Pregnancy Abdomen - Itchy Skin
In pregnancy, when your skin stretches out more and more across your belly as the months go by, becoming drier, you may experience some itchiness. Try not…
Guides
Avoiding a Cesarean
A high percentage of cesareans done in the United States are medically unnecessary, therefore many are preventable. There are measures that can be taken to…
"Tender Breasts: Pregnancy Discomforts"
When pregnancy hormone amounts, such as estrogen and progesterone, increase and your breasts start preparing for milk production, you may experience an…
Cesarean - When is a Cesarean Delivery Necessary
When pregnant women think about childbirth, they rarely envision having a c-section. Most assume they will deliver vaginally, although with the United…
Reasons for Cesareans
There are many reasons for cesareans and they vary with the individual woman, as well as the individual pregnancy. The chance of needing a cesarean depends…
Pregnancy Complications
Despite the fact that most women have normal, uncomplicated pregnancies, with only minor discomforts, pregnancy complications are not that uncommon.…
Pregnancy Contractions
Contractions are when your uterus starts practicing and preparing for labor (as early as the second trimester), you may experience some discomfort, as your…
Constipation in Pregnancy
When digestive muscles begin to loosen (due to certain hormones) and the last half of pregnancy when your growing uterus puts added pressure on your bowels,…
Contraction Stress Test
The "Contraction Stress Test" is another prenatal test used to help evaluate the condition of your baby and is often done when a non-stress test is…
Postpartum Depression (continued)
Things that may contribute to postpartum depression include: prior history of major depression or family history, lack of social or emotional support, a…
What Is Cord Blood Banking?
Blood is taken from the umbilical cord at birth, and the blood stem cells are stored in a cord blood bank. The potential for the cells is great since they…
Pregnancy and Depression
Pregnancy is supposed to be a joyful time, one of the happiest in a woman's life, but for many women it's a time of sadness and even bouts of depression.…
Episiotomy
A small incision during delivery is an episiotomy. Right before your baby's head emerges during delivery, in the pushing stage of labor, you may be given an…
Dizziness and Fainting
When your blood sugar level becomes low, because you've gone too long without eating or when your blood suddenly shifts, causing your blood pressure to drop…
The First Stage of Labor - Active Labor
During the second part of the longest stage of labor, your cervix really opens up, continuing to dilate from about 4 centimeters up to 8 centimeters. Your…
Pregnancy Headaches
When a combination of common hormonal changes, fatigue and also stress put a strain on your body during pregnancy, you may experience headaches, especially…
Heartburn and Indigestion
When stomach muscles relax due to increased levels of pregnancy hormones, indigestion and heartburn can occur. Another reason for heartburn is that your…
Hand Numbness in Pregnancy
When swelling occurs in the nerves in your wrists, it can lead to a condition called Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, which can cause pain and numbness in your…
Hemorrhoids in Pregnancy
A common discomfort in pregnancy is hemorrhoids. You may experience hemorrhoids when blood flow increases and your growing uterus puts pressure on your…
The First Stage - Phase Three
During the third part of the longest stage of labor, your cervix dilates fully to 10 centimeters, usually quickly. Your contractions are powerful and…
Induction of Labor
For most pregnant women, labor starts spontaneously and there is no need to interfere with the natural progression of events, from the first contraction to…
Do-It-Yourself Labor Induction
If your doctor or midwife has recommended labor induction, you may want to consider asking whether it would be appropriate for you to try some natural,…
Labor Induction Risks
The question of labor induction is really about weighing the benefits against the possible risks. If you're having medical problems or your baby's health is…
Labor Induction Procedures
There are several different ways to induce labor. The methods your doctor or midwife uses will ultimately depend on the condition of your cervix. Your…
Nausea and Vomiting
When you are in your first trimester of pregnancy and your body is adjusting to the production of certain hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, you…
Non-Stress Test (NST)
Prenatal Testing This test helps your doctor evaluate the condition of your baby by measuring your baby's heart rate in response to it's own movements.…
Nutrition in Pregnancy
How your diet affects your baby What you eat while you're pregnant affects your health and that of your unborn baby. The belief that a baby's nutritional…
Overheating
When your basal metabolic rate increases and your little built-in heater grows, you may experience feeling warmer and even perspire more. Try taking a cool…
Pelvic Pressure
When your joints begin to relax in preparation for childbirth and also when your baby drops during the third trimester, you may experience a feeling of…
Dealing with Postpartum Depression
Having a baby is supposed to be a thrilling and exciting time, but for many women it can also be a time of fear, stress and even depression. After giving…
Can Castor Oil Induce Labor — and Is It Safe?
Can taking castor oil to induce labor harm my baby? There is a debate over whether or not taking castor oil to bring on labor increases the risk of the baby…
Dairy Products Increase Odds of Conceiving Twins and Decrease Low Birth-Weight Babies
(continued nutrition) Strict vegans (whose diets exclude all animal and dairy products) have a much lower chance of conceiving twins than meat-eaters and…
Preterm Labor
Labor that begins anytime before the 37th week of pregnancy is preterm labor (or "premature labor"). Ideally, pregnancies (under normal circumstances), last…
Preterm Labor Treatment
Depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy, your doctor or midwife may not attempt to stop your preterm labor. If you aren't close to term, one of…
The Second Stage of Labor
During the second stage of labor, your cervix is fully-dilated to 10 centimeters and as your baby makes his or her way down the birth canal, your…
Signs of Labor
It's not known what brings labor on, but it's believed that hormones such as prostaglandins stimulate uterine activity and trigger oxytocin release,…
Sleep Difficulty
During the first trimester, many pregnant women have difficulty sleeping due to frequent urination and trips to the bathroom. Sleep Issues in Later…
Stages of Labor
Every woman's labor is different, following it's own pattern (even from pregnancy to pregnancy) and there are some things that can't be anticipated.…
Swelling and Fluid Retention
When body fluids (blood and water) increase, you may experience mild swelling (edema) of your feet, ankles, legs and hands. This is especially common during…
Teen Pregnancy and Birth
(continued) One part of prenatal care is attending classes where expectant mothers can learn about having a healthy pregnancy and delivery, breast-feeding…
Urinary Problems
When your uterus puts pressure on your bladder, as it grows (also when your baby drops, close to delivery), you may experience mild incontinence and…
13 Weeks - Pregnant
If you are pregnant and at 13 weeks, your baby is about 2 - 3 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs close to 1 1/2 ounces. Your baby's face has a…
Adoption Options
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/adoption.php/sids2-300x165][LINK_END]There are technically three basic adoption options for birthmothers to…
Amniocentesis
The amniocentesis test is a test in which a needle is used to remove a sample of fluid from the amniotic sac surrounding your baby. The amniotic fluid,…
Pregnancy Back Pain
Backaches and back pain occur when pelvic joints start to loosen (to allow easier passage for your baby during delivery) and especially later in pregnancy,…
Pregnancy Bedrest Survival Tips
It's one of the most dreaded words to hear during pregnancy bedrest. But it's not a prison sentence. There are ways to survive. You will need outside help,…
more Reasons for Cesareans
Failure to progress, or "dystocia" accounts for close to 30% of all cesareans. When the cervix won't dilate or if it slows down or stops altogether at some…
Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
Chorionic villus sampling is usually done early in pregnancy between the 9th and 13th week. This is a procedure that involves removing a sample of chorionic…
What is a Doula?
To be sure you get the kind of help you need in labor, you might want to consider having a doula. The ancient Greek word "doula" means "woman servant".…
What Are The Early Signs Of Pregnancy?
Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple…
Fatigue in Pregnancy
When your pregnant body is working overtime, growing a human inside it, as well as with all the added hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy, it's no…
Glucose Tolerance Test
This "Glucose Tolerance Test" is performed routinely to determine whether you have gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that can…
Hemoglobin Test
A protein found in red blood cells is called hemoglobin. By measuring your hemoglobin level during pregnancy, your doctor can determine whether you have…
Kelsey Grammer and Wife Kayte Welcome a Daughter
Kayte and Kelsey Grammer welcomed a baby girl on Friday, July 13th in LA. Shortly after announcing that they were expecting twins, the couple lost the…
Labor and Delivery
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/laboranddelivery.png][LINK_END]During labor and delivery, this is the longest stage of labor,…
"McDonald's to Serve Breakfast All Day"
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/mcdonalds.jpg][LINK_END]Word has it that McDonald's plans to offer all day breakfast foods to…
Maternal Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein (MSAFP) Test
This is a blood test which measures the level of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in your blood. It's designed to indicate an increased risk for fetal open neural…
Pregnancy Nails
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/nails.php/nails-3][LINK_END]Nails, like just about every other part of a woman's body tend to change during…
Pregnancy Answers - FAQs
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/hair-dye.jpg][LINK_END]There's no conclusive evidence that indicates whether or not hair dye…
Pregnancy Weight Gain
The appropriate weight gain during pregnancy depends on several factors, including your height, your age and how much you weighed before you conceived.…
Prenatal Tests
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/prenatal-tests1.jpg][LINK_END]The use of prenatal tests has become available since the 1980s…
Preterm Causes
What triggers normal, full-term labor is not yet fully understood, so the actual cause of preterm labor is not completely understood. In over half of…
Preterm Labor and Complications
Prematurity is the most common cause of sickness and death among newborns. Babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy are often called preterm or…
RH Factor Prenatal Test
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/rhfactor.jpg][LINK_END]Among the routine tests done early in pregnancy- often at the first…
Pregnancy Stretch Marks and Skin
In pregnancy, your skin may begin to change right before your eyes. These changes are a very common and usually an expected part of pregnancy, although not…
Statistics on Teen Pregnancy
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/Teen-Pregnancy-Rates.png][LINK_END]Teen birth rates, teen pregnancy rates and teen abortion…
Third Stage of Delivery
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/third-stage.png][LINK_END]After your baby is born and the cord has been clamped and cut,…
Triple Screen Test
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/triple-screen-test.jpg][LINK_END]This test is another method of screening maternal blood to…
Ultrasound - Prenatal Test
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/ultrasound.jpg][LINK_END]An ultrasound (or sonogram) is a non-surgical method of getting a…
Varicose Veins
[LINK_START:https://www.pregnancylounge.com/wp-content/uploads/varicose-veins.jpg][LINK_END]When your blood volume and hormone levels increase with…
10 Weeks Pregnant
If you are pregnant and at 10 weeks, your baby is between 1 - 1 1/2 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs close to 5 grams. Your baby's umbilical cord…
14 Weeks - Pregnant
If you are pregnant and at 14 weeks, your baby is between 3 and 4 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs about 2 ounces now. Fine hair is forming on…
17 Weeks Pregnant
If you are pregnant and at 17 weeks, your baby is about 4 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs close to 3 ounces. Your baby is forming "brown fat"…
19 Weeks Pregnant
If you are at 19 weeks pregnant, your baby is approximately 5 - 6 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs 7-8 ounces. A white, cheesy-textured coating…
A note on care: information on this page is educational. Symptoms vary, and only a qualified provider can assess your individual pregnancy. If something feels wrong, call your doctor, midwife, or maternity unit.