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Pain Medications in Pregnancy: What’s Considered Safe
Understanding why you are experiencing pain is an important step in treating it. Since there aren’t perfect options for pain medication in pregnancy, alternative pain relief might be needed. The treatment alternatives available will be dependent on the cause of the pain. Headaches, back and joint pain, and various illnesses can all lead pregnant people…
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Antibiotics in Pregnancy: Are they safe?
Antibiotics are prescribed during pregnancy to treat bacterial infections. Urinary tract infections are some of the most common infections diagnosed in pregnancy. As with any medication in pregnancy, safety depends on the dosage, when in your pregnancy you take it, and the possible side effects. Since there is a considerable body of data addressing antibiotic…
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CMV in Pregnancy: What You Should Know
CMV stands for cytomegalovirus, a common virus that can affect people of all ages. One in three children will have the virus by age five and over half of the adult population will have the virus by age 40. For people with healthy immune systems, the virus rarely presents with symptoms. If mild symptoms occur,…
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Bacterial Vaginosis: Symptoms & Treatment
Similarly to the bacteria in your gut, there is a healthy level of bacteria in your vagina. When there is an imbalance of the good and harmful bacteria in your vagina, you can develop bacterial vaginosis (BV). BV is a most common vaginal infection, characterized by increased whitish-gray discharge with a strong fishy odor. Pregnant…
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Mucus Plug: Is it a sign of labor?
The mucus plug is a thick layer of mucus forms at the opening of the cervix during pregnancy to seal it and protect your uterus from infection. As your cervix begins to dilate, the mucus plug often dislodges into the vagina. As labor nears, many notice an increase in vaginal discharge (it can be clear,…
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Shoulder Dystocia: Risks & Considerations
A shoulder dystocia is one of the true obstetrical emergencies and is a risk to both the birthing person and baby. It occurs when a baby’s shoulder is stuck inside the birthing person’s pelvis during delivery. Fast facts: Risks to birthing person include: Risks to baby include: Proposed risk factors include: Even though it’s hard…
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Hospital Stay After Birth: What to Expect
For uncomplicated births, you can expect to stay in a hospital for 24-48hrs after a vaginal birth and for 2-4 days after a cesarean birth. However, these are generalizations and the amount of time you will spend in your birth setting after delivery will depend on your unique situation. As a cesarean birth is a…
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Pitocin: How & Why is it Used?
Oxytocin is the hormone, naturally produced in your body, involved in stimulating contractions during childbirth. Pitocin is the synthetic form of oxytocin that is given intravenously as a continuous drip. Pitocin can both induce labor and strengthen contractions. In terms of induction, pitocin works best when your cervix is ready for labor. Sometimes before starting…
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Identifying Twins: When would you know if you are having multiples?
Have you ever watched a movie where a birthing person finds out they are having twins during delivery? Rest assured, science and technology have come a long way, and we aren’t missing twins and higher order multiples very often these days. There are two types of twins. Fraternal twins begin with more than one egg…
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An Overview of Miscarriage & Pregnancy Loss Statistics
Resources Postpartum Support International Incidence of Pregnancy Loss Terminology Common Causes Risk Factors Signs and Symptoms (please note, this is a general list only and not all-inclusive – nor does it mean that these symptoms are definitely indicative of, or diagnostic of, pregnancy loss)
