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Increased muscle tone, jitteriness, sleep disturbance, irritability, feeding problems, mild respiratory distress and myoclonus have been reported as symptoms of a potential neonatal distress syndrome related to exposure to SSRIs in late pregnancy.  The average duration of symptoms reported is 48 hours.  It is estimated that between 25-30% of SSRI-exposed infants are at risk for [...]

At least some morning sickness symptoms are experienced by a vast majority of all pregnant women.

While some women seem to experience no morning sickness symptoms, an estimated 75% of women suffer at least some symptoms.

When confronted with morning sickness symptoms such as nausea and vomiting at any time of day, it is natural to wonder if this could in some impact the fetus negatively.

The fact is that morning sickness does not usually have any impact on the baby.

The baby is able to get the nourishment that he or she needs from the reserves of the mother, regardless of whether she is able to eat properly or not.

In fact there is one school of thought that says that women, who suffer symptoms of morning sickness, go on to have healthy babies since these symptoms indicate optimum levels of the requisite hormones in the mother’s system.

In fact it is seen that those women who are carrying twin or multiples [multiple pregnancy]and have elevated levels of certain hormones are prone to excessive morning sickness symptoms.

Even women who know that their morning sickness symptoms are not really having any impact on their baby, it is natural to want to control the aggravation and discomfort of nausea and vomiting.

Nausea is hardly a pleasant sensation and throwing up regularly may actually be disgusting for many women.

There are of course many natural remedies for morning sickness such as identifying and dealing with the triggers of the symptoms, having small frequent meals etc.

However, in many cases the morning sickness symptoms are not controlled with home remedies or natural remedies. In many cases, this requires medical attention and perhaps prescription medication:

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is fairly rare; a condition that afflicts less than 2% of pregnant women, however the condition is grave enough to warrant serious medical attention.

It is characterized by excessive nausea and vomiting, wherein a woman is unable to ingest adequate water and nutrition. It can cause a woman to lose weight, cause dehydration, nutritional deficiencies and even hallucinations and depression.

Whereas earlier this condition was explained away as being brought on by a pregnant woman’s psychological condition, it is now understood to have a genetic component.

This situation is not helped by the usual measures that one takes to alleviate morning sickness symptoms and is a condition treated as a medical emergency.

Antiemetic medication, IV hydration and nutritional support or intravenous feeding may be indicated in these cases.

Other causes: Apart from Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), there are other conditions that could be the cause of this excessive vomiting during pregnancy.

When the onset of the nausea or vomiting is seen later on in the pregnancy, or it is accompanied by other symptoms such as fever or abdominal pain then it could be due to a reason other than HG

. It could be the indication of the presence of some infection, gallbladder problems, appendicitis, gastritis or hepatitis.

Sometimes it could be an eating disorder such as bulimia nervosa that causes excessive vomiting during pregnancy.

It is during the first year of a baby’s life that parents are mostly at risk of depression, reveals a new UK study. As many as 40% moms and 21% dads experienced episodes of depression by the time that their child turned 12 years, but the likelihood of this depression was most pronounced during the 12 months of a baby’s life.

According to experts, the findings of the research published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine are not surprising.

The arrival of a baby marks very significant changes in the lives of the parents; getting less or poorer quality sleep, increased demands on their time and resources, as well as the pressure that all of this can place on the basic man-woman relationship.

The parents who were seen to be the most at risk of developing postpartum depression are those who became parents at a younger age. Also lower income group parents were more prone to depression, as were those who had a past history of depression.

Statistics showed that the chances of depression were highest during the first year of the newborn baby’s life and though women are seen to be more at risk, men were also seen to be at significant risk.

Dystocia is defined as an abnormal difficult labor and delivery. Several factors cause dystocia like abnormally irregular uterine contractions, abnormal fetal presentation and cephalopelvic disproportion.

Dystocia management ranges from the use of Oxytocin to improve uterine activity or assisted delivery like forceps or a c-section to ensure safe passage for the infant.

A specific case of dystocia is shoulder dystocia, which happens during delivery when the anterior shoulder of the infant cannot pass the symphysis pubis and cannot be delivered after expulsion of the head.

It is difficult to diagnose shoulder dystocia that is why the problem will surface only during the actual birth of the infant. And in this case, it is an obstetrical emergency situation that needs immediate management or fetal death can occur within 5 minutes if the infant is not delivered immediately.

There are obstetrical maneuvers done by experienced obstetrician to facilitate the immediate delivery including:

1. McRoberts maneuver involves hyperflexing the woman’s legs to widen the pelvic opening and flatten the lumbar spine. If this is not effective, pressure is applied on the lower abdomen and the head of the infant is gently pulled.
2. Rubin I (suprapubic pressure) and Rubin II (posterior pressure) maneuver on the anterior shoulder, which will place the fetus in an oblique position somewhat towards the vagina.
3. Woods’ screw maneuver, the opposite of Rubin maneuver which will turn the anterior shoulder to the posterior and vice versa.
4. Jacquemier’s maneuver (also called Barnum’s maneuver), or delivery of the posterior shoulder first by identifying in the birth canal and be gently pulled.
5. Gaskin maneuver, named after Certified Professional Midwife, Ina May Gaskin, mother is placed in all fours position with the back arched, widening the pelvic outlet for infant delivery.
6. Zavanelli’s maneuver, involves pushing the fetal head back followed by Cesarean section
7. Clavicular fracture, to reduce the diameter of the infant’s shoulder girdle to allow passage through the birth canal.
8. Maternal symphysiotomy, this is done by opening the birth canal through creating a large incision in the connective tissue between the two pubic bones facilitating the passage of the shoulders.
9. Hysterectomy facilitates vaginal delivery of the impacted shoulder.

More drastic maneuvers include:
The major concern with shoulder dystocia is the devastating risk it poses both to the mother and the infant whether the maneuver is performed or not.

But with the experience of a skilled and properly trained obstetrician and aid from health providers both mother and child will be saved from fatal injuries.

There are three classic signs of Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH), also known as Gestational Hypertension and they are: a blood pressure of not lower than 140/90 mmhg., presence of protein in the urine and presence of generalized swelling or edema (only edema of the lower extremities is normal, edema of the face and hands is considered generalized edema).

If you observe these three signs, you will require special management to prevent the complications that can be dangerous to both you and your baby.

What exactly causes PIH is unknown, but there are factors closely associated with it that places you at greater risk of developing one.

A first time mom with no history of previous pregnancies is at risk especially if your age is below 18 or above 35 years old. If in your family, your grandmother, mother or sister had PIH, there is a higher risk that you may also develop the condition.

Mothers who have twin or multiple pregnancies that poses a greater demand on her cardiovascular system may also develop PIH. Lastly, women who have a history of kidney disease or history of high blood pressure at any time before the pregnancy is at risk of developing PIH.

There are dangerous complications associated with PIH like:

• Preeclampsia, a condition when the blood pressure reaches as high as 160/110 mmhg. That predisposes the woman to having a seizure.
• Eclampsia is when the woman had even one episode of seizure.
• Severe eclampsia is when the woman experiences several episodes of seizure (this stage is already very dangerous and can be fatal to both mother and baby).
• HELLP syndrome stands for: Hemolysis, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelet. This condition will end up in a severe bleeding episode and may result to death of the mother if not managed immediately and distress or death of the baby.

PIH is a serious condition that should not be ignored; working close with your health provider is a must. PIH may develop at any stage of the pregnancy from the first trimester even after the delivery of the baby.

TV sitcom celebrity Christina Applegate and her pregnancy cravings are well known and well documented and now she is confessing to other pregnancy transgressions as well. She has been indulging unhealthy pregnancy food such as red velvet cup cakes and fried cheese, according to a report.

The TV star may be really rocking her baby bump and by all accounts is doing well as her pregnancy progresses, but her lead is not what should be followed by other pregnant women, warn doctors.

Being overweight during pregnancy is not good for a number of reasons: it significantly increases the chances of producing a big baby, who may grow into an overweight child.

The chance of this happening doubles among overweight mothers. Also, being overweight increases chances of pregnancy complications. And then there is the fact that putting on too much weight during pregnancy will make it much more difficult to get rid of the flab after the arrival of the baby.

In fact, doctors recommend that women of childbearing age should develop the sort of healthy lifestyles that can help them achieve a healthy weight before they even get pregnant.

When it comes to pregnancy nutrition, the thumb rule is about 300 extra calories in a day and food that is as nutrient dense and unrefined as possible.

Parents strive to connect with their unborn child and also try to do the best they can for a health development while still in the womb as well as at the time of birth. The home birth could be a wonderful and intimate option.

Couples recognize that pregnancy can be a time to build on a relationship, to help create a healthy, stable and loving setting for a child to be born into and also prefer to eschew the option of a sterile hospital birth in favor of a home birth.

Experts agree that babies fare best when parents make the effort to strengthen their relationship during the time when they prepare for the arrival of the newborn.

Planning for a home birth can be significant in that it creates the opportunity for a couple to work together as a team towards a mutually important goal.

Good communication is fostered and health outlets for stress will enhance that process.

Parents describe the decision of a home birth as “the beginning of (our) parenting” and can set a template for future parenting. A home birth may mean going against the norm, but who knows it could just be the right choice for you?

An expected pregnancy could occur to any of us; whether it is a young fresh woman, an older mother, a married couple.

An unexpected pregnancy could happen to anyone and may well have the potential to upset the course that a person may have charted for their life.

The fact is that birth control methods are not infallible and in the event of an unexpected pregnancy, a decision as to which option one wants to pick has to be taken; and taken quickly.

There are of course the three basic options to choose from: (a) becoming a parent or parents, (b) abortion and (c) adoption. Whichever is the option that you choose, keep the following in mind when making the decision and make sure that it is the one that is really right for you:

If you decide to become a parent (s): The challenges of being a single mother are many and are obvious. There will be economic problems, those of logistics and care giving, emotional difficulties.

However, it is also important to remember that it is possible to raise a child single handedly, with some support from friends, family and support groups.

However, the decision should be taken based on all the different factors, taking into account what will, in the end be the best solution given the challenges.

While couples in a stable relationship are likely have the benefit of two people and better resources, emotional, logistical and economic, raising a baby is still a 24 hour job and therefore do not make a mistake about it.

It is important to understand the toll that a new baby may take on time, financial resources and even a relationship. Parenthood is not something to be entered into lightly and again, all factors have to be considered prior to taking any decision.

Considering Adoption: For many women, the possibility of having a child and then giving it up for adoption is the scariest scenario faced with an unexpected pregnancy.

The thought of nurturing a life for 9 months and then handing it over to others to raise can be quite simply frightening. The thought also that once an adoption is complete, it is permanent and that one cannot then change their mind, also makes one feel powerless.

Going in for an independent adoption or through an agency, is another question that is to be decided upon. Really consider what your feelings will be at the time of giving birth when deciding on this option.

Abortion: There are of course many moral and ethical issues that are attached to the issue of abortion.

However, it may be that the time and place in your life is not the right one either for you to become a parent or it is an unsuitable time for a baby to be born into your life for reasons of financial situation, age, health issues, or any other circumstances.

It is important to make a decision not only based on one’s moral or religious views but also the circumstances that surround you.

Remember the decision that you take now is something that you will have to live with for the rest of your life. Take the decision that will be easiest for you to live with. Some personal stories here may provide some helpful insights.

All future moms enter the pregnancy talk sooner or later and if most of the forums discuss personal experience some online articles or info may walk a first time pregnant woman from joy to dread.

So here is the first step in the world of pregnancy explained so the future mothers would understand in plain words what is going on in their body.

Once the pregnancy test has shown the reality and the visit to your gynecologist has stated that you are expecting a little one, the first month of pregnancy is on.

It is pointless to say that you will have to be very careful because all women know this but the first month is actually most important as nutrition goes.

The right way to go is eat rationally and eliminate from your diet all food elements that are normally bad for grownups because they will be even more dangerous for your baby.

As body changes come you will not experience significant changes other that breasts’ sensibility and sometimes cramps.

There are cases when women can experience mild bleeding known as “pregnancy spots” which may appear when the embryo implants in the uterus wall.

Getting back to the food part, during this first month you will have to eat mostly fruit and vegetable and of course food rich in protein.

You should eat Chicken, Meat, Fish, Beans and Soya but also consider a B vitamin intake that will prevent congenital malformations.

You will have to be extra careful about how the food is cooked because you must avoid raw meat, raw eggs, milk that is not pasteurized, random medications, drugs, tobacco and drugs.

Now comes the part where all women are starting to calculate the delivery date.

You have to be realistic about the matter and understand that predicting the exact date is pretty difficult. Still, you should know that it will be in the 226th day after conception.

Of course here comes the problem because most couple can’t say for sure when the conception took place.

A hint would be that at the women with a cycle of 28 days the ovulation takes place in the 14th while at those with a cycle of 22-24 days the conception probably took place in the 8th or 9th day. So provided you know the type of cycle you have you can start calculating using one of the above methods.

Considering the conception date will help you see the approximate development of your pregnancy.

You should know that after 14 days the embryo has the size of a needle point and the division process will continue rapidly in the first 4 weeks.

This being the beginning of the 9 months journey, you as a future mom should know that you are starting a wonderful adventure where the only mystery is the miracle life growing inside you.

Dare and think of the first month as being the best way you can experience the start of a new stage in your womanhood. You are the way life found the power to create. Be proud.

Pregnancy and the postpartum period is a time of increased risk for depression.  Therefore, women who are treated with antidepressant medications must consider whether or not to stay on medication during pregnancy.  Despite reassuring data regarding the reproductive safety of various antidepressants, a woman may prefer not to continue medication during pregnancy due to concerns [...]