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Month: November 2022

The Big Benefits of Breastfeeding

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Breastfeeding is a very natural process, but it doesn’t come easy for every mother and baby. It may also not be a feasible feeding solution for some families. While breastfeeding has numerous benefits, the decision to breastfeed your baby is a personal one. At North Pointe OB/GYN, we support moms who want to breastfeed as well as those that prefer formula feeding. Our clinicians, however, are always available to help you determine what method is best for you and your baby. In doing so, we like to outline the pros and cons of each. When it comes to breastfeeding, we explain the astounding benefits for both mom and baby.

According to the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), breastfeeding provides not only the best possible nutrition, but also protects your baby by increasing their immunity against many childhood diseases.

Benefits for Baby

When breastfeeding exclusively until your baby is six months old, you’ll reap the following rewards for your baby:

  • Provides all nutrients for physical and mental development
  • Helps build immune system
  • Prevents infections caused by germs that contaminate artificial feeding bottles
  • Reduces the risk of developing obesity and allergies
  • Creates healthy bond between mother and child through skin-to-skin contact

Advantages for Mom

The benefits of breastfeeding aren’t solely for your baby. As a new mom, you’ll be able to take advantage of the following if you choose to nurse your child:

  • Supports faster recovery from childbirth
  • Delays returned ovulation/fertility after birth to foster wider child spacing and safer childbearing
  • Helps uterus return to pre-pregnancy size
  • Lowers risk of ovarian and breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease
  • Releases Prolactin hormone to relax the body and produce peaceful sensation
  • Releases Oxytocin to enhance the sense of love and attachment

At North Pointe OB/GYN, we don’t stop caring for you at childbirth. In fact, your experience as a new mom is very important to us, which includes how you feed your baby. To learn more about the benefits of breastfeeding, please call our Cumming clinic today.

Labor Induction: Evaluating Risk and Necessity

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The end of pregnancy can be tough. Not only are you ready to meet your baby, but you may also be getting very physically uncomfortable as the third trimester nears its end. Whether it is out of discomfort, excitement or scheduling convenience, many pregnant moms want to know their options for inducing labor. Labor induction involves a scheduled medical intervention to induce or provoke labor earlier than the full 40-week term of a pregnancy. The rate of induction of labor in the U.S. has risen from 9.6% in 1990 to 25.7% in 2018, including 31.7% of first-time births.

Inducing labor, however, should not be a flippant or casual decision. Labor induction comes with notable risks that must be clearly understood – especially if it is performed without medical cause.

The Danger of Elective Labor Induction

Labor induction involves interventional therapy to stimulate uterine contractions and promote labor before the body naturally does so on its own. This can be achieved with pharmaceutical medicines that ripen the cervix and typically involves a physician breaking the water sac. While labor induction can be done safely and successfully, it does not come without risks. A baby needs the full 40-week term of pregnancy to fully develop, especially in terms of the lungs and mental development.

Elective labor induction, or inducing without medical cause, poses the following risks to both mother and baby:

  • Increased risk of NICU admittance
  • Higher chance of prematurity
  • Higher chance of jaundice
  • Low heart rate
  • Umbilical cord complications
  • Increased risk for a C-section birth
  • Uterine rupture
  • Bleeding after delivery
  • Infection risk for mother and baby

When is Labor Induction Necessary?

There is a time and reason for labor induction. In fact, there are medical situations in which inducing the labor prior to 40 weeks offers more benefits than risks. The following are situations in which there is medical necessity for labor induction:

  • Decreased fetal movement
  • High blood pressure (preeclampsia)
  • Hypertension gestational diabetes
  • Fetal growth restriction
  • Placental abruption
  • Broken water bag while not being in labor
  • Beyond 41+ weeks of pregnancy (post-date induction)

At North Point OB/GYN, our providers put the health and safety of you and your baby as our highest priority. When it comes to schedule labor and delivery, we use our expansive knowledge and expertise in obstetrics to make the best decision for the timing of delivery.  If intervening with labor induction is necessary, you can trust us to perform this step with unrivaled care. Call today to learn more about whether labor induction is right for you.

Call us at 770-886-3555 to request your appointment today!

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Our Cumming Office

The office of North Pointe OB/GYN Associates is located on the Northside Hospital-Forsyth campus, and we perform deliveries at the Women's Center at Northside Hospital-Forsyth.

  • Address

  • 1800 Northside Forsyth Dr.
    Suite 350
    Cumming, GA 30041

  • Office Hours

  • Monday - Thursday: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Friday: 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
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