Research tells me that my diet may affect my baby’s health even before I become pregnant and taking a prenatal vitamin may actually help increase fertility, reduce the risk of birth defects, lessen bouts of morning sickness and minimize the risk of delivering a baby who is small for his or her gestational age! So … Continue reading “From Me to Pregnancy…Decisions, Decisions: Which Prenatal Vitamin is Best?”
Natural disasters and other emergencies are pretty common in today’s world, but during the hot summer months, wildfires are on the rise. The question for pregnant moms and moms in general is…are you prepared? The CDC has issued a list of information for pregnant moms and parents of infants: A few examples are: “If you’re a pregnant … Continue reading “Are You Prepared?”
In the United States stillbirth refers to the loss of a baby of twenty or more weeks gestation. A stillbirth is the death of a baby before or during delivery. Approximately, one out of 160 pregnancies tragically end in stillbirth. Although the cause of many stillbirths is unknown, many are attributed to any of the … Continue reading “Looking for Peace After a Loss”
As you make your way through your Second Trimester, the Quad Marker Screen is a blood test that is performed between Weeks 15-20 of your pregnancy. This screen determines if you are at a higher or lower risk of carrying a baby with a birth defect such as Down syndrome, Open Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) … Continue reading “Quad Marker Screen”
The Internet can be a slippery slope, especially when I am researching the following terms with my close friend, Google: “Pregnancy” has 313,000,000 results. “Pregnant” has 358,000,000 results. “Preparing for Pregnancy” has 62,300,000 results. Honestly, I need a little guidance as a starting point for my journey and decide to use WebMD’s Prepregnancy Checklist… Make a doctor’s … Continue reading “From Me to Pregnancy…There’s a checklist for that”
A study conducted by the NIH and the Ohio State University recently published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found a worrisome link between caffeine consumption and miscarriage. Quite simply, the data proves that couples who drank more than two caffeinated drinks a day during the weeks prior to conception had a greater risk that … Continue reading “Parent’s Preconception Caffeine Intake May Increase the Risk of Miscarriage”
As you continue on this exciting 40-week journey, your baby’s arms are nearly the length they will be on delivery day. The natural contour of your baby’s neck area is emerging while the spleen is diligently creating red blood cells. Ovarian follicles are now developing and moving from the abdominal area into the pelvic area … Continue reading “More Exciting Changes This Week”
What better way to spend my holiday than to be on the beach reading about health insurance…as I soak up some sun I decide to review my health insurance plan regarding pregnancy coverage prior to conception. There are so many changes with healthcare…I can barely keep up with myself on a healthy day, let alone … Continue reading “From Me to Pregnancy…Holidays & Health Insurance Coverage”