Dr Walker is going on Maternity Leave - Guest Writer

I am on maternity leave and my next blog will let you know the baby is here but during my absence from the blog, we will have a very special guest writer, Dr. Eugenie Giasson-Gomez. She will be talking about her Home birth experience and how it is to be a new mom - so look for her upcoming blogs.

Dr. Walker and Dr. Ho's Daughter was Born

Dr. Walker and Dr. Ho's daughter was born on January 16, 2016 at 10:43 am in Santa Clara California.  Both mommy and baby are doing well.

Allegra Grace Ho
8 lbs 2.2 oz
20 inches

Induction Techniques for Labor: Natural to Forceful

So what happens when your pregnancy is 40 weeks and 2 days like mine and no signs of baby coming.  So induction techniques are plentiful with some being more scientific than others and they range from very gentle to very forceful.  I want to share with you the range of options then let you know which ones are my go to and let you decide what is best for you and baby.  As always please consult your mid-wife or OB/GYN before selecting any of the more forceful options. 

Meditation/Deep breathing                                                Least forceful

Raspberry Leaf Tea/ Herbs

Eat Dates

Spicy Food/ Curry

Sex

Nipple Stimulation

Evening Primrose oil for cervical softening

Induction Massage

Acupressure

Chiropractic induction

Acupuncture

Membrane Sweeping or Stripping

Break Water

Misoprostol

Pitocin

C-section                                                                    Most Forceful (Ultimate induction)

So During my first pregnancy I used raspberry leaf tea, massage, acupuncture, sex, spicy food, nipple stimulation and chiropractic induction.  During my current pregnancy I am doing acupuncture, sex and spicy food, prayer and chiropractic induction.  Please remember that certain herbs and techniques must be supervised by your mid-wife or OB especially in cases such as a VBAC, pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes.   

Group Streptococcus B (GBS) Testing and how to improve your chances for being negative

At around week 35-36 in a woman’s pregnancy, there is a test for Streptococcus which is done by swabbing the perianal area of the body.    The bacterium comes from the bodies’ intestinal tract and can be transferred to the vaginal area of the body.  This bacterium is normally harmless in most adults except in diabetics or those with liver disease. In a new born, it can cause serious problems.  If a woman is found to be positive for GBS, they will receive antibiotics at labor usually in an IV to prevent the infant from getting infected.

If a baby is infected, most are fine but there are some that get GBS disease and these are the following symptoms:

Lethargy
Fever
Difficulty feeding
Irritability
Difficulty breathing

One of the signs that you may have GBS is present is that you may have diarrhea or constipation; or basically a non-working digestive tract.  One of the ways I have already tried to prevent being positive for GBS is doing citrus seed and probiotic for 1 month prior to the testing.  This doesn’t mean I won’t be negative during testing but it has worked with both pregnancies so far!

Baby position and when it matters

At week 34 of my pregnancy, my baby was not in the correct position. Most doctor’s won’t begin to care about your babies position until that time.  Just because a baby isn’t head down doesn’t mean that it is in the breech position.  Most babies are in a transverse position or a diagonal position and not truly breech.
The 1st major treatment for mal-position or breech which is done by a mid-wife or OB/GYN is called an external version and it is done at 36 weeks.  The 2nd option is called  the Webster Technique which is done in our office.  You can read more information about Webster at this link http://in-healthclinic.com/baby-mal-position-breech-and-correction-with-chiropractic/.

The Webster Technique uses manual therapy to release the muscle of the pelvis, low back, sacrum and round ligaments, which allows the baby to move freely in the uterus into the correct position.  The 3rd technique is acupuncture, which stimulates the body to relax and allow a baby to move freely, and we use this when we need more help with baby movement or if a patient isn’t comfortable with chiropractic care, but doing it together can be the most powerful.

It was upsetting to learn that our next baby girl was transverse which meant that even though I was receiving chiropractic care, was exercising, stretching and doing acupuncture I was still dealing with a mal-positioned baby. I felt like that I was doing everything right, but still dealt with these issues.

In medicine, nothing always works, and I the doctor became the patient and went to In-Health clinic to get treated for my mal-positioned baby.  I received acupuncture and chiropractic care on back-to-back days and the baby moved late in the night of the second day of treatment.  So baby Ho number 2 is doing well and was confirmed head down with an ultrasound about 1 week later and it was also noticed that she has Dr. Ho’s voluptuous lips which is exciting.

Helping ace your Fasting Blood Sugar Testing

Blood sugar testing is usually done before your 24th-week check up. It is a screening for gestational diabetes.  You are at all like me who hates the thought of having to stick herself constantly or you have previous pregnancy history with gestational diabetes, you may want to preventatively take Chromium. It is a mineral micro-nutrient that binds with insulin and helps manage the glucose molecules that we take into our bodies.

The first step to acing your fasting Blood Sugar testing is : About 1 month before my blood test, I started taking chromium daily at breakfast and lunch to help my blood sugar levels.  The other reason I took it was I was craving lots of fruit specifically nectarines and peaches. While they are a healthier sugar than corn syrup, they still have an effect on your blood sugar levels causing me to worry that I may not be managing my blood sugar levels very well.

The next big thing for acing your blood sugar levels is to make sure that you are balancing all your meals with a protein component.  That means if you eat that piece of fruit you are craving, then you also must eat a small handful of nuts and so forth.

You must also never forget to exercise regularly.  This means 30 minutes a day where you keep your heart rate up and make sure that your metabolism is working at a rate that will metabolize whatever food you are eating.

The last tip for acing your fasting Blood Sugar testing happens on the day of the blood draw.  Make sure and have a high protein meal before your blood draw. Make sure to not have a lot of sugar or eat pasta 24 hours prior to the blood test.  Once the lab has you drink the syrup, excuse yourself to the restroom and walk in the parking lot for the 45 minutes till they draw your blood.  This whole process from drinking the syrup till the draw is usually 1 hour with them needing you to be back about 10 minutes before you are due to get your blood draw.  This works very well and simulates more like real life as we are never sedimentary - especially for us second time mom’s with toddlers.

For me, I make some of my Zara playtime my 30 minutes a day exercise and after I took my test, I found that I was 40 points higher than my first pregnancy due to my sugar cravings of eating lots of fruit.  But that means that I have continued to exercise regularly and also am still on chromium to make sure that I don’t have high sugar levels that would harm the baby.

Facial’s that are safe and helpful during Pregnancy

The worst products to use during pregnancy are benzyl peroxide, salicylic acid and retinols.  If acne or red-blotchy spots are what are plaguing you during your pregnancy, here are a few products you can use at home:  Sulphur-based topical products, glycolic acid or alpha-hydroxy acids and some at-home microdermabrasion treatments, as well as a lot of the natural based facial oils and products. Just make sure and test these against our list safe herbs during pregnancy.

While it may seem like a struggle to find these products, it is even harder to find aestheticians that use safe products so that you can pamper yourself or help out your hormonal, acne-prone, pregnant face.  I did find a wonderful aesthetician who does use safe products and even makes her own skin care products.


During certain holidays she even has a seasonal facial, like during October her wonderful pumpkin facial which you can now see a picture of me getting below.  I did this for my acne and just some swelling in my skin.  For a safe pregnancy facial check out: http://www.minottiskincare.com and ask for Michelle.

So here is the picture:  not glamorous during the process, but I did look better afterward.