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There are a lot of reasons for women to track their menstrual cycle. In the last few years a lot of period tracker smart phone apps have been developed. There’s even one in the health app standardly included on the iPhone.

Jade Elliott sat down with certified nurse midwife, Emily Hart Hayes from Intermountain Healthcare,  to talk about reasons to track your menstrual cycle and whether the apps are reliable at predicting fertility or helping you get pregnant or avoid pregnancy on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast.

Why it’s a good idea for women to keep track their period

When you see a provider, they often ask for the date your last menstrual period started.

“In healthcare, asking when you last had a period is like taking a fifth vital sign. If you haven’t had a period in a while or they’ve been irregular, it may indicate pregnancy, perimenopause or menopause or be a signal to check for thyroid problems, polycystic ovaries, or other conditions,” says Hayes.

Apps can help you predict your period, but are they accurate?

“Tracking your period and entering that information into an app can be helpful at predicting your periods, especially if you’ve got pretty regular cycles that happen about once a month. If your menstrual cycles are irregular, it can be harder to predict,” says Hayes.

The more data you input, the better the app becomes at predicting your cycle. “An app can tell you your cycle is 30 days instead of the average of 28 days. The app may help you recognize that ovulation is not always on day 14 for example,” she adds.

Knowing when your period is likely to occur is helpful for planning and to help you manage your life activities: for example, if you know when you might have a pre-menstrual headache or irritability or when cramps may be at their worst you can make adjustments.

There are many period apps – check the privacy terms

Some period tracker apps include: Eve, Ovia, Period Calendar, Period Diary, My Calendar, Flo Period, and even the My Health app that comes standard on iPhones allows you to input your menstrual cycle info. Most apps are essentially the same.

Read and understand the privacy terms you’re agreeing too. You may or may not want to input your sexual activity information.

For the contraception podcast mentioned during this podcast, click here.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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When you find out you’re pregnant for the first time, there are so many things to think about like finding out the gender, choosing baby equipment and decorating the nursery. But don’t forget about the most important event – the birth.

Many women are nervous about labor. One of the best ways to help calm those fears is to take a childbirth education class to help you prepare and know what to expect during labor and learn about some of the different childbirth options available.

Jade Elliott sat down with Kathy Credille, RN, MSN, with the Intermountain Healthcare Learning Network on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast to discuss the childbirth classes and options  available for busy moms-to-be.

Why childbirth education is so important

Becoming a parent is such a transitional time, there are so many changes and there’s so much to learn. Our bodies are made to give birth. Knowing how to navigate that and work with your body is empowering. Childbirth education classes help decrease fear and increase knowledge. They also help prepare you to care for your newborn, which can be overwhelming.

Childbirth education classes can help you understand the changes your body makes while pregnant and informs you about the labor and birth process. More knowledge about the birth process can help you make decisions as they arise.

Every labor is different

Learning about the labor and birth process helps you understand not only the common path that labor typically takes, but also the variations in the labor process and how to prepare to be flexible when your labor doesn’t go as planned. It can be helpful to make a labor plan, but you need to keep your mind open and be flexible. You can’t control everything.

The classes also address the mental health aspects of this role transition time and be aware of peripartum depression and mood disorders. The classes also explains the process of your body returning to a non-pregnant state so that you have realistic expectations for that.

Childbirth education classes help especially if you’re hoping for a non-medicated childbirth or low-intervention childbirth

If you want to learn how to manage the pain and contractions of labor without medication, the classes are especially helpful. But even if you’re opting for an epidural, they help you understand and prepare for the labor process.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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Screens and media are everywhere and can be a powerful tool for your child’s learning and play. However, nothing can replace face-to-face interaction and play with your child.

Jade Elliott sat down with Kaitlin Carpenter, MD, a pediatrician with Intermountain Healthcare, on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast to discuss screen time guidelines for your kids.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued several recommendations regarding screen time for children:

• Under 18 months: Avoid screen time other than video-chat.

• 18-24 months: Limit screen time to high-quality programming.

• Over 2 years old: Limit screen time to 1 hour per day of high-quality programming created for young children, like Sesame Street and other PBS shows such as Daniel Tiger.

Make sure you are watching and discussing shows with your child. They can be great ways for you and your child to learn together.

The most powerful thing parents can do is be a “media mentor” and show children how to appropriately interact with phones, tablets, and TVs.

• Co-watch shows and videos or co-play games with kids.

• Try to avoid constant use of your phone around your child. You are your child’s best role model. They will do what you do, so if you are constantly on your phone, your child will be too.

• Designate times and places that are phone- or screen-free, like dinner time or bedtime.

• Like anything else in a child’s life, children do well with consistent limits. Encourage playtime up and away from screens after the limits are up.

It can be tempting to use media as an emotional pacifier (think crying toddler at the doctor’s office). While that is a nice solution that can be used sometimes, try not to make it a habit. Kids need to learn their own coping strategies (like a hug from mom or dad) or another way to channel those emotions.

Here are some additional ideas and AAP resources for families:

• When considering whether to get paper books or eBooks, choose paper books. Research has shown that children learn better and interact more with paper books.

• There seems to be a relationship between increased media use in young children and obesity, research has shown.

• Consider making a Media Use Plan with your family. Visit HealthyChildren.org/MediaUsePlan for tips.

• Learn about age-appropriate apps and game reviews at Commonsensemedia.org.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.