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  • Pregnancy Week 23

    This week your baby is over 8 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs a little over a pound. Your baby’s pancreas is developing well and is even beginning to produce insulin, which is necessary for the body to break down and use sugar. The bones in your baby’s middle ear are hardening now.

    Your little one is also beginning to exercise his or her fingers and toes, developing a strong grasp reflex. Your baby is now almost in complete proportion, although the head is still a bit bigger than the rest of the body.

    Changes in your abdomen are progressing gradually, but you definitely are getting larger and many of your pre-pregnancy clothes are probably impossible to get on. You may have gained between 12-15 pounds at this point in your pregnancy.

    Your pelvic floor muscles will be stretched as a result of your pregnancy. Kegel exercises are simple techniques you can do to tone the muscles in your vagina and perineal area. They will help prepare your muscles for delivery and ensure a speedy recovery postpartum. You may find yourself having trouble with hemorrhoids. Increase your fiber intake and drink lots of water if they become bothersome. They will most likely vanish after delivery.

    << more weeks >>

  • Pregnancy Week 22

    This week your baby is about 8 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs about a pound. Your baby’s liver is now starting to function and his or her hair and nails are continuing to grow. In fact some babies are born with quite long nails that need to be cut soon after birth to prevent them from scratching themselves.

    Your baby is growing at a solid pace and becoming plumper, developing more and more fat underneath the skin, which will help to keep him or her warm later on. Your baby’s face is also filling out nicely. The lanugo hair that covers your baby’s body may turn slightly darker during this time.

    Your uterus is above your belly button now and may be pushing outwards on your rib cage, causing your ribs to become a bit sore at times. In the later months of pregnancy, your baby may kick you in the ribs as well as stretch out and push your ribcage until it becomes uncomfortable.

    For some women, nasal congestion and nosebleeds are a side effect of pregnancy. This can occur due to altered levels of hormones, causing the mucous membranes in your nose to swell. Increased blood volume and softening of the tissues also contributes to this.

    Varicose veins may become bothersome around now, or later down the road. Varicose veins are blood vessels that become engorged with blood and they can be aggravated by standing for long periods of time. Wearing clothing that is non-restrictive, to keep circulation flowing freely may be very beneficial.

    << more weeks >>

  • Pregnancy Week 21

    Pregnancy Week 21

    Your baby is about 7 1/2- 8 inches in length (crown-to-rump) in pregnancy week 21 and weighs about 10 ounces. Your baby’s bones are growing harder, stronger and ossifying. Arm and leg movements will increase and become more coordinated now as the muscles strengthen. Your baby should be moving vigorously by now, with lots of amniotic fluid to provide plenty of room.

    Your baby’s sleep and wake cycle may be getting more predictable as the weeks progress. Your baby’s brain is growing at a very fast rate and the immune system is beginning to develop, as white blood cells are created.

    At this point in your pregnancy, you have probably gained between 10-14 pounds so far. Your uterus is growing and taking up more room now, crowding your other organs. You may have trouble breathing from this point until your baby drops, since your uterus is pushing up against your lungs and diaphragm.

    You may experience leg cramps, especially at night. It might help for you to stretch your legs before going to bed. Mild swelling in your legs and feet may also occur now and get worse after standing for long periods and also during warmer weather. Make sure you drink an adequate amount of water and take the time to sit and elevate your feet.

    << more weeks >>

  • 20 Weeks Pregnant

    20 Weeks Pregnant

    If you are at around 20 weeks pregnant, your baby is about 5 – 6 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs close to 10 ounces. At this stage your baby will be sleeping and waking much as a new born would, about 6 hours awake and about 18 hours asleep. Your baby’s nervous system is still developing and his or her movements are still jerky and erratic.

    This is a crucial time for your baby’s sensory development because his or her sense of smell, taste, hearing, sight and touch are now undergoing specialized development in the brain. Your baby’s heartbeat is stronger and easier to detect, beating at a rate of 120- 160 beats per minute. More below:

    You’ve made it halfway through your pregnancy (that is, if you go to full-term). Your abdomen is now quite distended due to your uterus having grown to become about even with your belly button. Your belly button may “pop out” as your uterus expands.

    Your doctor or midwife has probably been measuring the level of your fundus (top of your uterus) with a tape measure. After this week, your belly should grow about 1cm each week. Your abdomen may start to itch a bit as stretching occurs. Try to avoid scratching your belly and apply lotion to help relieve the dryness that may be contributing to the itchiness.

    You can feel your baby kicking more often at 20 weeks pregnant and with greater intensity now. Your partner may be able to feel these movements around this time, although they will be very soft. You will notice more consistent movements after about the 28th week. You may begin to feel your baby get the hiccups around this time or in the near future. They feel like gentle rhythmic movements in your abdomen.

    << more weeks >>

  • Labor and Delivery

    Labor and Delivery

    labor and deliveryDuring labor and delivery, this is the longest stage of labor, your cervix gradually softens, thins and opens. Your cervix opens (dilates) up to about three to four centimeters. Over a period of several hours (or possibly days for first-time moms), you experience mild contractions that slowly get somewhat stronger and closer together. At first, they tend to be fairly irregular, but as time goes on, they become longer and more consistent. They can start out spaced as widely apart as 30 minutes, lasting about 25 seconds. They may become as close as 5 minutes apart, lasting up to 60 seconds.

    The First Stage- Phase One
    Early Labor (or Latent Phase)

    You may experience lower back pain, chills, leg cramps, lower abdominal cramping, nausea, a warm abdominal sensation or diarrhea. You may also experience leaking of fluid at this time (a big gush or a little trickle), although it’s more common for your water to break a little later on, or have to be broken by your doctor or midwife if it doesn’t break on it’s own. This is the bag of amniotic fluid that surrounds your baby.

    Mucous Plus Expulsion

    You may have a thick, bloody, mucous-like discharge, as your cervix begins to open and thin out. This is often called, “bloody show” or “losing your mucus plug”. This barrier blocks the opening to your cervix throughout pregnancy, to prevent bacteria from entering.

    Labor and Emotions

    Emotionally, in labor and delivery, you may be feeling excited, anxious and even scared. You may be more energetic and talkative, as well as relieved that your baby is finally on his or her way; the moment you have been waiting for so long. At this point, you may also be nervous about the upcoming phase of active labor. Physically, you may not be too uncomfortable during this phase, but you may need to keep your mind occupied and distracted.

    Even though you may feel increased energy now, it’s best to take it easy, rest and not overdo it. You can add last minute items to your labor bag or walk around, if you’d like, which may help make labor quicker in the long run (because gravity helps!) At this point, you’ll probably still be at home, unless your water has broke, so you could grab the remote, watch a movie and have a light healthy snack (one that can be easily digested), if you wish. Water, juice or clear liquids are very important to keep you hydrated, so make sure you are drinking plenty. A warm bath or shower may be just what you need to relax and feel more comfortable (as long as your water hasn’t broke).

    Labor and Delivery Relaxation Techniques

    At this stage of labor and delivery, you may be a good time to start using your relaxation techniques, such as slow, deep breathing while listening to relaxing music, especially if you find yourself getting stressed. Your husband (or support person) can give you a gentle massage and also start timing your contractions. Contractions are timed from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next. If it’s in the middle of the night, you may want to try and sleep some more if you can, since you’ll need to be well-rested for the next phase. Don’t forget to give your doctor or midwife a call.

    –Stages of Labor
    –Signs of Labor
    –Preterm Labor
    –Preterm Complications
    –Preterm Labor Causes
    –Preterm Prevention and Treatment
    –First Stage: Phase I
    –First Stage: Phase II
    –First Stage: Phase III
    –Second Stage
    –Third Stage
    –Induction of Labor
    –Induction of Labor Procedures
    –Labor Induction Risks
    –Do It Yourself Labor Induction

  • Privacy Policy for Pregnancy Lounge

    The privacy of our visitors at Pregnancy Lounge is important to us.

    At Pregnancy Lounge, we recognize that privacy of your personal information is important. Here is information on what types of personal information we receive and collect when you use and visit Pregnancy Lounge, and how we safeguard your information. We never sell your personal information to third parties.

    Log Files

    As with most other websites, we collect and use the data contained in log files. The information in the log files include your IP (internet protocol) address, your ISP (internet service provider, such as AOL or Shaw Cable), the browser you used to visit our site (such as Internet Explorer or Firefox), the time you visited our site and which pages you visited throughout our site.

    Cookies and Web Beacons

    We do use cookies to store information, such as your personal preferences when you visit our site. This could include only showing you a popup once in your visit, or the ability to login to some of our features, such as forums.

    We also use third party advertisements on Pregnancy Lounge to support our site. Some of these advertisers may use technology such as cookies and web beacons when they advertise on our site, which will also send these advertisers (such as Google through the Google AdSense program) information including your IP address, your ISP , the browser you used to visit our site, and in some cases, whether you have Flash installed. This is generally used for geotargeting purposes (showing New York real estate ads to someone in New York, for example) or showing certain ads based on specific sites visited (such as showing cooking ads to someone who frequents cooking sites).

    DoubleClick DART Cookies

    We also may use DART cookies for ad serving through Google’s DoubleClick, which places a cookie on your computer when you are browsing the web and visit a site using DoubleClick advertising (including some Google AdSense advertisements). This cookie is used to serve ads specific to you and your interests (“interest based targeting”). The ads served will be targeted based on your previous browsing history (For example, if you have been viewing sites about visiting Las Vegas, you may see Las Vegas hotel advertisements when viewing a non-related site, such as on a site about hockey). DART uses “non personally identifiable information”. It does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, telephone number, social security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers. You can opt-out of this ad serving on all sites using this advertising by visiting http://www.doubleclick.com/privacy/dart_adserving.aspx

    You can choose to disable or selectively turn off our cookies or third-party cookies in your browser settings, or by managing preferences in programs such as Norton Internet Security. However, this can affect how you are able to interact with our site as well as other websites. This could include the inability to login to services or programs, such as logging into forums or accounts.

    Deleting cookies does not mean you are permanently opted out of any advertising program. Unless you have settings that disallow cookies, the next time you visit a site running the advertisements, a new cookie will be added.

  • RH Factor Prenatal Test

    RH Factor Prenatal Test

    rhfactorAmong the routine tests done early in pregnancy- often at the first visit- is to determine whether the Rh factor is present in your blood. The Rh factor is a type of protein sometimes present in your blood and whether or not you have the Rh factor is determined by your genes passed on from your parents.

    A woman who carries this protein is Rh-positive and someone without it is Rh-negative. Your Rh status, whether positive or negative, does not affect your health before pregnancy, but during pregnancy- if you are Rh-negative and your baby is Rh-positive, problems can arise. Your Rh status is determined by testing your blood.

    More Tests

    —Amniocentesis
    —Chorionic Villus Sampling (CVS)
    —Contraction Stress test (CST)
    —Glucose Tolerance Testing
    —Hemoglobin Test
    —MSAFPT Test
    —Non-Stress (NST) Test
    —Rh Factor
    —Triple Screen Test
    —Ultrasound

  • 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 Pregnancy

    When you get into the second and third trimester and your size is increasing, along with your little one kicking you more and more, you may experience sleep difficulty in finding a comfortable sleep position, as well as falling asleep and staying asleep all night. If you are used to sleeping on your back or stomach, you may find it quite difficult to adjust to sleeping on your side, which is recommended. The left side is best, because it improves circulation. Lying on your side with your knees bent, place a pillow between your knees and one behind your back to get more support. Special “pregnancy” pillows (or body pillows) may be a great investment for better uninterrupted sleep. Try taking a warm, relaxing shower or bath right before bedtime and have a warm caffeine-free drink, but don’t drink more than one, unless you want to get up a dozen times for bathroom trips. Avoid sleep medications, without consulting with your doctor or midwife first, about their safety.

    more Discomforts

    —Backaches
    —Breast Discomfort
    —Braxton Hicks Contractions
    —    Constipation
    —Dizziness and Fainting
    —Fatigue
    —Hand Numbness
    —Headaches
    —Heartburn and Indigestion
    —Hemorrhoids
    —Increased Discharge
    —Itchy Abdomen
    —Leg Cramps
    —Nausea and Morning Sickness
    —Overheating
    —Pelvic Pressure
    —Sleep Trouble
    —Swelling
    —Urinary Problems
    —Varicose Veins

  • Ectopic Pregnancy and Female Sterilization

    A study was done on approximately ten thousand women within ten years after sterilization. Ectopic pregnancy occurred in 7 out of 1,000 of those procedures. Women who have had sterilization and under the age of 30 are twice as likely to have a tubal pregnancy as older women.

    Researchers have determined that ectopic pregnancy can occur many years after sterilization. Women who think they may be pregnant should contact their health care provider immediately as ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of pregnancy related deaths in the first trimester.

    more on Ectopic Pregnancy

    —What is Ectopic Pregnancy?
    —What are the Symptoms of Ectopic Pregnancy?
    —How is Ectopic Pregnancy Diagnosed?
    —Ectopic Pregnancy and the Future

  • 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 the third trimester and may get worse during warmer weather and after standing on your feet for a long time. To ease discomfort of swelling, stay off your feet as much as you can, keeping them elevated higher than your heart. Lay on your left side and keep from crossing your legs while sitting, to increase circulation. Your fluid intake needs to be at least eight 8-ounce glasses a day to flush out your system and keep your swelling at bay.

    more Discomforts

    —Backaches
    —Breast Discomfort
    —Braxton Hicks Contractions
    —    Constipation
    —Dizziness and Fainting
    —Fatigue
    —Hand Numbness
    —Headaches
    —Heartburn and Indigestion
    —Hemorrhoids
    —Increased Discharge
    —Itchy Abdomen
    —Leg Cramps
    —Nausea and Morning Sickness
    —Overheating
    —Pelvic Pressure
    —Sleep Trouble
    —Swelling
    —Urinary Problems
    —Varicose Veins

  • Teen Adoption

    Teen Adoption

    teen-pregnancyFor many teens facing an unplanned pregnancy, adoption is a positive option. Adoption can give you the freedom to pursue your goals and know that you have made a caring decision for your child. Choosing life for your baby and giving a wonderful gift to another family is a very courageous and wonderful thing. There are many couples that can’t have their own children and are waiting to adopt a child. Counselors and support groups are available through most adoption agencies to help with the emotions surrounding adoption. If you decide on adoption, you can choose to have it open or closed. An open adoption is when you get to choose the parents who will be raising your baby and a closed adoption is when everything is kept private

    Abortion

    Many pregnant teens decide to have an abortion because they believe it will be a quick resolution to a difficult situation. Often teens who give in to the idea of abortion are pressured into it by their partners. In a survey taken of women who have had abortions, 63% of them felt “forced” by other people into the abortion, and 74% of the women surveyed said they would not have the abortion again. Make up your own mind based on factual information. You have time. Don’t make any quick decisions based on fear, panic or pressure.

    more on teen pregnancy

    —Teen Pregnancy
    —Teen Statistics

  • 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 and the basics of caring for a new baby. These classes are offered at most hospitals, medical centers, schools, and colleges in your area. Many places offer classes that are designed especially for expectant teen moms.

    Just about everything you eat, drink, inhale or ingest during pregnancy will be passed on to your baby. So you want to make sure you’re only putting healthy foods in your body. And, you want to protect your baby by staying away from dangerous stuff, like cigarettes, alcohol and drugs- which can cause birth defects and even cause you to lose your baby.

    You may be asking yourself, “What about school?” About 40,000 students drop out each year because of pregnancy, but not every teen does and you don’t need to either. Girls who complete high school are more likely to have good jobs and enjoy more success in their lives. If possible, finish high school now rather than trying to return later.

    Ask your school counselor or an adult you trust for information about programs and classes in your community for pregnant teens. If your baby is due during the school year, arrangements can be made for home schooling and tutoring. Some states in the US have programs where teachers can come to your home to teach. Some high schools even have child-care centers on campus, for after your baby is born. Many teens have a family member or friend care for their baby while they’re in school. If none of these options work for you, night school or testing to receive your GED (General Educational Development) may be more feasible.

    more on teen pregnancy:

    —Teen Statistics
    —Teen Options