All about pregnancy

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Truly Fun Baby Shower Games originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, July 31st, 2013 at 09:50:58.

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Do you care Kate Middleton may have experienced a natural childbirth?

About Pregnancy & Childbirth

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Do you care Kate Middleton may have experienced a natural childbirth?

Jul 30th 2013, 11:56

Kate Middleton and Prince William in pregnancy

So various media are reporting that Kate Middleton gave birth to baby Prince George without the use of medications, choosing instead to be surrounded by midwives and possibly have taken a hypnosis based childbirth class and/or had a water tub. I can't say if any of this is true. What I can say is that for whatever reason, some people find celebrity babies, no matter the country of origin, to be interesting. There are others who could care less.

I tend to report on it because many people are interested and take a bit of flack for mentioning it. I think it's like reading birth stories. Most pregnant women can't get enough birth stories and the birth stories of famous people are like reading best selling novels compared to lesser known works. I think every birth story counts. The ones you enjoy, the ones you don't. The birth stories that you want to resemble your own, and the ones you hope to avoid. Every mother who is self-less enough to share their birth story, to open herself up to share this unique and special time, deserves to be heard.

What are you thoughts?

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Join the conversation!

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_{Photo © Chris Jackson/Getty Images}

Do you care Kate Middleton may have experienced a natural childbirth? originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Tuesday, July 30th, 2013 at 11:56:15.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Ultrasound Tech Offers Advice on Gender Disappointment

About Pregnancy & Childbirth

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Ultrasound Tech Offers Advice on Gender Disappointment

Jul 28th 2013, 08:26

22 Week Baby Girl Ultrasound

Every day lots of moms write me to share their stories of disappointment at the results of their ultrasound in regards to the sex of their baby. This is known as gender disappointment. While there are also many mothers who don't understand the feelings discussed, I thought that this note from an ultrasound tech, someone who deals with this on a daily basis, was particularly nice:

"I'm an ultrasound tech and I totally see so many women who feel the same exact way as you ladies every single day. Sometimes they are pregnant with #4 or 5 only to get the same sex. The only thing that gets you going is knowing that once you get this baby in your arms you will feel, 'Wow, I can't picture my life without you!'" -Baz

Do Baz's words comfort you?

Related:

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Join the conversation!

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_{Photo © Varney}

Ultrasound Tech Offers Advice on Gender Disappointment originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Sunday, July 28th, 2013 at 08:26:08.

Saturday, July 27, 2013

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Telling Your BFF About Your Pregnancy First

About Pregnancy & Childbirth

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Telling Your BFF About Your Pregnancy First

Jul 27th 2013, 10:24

Telling Your BFF You're Pregnant

Lately, I've been hearing a lot more people admitting that they told their best friend about their pregnancy before they told their significant other. I actually can totally see this as being a good thing. While we have this romantic notion of the moment we share this big news, the truth is, it's pretty overwhelming to find out that you are expecting a baby. Even if you've been planning a pregnancy for ages, the moments when the two lines show up, your stomach lurches, your head spins, your heart races... in short, it's overwhelming.

Talking to your BFF gives you a chance to calm yourself down a bit and gather your wits. It lets you practice saying the words. It also gives you a bit of time to plot a fun way to share the pregnancy announcement. This is a great way to try to have that memorable experience that you may be hoping for when you try the announcement on for real.

A case in point, my husband and I had been trying for baby number three for a very long time. While we'd been pregnant, we'd had numerous miscarriages and basically been told that it was probably pretty hopeless for us to conceive after a nasty ectopic pregnancy and abdominal surgery. We didn't want to believe them and tried again anyway. So I find out I'm pregnant a mere three days before Valentine's Day. I really wanted to wait and to make it special. I knew if I talked to my BFF, she'd help me plan something amazing. My plan to delay telling my husband lasted all of about five minutes. As soon as I saw him, I blurted it out. The words I said, were not words I normally would have chosen, my husband heard it negatively and responded in kind. It was not a nice memory. We quickly both realized what had happened and apologized, but we couldn't get a do over. It was done. Had I waited a few minutes and talked to my friend, I would have at least had a line or two to say that wouldn't have been misconstrued in my urgency to share. Today, we laugh it off as the grief we were both feeling. I joke that I'm glad I didn't wait and spoil Valentine's Day. It's all good, but I still wish it would have been different.

So, did you tell your BFF or someone else first? Did that wind up being a good thing or a bad thing? Does your partner know?

Related:

_{Photo © PhotographyByMK - Fotolia.com}

Telling Your BFF About Your Pregnancy First originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Saturday, July 27th, 2013 at 10:24:20.

Friday, July 26, 2013

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Kids Feeling the Baby Move

About Pregnancy & Childbirth

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Kids Feeling the Baby Move

Jul 26th 2013, 11:15

Baby Kicking Pregnant Belly

A friend of mine posted today that her son felt her 20 week belly and was able to feel the baby kicking. She described how much she enjoyed watching her son experience the fetal movement. This is certainly one of the better things about being pregnant for the second or more time.

Though sometimes there is the issue of an uncooperative baby. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to let someone feel the baby move, only to have the baby go from kick boxing super star to silent submarine mode. I always feel quite foolish when it happens. I stammer, "I swear the baby was just moving all over the place a moment ago." Remember, all babies do this, I like to explain it as baby is playing a game and we have to be patient.

Have you ever experienced this game?

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Join the conversation!

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_{Photo © Fotolia}

Kids Feeling the Baby Move originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Friday, July 26th, 2013 at 11:15:33.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Vaginal Ultrasound Best for Finding Tubal Pregnancies

About Pregnancy & Childbirth

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Vaginal Ultrasound Best for Finding Tubal Pregnancies

Jul 25th 2013, 11:08

Tubal Pregnancy

Tubal pregnancy, also known as an ectopic pregnancy, is a very scary and potentially deadly situation. While normally found in the first trimester, the sooner it can be detected and taken care of, the less likely the mother is to require surgery and suffer from the loss of her Fallopian tube. The problem is, sometimes an ectopic pregnancy is difficult to find, particularly very early in pregnancy. This can be complicated because of slower than normal rises in hCG levels and the ability to visualize what's where in regards to the pregnancy. (Most ectopic pregnancies are in the tube, but there are other locations that they can be as well.)

If you have symptoms of pain and vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy, you may be having a miscarriage, an ectopic or just a complicated pregnancy. Many times a simple history and physical may miss an ectopic pregnancy. But if they do a transvaginal ultrasound, which shows much more detail, and a serum (blood) hCG test, it can help to rule out an ectopic pregnancy or confirm it. Though there are still times that you will have inconclusive findings. This means that you will need to follow up with your practitioner around the 48 hour mark. This will allow another round of testing that should show more detail or give a better indication of what's going on with the hCG.

Early treatment options include medications like methotrexate which help many moms to avoid surgery and thus save the Fallopian tube. Or it can prevent the rupture of the tube with a timely removal, which can lower the risks of infection and major complications.

Have you had a tubal pregnancy scare?

_Source:

_{Crochet, J, et al "Does this woman have an ectopic pregnancy?" JAMA 2013; 309:1722-1729.}

Vaginal Ultrasound Best for Finding Tubal Pregnancies originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Thursday, July 25th, 2013 at 11:08:27.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

About Pregnancy & Childbirth: Decongestants Increase the Risk of Certain Birth Defects

About Pregnancy & Childbirth

Pregnancy & Childbirth

Decongestants Increase the Risk of Certain Birth Defects

Jul 24th 2013, 11:16

Sick Pregnant Woman

Decongestants are medications used to dry up your sinuses, like phenylephrine and psuedoephedrine. These are found in some oral and intranasal decongestants, like Sudafed, found over the counter in nearly any drug store. This means you may not even think twice about taking these medications or might not think to ask your doctor or midwife before using it. But multiple studies have looked at the use of these decongestants, particularly in the first trimester, and have found a variety of birth defects that are related to their use.

Some of the birth defects effected the baby's heart or limbs, others caused issues like pyloric stenosis. Either way, the risk of having baby with a major birth defect is about 2-3% of all pregnancies. This study estimated that some of the risks increased eight fold, depending on the medication and the timing. Here's the trick to deciding whether or not to take an over the counter medication in pregnancy - don't. Talk to your practitioner first. Ask what pregnancy category the medication is in to look at potential safety concerns. Look at what the alternatives are for your condition. An example for the need to use a nasal decongestant might be a humidifier, saline nasal spray or even a neti pot. If after looking at all this information, you and your practitioner decide that the risks are outweighed by the benefits, you have an answer.

Also realize that timing plays a huge role in what harm is brought to a pregnancy by anything. The first trimester is a known sensitive period and everything about your baby is growing and changing. There are typically fewer risks to many medications after the first trimester. This is not true of everything, but as a general rule.

What medication decisions have you had to make in pregnancy?

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Join the conversation!

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_Source:

_{Yau WP, Mitchell AA, Lin KJ, Werler MM, Hernández-Díaz S. Use of decongestants during pregnancy and the risk of birth defects. Am J Epidemiol. 2013.}

Decongestants Increase the Risk of Certain Birth Defects originally appeared on About.com Pregnancy & Childbirth on Wednesday, July 24th, 2013 at 11:16:06.