February 2012
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05 Feb
The following picture put out by March of Dimes is a great way of impressing upon mothers to “challenge” their doctors if they are forced to be induced at 37 weeks. Study after study has proven that absent any evident medical problem babies need minimum of 39 weeks or till the time of spontaneous birth [...]
January 2012
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23 Jan
During antenatal checkups mother, her husband and family should be made at ease and made to feel that we as health care providers are here to support her. Typically most care providers hurry through their consultations and do not encourage questions of mothers and fathers. We think this is not good care practice. The Healthy [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice, FAQ, Pregnancy View Comments -
15 Jan
Following is a very telling excerpt from the book ” Where there is no midwife: Birth and Loss in rural India” by Sara Pinto (c) Berghahn Books…. While their kids run around us on the grass between their house and the fields Pushpadevi and her sister-in-law, women from the untouchable Pasi jati tell me about [...]
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11 Jan
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11 Jan
So you are pregnant and your doctor has given you a “due date”. As this date approaches you have many questions as to whether you will give birth on the due date or you will do so earlier or later. Most hospitals today do not allow mothers to go past their due date and will [...]
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08 JanPosted in: Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
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01 Jan
Many of us are aware of Lamaze classes as a series of classes which teach expectant parents important things about good practices in pregnancy, labor, childbirth, breastfeeding, etc. Perhaps the most important aspect of Lamaze education is the knowledge that it gives to would be parents that make them no longer fearful of the whole [...]
December 2011
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31 Dec
As I just wound up another Lamaze Childbirth Educator Workshop, the ever present question of when I was going to teach “Lamaze Breathing” as a part of the workshop’s practical skills kept popping up. Just as in the Workshop, most women and their husbands who come to Healthy Mother Antenatal Lamaze Classes want to learn [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice, FAQ View Comments -
29 DecPosted in: FAQ, Healthy-Mother TV, Labor and Birth View Comments
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16 DecPosted in: Birth Stories, Healthy-Mother TV, Labor and Birth, Motherhood View Comments
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13 Dec
Over the past 2 years, I am increasingly hearing the diagnosis “oligohydramnios” or “low amniotic fluid” as one of the biggest reasons for induction and/or C-Section. How do we “diagnose” low amniotic fluid? How much is too little? Do we need repeated Ultrasound Scans to determine the level of fluid? What about traditional hands-on skills [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
12 DecPosted in: Birth Stories, Healthy-Mother TV, Labor and Birth, Motherhood View Comments
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12 Dec
The World Health Organization has always recommended that newborn infants be placed “skin to skin” contact with the mother immediately after the birth. There are numerous benefits to doing this, versus no important negative effects. In the study Puig G, Sguassero Y. Early skin-to-skin contact for mothers and their healthy newborn infants: RHL commentary (last [...]
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07 Dec
Over the last few days, I have had the pleasure of helping many mothers restart and become confident about breastfeeding. In these consults, as well as on our Healthy Mother Breastfeeding Support Network, two questions keep cropping up: “Can I do it (without supplemental feeding)” and “Will my baby have enough?” The simple answer to [...]
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03 Dec
We get many calls from mothers who have given birth at other hospitals and who have received no breastfeeding support whatsoever. Most questions are about whether they have milk or not, breast engorgement and pain, baby not feeding etc. The Healthy Mother Breastfeeding Support Network is a great resource for new mothers and to-be mothers [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding, FAQ View Comments
November 2011
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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 [...]
Posted in: FAQ, Nutrition during pregnancy View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding, FAQ View Comments
October 2011
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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 [...]
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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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Services View Comments -
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 [...]
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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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Services View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Services, Water birth View Comments -
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
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20 Sep
Forth Worth, Dallas, USA, September 17, 2011, Lamaze International Annual Conference: On September 17, 2011, at the Lamaze International Annual Conference in Fort Worth, Dallas, Dr. Vijaya Krishnan was inducted as a Fellow of the Academy of Certified Childbirth Educators (FACCE) for distinguished contribution to the field of childbirth education. Dr. Vijaya Krishnan becomes the [...]
Posted in: News View Comments -
06 Sep
Here is the account of the journey to birth of one of the mothers who birthed her baby at Healthy Mother Sanctum … http://aarathiselvan.blogspot.com/2011/09/discovering-miracles.html Enjoy, be inspired …. Happy Birthing!! Vijaya
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments
August 2011
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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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: News View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Motherhood, News View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: News, Training View Comments
July 2011
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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 [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding, News View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding, News View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments
June 2011
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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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
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 [...]
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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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice, FAQ, Featured View Comments -
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, [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
May 2011
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16 MayPosted in: Birth Stories, Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
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15 May
For the past one year, many couples have been inquiring if we were going to start our Official Lamaze classes in Delhi. At the two cities we are currently in operation, Hyderabad and Bangalore, mothers and dads have told us that they benefited tremendously from our classes which have made them confident about their pregnancy [...]
Posted in: News View Comments -
08 May
Some time back I wrote about the consensus opinion of NIH, as well as several research studies which showed that mothers who have had 2 previous C-sections should be given a trial of labor and a chance to have a natural birth (VBA2C), if the mother is otherwise healthy. Today, in the Indian medical system, [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories, VBA2C, VBAC View Comments -
08 MayPosted in: Uncategorized View Comments
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02 May
Many amazing changes take place in the new mother and her baby during the Golden Hour after birth. Natures hormones which worked overtime during labor and childbirth have initiated a sequence of events, both physical and emotional in the mother which stimulates her brain chemistry to increase her desire for nurturing her baby. It is [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice, Breastfeeding, FAQ View Comments
April 2011
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26 Apr
For most women giving birth, the process of birthing is an intensely physical emotional experience – one that most women describe has no parallel. They are extremely receptive, yet wonderfully tuned into their own senses, so that they can birth their babies safely. In this state, they are also vulnerable to being subjected to unwanted [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice, FAQ View Comments -
25 Apr
Birth Visualization is a very important aspect of preparing yourself for a normal birth. There is strong anecdotal evidence to support that a strong image of a safe and healthy labor, normal baby and placental delivery, and good post partum recovery works wonders. In fact, many of our own mothers at our Healthy Mother Natural [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories, FAQ View Comments -
24 Apr
Doctors in the Alappuzhua disctrict of the southern Indian state of Kerala reportedly conducted mass cesareans on April 18 and 19 in order to beat the long holiday rush on account of Easter and Good Friday. A total of 21 cesareans were performed in 2 days at the government hospital, even on women who were [...]
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18 Apr
Recently I came across this article which was posted by Jan Tritten, Editor, Midwifery Today. Most of the links and research resources given in the article point out the harmful effects of prenatal ultrasounds, which we have known for a while. Yet, in the face of so much gathering evidence ultrasound is being prescribed increasingly [...]
February 2011
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14 Feb
Today in our Lamaze class, we were discussing about the various interventions that are now a common part of most hospital procedures when a mother is admitted in labor. So, we talked about induction and augmentation, we talked about the pros and cons of amniotomy, episiotomy and other pain relief medications in labor. One of [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding, FAQ, Medicalization of Childbirth View Comments -
08 Feb
Very often, in my Lamaze classes and in my antenatal checkups I am asked by parents-to-be questions about the pros and cons of Cord Blood Banking. There will always be two sides to this issue and we respect parents’ informed choices in this regard, which are based on correct information and evidence based practice. Therefore, [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
07 Feb
In almost all my Lamaze classes, there are at least a few parents-to-be who ask questions or have concerns regarding one or more of the routine ultrasounds that they have had to get in their pregnancy. In the last class, one of the moms was concerned that her care provider had told her that her [...]
Posted in: FAQ View Comments
January 2011
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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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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
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12 Dec
Consider a scenario where in spite of the best efforts of mother and her care providers it becomes necessary for a c-section to be performed, solely considering the health of baby or mother. Certainly, at the Healthy Mother Birthing Center, The Sanctum, we have had nearly 20% of our mothers undergo c-sections because of a [...]
Posted in: All about c-sections, FAQ View Comments -
07 DecPosted in: Birth Stories, Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
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07 DecPosted in: Birth Stories, Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
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04 Dec
Cord Blood Banking is one of the most heavily marketed services during pregnancy and birth. I will share with you some facts about Cord Blood banking which you need to keep in mind before making a decision. Don’t be misled by pictures of celebrities endorsing cord blood banking. Do your own due diligence Cord Blood [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice, FAQ View Comments
November 2010
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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
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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 [...]
Posted in: FAQ View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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
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16 SepPosted in: Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
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16 SepPosted in: Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
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16 SepPosted in: Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
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05 Sep
A woman in Australia is reported to have cuddled her premature baby back to life, even though her doctors had pronounced the baby dead. Times of India recently carried an article about a mother in Sydney, Australia who had given birth to twins, out of which doctors could save only one. When the doctor told [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
01 Sep
In Indian society family is still considered a tight unit, even though we are witnessing an erosion of the fabric of the joint family system into nuclear family. During labor women are constantly faced with a situation where well meaning close family such as mother or mother-in-laws want to be present to help them during [...]
Posted in: Pregnancy & Dad's role View Comments
August 2010
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27 Aug
On August 22nd 2010 Healthy Mother celebrated the birth of the 50th baby at the Natural Birthing Center, The Sanctum. The occasion was made sweeter by the fact that the new mother was one of our own Healthy Mother family, Udaya Laxmi. We wish Udaya, her baby and family many congratulations and best wishes. Here [...]
Posted in: News View Comments -
24 Aug
Healthy Mother conducts Official Lamaze Childbirth classes in three cities – Hyderabad, Bangalore and Delhi SCHEDULE FOR NEXT BATCH IN HYDERABAD: Classes starting on Feb 25, 2012 AT MIYAPUR AND Feb 26, 2012 at KALYAN NAGAR SCHEDULE FOR NEXT BATCH IN BANGALORE Date: CALL FOR DETAILS Venue: Kalyan Nagar (near HRBR Layout) Krishnan Sakotai: +91 [...]
Posted in: Featured, Training View Comments -
16 Aug
Do not panic!! Panic scenes are only for movies! Even though we help mothers and dads be prepared for this event, we get scores of phone calls at our Healthy Mother Birthing Center from our mothers who are close to their expected due date when their bag of waters breaks. All of a sudden panic [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
14 Aug
Here is the link to the magazine
Posted in: News View Comments -
13 Aug
Many women have been told during labor that intervention is required because of Fetal Distress. Some of the reasons are genuine, and potentially leading to complications for the baby, including death. On the other hand, labeling of many situations and conditions as Fetal Distress is not only inaccurate but also premature. In this post I [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
01 Aug
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
July 2010
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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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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. [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
June 2010
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28 Jun
For nine months the baby experiences life in the mother’s womb and gradually becomes tuned to happenings surrounding it. His mother and father’s voices, sounds of various “things”, emotions of his mother, effects of mother’s diet or medications, all are experienced by the baby. As he gets ready to leave the familiar “home” which is [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
18 Jun
Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to talk to several moms who have had a previous C-section, and want to try for a natural birth the second time around. In fact, we have helped some of these women birth their second baby naturally at our Healthy Mother Birthing Center. One of [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice, VBA2C View Comments -
13 Jun
This is a long post….. Exactly 12 days back at 11:30 pm on 1/6/2010, a baby boy was born to one of our moms at our Healthy Mother Birthing Center, the Sanctum. That he was born after almost 15 hours after mom’s bag of waters (BOW) broke, or that he was born with a nuchal [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
10 Jun
An recent study conducted by Professor Patricia Conway of the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of New South Wales, said babies born naturally received protective bacteria as they passed through mother’s birth canal during delivery. Numerous studies before this one have proven this fact. The study reinforces the importance of good [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
08 Jun
A couple of days ago I received an email from Kathy Petersen about an article that appeared here. The article made me stop and re-read, if nothing else, for the immense implication it could potentially have on the study of Autism. While, you can read the article by following the link above, I will try [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
05 Jun
One fine day I got an email from the founders of the website www.yourstory.in, a leading portal that highlights entrepreneurs and gives voice to the work that they do. It was gratifying to be able to articulate to a wider audience about the work that we do and so thanks to all for the wonderful [...]
Posted in: News View Comments
April 2010
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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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories, Water birth View Comments
March 2010
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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 [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments -
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) [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories, Water birth View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
February 2010
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23 Feb
I come back to this blog after a while. So I wanted to find something invigorating to write about. Well, I went running to clear my mind, and also to jump start my body, which incidentally had gained some weight. And, on that first day’s run (after almost an year of finding excuses, real and [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
15 Feb
This is my first post after I joined Healthy Mother in Hyderabad, India. As I am working here at Healthy Mother in this new setting from that in the US, I am realizing that the word “midwife” here means something different than it does back in the US. I thought I would take a minute [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments
January 2010
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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, [...]
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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 [...]
Posted in: Services View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding, Services View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
19 Jan
Contact us for more details
Posted in: Featured, Training View Comments -
19 JanPosted in: Healthy-Mother TV View Comments
December 2009
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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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories, Cervical Insufficiency View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
September 2009
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09 Sep
Welcome to the new address of the Healthy Mother blog. I have moved over all posts that were in our old blog (healthymother.wordpress.com) to this address. Please visit our website at http://healthy-mother.com and please bookmark your links to this address. Dr. Vijaya
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
August 2009
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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 [...]
Posted in: Training, Uncategorized View Comments
July 2009
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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
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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
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16 Apr
Some very good news…. Over the past many months I have had many queries from aspiring Lamaze Childbirth Educators from all over India asking if we conduct any training program for Lamaze teachers. In fact some of my new mothers who have graduated from our Lamaze classes have been quite fascinated by the Lamaze Philosophy [...]
Posted in: Training View Comments -
15 Apr
When I counsel mothers during their pregnancy, or when they attend one of our Healthy Mother Lamaze Programs, one of the first things I assure them is that I believe in their bodies’ ability to give birth naturally. I also tell them that I will spend as much time as they need to overcome their [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments
March 2009
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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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
February 2009
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11 Feb
Recently, I was talking to one of our Healthy Mother Labor and Childbirth program participants who had gone to her parents’ house in Kerala to spend the rest of her pregnancy. During a routine check up at the local hospital four weeks before her due date, her baby’s heart rate was seen to be fluctuant, [...]
January 2009
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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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments -
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, [...]
Posted in: All about c-sections, Birth Stories View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments
December 2008
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02 Dec
On November 26 as we were getting ready to go to bed, I switched on the TV to catch a summary of the day’s news. And that was the begining of 3 days of horror that unfolded before our eyes. We saw how a group of terrorists indiscrimately fired upon innocent, ordinary people trying to [...]
Posted in: Motherhood View Comments
November 2008
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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 [...]
Posted in: Motherhood View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Breastfeeding, Medicalization of Childbirth View Comments
October 2008
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31 Oct
Recently I had the opportunity to read most of the 128-page report published by Childbirth Connection (www.childbirthconnection.org) the non-profit maternity care research and advocacy group, Milbank Foundation, a non-partisan endowment working in the health care field, and the RSG, a voluntary association of legislative leaders and policy makers in the US. Here is the link [...]
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07 Oct
The other day I chanced upon a website promoting a “5-star” birthing center. The website proclaimed that “The process of childbirth is traumatic both for mother and child”. I was stunned – is childbirth really a traumatic process? It was certainly not for me, and for hundreds of other women I know and for thousands [...]
Posted in: Medicalization of Childbirth View Comments
September 2008
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11 Sep
I have been on an unintended hiatus for the past few weeks…. Reviewing the comments in response to my posts, I am surprised that almost all questions have been in the area of Cervical Insufficiency. Why is that? Granted this experience may not be statistically significant, it got me thinking as to why so many [...]
Posted in: Advocacy & Evidence-based Practice View Comments
August 2008
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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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments
July 2008
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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 [...]
Posted in: Cervical Insufficiency View Comments -
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. [...]
Posted in: Cervical Insufficiency View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Birth Stories View Comments
June 2008
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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 [...]
Posted in: Nutrition during pregnancy, Uncategorized View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Pregnancy & Dad's role View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Aches and Pains View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: All about c-sections View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Motherhood View Comments
May 2008
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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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments -
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 [...]
Posted in: Uncategorized View Comments