Tips for breastfeeding after an IVF delivery

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Breastfeeding is a natural process and it comes to mothers naturally. In many cases after delivery the mother’s body undergoes a lot of changes that makes breastfeeding little difficult especially if you had cesarean delivery. But this not at all means that you should give up on breastfeeding. Stress, hormonal imbalances and fatigue are very normal for a new mother and some mothers even face post partum depression that can interfere with breast milk production.

Please consider the following tip that helps in overcoming issues with breastfeeding: 

1. Address stress from your life – First of all stop feeling too much stressed. Though it is very normal to feel stressed out after delivery especially if it’s your first baby. But stress at this time could hamper breastfeeding. Remember, a stressful mother will often find it difficult to lactate or even help the baby latch on correctly. Practice deep breathing or take bath in your tub feel the water and try to do everything that keeps you calm and relaxed. 

2. Eat right foods - It is very important for you to eat right and good foods whatever you eat directly influences your breast milk production so try to have a balanced diet, stay hydrated and drink lots of fluids. All these things help to boost milk production and help a mother get on with breastfeeding. 

3. Take small breaks from breastfeeding - . If your child keeps on suckling frequently, production of milk could be hampered though suckling helps to

5 Tips to combat male infertility

By Dr. Shweta Goswami

By this time we all know that infertility is not only a women problem; men too are equally responsible for being infertile. 4 in 10 men usually have impaired fertility and 40% of all conception problems are down to defective sperm. I have listed out 5 simple measures that can give your sperm a boost: 

1. Keeping your testicles cool: 

It is very important to keep your testicles temperature cool for making the best sperm production. Do not wear too tight pants or underwear and stop placing your laptops on your lap as they can increase scrotal temperature by almost 3 degrees in just 15 minutes.  Place it on a desk instead, or position it on the sofa next to you. 

2.  Omit stress from your life: 

Stress today is very common but it interferes with the sperm-producing hormones. If possible stay away from stress as much as possible.  Practice relaxation techniques and spending time doing the activities which can help you to cope up with stress. 

3. Cut down smoking and limit alcohol consumption: 

Male smokers are 30% more likely to struggle making their wives pregnant. The harmful products of tobacco smoking can kill sperm cells. On the other hand alcohol consumption can reduce libido and affect sperm quality. 

4.  Have sex frequently: 

A young healthy couple only has a 20 – 25% chance of falling pregnant from one sexual encounter. So, the more you do it, the better your chances are. Daily ejaculation also improves the quality of sperm. 

5. Taking supplements and vitamins improves fertility: 

Taking sufficient amount of supplements helps in improving fertility among men. For instance Zinc which is vital to sperm production. Consuming just 15mg per day has been scientifically proven to increase fertility. Sources of zinc are lamb, whole grains, nuts, seafood, peanuts and pumpkin seeds. Also, try to meet your daily allowance of Vitamin C and

Should I travel during my IVF treatment?

Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Many questions keep pondering us during IVF treatment. One of them would be should I travel when my IVF treatment is going on…? Many couples ask me, if they can take vacations and travel before, after, or during treatment. Actually, IVF medications and procedures can interfere dramatically with your day-to-day life. In all honesty, the bottom line is better safe than sorry. 

It would be quite difficult for one to travel during the medication phase of the IVF process. Regardless of your medication schedule, which is likely to be sturdy, you will be seeing your doctor on a regular basis for monitoring appointments that include blood work and ultrasounds. It is likely that you won’t be able to get away during this phase of your treatment. Keep in mind, you also don’t know how your body is going to react to the medications, you might want to be near your doctor just in case you have some bad side effects or concerns. 

The next part of the IVF process includes two procedures; egg retrieval and embryo transfer. You won’t be able to find here to travel at all. Some IVF patients do travel from their home quite some distance to seek treatment in a larger town or city. This type of traveling is okay, as you will need to travel back and forth between your home and treatments. Some doctors do recommend a hotel stay for a night or two immediately following each procedure. 

So you are thinking to yourself, after all that I have gone through I need a little time to get away. Dependent on your doctor, you typically will have bed rest for at least 1 day following your embryo transfer. Some doctors recommend up to 5 days, but the average is typically 2-3 days. Do to your work schedule and or planned vacations, many women wonder if it O.K to proceed with life as normal. Part of the answer is yes, you need to

5 most important things you should know about IVF Treatment

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

As we know infertility means when you are unable to concive naturally despite of one year of trying. As you age your fertility levels will decline plus there are many lifestyle factors that affects your fertility and then you opt for IVF treatment to conceive. So, here are few things that you should know about IVF: 

1. When women's and men’s fertility really starts to drop: 

First and foremost you should know about the time when a woman's fertility starts to drop dramatically i.e from the age of 30 onwards. Diminishing egg numbers along with diminishing egg quality is one issue. A simple blood test, known as AMH, will tell a woman if she has a normal number of eggs for her age but tells us little about the quality of the eggs remaining. 

On the other hand, men's fertility can also reduce with age. While women are born with all the eggs they will ever have, men are continually producing new sperm. However, as men age, the quality of the genes in their sperm deteriorates.  

2. Success rate of IVF treatment: 

There are ‘N’ number of fertility clinics and infertility specialists in the world and many have achieved the highest success rates in IVF in the world. However, an individual couple's chance of success depends on a number of factors such as the cause of infertility, age and lifestyle. As a general guide, there is a 60 to 70 percent chance of conception per IVF treatment if aged under 30. This goes down to a 20 percent chance for your first IVF treatment over the age of 40. 

3. Cost factor:

Infertility is increasing at a fast paced and IVF is becoming a common option for all. So, as a result IVF has become more affordable in India than in other developed countries. It is just 1/5th of the costs outside India with success rate at par with the world. 

4. Risks involved: 

IVF has been around for more than 30 years. It is a very safe procedure, with no long-term risks to mother or child. The most serious medical complication is

Dealing with infertility

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

We are living in a society where barrenness ia a taboo. In today’s era also people look down to such women who cannot bear a child in their womb. No matter how society as a whole we are progressing there are many issues which needs to be dealt carefully and one such issue is infertility. Today, we talk about on how to deal with infertility. It is very normal thing these days as there are many lifestyle factors that affects ones fertility be it a male or a female. But without losing our self confidence we need to deal with it.  

So, here are few tips that may help you to get through it: 

1. Love your body  

No matter what God has given you beautiful body. Self-care is utmost important things that you can do Just nurture and love your body. Diet and exercise can be a great way to take control and give your body what it needs. From taking a long hot water shower bath to treating yourself to lovely food, to pampering yourself with a spa etc just do that. 

2. Give yourself time 

Take each day as if it’s today only. It is a cliché that ‘time heals’, take each day as it comes and try not to beat yourself up. Manage your work home time equally and do what the time needs at a particular given hour. 

3. Do not get over emotional 

It is completely ok if you feel a loss for sometime but hanging to such a loss for a longer period of time is not good. Today thanks to the technology we have so many options to

Air Pollution causing miscarriages among pregnant women

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Mail Today

We all are witnessing the worsen air quality these days. Every year after Diwali, India suffers air pollution problems. It is so obvious that air pollution triggers major health issues in adults as well as children. According to a recent report of WHO, Air pollution is linked to one in 10 deaths of children under 5. The greater the exposure to fine particulates emitted by fires, vehicles, and industrial smokestacks the greater the risk is for pregnant women and the baby inside her womb. Every time the pregnant woman is exposed to air pollution, it increases the risk of problems for her child.  

Air pollution contains harmful substances like car exhaust, chemicals from factories, dust, pollen and mold that can affect breathing and harm your health. Constant exposure to high air pollution increases the risk of miscarriage and early labor in pregnant women and also results in low birth weight. Actually fetal development is very sensitive to environmental factors; particularly high blood pressure which is associated with increased morbidity and

Pregnancy safety tips for this Diwali

By Dr. Shweta Goswami 

Diwali is the time to rejoice and celebrate with your loved ones. However if you are an expectant mum, you have to take extra care of yourself this season. Get to enjoy the festival but be extra cautious while stepping out or even if you stay indoors. Go by the following tips to ensure care for yourself and your unborn child inside your womb: 

• First of all, expectant mothers should dress comfortably and wear flat slippers, as this is the time when guests are around or you might indulge in decorating the house. So, its important that you should wear something comfortable especially the footwear. 

• Do not indulge in heavy household chores also do not lift or carry heavy objects. As your tummy must be heavy itself so, its better you just watch around before doing any heavy work.

• Stay away from crackers. As it creates heavy noise and air pollution. The smoke emitted from crackers contains carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide content, and creates respiratory problems which is not at all good for you and your unborn inside. Also, the heavy noise coming from bursting of crackers could also proves to be fatal for your baby