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Pregnancy Complications

From Pregnancy To Baby — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:41:46 +0000

Pregnancy Complications

How to handle a high risk pregnancy

If you find out that your body is not functioning as it should be during pregnancy, your first response will likely be one of panic. Is your pregnancy in danger? How is this affecting your baby? What can you do to fix it? Unfortunately, certain complications can come out of the blue and may demand immediate changes to your lifestyle for the remainder of your pregnancy. On the other hand, not all pregnancy complications are equally severe, nor are they treated in the same way. Learn about some relatively common issues that can affect your prenatal health, and how to manage them for the months ahead.

Placenta Problems

The placenta is a crucial organ in pregnancy, and it’s also the site of some of the most common complications. If it does not form correctly, does not implant in the right place or does not work properly at any given time in pregnancy, your baby and your life could be in danger. Luckily, there are often warning signs to watch out for, and the quicker you can seek treatment, the better.
Generally, placental problems are discovered in the second half of pregnancy, and they almost always increase the chances of a premature birth. There are similar risk factors for different placental problems, which include:
• Cigarette smoking
• Pregnancy after 35 years old
• Carrying twins, triplets or more
• Cocaine or other drug use
• Certain abnormalities of the uterus
Placental abruption, which occurs in about 1 of every 100 pregnancies, is when the placenta begins to peel away from the uterine wall before delivery, which interrupts the transfer of oxygen and nutrients from your body to your baby. Heavy bleeding after week 20 could signal a problem, and if an abruption is suspected, you’ll need to have an ultrasound to confirm. Slightly less common but still serious, placenta previa involves a low-lying placenta that covers part or all of the cervix. This condition is particularly dangerous when labor begins, as you could start bleeding heavily once the cervix begins to dilate, endangering you and your baby.

Treating Pregnancy Complications

There’s no one universal treatment for placenta, blood, metabolic or other complications, but fetal monitoring is often the first step to resolving the problem. Unless you’re near term (at or around 37 weeks), your doctor or midwife will probably work to prolong the pregnancy until your baby develops enough to survive outside the womb. Depending on how severe your complication is, you may be monitored electronically or ultrasonically in the hospital and then sent home shortly after. More advanced placenta abruption or placenta previa may force you to stay in the hospital for the rest of the pregnancy, or perhaps you’ll be told to go on bed rest.
In cases where delivery cannot be postponed without endangering the life of mom or baby, you may need to give birth right away by cesarean section. Although babies born before 37 weeks often struggle with their breathing, there are some ways to increase a premature infant’s chances of survival and healthy growth. Drugs called corticosteroids will help to rapidly mature the lungs, and they will the best course of action in very premature deliveries.
Pregnancy doesn’t always go smoothly, but keep in mind that medical advancements have increased premature infant survival rates enormously. Furthermore, a mother’s chances of dying during delivery have dropped dramatically, especially when giving birth in the hospital. The best things you can do for your pregnancy and your unborn baby are eat well, stay fit and avoid harmful substances throughout pregnancy to give your baby the best start possible. If complications do arise, take comfort in the fact that swift response and good medical care will most likely help you out of danger.

Please Note: If you are ever experiencing any pregnancy complications you should notify your doctor immediately.

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Can You Really Choose Your Baby’s Gender?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:27:59 +0000

Gender selection of children is a controversial topic, particularly in terms of genetic therapy and the ethics of picking the sex of your child. While there certainly have been advances in the field of genetics, there are actually some natural and completely ethical things that you can do that will increase the likelihood of selecting a gender for your child.
While no method is 100% accurate, if you are determined to have a boy or a girl, there are a few things that can be done to significantly increase your chances of conceiving the gender of your choice. Remember, the most important thing is to have a healthy baby, regardless of their gender. But if you do want to try to pick the gender of your child, it is possible. Here’s what you need to know.
Differences in Sperm

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The sperm that carry the Y chromosome are the “boy” sperms, while the ones that carry the X chromosome are the “girl” sperms. The Y sperm are faster, smaller, more agile but they do not last as long as the “girl” sperm. The X sperm are bigger and move quite slowly. In addition to their overall speed, they have different preferences in terms of the acidity of the vagina and cervix. An X sperm does better in an acidic environment while the Y sperm prefer an alkaline environment.
How These Differences Affect Conception
Now that we have established the differences between the sperm that carry different chromosomes, it is important to understand how these differences can be used for natural gender selection. Once you have this information, you can begin trying to conceive a child that will be a specific gender.
If you want to have a boy, the timing is crucial. Since these sperm do not live long, it is vital to time your intercourse as closely to ovulation as possible. This gives the Y sperm time to reach the egg before the X sperm do, increasing the chances that you will have a boy.
If you want to have a girl, you need to give the X sperm plenty of time to reach the egg. Since they live longer, this means that you want to time intercourse a few days before expected ovulation. By the time you ovulate, the Y sperm will have already died off, leaving only the X sperm behind. They will have the time needed to travel up through the cervix to reach the egg and fertilize it.

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How long after conception can I take a pregnancy test?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:03:51 +0000

Pregnancy tests pick up the presence of hCG in the urine. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is the hormone produced by the placenta. It starts to be produced as soon as the fertilized egg implants into the lining of the uterus. Since this happens 6 to 12 days after conception, any time you test too early, you will see a negative result because there is not enough hCG in your system yet.

The most sensitive pregnancy tests can detect 20 mIU of hCG. This level may be detected as early as 6 to 8 days past ovulation, but most women will still get a negative result this early. On average, most implantations occur between 8 to 10 days after ovulation, so you may be testing and your baby hasn’t even implanted yet. The closer you are to when you expect your period, the better luck you’ll have getting an accurate result.

Even if you get a negative result, if you still miss your period, retest. By the day after a missed period, 90% of women will get a positive result. The remaining 10% will still test negative even though they are pregnant. In that case, you may want to go to your care provider and get a blood test done. Blood tests can pick up extremely small amounts of hCG, but even they cannot confirm a pregnancy until at least a week after ovulation.

How long after conception do symptoms appear?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 22:36:10 +0000

When you’re trying to conceive, it is easy to begin obsessing about everything. What symptoms should you look for? When can you get an accurate pregnancy test result? How soon will you know for sure? It can be all-consuming! Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now that you’ve relaxed a bit, here’s what you need to know.
Pregnancy symptoms will vary from one woman to another… in fact, they can vary from pregnancy to pregnancy in the same woman. While the most obvious symptom of pregnancy is missing your period, there are some other early symptoms you may want to watch out for. All early symptoms can possibly be signs of other issues by themselves, but when you have several, you can be reasonably sure you’ve conceived.
One if the first symptoms experienced by some women is implantation bleeding. This is one of the earliest symptoms that can be detected. Unfortunately, it doesn’t occur for everyone. Spotting and sometimes cramping will occur sometime between 6 to 12 days after conception, when the embryo implants into the lining of the uterus.
You may notice that your breasts feel swollen or tender. This can begin as early as a week or two after conception. This can also be a sign of an impending period, so unless this is accompanied by other symptoms, it may not mean anything.
You may find yourself feeling a lot more tired than usual. Fatigue is normal in early pregnancy. This can begin as early as a week after conception and may last into the second trimester, when most women begin to feel better.
Around two weeks after conception, you’ll miss your period. This is the most obvious sign to most women. A few will continue to bleed during early pregnancy, but the period should be shorter or lighter than normal.
Morning sickness can strike at any time, not just in the morning. Nausea and vomiting varies… some women don’t experience it at all, while others feel it so bad they require hospitalization. Luckily, most women fall somewhere in between. Morning sickness can start any time between 2 and 8 weeks after conception. Most women who get morning sickness will start to feel relief by the second trimester.
Headaches can be caused by the sudden rise in hormonal activity in your body in early pregnancy. Be sure you check with your care giver about what medications are safe to take just in case you discover you are pregnant.
A dull low backache can be an early symptom for some women. While backache is a common complaint throughout pregnancy, it can also be an early symptom to watch for.
If you find yourself making a lot of trips to the bathroom, chalk up another symptom. About 6 to 8 weeks after conceiving, your uterus will have increased in size enough to put a little extra stress on your bladder.
Skin changes may also clue you in. If you notice the areolas around your nipples darkening, this is a good sign of pregnancy.

Pregnancy Questions – When will the baby be born?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:58:36 +0000

Most first-time babies initiate labor around 41 weeks gestation, give or take a few days. Many care providers suggest inducing as early as 39 weeks. While it may be tempting, unless there is a real medical reason to get that baby born, it is best to let your baby determine its birth date. Unless the baby and your body are both ready at the same time, induction will fail and you’ll end up with a cesarean section. Babies are not late just because they miss their due date. That date is only an estimate. Babies are considered on time as long as they are born anytime between 38 and 42 weeks gestation. However, inductions may be performed when the dating of the pregnancy wasn’t accurate, resulting in the birth of a premature infant.

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Pregnancy Questions – What prenatal tests should I have?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:59 +0000

Ask questions about any prenatal testing. Some tests are non-invasive like the urine tests you do at your prenatal appointments. If your doctor or midwife suggests more invasive testing, ask why they are concerned before you automatically say yes. Just because a test is available doesn’t mean you should necessarily get it. Chorionic villi sampling and amniocentesis, for example, have a 1 – 2% risk of miscarriage associated with them. You should weigh benefits you get with the risks you take and see what that the risks are worth taking. If they are, go for the test. If they’re not, turn it down. The AFP, or triple screen test is a blood test to check for alphafetoprotein. This is used to check for neural tube defects and other birth defects, among other problems. This test is somewhat controversial because there are a high percentage of false positives associated with this test. Up to 80% of positive results (says there is a defect or problem with the baby) are false and the baby is actually perfectly healthy. This can cause a lot of stress and worry for parents-to-be as they undergo more invasive testing to either confirm or deny the findings. Ultrasounds are also routinely done, even though there are some questions about its long term effects due to the strength of the sound waves used and the heating of the tissues that occurs.

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Pregnancy Questions – What can I do to help make my baby healthy?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:28:49 +0000

The best thing you can do to make a healthy baby is to eat a variety of nutritious foods. Cut down on caffeine and sugar, they provide you empty calories. Make every calorie count by eating the best foods you can afford. Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats from avocados and nuts can go a long way in growing a healthy baby. Drink plenty of fresh water. You need it to give you enough fluid to help with your increasing blood volume. Exercise on a regular basis, even if it is just taking a walk around the block.

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Pregnancy Questions – Is it all right to have sex while pregnant?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:50:58 +0000

For the vast majority of pregnant women, sex is perfectly safe during pregnancy. The baby cannot get hurt. The baby also can’t see what is happening, and won’t be traumatized. You’d be surprised how many people wonder about that! You may need to get more creative during love making as your belly grows, but besides that, sex during pregnancy can be enjoyable for both partners. Women get more blood flow in their privates during pregnancy, which can increase their sensitivity. Other couples may find sex during pregnancy is very freeing… they don’t need to worry about either avoiding pregnancy or trying to conceive, so they can just relax and enjoy it. Some of the issues that may preclude sex during pregnancy would be a broken bag of waters, an incompetent cervix (usually repaired with a cerclage stitch until late in pregnancy), premature labor symptoms, placenta previa (the placenta is covering the opening of the cervix), unexplained vaginal bleeding, cramping, sexually transmitted infections or an active herpes outbreak.

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Pregnancy Questions – Is my baby doing OK?

From Pregnancy To Baby — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:33:51 +0000

This is a common question that women may find themselves asking throughout pregnancy. In the first trimester, it can be especially troubling because you can’t feel the baby move yet. Most of the time, if there is something wrong, you’ll have symptoms. Cramping and bleeding are the most common signs that something may be wrong. Your care giver can do an ultrasound to find the heartbeat during the first trimester, or if you are between 10 and 12 weeks, they may be able to pick up the heartbeat on a Doppler. Later in pregnancy, feeling your baby move is a good indication of health and well-being for your baby. You will get acquainted with your baby’s habits. A regular growth of your belly is also a good sign that your baby is growing well. By late pregnancy, kick counts are a good way to keep track of baby’s activity.

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Pregnancy Questions – Am I Pregnant

From Pregnancy To Baby — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:20:48 +0000

Pregnancy can give you more questions than answers, especially if this is your first time experiencing it. Luckily, there are many places like this one that can help answer those questions and calm your fears. Pregnancy is a natural function of your body. It knows how to grow a baby; you need only let it do its job.

Over the next couple of weeks we will address the top questions that most women have when they become pregnant.

1. Am I pregnant?
This is one of the most important questions a woman faces when she thinks she may be pregnant. There are many home pregnancy tests available. Home pregnancy tests are likely to be the most accurate on the day you expect your period to arrive, which may be 12 to 16 days after you ovulated. If you wait until the following week and your period still hasn’t arrived, test again. If you are still getting a negative result, contact your doctor for a serum blood test. For a very few select women, the home pregnancy tests just don’t seem to measure the hcG.

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