A doula is a non-medical professional who helps the birth to be a pleasant and productive event.

What Does Doula Mean?

Doula is a Greek word meaning woman servant.

Is a Doula a Midwife?

No, a doula is not a midwife. Doulas do receive formal training to assist in shortening and easing the labor.

Why Should I Hire a Doula?

Studies show that a doula can work to make your labor shorter by several hours, reduce the need for medication, and reduce the chances of needing a c-section! A doula is typically trained to assist with breastfeeding after the birth if you wish to explore this route. The doula also works to ease the stress and anxiety for the husband (or significant other) during the birthing process.
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Tags: doula

The word placenta was cointed in 1559 and stems from the Latin phrase meaning “circular cake”!

What is the Purpose of the Placenta?

The placenta is attached to your uterus and through the attached umbilical cord the placenta exchanges nutrients, wastes, oxygen and other gases with the baby. Whatever the mother ingests during pregnancy is passed through the placenta to the fetus.

By the third trimester the placenta looks like a disk, measuring about twenty cm in diameter and is about two to three inches thick!

What Happens to the Placenta?

The placenta is a temporary organ and you will deliver it after the baby is delivered. Your obgyn or midwife will examine the placenta to insure that all of it was delivered.

Tags: placenta

Spotting is any uterine bleeding that occurs between menstrual periods or during pregnancy. Spotting is a very light bleeding, similar to the amount that you have at the very beginning or end of your period. The color varies from pink to red to brown (which is dried blood).

Spotting is typical in the first trimester of pregnancy. It does not usually indicate a problem or miscarriage, although if it changes in amount or heaviness of flow, you will usually need to be seen by your obgyn or midwife.

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Do you want twins? Are you looking for ways to increase your chances of having twins? Unfortunately, many of the methods of increasing your chance of having twins are hereditary (your race, whether or not you are a twin, or whether there is a history of twins in your family), but there are some factors of which you can take control!

Take Folate

According to some studies, women who took folate before falling pregnant had a 40 per cent greater chance of having twins.
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Tags: have twins, twin pregnancy, twins

Most miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities, so there is not much you can do to prevent the miscarriage. But one thing you can do is get your body healthy prior to conceiving so that the conception takes place in the best environment for maintaining the pregnancy. You’ll want to maintain your healthy habits throughout the pregnancy as well.

Healthy Pre-Pregnancy Habits to Prevent a Miscarriage

• Exercise on a regular basis. Shoot for 30 minutes a day at least 4-5 days a week.

• Eat a healthy diet.
• Maintain a healthy weight.
• Work to keep your stress level under management.
• Take folic acid daily, starting three months before you are trying to conceive.
• Stop smoking.

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Tags: miscarriage, prevent miscarriage

Maternity leave is the time you take off of work to heal from your labor and delivery, and the time you take to care for your newborn, whether you are the natural mother or whether you adopted a baby. There are two types of maternity leave:

• A maternal disability, or medical leave, is the time that a woman takes off for a vaginal delivery (usually six weeks) or cesarean section (usually eight weeks).
• Family leave is the time spent caring for the baby and is available to the father and adoptive parents. The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) grants everyone equal time of 12 weeks.

Are You Qualified for Maternity Leave?

You may think that after you give birth your company is required to provide you with paid maternity leave for several weeks while you stay at home and adjust to life with your new baby. Unfortunately, a good amount of companies do not offer paid maternity leave, and they are not required to.

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Tags: maternity leave

What is a Contraction Stress Test?

This test measures your baby’s heart rate during contractions in order to make sure that she is getting the necessary oxygen from the placenta during labor.

When is the Contraction Stress Test Administered?

This test is usually done at the very end of pregnancy, prior to an induction.

What is the Contraction Stress Test Procedure?

You will lie down on your left side and have two elastic belts with monitors placed on your belly.  One monitors the baby’s heartbeat and the other monitors your contractions.  If you are not having contractions on your own, an injection of Pitocin (Oxytocin) will be given and you will be monitored to see how your baby responds to the contractions via an electronic fetal monitor on your belly.  The test lasts until you’ve had three contractions, each lasting 45 seconds, within a ten-minute span.

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There is a good deal of controversy lately when it comes to pregnant women taking anti-depressants. The reason for the controversy stems from the fact that there is a large risk for women 25-44 years old to develop depression - up to 25%. Since these are the prime years for childbearing, many women find that they are suffering through depression while they are pregnant. Previous studies saw no increase in pregnancy problems when on certain anti-depressants, but unfortunately new studies are showing otherwise.

Earlier Studies on Anti-Depressants

Previous studies indicated that there was not an increase in stillbirths, miscarriages, or premature births when pregnant women take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft.
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Tags: pregnancy, pregnancy depression

The following tests are routine prenatal tests for each visit to your obgyn or midwife:

Blood Pressure:

At each prenatal visit your blood pressure will be tested by armband. A spike in blood pressure can be an indication of preeclampsia - which can cause the placenta to separate from the wall of the uterus.

Urine:

At each prenatal visit your urine will be tested for protein, sugar, blood and bacteria.  Protein is another sign of preeclampsia, sugar can signal gestational diabetes and blood or bacteria can signal a urinary-tract infection. 

Weight:

You will be monitored to see if you are gaining weight in small intervals.  If you are not gaining weight or gaining weight too rapidly you will be counseled on your diet and nutrition.

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Tags: Prenatal Tests

Whether you belong to a forum, chat with others about pregnancy or are just starting to browse the Internet for information - there are a ton of abbreviations and acronyms that people use! 

BBT - basal body temperature
BCP - birth control pill
BD - baby dance (making love)
BF - breastfeed or boyfriend
CD - cycle day (if you are charting the length of your menstrual cycles, this is the number of days after the start of your period)
CF - cervical fluid
CM - cervical mucus
CNM - certified nurse midwife
CONTRAX - contractions
DD - due date or darling/dear daughter
DH - darling/dear husband
DPO - days past ovulation
DS - darling/dear son
DTD - do the deed (making love)
DW - darling/dear wife
EDD - estimated due date
EWCM - egg white cervical mucus
GBS - group b strep
GD - gestational diabetes
HPT - home pregnancy test
IUI - intra-uterine insemination
IVF - in vitro fertilization
LMP - last menstrual period
LP - luteal phase
MC or M/C - miscarriage
O - ovulation
OPK - ovulation predictor kit
OPT - ovulation predictor test
PG - pregnant
SAHM - stay at home mom
SO - significant other
STD - sexually transmitted disease
TTC - trying to conceive
UTI - urinaty tract infection
WAHM - work at home mom

What am I missing?