It can be difficult to know exactly when labor begins in earnest. But some signs are unmistakable. One such occurs when your new baby’s head exerts pressure on the amniotic sac and it breaks. When your ‘water breaks’ (the liquid isn’t just water, but amniotic fluid), labor is imminent.

Unfortunately, ‘imminent’ doesn’t mean ‘will occur within 10.5 hours’ or any exact amount of time. The time to the beginning of regular contractions and actual delivery, can vary enormously from woman to woman and even child to child.

Nevertheless, when you feel that trickle or gush of colorless fluid flow down your leg, it’s time to get ready. On average, labor will begin within 12 to 24 hours later. For some, the time is much sooner.

Note the time, wipe away the fluid and clean the vagina to minimize the risk of infection. Don’t bathe. Look for any green or brownish fluid, the meconium, which is from your baby’s bowel movement. That’s an indicator of fetal stress and should be reported to your physician immediately.

Contractions will follow shortly.

The uterus is a muscle and one of its roles is to force the baby out into the world through the birth canal. The contractions you feel are that muscle tensing. They will usually be preceded by dull cramps in the lower back or pelvis. When they happen regularly for an hour, lasting at least 30 seconds each, gaining in intensity, actual labor has started.

Since they can vary from woman to woman, try to verify that the contractions are labor by varying your position. Move around and sit. See if they still occur. Remember to keep a close eye on the clock or your watch. Timing the events is important.

First pregnancies will often take a little longer, so try to avoid any sense of panic. When contractions are coming five minutes apart for an hour, it’s time to head to the hospital. Err on the side of caution, though. The number is just an average and it’s best to avoid complications by being too early, rather than too late.

Severe pain, rather than regular (even if uncomfortable) contractions can be a sign of placenta previa. This is a condition in which the placenta can block the exit from the uterus. Or, the pain can be the result of placental abruption, where the placenta separates but limits the baby’s oxygen supply. Call your doctor.

Almost all labors proceed without incident. Stay calm, execute your plan and get ready for a healthy baby.

There are a variety of tests that an expectant mother can have performed to gain information about the health of her growing fetus. Some, like amniocentesis, have been around for over 100 years. Ultrasound was introduced in the 1960s, though early tests had limited value. Modern tests are much clearer, some even in 3-D, many showing motion.

Today, ultrasound is clear, simple, and (as medical tests go) relatively inexpensive. Most are covered by standard insurance plans that cover pregnancy.

Also called sonography or just ‘a scan’, the woman’s abdominal area is exposed to harmless ultra-high frequency sound waves. The echoes are then recorded and interpreted by a computer program – then projected onto a screen. The basic principle is similar to that used in fishing boats, submarines and other applications.

Unlike X-rays they produce no ionizing radiation, though the sound waves still carry energy. Nevertheless, the procedure is safe and painless. It has the added advantage that it can examine soft tissues that don’t show up as clearly in x-rays, and the images are displayed in real-time. Since there are no ill-effects produced by the test, it can be repeated as often as desired as the fetus develops.

The technician (often your physician) uses a small, hand-held wand that travels over the surface of the skin. A clear gel is applied to the skin beforehand to eliminate air between the wand and the surface, producing improved results. Unlike amniocentesis and other tests, it’s non-invasive and the preliminary results are available immediately. It takes no more than half an hour.

More extensive analysis of the results can be performed by a trained specialist, if desired. A report is typically sent to your physician. From the results, doctors can detect physical abnormalities, tissue rupture, bleeding or simply whether problem implantation has occurred.

But apart from detecting potential problems, the test is used to provide useful information. It can reveal sex and age and record at the development process. It can also show the physical location of the baby within the womb. That helps determine if a breech birth is likely and other potential positioning issues. With that advanced look, delivery can be better planned.

The procedure has limitations, however. Ultrasound waves, unlike regular sound waves, don’t travel as efficiently through air. As a result, any areas where air pockets exist – such as the stomach itself – won’t yield as much information. Also, they don’t penetrate bone as well as x-rays and the waves are dampened as they pass through fatty tissue. The results may be less useful for obese women.

Those limitations can be overcome by supplementing ultrasound with other tests, such as amniocentesis and others that use chemical indicators to give useful data about the baby’s health.

online diary of sort, mostly for myself. I thought it may be kind of theraputic. I’m ready to move on. Part 2 of 5. Sorry, I’m having probs uploading the rest. Be up soon. … Vlog Blog Online journal Self Help Ectopic pregnancy miscarriage Pregnancy loss Blighted ovum Tubal Personal Loss Grief Panic disorder panic attack Anxiety anxiety help healing anti medication mental health illness lack of sleep insomnia body tingling depression hormones psychiatric suicidal thoughts ativan high blood …

Inside the uterus, surrounding your growing baby, is a liquid called ‘amniotic fluid’. A long needle is inserted through the abdomen to extract a small sample of that fluid. Using it, doctors can perform tests that indicate potential problems and provide information about the health of the gestating fetus.

Test results typically arrive in a week or two and the test is sometimes referred to as an AFT (Amniotic Fluid Test).

Typically done around 15-20 weeks, an ‘amnio’ can examine possible genetic abnormalities, check for uterine infections, Rh (rhesus) sensitization and other possible problems. But it can be used as a general health check as well.

Only a small amount of fluid is withdrawn and is generally preceded by an ultrasound test. The fluid contains sloughed off skin and other cells from the developing fetus and these form the basis for part of the test.

Down syndrome is a rare condition, but amniotic fluid contains markers that can assist physicians in determining the odds that your child is affected. The test is about 99% accurate for Down’s and is usually combined with an ultrasound and other tests.

Other genetic disorders – such as sickle cell anemia, Huntington’s, Tay-Sachs or cystic fibrosis can all be diagnosed while the child is still in the womb. Only a small percentage of babies are afflicted with any of these conditions, but most women will want to perform this basic check.

Spina bifida is a neural condition that can lead to crippling and amniocentesis can test for this as well, along with other neural tube defects. Even among high risk women, the odds are less than 5% that a problem will be discovered. Still, some women choose to terminate a pregnancy if the condition is discovered.

As a side benefit of the genetic screening it’s possible to determine the baby’s sex, though ultrasound is the more common method now.

No single test is definitive, so women may want to consider multiple tests. Women 35 years or older are at higher risk of producing infants with some of the disorders discussed above. Combining amniocentesis with ultrasound or multiple marker tests can bring peace of mind.

Along with that peace of mind getting tested has other benefits. Certain in utero deficiencies can be treated to resolve problems before they become a major issue.

The test does have some minor risks of its own, however, and this should be borne in mind. Miscarriages can be induced by amniocentesis, for example. Great care is taken to ensure that the needle doesn’t puncture the baby. But, there is a small chance (about 1 in 1000) that the test will produce an uterine infection.

Few women experience any pain from the procedure, with about 1% having spotting or fluid leaking after the test. Avoiding stresses such as lifting or prolonged standing after the procedure can reduce the odds of any problems.

As many of you know something has happened to me over the last 6 months. This is just a Vlog. An online diary of sort, mostly for myself. I thought it may be kind of theraputic. I’m ready to move on.

As many couples know, becoming pregnant is not simply a matter of having intercourse near a selected date. Fewer than two-thirds of couples trying to conceive succeed within six months. Fortunately, 90% of women trying to get pregnant do so within 18 months.

There are dozens of factors that affect the odds of conception, some more important than others.

Caffeine intake does affect fertility for both men and women. Brewed coffee has between 100-300 mg of caffeine, while cappucino has between 300-400 mg and decaf (not surprisingly) has only 1-8 mg. Those concerned that caffeine might be an issue should limit themselves to no more than two cups per day.

Conditions in both men and women are about equally likely to be the reason pregnancy doesn’t occur.

A small percentage of men have low sperm motility, a condition in which sperm cells don’t actively move enough to make the trip up to the egg. Caffeine or excessive alcohol consumption can have some small effect on this, but in general the condition is either genetic or a temporary condition due to disease.

Or, a man may have a low sperm count, though again this is true of fewer than 10%. Heavy alcohol use can be a factor, but here again it’s generally the result of inheritance or recent illness. In some cases this is due, for example, to high fever.

That’s the true part of the statement that heat causes low sperm counts. This is temporary, though. The mythical part of the ‘heat produces low sperm count’ is the belief that hot tubs or underwear affects sperm count. The myth grew out of common laboratory observations that high temperature reduces sperm count in tests. But the temperature required is much higher than the shift produced by wearing jockey shorts or other lifestyle choices.

Fertility odds can be affected by issues women may experience, as well. ‘Infertility’ is often a matter of degrees. Very few women are completely infertile. For some women, the uterine environment causes implantation to be less likely. Endometriosis, a condition in which tissue from the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, is responsible for about 15% of low female fertility. Irregular ovulation is a problem for others. In about 20% of low fertility cases, some issue with the fallopian tubes is responsible.

For some, it’s simply a matter of keeping better track of the menstrual cycle. Maintaining an accurate chart of basal body temperature and monthly events can help. They should be recorded at least once daily, preferably twice – once in the morning, once in the evening.

Being considerably overweight reduces a woman’s chances of pregnancy, since it affects ovulation and overall hormonal factors. Body fat levels 10-15% over the normal range produces excess estrogen, which affects fertility. Hormonal imbalances in general, producing an irregular cycle or very heavy periods, can shift the odds. Anti-depressant and other medications can affect female fertility, as does heavy tobacco or alcohol consumption.

For those cases where the condition is not temporary, fertility treatments are an option. Most physicians won’t intervene, however, unless the couple has been trying natural methods for at least 18 months. Fertility treatments themselves are not foolproof, nor are they entirely without risk.

If you’ve been trying to become pregnant for over a year without success, your first best course of action is to consult a physician.

online diary of sort, mostly for myself. I thought it may be kind of theraputic. I’m ready to move on. Part 1 of 5. Sorry, I’m having probs uploading the rest. Be up soon. … Vlog Blog Online journal Self Help Ectopic pregnancy miscarriage Pregnancy loss Blighted ovum Tubal Personal Loss Grief Panic disorder panic attack Anxiety anxiety help healing anti medication mental health illness lack of sleep insomnia body tingling depression hormones psychiatric suicidal thoughts ativan high blood …

One of the first things most of us women prepare to say goodbye to once we see those two pink lines on our pregnancy tests is caffeine. Many women will stop their caffeine habit cold turkey out of the sheer fear of doing some sort of damage to the new life growing inside of them. These women will swear off anything that has caffeine in it from coffee, and soda to even chocolate.  Then there are some of us who will still drink caffeine but cut back.  Instead of drinking five cups of coffee a day, we might cut back to at least one cup of coffee to get us through the day.

Our mothers and grandmothers will probably tell us that they drank the same amount of caffeine pregnant as they did when they were not pregnant and their children turned out fine.  However a lot more research has been done since their time and studies are showing that too much caffeine can cause some complications such as preterm labor and/or low birth weight.

So how much caffeine is too much caffeine? Doctors are telling their patients that a moderate amount of caffeine will not harm their babies.  Even though caffeine does cross the placenta, anything less than 300 milligrams a day (an 8 ounce cup of strong coffee) will not do any harm.  Anything over 300 milligrams puts your baby at risk and studies have also shown that women who drink more than 300 milligrams of caffeine a day during their first trimester have a slightly higher risk of a miscarriage.

Studies have also shown that women who had over 500 milligrams of caffeine a day had babies who had faster heart rates and faster breathing rates.  These babies also spent more time awake in their first few days of life rather than peacefully sleeping after their long journey.

There are a number of other reasons why we women might want to cut back on the amount of caffeine we drink during pregnancy.  For starters, it has no nutritional value.  If there is ever a time for us to be aware of our nutritional needs it is when we are pregnant.  Second, caffeine is a stimulant which will increase your heart rate and can cause insomnia and headaches which can put some stress on your growing little one.  Third,  caffeine can cause heartburn.  If you have been pregnant before you know that heartburn can be a burden to begin with,  and caffeine just makes it worse.  Lastly it is a diuretic which means it can cause you to lose fluids which can put you at a risk of becoming dehydrated.

While it is not necessary for you to give up all caffeine through out the duration of your pregnancy, you should learn how to drink it in moderation or don’t drink it at all.  If you can not handle having only one cup of coffee a day,  then you might be better off drinking no coffee at all.  Stick with caffeine free sodas and even decaf coffee.  Remember though that decaf  coffee still contains small traces of caffeine so make sure you take that into consideration.

Video

Cherish House is a non-profit maternity home for unwed pregnant teens. The home is located in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The girls we accept into Cherish House are not required to pay anything as this is a ministry supported by private donations from local area churches, businesses and donors. Cherish House is not an institution but it is a loving and caring Christian home that provides housing, training, counseling and many other benefits for the young girls while they are pregnant. We can house up …