hospitals [...]

  • 01 Jun

    When did you realize that you were pregnant? Perhaps you missed a period, or maybe you were feeling extraordinarily lethargic, or perhaps you felt that there was something “just different” going on with your body. Once you confirm that you are pregnant, you may have started observing your body closely. This is just one of [...]

  • 01 Jun

    Today (May 11) is Mother’s Day. What is Mothers Day for anyway? Do we really need a specific day in the year to celebrate Mother’s Day? As I see mothers all over the world juggle between multiple responsibilities to bring up their kids, I wonder where do they get their strength? Is it due to [...]

May 2008

  • 31 May

    Our older son turned 10 the other day. Phew!! it has been an exhilarating, and fulfilling 10 years.While I was carrying him we did not know much about what childbirth entailed, both from a physical and psychological perspective. Though our doctor and nurses at the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center (in Nashua, NH, USA) were [...]

  • 26 May

    I am a physical therapist and a board-certified clinical specialist. I have practiced in pediatric and geriatric settings for nearly 14 years in the US. I have a doctorate in Physical Therapy and currently conduct pregnancy and childbirth classes called Healthy Mother(TM), in Hyderabad, India. The program builds on material taught in the internationally renowned [...]