GynoFiles

The first few critical steps in a baby's new life have been well discussed: Fetal life lungs have fluid, Life with us they must clear the lungs of this fluid and the lungs have to expand to accommodate that fluid In fetal life lungs do not supply oxygen to the baby, the placenta and umbilical blood do, thus the circulation has to shift, the passages for blood to skip the lungs have to be closed and rerouted so the baby can get oxygen from the lung to the heart Then the next couple of steps in converting from being a fetus to living with us, they no longer have the uterine environment for food and warmth:  Babies have to be kept warm, and now dry as they now live on land instead of water And the food function of mom and placenta has to be replaced with breast milk And now the newest step in converting to life on earth researchers are intensely watching is the newborn gut as it has an environment that is differnt from the adult one : The  transition to a full set...

The first fetal movements occur in the first trimester, but can only be seen on ultrasound and moms will not feel movement until sometime in the second trimester. Moms grown when the baby moves too much, then suddenly, a bit less movement and that's not good either! Physicians ask their moms to check fetal movement regularly once you are feeling the fetal movement. And you are tracking the baby moving, not just rolling movements from your body naturally jostling the baby around, or fluid shift movements. A baby that is moving markedly less is worrisome. Babies that move markedly more are not likely to be abnormal and that is not tracked very often. Exactly how much the baby should move is not really clear, although every obstetrician will tell you that less fetal movement is a sign to be reported.  There are at least four definitions of what normal fetal movement is. 1) feeling 10 movements in 12 hours, or some say 2)the ten movements should be over two hours when you are re...

We have been promotion omega3 consumption and the lowering of stress for pregnant women for a long time. Previous discussions included prevention of baby blues and lowering of depression with the post-partum use of omega-3 supplements . Now there is a way to both prevent stress and give your baby all the benefits of omega-3 consumption at the same time as a new study shows that women who report high-stress situations may benefit from supplements of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), according to a randomized controlled trial published online November 5 and in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology . The ultimate reason for the benefit may in fact be the biological reduction of the stress hormone cortisol output may improve the uterine environment for the developing fetus. Kate Keenan, PhD, professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Chicago, Illinois , and colleagues. The investigators measured participants' stress levels through self-report...

There are medical reasons to use 3-d, but often it merely provides a better view!

The "for sure" way to know your baby's sex is to greet your baby on it's birth day! All other methods have some failures, although they are very accurate. The quickest way is to get a blood test of cell free DNA (cfDNA) at about -9 weeks after conception, and you will have a 98% reliable answer in about 10 days. The main purpose of this new test is to detect birth defects. This is detecting placental DNA fragments that are circulating in the blood stream, although often referred to as 'fetal' DNA. Not all fetal DNA is identical to the placental DNA.  In an article, about a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, discussed NY Times on Feb 27, 2014 they estimate that the new fetal DNA test was ten times better in predicting Down's syndrome than older tests. Even if the new test shows that there is a genetic abnormality, confirmatory testing, such as an amniocentesis, should be done as about half the cases that have an abnormal result have a...

When discussing risk, you have to understand your personal health history, and then you can learn about specific risks of a condition or a procedure. Once you are given risks you have to be able to interpret what is called the absolute risk as opposed to the relative risk . In the study from the Consortium on Safe Labor , published by Boyle in OBSTETRICS and GYNECOLOGY in July 2013 they highlight the risks of Cesarean birth as a reason to try to reduce the American C-section rate which in 2009 was at 32.9 % and appears to still be rising. Although there may be many reasons to have a c-section to increase the safety for mom and the baby(s) in the current pregnancy there are reasons that c-section also may produce risk in a future pregnancy. Remember in pregnancy you are at risk for blood clots, whether you have a vaginal birth or a c-section. Yet some women will be at more risk if they have the c-section. That involves the hazzard ratio. It increases the risks in the next pregnancy of ...

Pregnant women should receive influenza vaccination and the  American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), presents new data to back up this annual opinion published in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology .  In addition to protecting the baby after birth pregnant women are at increased risk for serious illness from influenza because the immune system changes during pregnancy. These changes appear to place women at increased risk for illness and influenza-related complications. In addition flu shots protect pregnancies and babies in another way. According to a study published online January 6 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, it has been determined that in addition to preventing the flu, pregnant moms who get flu shots have healthier babies because they are less likely to have a baby who is small. WebMD has pointed out that Canadian and World Health Organizations guidelines recommend seasonal influenza vaccinations for pregnant w...

Lots of patients want to conceive a girl or a boy, or want girl twins, and I get asked regularly how to get this done! Can praying make it so? Can certain medications, sex during certain phases of the moon, or other techniques that only gynos know be able to set the stage?  Like other modern women, beliefs aside, we want to know facts. And the fact is that approximately only 1/100 pregnancies naturally are twins, and that about as many boys as girls are born. Yet there are slight statistical variations i nthe birthing rates of males and females in some ethnic groups and some countries. And I do tell patients that, yes, some sperm separating techniques do work... a bit. Fertility medications can tip the scale towards getting your twins that you hope for. And maybe you wish for twins, but they may be a difficult pregnancy as even Rebekah lamented in Genesis 25:22 when she said her children "struggled in the womb", (excellent gynos in those Biblical days, they ...

Balance in pregnancy changes, and it changes every few weeks. Between the posture changes, and the center of gravity changes, and the weight gain, even eyesight changes (but in some studies is actually better), changes in hearing in all individuals can affect balance , moms have lots of challenges to being upright all of the time! And occasionally you will slip and fall, in spite of being very careful not to when you are pregnant. So gynos will often have to check a mom for falls and accidents. If you have had a major accident , for instance a car accident, while pregnant, this is a serious concern, and you need emergency room evaluation in a setting that can handle high risk pregnancies. A minor fall is a very different kind of event, but still one that should make you contact your prenatal care provider. If  you have severe pain or bleeding, that is an emergency. If you are sore and just have some bruises, it's time to get in for a check up, no matter how far into your p...

We have gabbed several times about our life as a fetus and the the effects of the 9 months of intrauterine environment on our ultimate development and health. There are all the expected ways: blood flow across the placenta allows us to grow and thrive to our full genetic size, sugar levels as sent to us across the placenta affecting whether we are born a diabetic, medications  and vitamins can cross making us susceptible to withdrawal or deficiency symptoms, infections and immune antibody protection factors (this is why if you have had Herpes before the baby cannot catch it from you while just growing the the uterus) to just name a few. But there are many unexpected effects of the intrauterine environment on our eventual health and well being, and we’ve talked about those in a few posts as well. The newest guidelines regarding blood pressure and diabetes can be found in the NICE website . One of the newest is a piece of research designed to explain the still inexplicable ...