Show 42: Starting a Family: Getting Pregnant
THE FIRST IN A SERIES of programs on starting a family, we're focusing this episode on having children through pregnancy. We ask: "How can future parents best prepare their bodies and their minds to bring home baby?" And when conception is difficult, what are the options for achieving a successful pregnancy (while also remaining confident and calm)?
IN-STUDIO GUESTS: Joining host Shana Sheehy to offer advice on preconception care are two guests. Dr. Michael Opsahl is a board certified doctor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive endocrinology. He practices at Seattle Reproductive Medicine and joins us by phone. Caryn Gonzales is a psychiatric and family nurse practitioner working in Palmer where her practice, Family Life Matters, specializes in behavioral health, including support for families during preconception, birth, postpartum and lactation.
DID YOU KNOW? If a woman 35 years of age or younger is unable to become pregnant within 12 months of actively trying, she should seek the advice of a reproductive specialist. For women over 35, this benchmark is 6 months.
FEATURED STORIES: • Toxins & Fertility - We’re blessed in Alaska with fresh, wild fish, plenty of open space and fresh air, so it’s easy to consider our environment as “clean”. But it may be that Alaskans are exposed to just as many - or more - pollutants and chemicals as our lower 48 counterparts - and they may be affecting our fertility and reproduction. As contributor Jessica Cochran reports, a slew of researchers are working to figure out just how different chemicals affect reproductive systems. • Alaska Community Action on Toxics • The Collaborative on Health and the Environment • Bad Plastics • How Much Do Kids Cost? - Let's face it - kids are expensive - the USDA's Expenditures on Children by Families 2010 report estimates that raising a child from birth to age eighteen will cost around a quarter of a million dollars - and that doesn't even include college. How can parents best prepare for these costs? Producer Sarah Gonzales speaks with Stacey Bradford, author of The Wall Street Journal Financial Guidebook for New Parents and Family Finance columnist for CBS Money Watch, to get her two cents.
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  This show is made possible by the Association of Alaska School Boards’ Initiative for Community Engagement, an initiative funded by the US Dept. of Education to provide Alaskans with information, tools and assistance to work together and engage in the shared responsibility of preparing Alaska’s children and youth for the future. |
My wife and I struggled with
My wife and I struggled with infertility for many years. We found that because of our small population in Alaska, the treatments and help available to couples dealing with this can be very limited, even for those of us in urban areas of Alaska. Thank you for addressing the topic in your episode.
Postpartum Depression &
Postpartum Depression & Alaska's "Safe Haven" Law
This show has been about the serious considerations that go into choosing to start a family. We’ve talked about how to prepare your relationship and body and also your finances before you welcome a child into the world.
Well, another consideration for expecting parents is the serious issue of Post-Partum Depression, a debilitating illness that affects 1 in 8 women nationally and up to 1 in 4 in Alaska. The signs and symptoms of PPD are feelings of sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness that are beyond the normal so-called “baby blues”. Mothers may have a hard time bonding with their infants or feel overwhelmed. But the good news is that PPD is treatable and those new mothers who experience any of the signs of symptoms should not delay in asking their healthcare provider for help.
More rare is Post-Partum Psychosis, a severe form of PPD, that can cause the sufferer to cause harm to herself, her baby or others around her. A woman with postpartum psychosis may feel detached from her baby and other people; have hallucinations involving smell, touch, sight, or hearing; have thoughts not based in reality (delusions); display bizarre behavior; or have urges to kill herself and her child or children. Post-partum psychosis is considered a psychiatric emergency and requires immediate hospitalization and treatment.
Mothers who are struggling can find help by visiting Postpartum.net to find online, local and national support resources.
If you cannot safely care for your newborn, you can leave your baby, up to 21 days old, with a staff member at any hospital, fire station or emergency medical service provider in Alaska. The Alaska Abandoned Newborn Infant Protection Act will protect you from prosecution.
Of course, if you or someone you know is in crisis call 9-1-1.
- The Producers of KTD!
Comment via email from
Comment via email from Anonymous:
"The issue you are discussing presently is unfortunately the case with the recent tragedy of Sarah Johnson, the mother accused of killing her 3 week old daughter. She had at least one miscarriage and did not get the support needed after having a healthy baby after going off antidepressants. Such a sad story and we need to have more support to new mothers that there are options when they're feeling overwhelmed other than just admitting having some 'baby blues'."