Category: Pregnancy

There are few important points you are not supposed to miss when you are near to your delivery. One among them is deciding where to deliver your baby. Usually all women go to the same treating obstetrician to deliver their babies where their antenatal checkups have been done. 

But if you are planning to deliver in different place from where you had a routine check up, you need to be a little careful in choosing the place of delivery. 

You need to see the following in a hospital when considering it as a place of delivering your baby before you join for delivery:

1.Availability of the obstetrician. Check if that hospital is your doctors home hospital or not. Check with her first to see if she does rounds at more than one location and, if so, tour both to see in which hospital she stays for a long time.

2.Availability of neonatal care unit and pediatrician is also important. Incase your baby needs some care after delivery, no need to rush to other hospital for neonatal care. 

3.Availability of good investigations department which include all  blood tests, urine tests, radiology department in the hospital.

4. Availability of 24*7 pharmacy is a must.
5. Check if that hospital is covered by your insurance provider and talk to them about the availability of rooms under insurance before you join.

Some more things you need to keep in mind if you are near to your delivery are:

1.Map out which hospitals are close to your home. You may need to go to the hospital quickly while you are in labor. 

2.Enquire about your doctors availability at the time of your delivery.

3.Check with your insurance company about what all you need to submit during admission

4.Don’t be alone during your delivery period. Ask anyone to stay along with you at home or when you go out.

References:

https://www.wikihow.com/Decide-Where-to-Deliver-Your-Baby

https://www.babycenter.com/0_choosing-a-hospital_1148.bc

By,

DR.Y.ALEKHYA

 

                                                                          

 

Even though you’ve been through pregnancy and childbirth before. Being aware of the changes to come and helping your older child understand what to expect is the best way to prepare for this joyous event.

Understand the needs of your first child before your delivery so that you can arrange all things in a systematic way.

1. Encourage your toddler to socialize and play with other children, perhaps in a playgroup. This helps your child to develop the social skills they will need to have a good relationship with their new sibling.
2. Take help from your elders as you cannot give attention to both of them at the same time. Explain to them about food and sleep timings, likes and dislikes of your older child to your elders so that they can take care accordingly.
3. Remind visitors to pay attention to your older child, and not just the baby.
4. Point out the benefits of being an older child, like choosing what to eat, being able to go to the park and play, and having friends.
5. If you don’t have the help of elders from family, hire a nanny few months before the time of delivery so that your child and nanny get acquainted with each other

References:

https://www.babycenter.com/0_getting-care-for-your-child-during-the-birth-of-a-sibling-ov_3636618.bc

https://www.ahaparenting.com/ages-stages/pregnancy/preparing-child-separation-while-birth-new-baby

By,

Dr. Y. Alekhya

Most of the pregnant women suffer from gum related problems, which may lead to bleeding from the gums when brushed or flossed.

Hormonal changes which take place during pregnancy, must be one of the cause for this condition which makes your gums more sensitive to the bacteria.

Other causes include smoking and diabetes, which can cause bleeding gums. Most of the pregnant women will think that this condition may affect their baby, but it is unlikely to be harmful for you or your baby if the cause is hormonal changes.

It’s very important to keep your teeth and gums as clean and healthy as possible while you’re pregnant. The best way to prevent or deal with gum problems is to practice good oral hygiene.
How to take care of your gums during pregnancy:

1. At least one visit to a dentist during pregnancy is needed for checkup and cleaning.
2. Brush your teeth twice daily with soft bristled brush and daily floss your teeth.
3. If you are suffering from morning sickness then it is important to rinse your teeth and mouth after every episode of vomiting.
4. Consider alcohol free mouthwash.
5. Try gently massaging your gums using your index finger and thumb. Do not apply undue pressure and massage slowly.
6. Smoking should be avoided as it makes the condition worse.
7. It is always advised to follow a healthy diet during pregnancy including fruits, vegetables, whole grain products and dairy products such as cottage cheese, milk, etc., which are good for you and your baby.
8. If diabetes during pregnancy is the cause then regular checkup of your sugar levels is needed. Try to avoid sugary foods too often.
9. Reduce consumption of chocolate and other sugar-based snacks, as it can increase risk of your tooth decay.
10. Consume optimum amount of water at least 2-3 liters a day, if you live in a hot and humid environment. Cut down on soda and other caffeine drinks.
11. Avoid eating very tough foods, as chewing on them can cause you tooth fractures. Also, be wary of cold or caffeinated beverages as it can create sensitivity of teeth.
12. It will subside after delivery if treated properly.
13. If the problem still persists even after taking good precautions consulting your treating doctor is very important.

References:

https://www.babycenter.com/0_bleeding-gums-during-pregnancy_217.bc

http://americanpregnancy.org/naturally/treat-gum-disease-naturally-pregnancy/

https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/teeth-and-gums-pregnant.aspx

-Dr. Y. Alekhya

Confusion and apprehension in understanding medical terms of pregnancy used by your doctor and in test reports, scan reports are often seen in most of the pregnant women.

Here are a few terms often used in pregnancy which may help you in having a clearer idea on what the test, scan reports mean and your doctor says.

Terms from used in an ultrasound scan report during pregnancy:

• LMP – Last Menstrual Period which is the first day of bleeding in last period.
• EDD – Expected Date of Delivery is calculated according to LMP. Most accurate estimate of EDD is given by an ultrasound in 5-18 weeks of gestational age. Earlier an ultrasound is done, more accurate EDD can be estimated.
• Gestational age – duration of pregnancy that is calculated from LMP.
• Gestational sac – a large fluid filled sac like structure surrounding the embryo. It is usually the first component of pregnancy that can be visualized even before detecting an embryo on a transvaginal ultrasound scan as early as 5th week of pregnancy.
• Fetus – baby in the womb from 9th week of pregnancy till delivery.
• Fetal/embryonic pole – embryo which takes the shape of a curve with a head at one end and a tail like structure at the other end. A fetal pole usually starts getting detected from 5 ½ – 6 ½ weeks of pregnancy on an ultrasound scan.
• Blighted ovum- a gestational sac without a fetal pole that may indicate a miscarriage.
• CRL (Crown Rump Length) – length of the fetal pole from head to tail and of fetus in later weeks of pregnancy measured on an ultrasound scan.
• Femoral Length (FL) – length of thigh bone of the baby.
• BiParietal Diameter (BPD) – distance between sides of head of the baby.
• Head Circumference (HC) – circumference of head of the baby.
• Abdominal Circumference (AC) – circumference of abdomen of the baby.

FL, BPD, HC and AC values are computed to produce EFW (estimated weight of the baby) which helps in determining if the baby growing well according to the gestational age.

• Fetal heart rate – heart rate of the baby according to an ultrasound scan.
• Cephalic presentation – Head of the baby occupies the lower pole of the uterus, that is in the direction of legs of the mother.
• Breech presentation – Limbs of the baby occupies the lower pole of the uterus, that is in the direction of legs of the mother.
• Placenta – a disc shaped mass located on the back wall in the upper half of uterus from 10th week of pregnancy and produces progesterone hormone which prevents uterine contractions, maintaining healthy pregnancy and prevents miscarriage.
• Low lying placenta – placenta that is situated in the lower half of uterus (normally situated in upper half of uterus).
• Placenta previa – Low lying placenta that partially or completely covers the opening of cervix or womb at the end of pregnancy. This increases the risk of bleeding during pregnancy, miscarriage and the baby is usually delivered by cesarean section.
• IUGR – IntraUterine Growth Restriction indicates the baby is small for gestational age.
• AFI – Amniotic Fluid Index that is calculated based on levels of amniotic fluid in womb. Normal AFI is 8-18.

References:

http://americanpregnancy.org/while-pregnant/fetal-development/

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/early-fetal-development/

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-weeks-4-5-6-7-8.aspx?tabname=pregnancy

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/pregnancy-weeks-37-38-39-40.aspx

https://www.nct.org.uk/pregnancy/low-lying-placenta

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/placental-abruption/

http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancy-complications/oligohydramnios/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2492588/

http://americanpregnancy.org/labor-and-birth/mucus-plug/

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/umbilical-cord

http://americanpregnancy.org/while-pregnant/calculating-conception-due-date/

Textbook of Obstetrics by D.C. Dutta.

 –   Dr. Divya Teja Pasupuleti