Amniocentesis: Just as blood tests can find disease and other health problems in people, amniocentesis can provide health information about your baby while still in the womb. In some pregnancies - if you're over 35, if you've had a child with a chromosomal abnormality or a family history of certain birth defects, for example - doctors may order an amniocentesis, which is the process of extracting a small amount of amniotic fluid from the sac surrounding the fetus. Amniotic fluid provides information such as genetic makeup and level of maturity. It is extraordinarily useful in determining if a baby has Downs syndrome.
Braxton Hicks Contractions: Feeling your abdomen tighten when you are only six months pregnant can be scary. But, most likely, it's only practice for the real thing. Braxton Hicks contractions can be identified as irregular contractions, which come and go, without getting closer together or getting stronger. True labor causes lower back ache, pressure in your pelvis and contractions that occur in regular intervals, that don't ease up with walking and increase in strength.
Cesarean Section: Despite your best efforts, sometimes a surgical delivery is necessary - or maybe you planned it. Also known as a C-section, a cesarean delivery is performed by cutting an incision in the mother's lower abdomen and uterus. The doctor removes the baby through the incision, removes the placenta and then closes the incision, often while the mother is awake, but numbed with a spinal block. C-sections are often recommended for women whose baby's are breech, who develop preeclampsia, when the baby is larger than nine pounds, or in multiple pregnancies. There are a slew of reasons, and some women even choose to schedule C-sections.
Doula: Aside from your doctor and your partner, a doula is the person that can make your birthing experience as comfortable as possible. Her job is to provide emotional and physical support, usually through methods discussed prior to labor. She's your go-to-guy for such things as ice packs, massage and a calming voice. She can also help parents understand the procedures, medical terms and be a liaison between the mother and the hospital staff.
Ectopic Pregnancy: In about two percent of pregnancies, the fertilized egg attaches to an area outside of the uterus. Most develop in the fallopian tubes, and some occur in an ovary, the cervix or the abdomen. Many ectopic pregnancies are diagnosed before a woman even knows she is pregnant. However, it can damage the fallopian tubes and interfere with fertility.
Fetal Heart Monitor: This will likely be the first "sound" you hear from your baby. Throughout pregnancy, labor and delivery, your doctor will use a special stethoscope, or a Doppler, a handheld ultrasound machine, to monitor your baby's heartbeat. An electronic fetal heart monitor consists of two sensors attached to mom-to-be's abdomen which measure the baby's resting and non-resting heart rate, as well as the duration of contractions. This monitor is hooked to a machine that records the information.
Gestational Diabetes: Around the sixth or seventh month of your pregnancy, your doctor will request a glucose screening test to check for gestational diabetes - an elevated sugar level found only during pregnancy. It is caused when a pregnant woman can't produce enough insulin to process the extra glucose in her body. The test consists of drinking a sweet, orange soda-like drink an hour before blood is drawn. If the test is abnormal, a three-hour, fasting test will be administered. Gestational diabetes can usually be regulated through diet and exercise and will most likely disappear postpartum.
Hiccups: Not yours, the baby's. It's not unusual for baby's to get the hiccups in the womb, and some get them more frequently than others. Although it is just as annoying for you as if they were your own hiccups, it is not uncomfortable for the baby.
Itching: As your belly expands, so does your skin, and an itchy belly is the result. Try not to scratch and apply an anti-itching lotion, like calamine, for some temporary relief.
Junk Food: Ok. Yes, you are going to gain weight while you are pregnant. But, this is not the time to load up on potato chips, cookies and pies - although a little ice cream here in there probably won't hurt. It has calcium after all! Your baby is eating what you are eating and a balanced, nutritious diet is especially important for him. Keeping your weight gain between 25 and 30 pounds is ideal during pregnancy.
Kegel Exercises: If you ever want to laugh again without wetting your pants, you better start doing Kegels. These exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which will get all out of whack following childbirth. You can do Kegels sitting or standing, throughout the day, by squeezing the muscles around your vagina, as if you were stopping the flow of urine. Hold for several seconds and release. You may also want to try a few sets of quick Kegels.
Labor: It lives up to its name! The process of delivering a baby is work. Labor has two phases: early and active. Early is the longest phase of the labor process, marked by mild to moderate uterine contractions, 5 to 20 minutes apart. During active labor, which has three phases, the cervix completes dilation and contractions become severe, the baby is born and then the placenta is delivered.
Morning Sickness: Ugh! Your pretty pregnant glow may just be flushed cheeks from hanging your head over the toilet all day. Morning sickness has no known cause, but has been theorized to be caused by excess hormones and elevated estrogen levels. And, it's not just for breakfast! Nausea and vomiting in the first trimester can happen all day long. Some lucky women never experience morning sickness.
Neural Tube Defect: This is a concern for the baby, not the mother. But, soon-to-be-mom will need to take precautions to reduce the risk of such birth defects as spina bifida, a spinal column deformity. One of the best ways to do this is to take neonatal vitamins enriched with folic acid. During the second trimester a simple blood test can read the levels of certain hormones in the mother's blood, which have been produced by the baby. High levels can indicate spina bifida; low levels can indicate Down syndrome, although nothing is certain until the baby is born.
Obesity: Most likely, this is what you feel you are suffering from if you are rounding out your last trimester. But, obesity is actually a condition that can put you in the "high risk" category throughout your pregnancy. Gestational diabetes and high blood pressure are among some of the conditions for which obese pregnant women should watch.
Junk Food: Ok. Yes, you are going to gain weight while you are pregnant. But, this is not the time to load up on potato chips, cookies and pies - although a little ice cream here in there probably won't hurt. It has calcium after all! Your baby is eating what you are eating and a
balanced, nutritious diet is especially important for him. Keeping your weight gain between 25 and 30 pounds is ideal during pregnancy.
Kegel Exercises: If you ever want to laugh again without wetting your pants, you better start doing Kegels. These exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which will get all out of whack following childbirth. You can do Kegels sitting or standing, throughout the day, by squeezing the muscles around your vagina, as if you were stopping the flow of urine. Hold for several seconds and release. You may also want to try a few sets of quick Kegels.
Labor: It lives up to its name! The process of delivering a baby is work. Labor has two phases: early and active. Early is the longest phase of the labor process, marked by mild to moderate uterine contractions, 5 to 20 minutes apart. During active labor, which has three phases, the cervix completes dilation and contractions become severe, the baby is born and then the placenta is delivered.
Morning Sickness: Ugh! Your pretty pregnant glow may just be flushed cheeks from hanging your head over the toilet all day. Morning sickness has no known cause, but has been theorized to be caused by excess hormones and elevated estrogen levels. And, it's not just for breakfast! Nausea and vomiting in the first trimester can happen all day long. Some lucky women never experience morning sickness.
Neural Tube Defect: This is a concern for the baby, not the mother. But, soon-to-be-mom will need to take precautions to reduce the risk of such birth defects as spina bifida, a spinal column deformity. One of the best ways to do this is to take neonatal vitamins enriched with folic acid. During the second trimester a simple blood test can read the levels of certain hormones in the mother's blood, which have been produced by the baby. High levels can indicate spina bifida; low levels can indicate Down syndrome, although nothing is certain until the baby is born.
Obesity: Most likely, this is what you feel you are suffering from if you are rounding out your last trimester. But, obesity is actually a condition that can put you in the "high risk" category throughout your pregnancy. Gestational diabetes and high blood pressure are among some of the conditions for which obese pregnant women should watch.
Placenta: Your baby is connected to the umbilical cord and the umbilical cord is connected to the placenta. This organ develops during pregnancy and your baby receives nutrients, oxygen and gets rid of waste through blood vessels in the placenta and umbilical cord. However, it has to be "delivered," too, right after your baby. It is also known as afterbirth.
Quickening: Until about the middle of the second trimester, your baby has been moving around your uterus unnoticed. Then one day, you feel something similar to butterflies in your stomach and your hands become a permanent fixture on your belly. That's quickening. Those little fetal movements that let you know everything is ok in there.
Rooming-in: Some hospitals allow mothers to keep their new babies in their room around the clock. This is a wonderful option for breastfeeding mothers or those who are ready to jump right into baby duty. However, don't feel pressured to keep your baby in your room 24 hours a day. You will need lots of rest after delivery and the nurses are well equipped to take care of your bundle of joy. Plus, you can request to see him anytime you like.
Spinal Block: Anesthesia used to numb the lower abdomen, a spinal block is administered just before a Cesarean Section is performed. It is injected into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord. Unlike an epidural, a spinal block causes you to completely lose feeling from your feet to your abdomen.
Transitional Labor: If you can read this in a calm, out-loud voice, you are not in transitional labor. Known also as advanced active labor, transitional labor marks the final dilation of the cervix and is recognized by strong contractions, approximately two to three minutes apart and about a minute long. This is the time when obscenities and name calling must be overlooked.
Uterus: Home Sweet Home to your baby for the nine months before she greets the world. The uterus is part of a woman's reproductive system, located in the pelvis, between the bladder and the rectum. It provides food and shelter for a growing embryo.
VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean): Before the 1970s, women who had Cesarean deliveries were destined to deliver their subsequent children surgically, for fear of uterine rupture. But recent studies have found that, depending on the reason for the C-section, many women who have had Cesareans can later have successful vaginal deliveries.
Water Breaking: Technically, what has happened is that the fluid-filled sac surrounding your baby has ruptured, causing the amniotic fluid, that baby has been living in for nine months, to leak. If this happens, write down the time and how much fluid leaked and then call your doctor. You will probably be delivering a baby within 24 hours.
X-tra Yawning and Zzzz's: There is no doubt that pregnancy will take a lot out of you! During the first trimester, you will likely notice a decrease in your energy level - if not outright fatigue. Your body is working overtime to make a baby and you should allow yourself to rest. Try to get at least one more hour of sleep than what you are used to - preferably two. By the second trimester, your energy should return. But, weight gain and body mass will probably slow you down again in the third trimester.
