Caring for Your Health
is a publication developed
and created by the Marketing and Communications
Department at SBH Health System.
SENIOR EDITORS
Steven Clark, Michelle O’Gara and Christine Zhuang
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Michelle O’Gara
WEB PROGRAMMER
Kenneth Ho
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING INTERNS
Roderick Perez and Michael Rinaldi
TRANSLATION CONSULTANT
Lynette Alvarado
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To Our Bronx Community,
Pregnant? Planning on having a baby sometime soon?
If so, you’re in the right place. SBH Health System and
St. Barnabas Hospital have dedicated this issue of
“Caring for Your Health” to all things mother and baby.
Enjoy articles on your “caring timeline” from when you
get pregnant to the birth of your baby. Learn about the
importance of breastfeeding and how to eat healthy
during pregnancy. Test your knowledge and see if
you know the truth behind “old wives tales” about
pregnancy.
We are also excited to give you a sneak peek at our
new Labor and Delivery suite. You’ll find information on
how to schedule a free tour of the suite and see what
you will experience when you give birth at SBH.
We’re here to help you throughout your entire
pregnancy, and make sure you and your family get the
best care possible.
Sincerely,
SBH Health System
IN THIS ISSUE
POSTPARTUM
DEPRESSION
Know the difference
between postpartum
depression and the
baby blues, and how
to get help.
BREAST
IS BEST
Are you afraid to
breastfeed your baby?
You may change your
mind after learning
about the benefits
of breastfeeding.
05
WHAT TO
EXPECT
Find out about the
care SBH offers
women before, during,
and after giving birth.
06
YOUR
PREGNANCY
DIET
Learn the basics of
eating well when you
are eating for two.
08
GRILLED
SALMON
FILLET
A healthy recipe for
expecting moms.
08
SBH Caring
FOR YOUR
Health | 3
04
Dr. Mary Gratch has heard a lot of
tales about pregnancy during her
many years as an obstetrician and
gynecologist (Ob/Gyn) at SBH Health
System. Some are superstitions
passed down from well-meaning
grandmothers, and others come from
articles found on the Internet. Truth
bomb: knowing the truth behind the
myths is very important for the health
of you and your baby.
You can’t get pregnant when you’re
breastfeeding.
Not so. Breastfeeding has
nothing to do with your period cycle or when
you can get pregnant.
Using birth control will affect your ability
to have a baby.
There is no truth to the idea
that using pills or other birth control will make
you not able to get pregnant at a later time.
If you’re trying to get pregnant, some
positions during sex can help.
Another old
wives tale that is not true.
If you have heartburn while you are
pregnant, you will have a baby with lots
of hair.
A study done at Johns Hopkins found
this to be mostly true! However, if you do not
experience heartburn, your baby can still be born
with a full head of hair.
“Morning sickness” means you will only
feel sick in the morning.
Feeling sick while
you are pregnant can happen at any time of
day. “Morning sickness” usually goes away after
the first trimester, but can happen all through
pregnancy for some women.
If you get an epidural during delivery, you
will forever have back pain.
An epidural is
given to relieve pain during labor and wears off
during your delivery. There is no proof that it
causes long-term back pain.
Your baby will be a boy if you have sex
a certain way or at a specific time
. No, it
doesn’t work this way. A chromosome from the
sperm is what determines your baby’s gender.
You need to stop drinking coffee when you
are pregnant.
Studies show that drinking one or
two cups a day is fine, but five cups daily may not
be such a good idea.
Don’t eat fish if you’re pregnant.
Sort of true.
When you are pregnant, you can eat fish that
have a lot of nutrients – like salmon. However,
avoid fish high in mercury – like shark, tilefish,
swordfish, and mackerel. And remember, light
tuna is always better than white tuna.
Crossing your legs or reaching above
your head during pregnancy will make the
umbilical cord wrap around the baby’s
neck
. Do you know that about one out of every
four babies is born with the cord around their
necks? If this happens, it is natural and has
nothing to do with how you sat or moved during
your pregnancy. Also, exercise like swimming,
walking, yoga, and Pilates are all good.
10
Crazy
Myths
about
Pregnancy
