You’ve endured nine-plus months of nausea, backaches, restless sleep and something reminiscent of Mike Tyson’s prize-winning jabs in your ribs—now comes the fun part. Before you head out to the hospital to deliver, make sure you’ve packed enough to ensure you’ll be as comfortable as possible during your stay, but resist the urge to schlep your entire bedroom’s contents. Unsure of what should go—and stay?

Here are our top tips for a well-packed hospital bag:

Music

Music can create any kind of mood you’d like, so pack your iPod with speakers and be sure to program a few playlists to carry  you through labor and even delivery.

Breathing exercises

If you’re too uncomfortable to stretch, try a CD or download of breathing exercises, which will both physically and mentally calm you down and make you feel more at ease.

Handheld massager

For the knots and cramps that are bound to come during labor, a handheld massager will be your new best friend—and a much-needed backup for your husband!

Camera

Get ready for your close-up,  Mrs. New Mom. A fully charged camera is key to capture those priceless shots just after the baby is born.

Socks

Hospitals are notoriously chilly, and your feet will get even colder when you get ready to give birth. Pack your warmest, most comfortable pair for the big day.

Luxurious robe

It’s not always easy to feel glam when you’re ready to pop. Opt for a luxurious to drape over your nightgown when visitors arrive. It’ll look—and feel—great.

Stretchy pants

Unfortunately, your belly won’t be flat immediately after delivery (or months afterwards, but that’s another story…..). Bring along something comfortable to wear home (read: roomy and with an elastic waistband), especially if you have a c-section.

Stress cream

You’ll want a face cream to keep skin hydrated, but a stress cream has the added bonus of soothing and relaxing skin during difficult times. The lotion will come in handy for your hands and feet, too.

Baby’s first outfit

For your newborn’s first picture, you’ll want an outfit that’s adorable and classic.

Linen spray

Bring the spray that you use on your linens at home to personalize your hospital room. Some mothers like to bring their own pillows, too, but a quick spritz of your favorite linen spray will make the hospital feel more like home.

Lanolin cream

There’s no better cure for sore or cracked nipples.

Breastfeeding support pillow

Give yourself a hand when learning to breastfeed (and beyond) with a breastfeeding support pillow that easily positions baby for prime nursing.

Healthy snacks

Post-push, you’ll want to load up on healthy foods that are preferably organic, low in sugar and high in protein. Prepare a snack pack of your favorite foods, including fresh organic fruit, protein bars, hummus and vegetables and whatever else deliciously and nutritiously floats your boat.

Car seat

Make sure you have properly installed your infant car seat—you can’t get the little one home with out it. If you have questions, get it inspected by your hospital or local police or fire station, many of which offer this service for free.

Don’t forget, your hospital is not in isolation nor is it 100 miles from your house. If you forget something, don’t panic; someone will be able to bring you whatever you want whether he or she goes to your home to get it or goes to a local convenience store. Your short stay in the hospital should be happy, calm and worry-free and the right comforts from home can make all the difference.

When it comes to what to be thankful for, nothing trumps your health. Money, love, success, personal goals—none of them are possible without good health to give them rise.

In this time of reflection and thanks, you might consider paying it forward by supporting a worthy cause that helps women who, perhaps, have not been as fortunate as you in health department.

Here are a five fantastic ones to consider:

Best for Babes

A revolutionary, paradigm-changing organization that’s helping women beat the Booby Traps (as they call oh so cleverly call them) that prevent moms from achieving their own personal breastfeeding goals, Best for Babes is giving breastfeeding a makeover. From women’s health to women’s rights, Best for Babes is on the forefront of freeing women from the shackles of misinformation and judgment that are so deeply ingrained in our popular consciousness and serve to disempower women at the most crucial time in their lives. This is feminism 2.0: Giving women back their power to take care of themselves and their babies, emotionally, physically and spiritually, and, by proxy, nurture future generations on all levels too. To support, go to www.BestforBabes.org.

Breast Cancer Research Foundation

89% of funding goes to programs that award research grants to experts seeking prevention methods and treatments. No big business here—just a steadfast determination to find a cure by investing in prevention. The BCRF’s funds have fostered some of the field’s biggest discoveries of late, including uncovering that women of African decent often have a genetically different form of breast cancer than woman of European ancestry. To support, go to www.BCRFCure.org.

National Ovarian Cancer Coalition

With growing nationwide chapters spearheaded by local volunteers that understand the needs of their communities, the NOCC provides support and encouragement in a real and immediate way. On the national level, the NOCC empowers women and the people who love them with the awareness they need to get educated about ovarian cancer with initiatives like T.E.A.L (Take Early Action and Live) and Break the Silence, in conjunction with Dr. Oz. To support, go to www.Ovarian.org.

Postpartum Support International

One in eight women suffer from postpartum depression—and most of those women do it in silence. Even the most otherwise empowered and together women buckle under the weight of this confounding disorder. PSI serves to give women essential information about perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, aka postpartum depression, including risk factors, symptoms and treatments, and connects them to the best local resources available so they get on the road to recovery. To support, go to www.Postpartum.net.

HealthyWomen

No, we didn’t just pick it because we like the name! This women’s health nonprofit is a one-stop shop for the latest scoop on everything from birth control to mental health to digestive disorders to cancer to sexual health. With a mission of educating, informing and empowering women to make the smartest health choices, HealthyWomen is a trusted go-to for objective, expert, evidence-based need-to-know-now info. To support, go to www.HealthyWomen.org.

What should your birth plan include?

Here are questions to consider:

• Who do you want present in the delivery room?
• What kind of pain relief do you want?
• How often do you want fetal monitoring?
• In what situations would a C-section be okay?
• Who should cut the umbilical cord?
• Do you plan to bank cord blood?
• Do you want to be coached when to push?
• What positions do you want to try to push in?
• Do you want the lights dimmed? Music playing? Total quiet?
• Do you want photos or video taken during birth?
• When do you first want to hold your baby?
• When do you first want to breastfeed, if you’re planning to?

For a look at what else you might want to include, you can find a sample birth plan template here.

The great news is that as a Healthy Woman patient, you don’t have to create your birth plan alone. As a part of our OB VIP program, you will have a special prenatal visit at 24 weeks of pregnancy with Dr. Rebecca Cipriano or Dr. Joseph Cipriano, the Healthy Woman co-founders, to go through your birth expectations and ensure that your experience is just as you want it to be. The doctor will talk to you about how you want things to go, give you the options and empower you with the information you need to make the best decisions for yourself.

Perhaps the most helpful aspect of creating a birth plan is that it gets you thinking about important questions that may not have crossed your mind, particularly if this is your first child. Keep your plan as concise as you can; you might want to highlight the things that are most important to you so that they’re not missed.

You may not be able to plan for everything—but you can sure try.

Lately, we’ve been thinking about what makes us different from other groups? The answer: A whole lot. This realization sparked us to launch a new and groundbreaking program called OB VIP.

What is it and what can it mean for you?

OB VIP is an optional specialized program for our pregnant patients—and a big reason why our group is so different from the rest.

The program includes:

• Access to our prenatal coordinator Grace Kasnowski (also called our maternity concierge), who, along with our doctors and medical assistants, is here to help you every step of the way
• Full access to our website, which features blog posts ripe with need-to-know info, created just for you
• Daily social media support
• Weekly email support
• Access to our Pregnancy Connect program, which offers you entree to the best businesses, services and organizations for pregnant and new moms.
• Breastfeeding classes, in conjunction with BestforBabes.org, a celebrity and new mommy loved organization that is giving breastfeeding a makeover by removing the Booby Traps that stop women from achieving their own personal breastfeeding goals—whether those goals are for one day, one week or one year.
• Postpartum support
• And lots more!

The crowning jewel of program? A special 24-week prenatal visit to create your birth plan. All prenatal patients get a 24-week prenatal visit with myself or my husband to go through birth expectations and ensure that the experience can be just as she hopes it will be. Let’s face it: Having a baby is scary! There are also many options available to moms now. Whether you choose to get an epidural or go completely natural, it’s your choice—but making that decision—and many others involved in the birthing process—isn’t always so easy. We will talk to you about how you want your birth to be, give you the options and empower you with the information you need to make the best decisions for yourself.

We are here to support you—whatever your decisions.

We are your advocates.

And that means that we will be there for you on the big day too. You will always be delivered by one of our docs. This is a big deal. We have no laborists and many practices do. Almost every week in the office, I see a new pregnant patient who is changing doctors because she did not realize that someone she did not know (who was covering for her doctor) did her previous delivery.

So hopefully, if you are pregnant, you are already a Healthy Woman patient but if you are not, please make sure your questions are answered thoroughly and you feel supported by your practitioner.

We want you to get the VIP treatment during her most exciting, exhilarating and sometimes even exasperating time in her life. Why? Because you deserve it!

We’re here for you, so call us 732.431.1616.

“My husband and I were so thrilled with Healthy Woman’s prenatal class run by Jennifer Iannacone. We were pleasantly surprised that in the time we spent there, we were not only informed, but entertained. Jennifer’s work and personal experiences meld perfectly to educate us on the possibilities and technicalities of what it is to bring a child into this world. Jennifer was well prepared and very thorough with all of us “newbies.”

Jennifer was excellent because she was so prepared—and even more importantly to me, she did not have an agenda. She was open about her personal likes, dislikes and experiences but also offered a different angle for the many different minds seated before her. Her tricks of the trade, such as her tennis ball (to ease back pain during labor), were very creative and effective.

Having given birth I can say that her techniques, suggestions and information were effective. Overall, I would say that this class is not only a great experience, but one not to be missed. Jennifer’s prenatal class is number one!”

From proper nutrition and natural fertility tips to the latest scoop on egg freezing, IVF and how to ensure a healthy pregnancy, we’ll dish on exactly what you need to know!

Where: American Hotel 18-20 East Main Street in Freehold

When: Tuesday, October 25 from 7 to 9 pm

What: A mom-in-the-making mixer to get the inside scoop on trying-to-conceive, pregnancy, birth and beyond

Plus, cocktails/mocktails, hors d’oeuvres, giveaways, gift bags and good girl talk! And it’s all free! Don’t miss it!

TO RSVP by October 20th, please call 732.431.1616 or email events@healthywomanusa.com

For more info on Healthy Woman Ob/Gyn, go to www.HealthyWomanUSA.com.

For more info on A Better You Weight Loss, go to www.ABetterYouWeightLoss.com.

For more information on IVF NJ, go to www.IVFNJ.com.

For many new moms, postpartum depression (PPD) begins after the medically designated time period. For these women, the onset of late PPD signals a lonely, frightening and misunderstood time. The good news: You are not alone and you can get help.

According to the American Medical Association, postpartum depression can only be classified as such if it occurs between one and 12 months after the delivery of your baby. Okay …well then, what is it called when those feelings rear their nasty little heads at 14 or 15 months postpartum?

It simply doesn’t stand to reason that we make it through that first year relatively unscathed only to be hit hard after our babe’s first piece of birthday cake. But that’s exactly when things can break down for new moms. The panic of year one has waned; everyone has made it through and there are deep breaths all around. Deep breaths that, for mom, can summon months and months of pent-up fear, frustration and anxiety: a sobering recipe for a unique flavor of depression.

Veronica D. knows this confounding tale all too well. Her depression began creeping in at around 10 months after the birth of her son, but it wasn’t full-blown until he was 14 months old. By then, she says, “I didn’t know if I was going just plain crazy or if there was some sort of relationship between my mental state and the birth of my son. So much time had passed that I initially brushed the whole thing off [as] ‘hysteria’ and being just flat-out overwhelmed.”

Like regular postpartum depression (and other mood and anxiety disorders), there are multiple causes for late onset PPD, including hormonal imbalance, family history, poor diet, alteration in brain chemistry, stress and isolation.

Veronica was fortunate to have an OB who could see that bending the 12-month mark for PPD made sense in her case. And she was treated appropriately. She says: “The right meds changed my life! I was also working with an amazing therapist to discuss the issues specific to my experience as a mother that were causing my depression. I was so relieved to be taken seriously.”

Fortunately, a growing circle of mental health service providers are broadening the definition of postpartum depression to include any woman who is pregnant, has miscarried, has had an abortion, has had an interrupted pregnancy or has recently weaned a child from breast-feeding, regardless of how many previously non-complicated pregnancies and/or postpartum adjustments she has had.

With early intervention, good medical/psychiatric intervention and even help from a nutritionist, these illnesses are treatable and the prognosis is excellent. Women should seek help from professionals specializing in these disorders, starting with their trusted OB/GYN. (Healthy Woman patients: You can always call us! Our number is 732.431.1616.)

Researchers have recently begun studying hormones in an attempt to identify the causes of pregnancy and postpartum mood and anxiety disorders. While there is no clinical definition of “late-onset PPD” as of yet, there is a rising tide of its recognition, and suffering moms are beginning to ride the wave to relief.

If you’ve recently or not-so-recently given birth and are experiencing feelings of desperation, hopelessness, anxiety, invasive thoughts, lethargy, generalized sadness or depression or are in crisis, tell a trusted friend or family  member, contact your OB/GYN and/or call your local emergency number or the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800.273.8255.

There is help for you.

For more information, go to www.Postpartum.net.

If getting bedroom eyes from your significant other is more aggravating than titillating, you may be suffering from a low sex drive. Wondering how this can be? Your desire for sex is tied into several factors—physical health, emotional state, beliefs, feelings about your partner, hormones and more—and if one of those factors is out of whack, it isn’t unusual to lose a little libido.

Here are some of the top causes of low sex drive in women:

Stress and fatigue: Particularly common in new parents, fatigue can interfere with your desire to do much of anything, let alone have sex. And stress from any source can easily seep into your love life, making sex low on the priority list.

Medications: Feeling less than amorous is a common side effect of some medications, particularly antidepressants, birth control pills, antihistamines, blood pressure medicines and chemo drugs.

Negative body image: If you don’t feel good about your body, you might be reluctant to let anyone else see it, leading to a low sex drive.

Pain during sex: Known as dyspareunia, pain during sex is a surefire way to keep you shying away from slipping between the sheets for anything more than sleep.

Fights with your partner: When you aren’t getting along with your partner, it isn’t uncommon to lose that lovin’ feeling.

Alcohol: Although widely thought of as a libido booster, alcohol can also zap your drive if you consume too much of it.

Pregnancy: A changing body and changing hormone levels offer up two major potential inhibitors to sexual desire.

Menopause: As the estrogen levels in your body drop, you may be faced with less interest in sex and drier vaginal tissue, which could make sex uncomfortable.

These are just a handful of reasons for diminished sex drive, a fairly common condition—in fact, a study published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology found that about 43 percent of women experience some sexual problem, so if you’re one of them, you’re not alone. It’s also important to remember that your libido will naturally rise and fall during your lifetime. If sex drive issues are negatively affecting you and you can’t figure out why, consult with your doctor about finding ways to bring sexy back.

During pregnancy the uterus stretches like a balloon and, thus, it takes time for it to deflate back to its normal size. This naturally slow progression, coupled with the many new responsibilities in your life (and lack of free time, sleep and, some days, sanity), oftentimes cut into a regular workout routine (or nix it altogether), which makes it difficult to sculpt and tone your way back to a flat tummy.

The good news is that all you need is patience, dedication, determination, focus and mommy-fitness guru Lori Sawyer’s six, serious gut-kicking exercises for you to reclaim your once and former slim, sexy mid-section.

How to Get Started

Before you begin to exercise postpartum, you must be given the green light from your doctor. This all-clear usually takes place six weeks after you’ve given birth. Your starting level of postpartum exercise depends on how much you worked out throughout your pregnancy and the shape you were in prior to it. Walking is a great way to ease into your new routine. Be prepared to walk every day—just pop that baby into the stroller and go. Walking will jump start your metabolism and rejuvenate your muscles. Also, remember to drink enough water and eat healthfully (fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats), especially if you wan to expedite your return to slender.

Six Gut Busters

Core Contraction
Lay on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Push your lower back into the ground by contracting your ab muscles. (Think of pulling your belly button down towards the floor.) Keep your abs flat and pretend to push out the sides of your core.  Hold this for 10 seconds and relax. This exercise targets the transverse abdominus, which is the main deep core muscle that gets stretched out during pregnancy. You must strengthen these muscles in order to see results. Begin by doing this 10 times. When those 10 repetitions get easy, progress to the exercises below.

Bridge
Lay on your back with knees bent, contract your abs, butt and pelvic floor muscles (you can contract your pelvic floor muscles by doing a Keigel exercise and tightening your abs by flattening your tummy) and raise your hips up off the floor. Hold for five seconds and relax down slowly.

Bridge with Extended Leg
Start by doing a regular bridge, however straighten one knee so that your toe is pointed out in front of you. Do not let your hips drop down at all. Bend knee and put foot back on the floor. Repeat with the other leg.

Planks
Hold yourself in a plank position with your back straight and your elbows on the mat. Stay in this position for as long as you can while maintaining the proper form (don’t let your butt dip down). If you are able, hold this exercise for 30 seconds, but if you can’t hold the pose for 30 seconds, then you can build up to it.

Curl Ups
Lay on your back, place your arms over your head and pull your belly button down toward the floor. Slowly reach your hands toward your knees. Roll up until your shoulder blades have lifted off the floor then slowly lower yourself back down for three seconds.

Dead Bug
Lay on your back with knees bent and push your lower back into the floor by drawing in your belly button. Bring both legs to a 90-degree angle (bent at the knee). Straighten out one leg, maintaining a pelvic tilt for the entire time. Repeat with the other leg, just like a bicycle motion. Remember to keep your lower back pressed into the floor.

A quick note of caution: If you have diastisis recti (spreading of the midline of the abdominal wall), these exercises might be too much for you. Be sure to check with your doctor before beginning this or any exercise program.

For more information on Lori Sawyer’s Mommy-Moves stroller classes, pregnancy and/or postpartum fitness, go to www.mommy-moves.com.

She’s warm, caring and has a great positive attitude—and the patients love her!

The entire Healthy Woman team is so excited to have her on board.

Want to know more about Healthy Woman’s newest doctor? Read more about her here.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Slava, call 732.431.1616 or email us.