About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Study Shows Bleeding Not Connected to Cervical Shortening in Preterm Birth

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Study Shows Bleeding Not Connected to Cervical Shortening in Preterm Birth Feb 3rd 2013, 10:32 If you have bleeding in mid-pregnancy, preterm labor must be one of the things that you are concerned about. However, a new study says that while you're still at risk of preterm labor, one tool they can use, measuring the length of your cervix, will not be beneficial. "Pregnancies with vaginal bleeding are at risk for preterm birth but do not appear to undergo progressive cervical shortening. This suggests that women with vaginal bleeding undergo a different mechanism leading to preterm birth." Unfortunately, we're not sure what that means. As for cervical shortening, if you have cervical shortening, you're at a 20% increased risk of preterm birth "for each additional millimeter per week increase in cervical slope. " Your doctor or midwife will talk to you about what this means and how best to treat it. Source: Behrendt, N, Gibbs, RS, Lynch, A, Hart, J, West, N, & Iams, JD. (2013). Rate of Change in Cervical Length in Women With Vaginal Bleeding During Pregnancy. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 121(2), 260-264. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0b013e31827d8e1b Study Shows Bleeding Not Connected to Cervical Shortening in Preterm Birth originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Sunday, February 3rd, 2013 at 10:32:17. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Are Dogs the New Doula in the Delivery Room?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Are Dogs the New Doula in the Delivery Room? Feb 2nd 2013, 09:15 There has been quite a stir about a mom in England who requested, and was allowed, to bring her certified therapy dog with her to her birth. There are reports that the staff at the hospital were "appalled." I have to raise an eyebrow at that - I mean, I'm not really concerned with how they felt about it. If the hospital cleared it, it's all good. Remove the word dog and fill in birth ball or rice sock. How does that feel now? I'm not advocating that everyone bring a dog in, but if the hospital yes to her request and she wanted it - why are we being so judgey?  I don't think dogs are the new doula. Would you bring your dog? If you had a home birth and had your pets with you - how was that? Related: Preparing Your Pet for Baby Readers Share: Pet Preparation Tips Toxoplasmosis and Pregnancy What are your pet preparation tips?   Photo © Fotolia Are Dogs the New Doula in the Delivery Room? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Saturday, February 2nd, 2013 at 09:15:23. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: A Cool Pregnancy Announcement

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

A Cool Pregnancy Announcement Feb 1st 2013, 09:35 I was totally floored the other day as I was meandering around Etsy looking for a mug to give as a Valentine's Day gift. It was an amazing pregnancy announcement via mug. I could immediately imagine giving my husband his morning coffee and impatiently waiting for him to finish it. I could even see him spit of it out as he realized what the bottom of the mug said. I've seen a lot of pregnancy announcements, but this one was just adorable. Certainly you'd have to plan ahead to use it, but it would totally be worth it.  You could even use it on multiple people and still have a nice keepsake to give to baby. Photo © Jennifer Goff of Kungfuclay A Cool Pregnancy Announcement originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, February 1st, 2013 at 09:35:11. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Birth Center Births are a Safe, Cost-Effective Alternatives to Hospitals

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Birth Center Births are a Safe, Cost-Effective Alternatives to Hospitals Jan 31st 2013, 08:00 I'm pleased to share some good news with you: Having your baby with fewer interventions is safer for you and baby in the overwhelmingly majority of births.  This is most likely to happen when you are cared for by a practitioner who believes in that philosophy whole heartedly and even more in a setting where that is the culture, like a birth center. In a new study of birth centers out today you can see some amazing statistics on how having your baby in one of the 79 midwife-led birth centers in one of 33 states. One of the most remarkable findings in the Birth Center II Study was the cesarean rate was only 1 out 16 for participants who planned a birth center birth. This is compared to about 1 out of 4 low risk women in a hospital. (That rate of cesarean jumps to nearly 1 out of 3 for all women.) So what does this mean?  The bottom line is that you can have a safe and healthy birth in a birth center if you're a low risk woman. In the end, not only will you personally experience these good outcomes, but as more women turn to safe care in birth center run by midwives, we will see cesarean rates fall and the costs of birth drop as well. (Just to name a few.) P.S. Just because you go to a hospital that tacked on the words BIRTH CENTER to their wall, doesn't make it a birth center.  I urge you to read this definition of birth center. While the CDC says that only about 0.3% of US moms give birth in birth centers, I think that number is about to go up! Tell us about your birth center experience. Related: How to Choose a Birth Center Readers Share: Why did you choose a birth center? 5 Reasons to Choose a Midwife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Photo © April's Grapevine Photography Source: Stapleton, SR, Osborne, C, & Illuzzi, J. (2013). Outcomes of Care in Birth Centers: Demonstration of a Durable Model. Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health. Birth Center Births are a Safe, Cost-Effective Alternatives to Hospitals originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, January 31st, 2013 at 08:00:45. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Baby Name Author Bruce Lansky Starts Blog

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Baby Name Author Bruce Lansky Starts Blog Jan 30th 2013, 16:01 It might date me a bit to say that when I had my first baby, it was pretty much a Bruce Lansky baby name book or nothing. Lansky's tomes of names and meanings soothed my concerned pregnant soul that may baby would indeed one day have a name that: A) my husband and I could agree upon and B) would not send the baby to therapy. I was tickled to hear that he had started a blog about baby names. While he's no long the only great name out there for baby names, his original thought process remains clear and crisp. Don't believe me?  Pop on over and read what he wrote about Uma Thurman's new baby's name: Uma Thurman Gives Her Baby Five Names or his take on another celebrity baby name: Introducing Shakira's Latest Hit Milan Pique Mebarak. So check out the new blog! Or one of his books like 60,000 Baby Names (Compare Prices). Related: Baby Name Drama 4 Baby Naming Controversies How Do You Choose a Last Name for Baby? How to Choose the Right Baby Name Baby Names of the Decade Quiz 5 Unexpected Places to Find Baby Names Baby Names Forum Baby Name Books Baby Name Author Bruce Lansky Starts Blog originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 at 16:01:16. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Certain Ultrasound Findings are Better at Predicting Down Syndrome

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

Certain Ultrasound Findings are Better at Predicting Down Syndrome Jan 30th 2013, 11:56 Second trimester ultrasounds, also known as mid-pregnancy or fetal anomaly screening, have been trying to be used to help detect Down Syndrome for years. There have been a variety of markers of Down Syndrome that can be identified via ultrasound, including: dilated brain ventricles absent or small nose bone increased thickness of the back of the neck an abnormal artery to the upper extremities bright spots in the heart 'bright' bowels mild kidney swelling shortening of an arm bone or thigh bone Dr. Nicolaides and his team found the following findings did increase the risk of having diagnosis of Down Syndrome: "dilated brain ventricles, increased thickness of the back of the neck, and an abnormal artery to the upper extremities increase the risk by three- to four-fold, and an absent or small nose bone increases the risk by six- to seven-fold." "The detection of any one of the findings during the scan should prompt the sonographer to look for all other markers or abnormalities," said Prof. Nicolaides. He added that the study also revealed that if a detailed second trimester ultrasound exam demonstrates the absence of all major markers, the risk of having a baby affected by Down's syndrome is reduced by more than seven-fold. Knowing what weight each of the findings has can help parents decide if they intend to do more invasive testing, which can cause harm to the pregnancy or baby, like breaking the bag of water. Testing for Down Syndrome is not for everyone. Some people only want to know to act on if they should change providers or places of birth or have testing to alert them to other potential problems that may need immediate treatment, like heart conditions. What would you do with this information? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source: "Meta-analysis of second-trimester markers for trisomy 2." M. Agathokleous, P. Chaveeva, L.C.Y. Poon, P. Kosinski, and K.H. Nicolaides. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology 2013 (DOI: 10.1002/uog.12364). URL: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/uog.12364 Photo © Burroughs Certain Ultrasound Findings are Better at Predicting Down Syndrome originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, January 30th, 2013 at 11:56:14. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: When is the best time for a baby shower?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth Pregnancy & Childbirth

When is the best time for a baby shower? Jan 29th 2013, 10:31 Someone on our Google+ page was asking if it's too early to register for baby stuff.  She's barely out of her first trimester. I briefly wondered if I was becoming one of those women who think it's too early for everything, but I did have a moment of "Why so early?"  Someone suggested to me that it was because moms are having not only more baby showers but having them earlier and earlier. Your thoughts?  What's the ideal time for a baby shower? Should you list where you are registered on a baby shower invitation? When is the best time to have a baby shower? Should you have a second baby shower? Who can throw a baby shower? What are good baby shower hostess gifts? Are there things to consider when inviting guests who have known infertility or a recent pregnancy loss? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | PINTEREST | TWITTER FACEBOOK | GOOGLE+ | CONNECT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . When is the best time for a baby shower? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 at 10:31:28. Permalink | Comment | Email this

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions