Mother and Child

Perhaps you control your high blood pressure (hypertension) through diet and exercise. Or maybe you manage your condition with medication. In either case, is pregnancy safe? For most women, the answer is yes. But proper prenatal care is essential. If...

Perhaps you control your high blood pressure (hype...

Many doctors routinely perform ultrasounds on their patients, but not every doctor does them with every patient. Some doctors perform them only when there is a definite reason for doing one. There are three main reasons a doctor orders an ultrasound:...

Many doctors routinely perform ultrasounds on thei...

Plan meals Think about what you will eat for most meals in the morning so you can budget your nutrients. Take healthful snacks such as carrot sticks, fruit, and whole-grain crackers to work. Without planning, you open yourself to whatever entices you...

Plan meals Think about what you will eat for most ...

So you have decided to have a child. Congratulations. Welcome to a whole new world of choices. Never before have your decisions had such a profound impact on another person. Everything you eat, drink and smoke will affect your baby. But before you th...

So you have decided to have a child. Congratulatio...

Islamic fasting helps to address dietary abuse problems that in pregnancy can also affect the unborn child. It also helps to release some of the toxic build up which is attracted to the extra body fat that women carry. So therefore fasting detoxifies...

Islamic fasting helps to address dietary abuse pro...

It never enters our minds before we see that second pink line, the emotional roller coaster awaiting us. In the first trimester we live in the blissful glow of happiness that there is actually a tiny human in our bodies. In the second trimester we ca...

It never enters our minds before we see that secon...

HA! Try this instead: Morning sickness is a myth. Instead I affectionately refer to it as "morning-noon-and-night" sickness. I vomited from day 12 all the way to delivery. I think I even vomited a time or two during labor. I gained a whopping 10 poun...

HA! Try this instead: Morning sickness is a myth. ...

While some mothers feel "back on their feet" after just a few days home from the hospital, medical studies show that fatigue generally reaches its peak two to four days after you return home. Many women also go through a slump between the eighth and ...

While some mothers feel "back on their feet" after...

In 2004, U.S. government food and environment regulators cautioned pregnant women not to eat more than 340 grams or 12 ounces of fish a week, the amount in two normal servings. The aim was to reduce their exposure to mercury, which contaminates fish ...

In 2004, U.S. government food and environment regu...

Breech Presentation: Where the fetus is positioned head up to be born buttocks first or with one or both feet first. This occurs in less than five percent of all births. Cephalopelvic Disproportion: The baby is too large to safely pass through the mo...

Breech Presentation: Where the fetus is positioned...

I want a baby and I think I am ready for one and my husband really wants one too! I am extremely nervous thinking about the whole experience though The entire pregnancy scares me. Usually women are concerned about the birth but I am scared about the ...

I want a baby and I think I am ready for one and m...

Stretch marks are one of the most famous and talked about skin changes that can occur during pregnancy. Almost 90% of pregnant woman will experience stretch marks. Stretch marks appear as pinkish or reddish streaks running down your abdomen and/or br...

Stretch marks are one of the most famous and talke...

It is frustrating to realize that many pregnancy symptoms are very similar to those that occur right before menstruating. However, combined with high temperatures and a longer luteal phase - they are key indications that you have achieved pregnancy s...

It is frustrating to realize that many pregnancy s...

The cause of headaches is uncertain. During the first trimester, they may be caused by changes in your hormone levels and an increase in blood volume and circulation. Pregnancy-related headaches may disappear in the second trimester, when your body b...

The cause of headaches is uncertain. During the fi...

When you eat, your digestive system breaks most of your food down into a type of sugar called glucose. The glucose enters your bloodstream and then — with the help of insulin, a hormone made by your pancreas — provides fuel for the cells of your body...

When you eat, your digestive system breaks most of...

Tips for pregnancy Talk to your health care provider about how much weight you should gain during your pregnancy.Eat foods rich in folate, iron, calcium, and protein, or get these nutrients through a prenatal supplement.Talk to your health care provi...

Tips for pregnancy Talk to your health care provid...

In early pregnancy, most women find that any sleeping position will do. But at about seven months, finding a comfortable arrangement that supports a big belly gets tricky. (Comfort aside, the safest position for sleep in late pregnancy is on your lef...

In early pregnancy, most women find that any sleep...

The last part of the active phase — when your cervix dilates from 8 to a full 10 centimeters — is called the transition period because it marks the transition to the second stage of labor. This is the most intense part of labor. Contractions are usua...

The last part of the active phase — when your cerv...

The first stage begins with the onset of contractions and the gradual effacement (thinning out) and dilation (opening) of the cervix. That's followed by active labor, when your cervix begins to dilate more rapidly and contractions are longer, stronge...

The first stage begins with the onset of contracti...

Folic acid (also known as vitamin B9 or folate) is one of the few nutrients known to prevent neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida, which affects about one in 1,000 pregnancies each year in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control ...

Folic acid (also known as vitamin B9 or folate) is...

Sex during pregnancy — what's that you may ask? But seriously, you probably won't have sex as often as you did before. Perhaps the most common reason men (and women) cut back on their sex life during pregnancy is a fear that they'll hurt the baby. If...

Sex during pregnancy — what's that you may ask? Bu...