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How Many Ultrasounds Have You Had?

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There’s quite a bit of discussion about ultrasounds going on right now. Although the recommendation for the number of ultrasounds during an uncomplicated pregnancy is two, an increasing number of women are having three or more. Ultrasounds are safe for both mom and baby, but extra ultrasounds across a large group of pregnant women can add up to quite a bit in medical costs. Another problem that could result from too many ultrasounds is increased anxiety over test results, particularly when something appears to be wrong in one ultrasound, and then fine in the next. Typically, a healthy pregnant woman … Continue reading →

When My Best Friend Lost Her Baby

When I found out I was pregnant last spring, my best friend, Jessie, was one of the first people to find out. A few weeks later, she called me with some news of her own; she, too, was pregnant. She was a week and a day behind me. We were so excited; we were going to have babies together! But Jessie was in a completely different situation than I was. She had a Mirena IUD in place, which had been there for almost five years. She had some tough decisions to make. She decided right away that she wanted to … Continue reading →

The Grass Is Always Greener…

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Are you sick of being pregnant? Make a list of all the things you miss right now. For one, it will help get it off your chest. Second of all, it will give you something to look back on next year. You’ll gain a new appreciations for life’s smallest luxuries. It can also help cure “baby fever” in the future. Here are some things that I remember missing when I was pregnant with my son: 1. Sleeping on my stomach 2. My favorite jeans 3. The ability to buy clothes anywhere 4. Being able to zip up my coat 5. … Continue reading →

Reflections on Transitioning from Pregnancy to Motherhood

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I look back at blog entries I wrote when I was pregnant, as well as e-mails I sent my friends, and it’s clear that there were moments when I was so eager for pregnancy to end. I really enjoyed pregnancy for the most part, but near the end I became so sore and uncomfortable, and I could hardly contain my excitement to cradle my baby in my arms for the first time. As much as I was ready to become a mother, however, there are some things about pregnancy that I truly miss. I used to lay on my side … Continue reading →

Misdiagnosed Miscarriages

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Occasionally, women who are diagnosed with a miscarriage after an episode of cramping and bleeding go on to have a healthy pregnancy. It’s called misdiagnosed miscarriage, and it happens more than you might think. What is worse is that many women are pressured to end their “doomed” pregnancy medically via D&C or other means. Miscarriages can be misdiagnosed when the estimated date of conception is off. When the ultrasound is done, the doctor may expect to see an embryo of a certain size, but if the dates are off, the baby may not be visible yet. This may lead the … Continue reading →

My Ultrasound Experience

As promised, a report on my ultrasound adventure! I went to an imaging center for a pelvic ultrasound. The prep is different, depending on which body part is being scanned. My prep was pretty easy: drink five glasses of water in the hour prior to your scan. (For ultrasound scans of other areas of the body, you may be asked to fast, or drink only clear liquids.) There was only one hard part: I couldn’t use the bathroom until AFTER my scan. This inspired nightmare images of me having an accident on the exam table! But as it turns out, … Continue reading →

What Is an Ultrasound?

I’ve got ultrasounds on the brain at the moment, since I’m having one on Monday afternoon to confirm my doctor’s diagnosis of fibroids. Also known as sonography, ultrasound imaging uses sound waves to create pictures of the inside of the body. One big advantage of an ultrasound over other kinds of imaging is that an ultrasound does not use ionizing radiation (like an x-ray does) and is generally non-invasive. Ultrasound images are captured in real time, so they can even show the movement of blood through vessels! Conventional ultrasound displays the images in thin, flat sections. There are also 3D … Continue reading →

Should You Do a VBAC?

If you have had a prior cesarean, you may assume that you have to have another, but if you have a healthy pregnancy and your past cesarean was a low vertical incision, VBAC is an option for you. VBAC stands for vaginal birth after cesarean. Many factors lead women to believe that a VBAC is not an option, but many times, this not the case. If you had a prior cesarean due to failure to progress, for example, that does not mean you cannot have a vaginal birth this time around. Studies show your odds are two out of three … Continue reading →

Unusual (but Good!) Advice for Pregnant Women

I picked up a few good pieces of advice here and there when I was pregnant, and now I’ll share them with you! From cooking to posture to underwear, pregnancy requires a little modification to your usual routine. Cooking Safety Watch your tummy when you’re cooking dinner, especially if you have a gas range. It’s easy to get too close to the flame when you’re not used to how big your belly is. If you’re baking, keep your shirt clean by wearing an apron to prevent your belly from picking up ingredients like flour off the counter top. Posture Avoid … Continue reading →

Then and Now: Obstetrics

Around the 1930s, most women switched from giving birth at home with a midwife, to giving birth at a hospital with an obstetrician. Unfortunately, at this point in history, women were still better off delivering at home. In the 1930s, 1 in a 150 pregnancies resulted in maternal death. As a result, many changes were made in the field of obstetrics. Procedures were standardized and doctors were more carefully trained. By the 1950s, the maternal death rate was lowered to 1 in 2,000. Today it’s about 13 in 100,000 (roughly 1 in 7,692). Most of the progress made in the … Continue reading →