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The Pregnancy Blog Review for Jan 29 – Feb 9

The pregnancy blog has recently covered topics related to infertility, birth, VBAC and other health related topics. If you haven’t been reading or missed something, the pregnancy blog review is a good place to catch up on the recent topics. Fatigue is one of the side effects of pregnancy that women complain about most. A condition such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome compounds the problem. Read more in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in Pregnancy. By now, most women have heard that caffeine is not good during pregnancy. There is mounting evidence to support eliminating caffeine from your diet. A recent study confirms … Continue reading →

Sweeping the Membranes

If you have reached or passed your due date, your health care provider may suggest sweeping the membranes. This is a somewhat common practice among obstetricians. The purpose is to help bring on labor. Sweeping the membranes is a fairly simple process. It is often done during a vaginal exam when the doctor may also be checking the cervix for ripening. The doctor uses a finger to gently detach the amniotic sac from the wall of the uterus, near the cervix. The worst part for the mother is the discomfort associated with the exam and the stripping of the membranes. … Continue reading →

Late Trimester Test: The Cervical Exam

  As your due date approaches, you’ll start getting more and more checks by your doctor.  Your appointment schedule will increase to every two weeks from around week 30, and then every week from around week 37.  In addition to the fetal heartbeat check, you’ll probably have your belly measured as well, and your provider will feel around your stomach to determine the baby’s position.  Some doctors might even do a vaginal exam for this, if they’re having trouble determining where the baby is. You’ll get your group B strep test, and this might also be around the time you’ll … Continue reading →

When Contractions Start and Stop

The last days of pregnancy are often spent thinking about labor and wondering when it will begin. The wait is never easy, but becomes incredibly frustrating when you have contractions that start and stop. This happened to me in two of my four pregnancies. I’d get contractions that were coming as close as five mintues apart. Over the next hour or two, the pains would come gradually further apart and then dissipate altogether. There were a few nights when I went to bed certain I’d wake up in strong labor, only to wake up pain free the next morning. This … Continue reading →

Can Evening Primrose Oil Help Soften the Cervix

Proponents of natural birth methods and many midwives swear by using evening primrose oil to help ripen the cervix. Evening primrose oil contains prostaglandins, which are used for inducing labor. It is said to help soften and ripen the cervix to help prepare it for the birth of your baby. Evening primrose oil is more commonly used by midwives. Very few obstetricians employ this method for softening the cervix. Most go to the medical methods of stripping the membranes or inducing labor with prostaglandins or pitocin. There is some debate about the effectiveness of evening primrose oil. Like other natural … Continue reading →