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The Placenta: What You Should Know
The placenta is an incredible organ that develops in your uterus over the course of your first trimester. That means you not only are growing a new life, but also growing an organ entirely from scratch! Pretty cool right? As cells rapidly divide in the early stages of pregnancy, some begin to form the embryo…
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Pregnancy Viability: Milestones, Risks, and Support
A pregnancy is considered viable when there is a reasonable chance for a baby to survive outside of the womb. While an exciting journey, pregnancy can also be a time of anxiousness about what could go wrong. Reaching certain points during a pregnancy can be comforting as miscarriage risks decrease, and chances of delivering a…
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Predicting Fetal Size: Is it accurate?
Estimating a baby’s size is important to ensure fetal development is on track and to prepare for birth. In a perfect world, we would have the technology that would tell us exactly how much a baby weighed and accurately identify a baby measuring smaller or larger than normal. Unfortunately, our current technology does not create…
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Fundal Height: Tracking Growth and Health in Pregnancy
While it may seem like your provider is measuring your belly, they are actually measuring something more specific called fundal height. Fundal height is the measurement, in centimeters, from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. It is a tool used during pregnancy to screen for problems with baby’s growth and amniotic fluid…
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Calculating Your Pregnancy Due Date
You may have heard pregnancy is 9 months long, but this isn’t exactly true. A full term pregnancy is actually 40 weeks, which actually works out to being pregnant for closer to 10 months (yikes). This 40 week mark is called an “estimated date of delivery”, but only about 4% birth on their due date. …
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Blood Types and Rh Factor in Pregnancy
Your blood type is a very important piece of information during pregnancy. If you aren’t sure of your blood type, don’t worry. Your provider will determine your blood type with a blood test at the beginning of your prenatal course. It’s not a bad idea to know your blood type, so don’t hesitate to ask…
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Routine Tests Done in Third Trimester
Below are some of the tests you can expect to have during the third trimester. Blood tests: Guess what- there are no routine blood tests in the 3rd trimester! There are some people who will require blood tests based on medical conditions or pregnancy complications. Depending on your medical and obstetric history you may or…
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An Overview of The Anatomy Ultrasound
An anatomy ultrasound (sometimes called anatomy scan or anatomic survey) is performed between 18-20 weeks of pregnancy, and it looks at all parts of a baby’s body in detail. It is usually done transabdominally*, but some people may also need a transvaginal ultrasound to assess the placenta and cervix more closely. The ultrasound usually takes…
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Understanding Amniocentesis: Procedure, Risks, and Benefits
Amniocentesis is a diagnostic test, where a thin needle is used to remove amniotic fluid from the space around a fetus. Why is it performed? A diagnostic genetic test is often performed after an abnormal screening test. A screening test tells us whether or not there is higher risk of a genetic disorder, while a…
