Being pregnant is a wonderful and natural state to be in and the experience is unique to each woman. Consequently, when you go to the doctor, unsurprisingly, you will be inundated with a lot of information about pregnancy to help you to understand what is happening to your body and to your growing baby. There [...]
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) live harmlessly in the intestinal tract and roughly twenty per cent of women carry this bacteria in their vagina. On 99 per cent of live births, GBS is harmless for the newborn, however, in some women, it can cause complications for the baby. Effects of Group-B Streptococcus (GBS) GBS can have serious effects on [...]
Cervical insufficiency is where your cervix is too short or does not stay in a closed state for the duration of your pregnancy causing mid term miscarriages and pre-mature labor. Current opinion is that about one quarter of miscarriages that happen after 14 weeks are due to an insufficient cervix. Risk Factors of Cervical Insufficiency The [...]
RH is an abbreviation of the word rhesus. Every person is born with an RH blood type which can be either RH positive or RH negative. More than 85 percent of people are RH positive. RH incompatibility occurs when you are RH negative and your baby is RH positive. If this happens and any of [...]
HELLP syndrome is a serious condition affecting approximately 0.6 per cent of pregnancies. The acronym HELLP stands for the different parts of this syndrome. H stands for hemolysis which is a condition which causes the breakdown of blood cells; EL stands for liver enzymes and LP stands for low platelet count. One per cent of [...]
More women than ever before are opting to have children in their late thirties and early forties. There are certain risks associated with this, especially once you pass the age of thirty five. Minimize Risk You can minimize the risk by being aware of what they are. Genetic counseling is an important part of this [...]
Many women experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy. Sometimes called morning sickness, vomiting can occur at any time of the day or night and can continue throughout pregnancy. In approximately two per cent of cases, hyperemesis gravidarum develops which is a more serious condition leading dehydration and malnutrition. Symptoms of Hyperemesis Gravidarum There is no [...]
Multiple birth pregnancies have increased significantly in the last twenty years or so. There are two main reasons for this. First, advances in technology have meant that more and more children are born as a result of fertility treatment. Fertility treatment significantly increases the chances of multiple births. The second reason is that more [...]
Hydramnios, also known as amniotic fluid disorder, is a condition in which too much amniotic fluid surrounds your baby. Amniotic fluid is basically urine produced by your baby. It surrounds the baby and cushions him in your womb. It is a sterile solution and your baby swallows it to absorb it. Under normal circumstances, the [...]
The APGAR scoring system was first introduced by Virgina Apgar in 1952. The scoring system measures the vital signs of new born babies at one minute and five minutes after birth. Five signs are measured to test what help the baby may need immediately after birth and each sign is given a grade of zero [...]
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