Tokophobia: Fear of Pregnancy and Childbirth

But for many women pregnancy may also become a worrisome and fearful event. Tokophobia is the fear of pregnancy or childbirth and requires treatment. ... read more »

First Stage of Active Labor

When the first stage of labor begins, the cervix responds to hormonal changes and contractions start to take on a more patterned interval. Cervical dilation and bloody show will be present as well. ... read more »

During COVID-19: Is Home Birth Better than Hospital Birth?

Even now: Home birth is not safer than hospital birth. ... read more »

Top Childbirth Fears: Questions and Answers

There are so many worries and concerns when it comes being pregnant, with perhaps the largest surrounding what might potentially happen during labor and delivery. Knowledge is power so we compiled top worries about labor and delivery along with information on how to conquer them! ... read more »

Baby’s Brain Injury May Have Occurred Long Before Delivery

Recent advances in medical science indicate many brain injuries occur during pregnancy, long before labor begins. In these cases, medical personnel are not at fault. ... read more »

Study: Epidurals Slow Second Stage of Labor, Delay Delivery

The findings of a recent study on the use of epidurals during labor suggest the need to review current guidelines defining normal progression and potentially dangerous prolonged (abnormal) labor. ... read more »

Pregnancy Hormones Ease Chronic Pain

During pregnancy, childbirth, and thereafter, many women don't experience pain to the degree expected. Many who use opiates for pain management find they don't need as much of it during this time. ... read more »

The Third Trimester From The Male Perspective

The home stretch, the last few innings, the calm before the storm – or perhaps the storm before the hurricane. Yes, we’re talking about the third trimester of pregnancy. This is the time you and your partner are making final preparations and when you’ll begin counting down the launch sequence. ... read more »

Head Engagement Lightening: When Your Baby Drops

For the better part of your pregnancy, your baby will be positioned upright for his or her development. However, at the end of your third trimester, your body will start naturally preparing for birth, and your baby will “drop” into the birthing position. ... read more »

The Checklist and Other List Page

The preconception, fertility, pregnancy, hospital, and postpartum checklist page will help you in your tasks. ... read more »

Third Trimester of Pregnancy: Doctor's Appointments and Tests

If you’re in your third trimester (weeks 28 through 40 weeks) you’re in the home stretch. Doctor visits are coming up more frequently, and depending on how your pregnancy is progressing so far, you will either have them monthly or weekly. ... read more »

How Weather Affects Fertility and Pregnancy

Believe it or not but the weather can affect fertility and pregnancy. In men and women. ... read more »

Labor and Delivery: Birthing Choices

The traditional birthing choice in the United States involves having a doctor-assisted delivery in a hospital setting. Despite the popularity of the traditional hospital birth, there are other birthing options women may want to consider. ... read more »

Prenatal Yoga for Stress Relief

Prenatal yoga helps you stay fit, keep you relaxed, and lowering your stress level. ... read more »

7 Tips for Staying Comfortable at Work During Pregnancy

Working until the latter stages of pregnancy could increase this feeling exponentially, but there are a few things you can change about your workspace to increase your comfort level. ... read more »

Reflexology for Labor and Delivery

More women are turning to reflexology as part of their plans for a good experience with labor and delivery. It can be used both throughout a pregnancy, and also in the delivery room as labor progresses. ... read more »

Nausea and Vomiting During Labor and Delivery

Isn’t going through labor enough without having to add feeling sick to the whole experience? Unfortunately, nausea is common during labor. ... read more »

Postpartum Hemorrhage and Bleeding

It is normal to experience some postpartum bleeding in the weeks or months following birth. However, you can experience more than usual postpartum bleeding following delivery, and the medical term for more than usual bleeding is postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). ... read more »

When Is It Too Late For Pain Medication?

For a pregnant woman who has decided on using pain medication for labor and delivery hearing the words, “It is too late to relieve pain” can be frightening. Why, and more importantly when, is it too late for pain medication during labor and delivery? ... read more »

Relieving the Itch After C-Section Requires Promptness

One nagging problem that some women face after their cesarean section is incessant itching all over their skin. ... read more »

Umbilical Cord Information and Anomalies

The umbilical cord transports blood and nutrients between the placenta and the fetus and back. ... read more »

Childbirth: Aromatherapy for Pain Management

One of the alternative techniques you can use for the management of pain during labor is aromatherapy. Aromatherapy can be a great way to reduce the amount of stress you're experiencing. ... read more »

Pushing Tips

You can take classes, watch movies and ask questions about pushing, but until you are in active labor, you won't know exactly how strong the pressure and the need to push really is. Learning some tips for effective pushing can help lt lessen the time spent in labor. ... read more »

What is a Birth Plan?

A birth plan is a simple, clear, flexible plan expressing the birth mother’s preferences during birth. The plan is not a medical guide or definitive declaration of how the birth will go, but it does give everyone involved an idea of the pregnant woman’s wishes. ... read more »

Tips to Naturally Induce Labor

As you near the end of your pregnancy, you may be ready for the entire process of carrying your baby to be over. Several things can be done to induce labor naturally that might make you have contractions and begin labor, but they'll only work if your body is ready! Follow these labor induction tips. ... read more »

What to Pack for Labor & Delivery

Here's what to pack for the hospital in your labor bag! ... read more »

Breathing Exercises

Most people associate breathing exercises with helping to ease pain from contractions, but it also provides increased oxygen levels to the baby who is in state of stress as well. ... read more »

First-Time Fathers and the Delivery Room

Euphoria, agony, and everything in between. Back and forth, for hours. Those are the emotional memories of ten fathers participating in a Swedish study of first-time fathers in the delivery room. ... read more »

Epidural and Spinal Anesthesia During Labor

An epidural is the most popular choice among women during labor and delivery. It is delivered through a needle and catheter which usually stays in place until the baby is born. ... read more »

Third Stage of Labor

Giving birth to a new baby is about more than just active labor, contractions and pushing. The placenta needs to pass out of the uterus and vagina after delivery. ... read more »

Second Stage of Active Labor

The second stage of active labor is when you finally get to react to those strong contractions. As the second stage of active labor begins you will feel the need to push. ... read more »

Interactive Apgar Score Calculator

The Apgar score is done on every baby at 1 and 5 minutes of life to assess whether the baby needs resuscitation. This interactive Apgar Score Calculator will help you determine your baby's Apgar score. ... read more »

Labor Contractions Timer Tool

The babyMed Labor Contractions Timer Tool allows you to follow your contractions as labor begins and as it progresses toward delivery. When timing labor contractions, start counting from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next. Follow your contractions and calculate everything about them: How long they last, how far apart they are and how frequent they become. This counting tool automatically calculates the number of contractions, length, interval, and other important information. ... read more »

Vaginal Tearing

Natural tears are common during childbirth and tend to heal just as quickly as surgical cuts or episiotomies. There are four degrees of vaginal tearing during pregnancy: ... read more »

When Should I Head To The Hospital?

The first stage, when mom starts feeling real labor pains, can last between 10 and 14 hours. Once through this first stage, it is time for mom to head off to the hospital. ... read more »

Spinal Anesthesia

Spinals are pain medications delivered via the spinal column in one dose. The medication is fast acting and can achieve a complete block of pain in as little as 15 minutes. ... read more »

Why Can't I Use the Bathroom?

While dehydration is not typically a problem thanks to IV fluids, fear of urinating may cause a woman who has just given birh to refrain from heading off to the bathroom too quickly. ... read more »

Oral Misoprostol vs. Foley Catheter: Induction of Labor

A study published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth examines efficacy and pregnancy complication rates between Foley catheter and oral misoprostol labor induction. ... read more »

Common Postpartum Problems: Episiotomy Issues

If you received a small incision in your perineum while giving birth, this procedure is called an episiotomy. It is sometimes necessary in order to make more room for your baby during delivery. ... read more »

NY Mets Daniel Murphy Takes Flack for Paternity Leave

New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy Daniel Murphy chose to be a family man. ... read more »

Labor Fears Linked to Postpartum Depression

An estimated 50 to 80 percent of all women who give birth experience some degree of postpartum depression in the first year after delivery. ... read more »

Inflatable Belt May Shorten Labor

An inflatable belt may reduce time spent in the second stage of labor, according to research. The belt, which applies fundal pressure to the uterus, shortened the second stage of labor and caused no adverse side effects. ... read more »

Impact of Chorioamnionitis on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

Bacterial infections, typically associated with long labor and bacteria that moves from the vagina to the uterus, can cause chorioamnionitis or an inflammation of the fetal membranes. ... read more »

Pregnancy Study: Acupressure for Pain Relief in Labor

Researchers from Taiwan have published a study in the February, 2013 issue of Pain Management Nursing. The study examined the effect of acupressure on various types of pain. ... read more »

Baby-Friendly Hospital Accreditation and Breastfeeding Rates

A recent review of breastfeeding rates at one and four months postpartum in mothers who gave birth at BFHI (Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative) hospitals reveals the initiative has little impact on overall breastfeeding rates. ... read more »

Setting Makes Home Deliveries More Risky, Not Midwives

Dr. Grunebaum advises patients invite a midwife into the hospital delivery room so a woman can have both the comfort of a familiar birthing companion and the necessary medical staff and equipment. ... read more »

Auto Mechanic’s Dream Vision Eases Delivery Difficulties

What do you get when you cross an auto mechanic, a YouTube video, and a vision in a dream? In the case of Argentinian mechanic Jorge Odón, you get the Odón Device. ... read more »

Comparison of Anesthetic Effects During Cesarean Section

There are various options for pain control during cesarean section delivery. Regional pain blocks, like the spinal, are increasing in popularity, but there are multiple drugs to choose from. ... read more »

Uterine Closure Techniques After C-Section Delivery

Researchers at the University of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Universite Laval in Quebec recently polled more than 450 obstetricians on the type of uterine closure they favor after C-section delivery. ... read more »

Leptin Levels in Pregnancy and Treatment of Obese Women

Researchers from Queens Hospital and Whipps Cross University Hospital in the United Kingdom recently published a question in the journal Medical Hypotheses. The question posed related to leptin levels, obesity and pregnancy management. ... read more »

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