In The News - Understanding the Risks (and Rewards) of Pills and Pregnancy

My husband reads Time Magazine and thought sharing this article with my Mommy Vomitpants readers would be a good idea. After checking it out, I have to agree!!

Having been pregnant, I can attest to the desire, at times, to pop a pill to fix what may be ailing you. But, it's important to remember that your body is no longer your own when you are pregnant. Everything you ingest is ingested by your baby. Believe it or not, even over the counter drugs can be harmful to your unborn baby. It can be hard for a first-time mother to know what is safe to take and what is not. I mean, let's face it, we live in a "pill-popping" society. People just "pop a pill" when they have indigestion or a headache or allergies without thinking twice about what they are putting into their bodies.

That's why it's so important when you are pregnant to be very diligent about what you are taking. And it's important to talk to your doctor if you have ANY questions about a medication. Often times, if your doctor is unavailable, you can ask to speak to a nurse. If you happen to be at the pharmacy or grocery store, a pharmacist can help you as well.

So, how do you know which category your medication fits into? And, how do they determine that anyway? Here is where the Article Understanding the Risks (and Rewards) of Pills and Pregnancy comes into play (click the title to read the article).

To sum up the article, the medical community sees a need for clinical research on drugs and pregnant women. However, red flags go up when you talk about clinical trials on pregnant women (as they should). All that aside, we are a far cry from the "olden days" (as recently as 20 years ago) when they would perform trials on men and "extrapolate" the results to women. No, I am not kidding.

But when you have chronic illness like depression, diabetes, and hypertension, what is a pregnant woman to do? What if you have cancer? Did you know there are only about a dozen medications that are approved by the FDA for use by pregnant women? And when you agree to take a drug that could pose a risk to your unborn fetus, you may be required to sign a release form to exempt your doctor from prosecution should something bad happen.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is currently funding a National Children's Study, which is enrolling 100,000 women who are either pregnant or plan to become pregnant, with the goal of tracking the development of the children from preconception to adulthood. While that is ongoing, the FDA had proposed overhauling the guidance it gives on drug use by pregnant women.

Right now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies pills and their effects on pregnancy into 5 different "categories". Let's take a look at each of them.

• Category A pills are safe for ingestion by a pregnant woman. This category of pill has had extensive testing done by the FDA and do not show an increase in birth defects after use.


• Category B pills can be safe, but you should ask your doctor to be sure. This category of pill has either had extensive animal testing (showing no increase in defects) but no well-done human trials have been conducted, or animal studies suggested birth defects where human trials did not.


• Category C pills are generally not safe to use. This category of pills had animal testing show increased birth defects (with no large, well-done human trials), or there are no good animal or human studies BUT the benefits of the drug can outweigh the risks associated with taking it.


• Category D pills are generally not safe to use but the risks can outweigh the benefits of taking the medication. This category of pills do show an increased risk of birth defects with use.


• Category X pills should not be used. This category of pills showed an increased risk of birth defects with the benefits of taking the medication NOT outweighing the risks to the baby.

Since the above categories are so broadly defined, as they currently stand, they are looking into providing a more narrative, evidence-based summary about each individual drug and the effect it has on pregnant and nursing women.

Hopefully, the NIH study coupled with the FDA redefinition of drugs, and the "Second Wave" of clinical research mentioned in the article will help the pregnant women of the future to make better decisions when it comes to medication and their unborn baby. Until then, please talk to you doctor about ALL medications that you take and ask about the risks to your unborn baby. The same goes for breastfeeding mothers. Please don't make an uneducated decision.



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Newly Pregnant? I Have Some Suggestions For You!!

So, you're newly pregnant and asking advice for what you should and shouldn't get. I am here to help!

Maternity Pants right away? I say a resounding YES! You will love the full panel maternity pants as you progress in your pregnancy and you can always fold down the panel until you need it. That way you aren't spending extra money on those waist expander thingies and you can be comfortable from the moment your clothes start to not fit anymore.

My baby's not here yet and I should already be concerned about sleep? YES!! I am slightly obsessed about Willow's sleep and I fully admit that. However, it's NEVER too soon to start reading about babies and sleep. Do you want your baby to sleep through the night sooner than later? Then arming yourself with knowledge right from the beginning is the way to go. I am a HUGE Ferber-lover so I always recommend his book, Solve Your Child's Sleep Problems. the sooner your baby sleeps through the night, the sooner YOU will sleep through the night.

Books, huh? Are there any others you recommend? Well, since you asked (*wink*) I have a few. My baby bible is Baby 411. And, while you're at it, you may as well get Toddler 411.

Is your husband/significant other not really feeling the baby excitement? Well, maybe they just are a little overwhelmed and not too sure what to expect with a baby. I suggest the The Baby Owner's Manual. It's written especially for men by treating the baby like an appliance. David found it helpful. You can read his review of this book here. David also found The Caveman's Pregnancy Companion at least marginally helpful.

I would recommend AGAINST getting What to Expect When You're Expecting unless you want to scare yourself crapless thinking about all the things that can go wrong and worrying all the time. Mind you, this is just my opinion. If you are one of those people that loves to know all the things that can possibly go wrong with your pregnancy then go for it!! I personally think you have enough things to worry about.

Those should get you off to a good start.

And here are some things I think you ABSOLUTELY need when you have a new baby. These are the things you want the day you get home.

The Miracle Blanket. I can't say enough good things about this blanket. It takes all the guesswork out of swaddling and I credit it with plenty of good nights sleep. You can visit their website, here. Actually, forget about when you get home. I would take this to the hospital with you.

Pacifier. I know, many people are dead set against the use of a pacifier. However, newborn babies use sucking to soothe themselves and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the use of a pacifier to help prevent SIDS and the American Dental Association (ADA) says it's okay too. I have a great post on Pacifiers and Thumb Sucking that explains it all for you. Just do your kid (and yourself) a favor and take it away before 5 months of age.

Planning on breastfeeding? Have a small can of formula on standby. I have a post on Breast Milk vs. Formula that you may be interested in. It tells my story about breastfeeding and why I was so very happy to have that free can the hospital gave me.

Bottle Warmer. I know, you are planning on breastfeeding, am I right? GOOD! But you will also likely want to get a few hours to yourself once in a while and this will involve not only pumping milk (breast pump recommendation here) but heating it up in a bottle to give to your baby. So, I recommend the Philips Avent iQ Bottle Warmer. I posted a review on it here. And the bonus? It heats up baby food as well so you'll use it for a long time.

Lastly, I recommend a bassinet. If you have a two-story house, like we do, you will want a place for the baby to nap on the bottom floor. Our bedrooms are all on the second floor and with the amount of time a new baby sleeps (which is a LOT) you will be glad to NOT have to trudge up and down the stairs over and over again. We figured this out the day we got home. So, David ran out and got one. We got and loved the Graco Pack N Play.

I hope this has been of some help to you if you are newly pregnant!! Read more!

My Pregnancy and Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)

As I said yesterday, my pregnancy was difficult for me. It wasn't a difficult pregnancy in that there were complications with respect to the baby, but it was very tough on me.

The first trimester was awesome. I had sciatic pain but it was manageable and only occurred every once in a while. I exercised regularly and had no morning sickness. I couldn't have been happier.

Around the 20 week mark or so, I started having pains in my lower abdomen. I thought at first that it was sore muscles, since that's kind of what it felt like, but it turned out to be something called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. The last 20 weeks were the opposite of pleasant. They were torture for me and the main reason I decided to not have anymore children. I just don't think I could do it again, especially with a small child to care for. (At the end I was snapping at the cats for crying out loud.)

So, what is Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD)?
According to Birth Source, "During pregnancy or birth, about one in 35 women will experience intense pelvic pain and may find it difficult to walk, climb stairs, and other movements that involve the pelvic bones. This pain is a result of separation of the symphysis pubis which is a joint in the very front part of the pelvic bone structure. There is cartilage that fills the gap in the bones. During pregnancy, hormones such as relaxin soften this cartilage allowing the pelvic bones to be more flexible for delivery. Some women, however, have too much play in the pelvis causing a large gap between the bones. This makes the symphysis pubis area extremely sensitive to touch."

According to Plus-Size Pregnancy (PSP), other names for it include:

• pubic shear (osteopathic term)


• symphyseal separation


• pubic symphysis separation


• separated symphysis


• pelvic girdle relaxation of pregnancy


• pelvic joint syndrome.

Diastasis Symphysis Pubis (DSP) is the name for the problem in its most severe form (where the pubic symphysis actually separates severely or tears).

So what did that mean for me? Any activity that involved lifting one leg at a time or parting the legs was particularly painful. Lifting my leg to put on clothes, getting out of the car (and driving my stick shift), bending over, sitting down or getting up, walking up stairs, standing on one leg, lifting heavy objects, and walking in general were difficult (at times) in the beginning and all the time at the end.

Symptoms of SPD often include one or more of the following:

• pubic pain


• pubic tenderness to the touch; having the fundal height measured may be uncomfortable


• lower back pain, especially in the sacro-iliac area


• difficulty/pain rolling over in bed


• difficulty/pain with stairs, getting in and out of cars, sitting down or getting up, putting on clothes, bending, lifting, standing on one foot, lifting heavy objects, etc.


• sciatica (pain in buttocks and down the leg)


• "clicking" in the pelvis when walking


• waddling gait


• difficulty getting started walking, especially after sleep


• feeling like hip is out of place or has to pop into place before walking


• bladder dysfunction (temporary incontinence at change in position)


• knee pain or pain in other areas can sometimes also be a side-effect of pelvis problems


• some chiropractors feel that round ligament pain (sharp tearing or pulling sensations in the abdomen) can be related to SPD

Having this condition led me to stay home on medical leave for the last three weeks of my pregnancy, it was that bad.

My advice to you if you have any of those symptoms? Ask your doctor about them right away and make sure to let your family, friends, and co-workers know about your condition. I did, and people at work were especially helpful and considerate.

The problem with the whole thing? No one knows the cause. According to PSP, No one knows why SPD occurs for sure, or why it happens in some women and not in others. Some ethnic groups report a high incidence, especially Scandinavian women and perhaps Black women. Other risk factors may include having lots of kids, having had large babies, pre-existing problems with this joint, past pelvic or back pain, or past trauma (car accident, obstetric trauma, etc.) that may have damaged the pelvic girdle area. It also seems logical that women who have broken or injured their pelvis in the past would probably be prone to this problem.

Some sources view SPD simply as a result of pregnancy hormones. As noted, the pregnancy hormones relaxin and progesterone tend to loosen the ligaments of the body in preparation for birth. One theory is that some women have high levels of hormones before pregnancy, and then additional pregnancy hormones cause excessive relaxation of ligaments, especially in the pelvis.

Another theory is that some women manufacture excessive levels of relaxin during pregnancy, causing pelvic laxity. However, although still popular, this theory seems to have been disproven by recent research. Another theory is that women whose joints are especially flexible before pregnancy may be more susceptible to the effect of hormones, or that some women's bodies are just more affected by hormones than others. Traditional medical sources tend to view the problem of pelvic/pubic pain (when they acknowledge it at all) as simply a hormone problem.

A different theory holds that the problem is structural instead, and usually results from a misalignment of the pelvis. In this view, if the pelvis gets out of alignment, the bones don't line up correctly in front, and this puts a lot of extra pressure on that pubic symphysis cartilage. If the two sides are not aligned, it restricts full range of motion, pulling on the connecting pubic symphysis, and making it quite painful. The more out of alignment it is, the more painful this area becomes. It also tends to affect the back, especially in the sacroiliac area, since the pelvis and back are interconnected and work as a unit. And since many areas are affected by back problems, pain can also extend to other areas too.

Although there is no real treatment options for SPD (you know, so you can get rid of it altogether), there are still some things you can do to try and ease the pain and discomfort.

Tips for Coping with Pubic Symphysis Pain

Although the best idea may be to resolve chronic SPD pain through realigning the pelvis girdle and soft tissues, most women have at least some residual pubic and low back pain stick around for pregnancy and the early postpartum weeks because of hormones. Therefore, tips for coping with pubic pain tend to be a focus of many SPD websites. Many of the suggestions include:

• Use a pillow between your legs when sleeping; body pillows are a great investment!


• Use a pillow under your 'bump' (pregnancy tummy) when sleeping


• Keep your legs and hips as parallel/symmetrical as possible when moving or turning in bed


• Some women also find it helpful to have their partners stabilize their hips and hold them 'together' when rolling over in bed or otherwise adjusting position


• Some women report a waterbed mattress to be helpful


• Silk/satin sheets and nighties may make it easier to turn over in bed


• Swimming may help relieve pressure on the joint (many sites recommend avoiding breaststroke but Kmom did not find it to be a problem at all for her; see what works for you)


• Deep water aerobics or deep water running may be helpful as well (there are flotation devices to help you stay afloat easily during this; you do not need to know how to swim in order to do this)


• Keep your legs close together and move symmetrically (other sources recommend a very small gap between the legs with symmetrical movement)


• When standing, stand symmetrically, with your weight evenly distributed through both legs


• Sit down to get dressed, especially when putting on underwear or pants


• Avoid 'straddle' movements


• Swing your legs together as a unit when getting in and out of cars; use plastics or something smooth and slippery (like a garbage bag) on the car seat to help you enter car backwards and then turn your legs as a unit


• An ice pack may feel soothing and help reduce inflammation in the pubic area; painkillers may also help


• Move slowly and without sudden movements


• If sex is uncomfortable for you, use lots of pillows under your knees, or try other positions


• If bending over to pick up objects is difficult, there are devices available that can help with this


• Really severe cases may need crutches, although these should probably only be used as a last resort


• Sciatica may be helped by stretching the hamstring muscles with a stirrup around your foot (long piece of rope, two neck ties tied together, etc.)
  


• Back pain can often be helped by resting backwards over a large gymnastic or 'birth' ball
  


• Some women report that pelvic binders/maternity support belts are helpful for pelvic pain; brands in the U.S. include Prenatal Cradle or BabyHugger or the Reenie Belt. However, if the pelvic bones are really misaligned, some women report more pain with these. Listen to your body on whether to use these

If you are having problems in your pregnancy and you weren't sure what they were but now you know, I am glad to have helped you!! If you are suffering from SPD, you have my complete and total sympathy. If you suffered through this and are pregnant again, good luck. From what I have read, it is supposed to get worse in subsequent pregnancies. I have been seeing a chiropractor, so I have a little hope that if I were to get pregnant again (by some kind of fluke) it would be less than it was with Willow but something tells me that that is wishful thinking.

Read more!

My Journey Towards Getting Pregnant

Since I had a hard time getting pregnant and then a very difficult pregnancy I thought this would be a good place to talk about it!

Everyone has a journey they went through in order to conceive a baby. For some, it is a short and easy journey and for others it is long and difficult. Whatever your journey, I wish you the best of luck!

When I knew I was finally ready to think about getting pregnant, I knew I had to lose weight. And boy did I have a lot to lose. So I got off my duff and decided that I had to diet and exercise. You can read about my journey with weight loss in my Mom's Health section of this website and I also have a post entitled: Why I Exercise, which talks about the gym I attend called Curves. With eating right and exercising I lost 83 pounds in 12 months. Not too shabby, eh?

Once the weight was off I was on track to get off of birth control (in the form of the ever popular "pill") and start "trying" to make a baby. So, we began. But there was a problem. I wasn't getting my period. My doctor said this wasn't really an abnormal thing considering how long I had been on the "pill" and to just keep trying. But my period never came. So, I started charting my temperature. No fluctuation. Fearing something may be wrong, I went to the doctor. You may not know this but when you go to your Obstetrician and tell them you are trying to get pregnant, they will tell you that you have to "try" for a whole 12 months before they will see about helping you. This is what happened to me, and from what I have heard it is a very popular answer. So, I went home and we kept trying.

After a year went by and we weren't pregnant, I went back to the doctor.

After talking to her there were several things that I did. Since I hadn't gotten my period for over 2 months she had me take Provera. That made me have my period. As soon as I had my period I called to have a Hysterosalpingogram done. This is where they injected dye into my cervix to make sure that my fallopian tubes were not blocked (they weren't but that was the most excruciating pain I had ever been in). While all this was being done I was taking Glocophage since my doctor believed I had PolyCystic Ovary Syndrome. David was checked for infertility and, of course, had no problems.

So, what is PCOS? Well, Polycystic ovary syndrome abbreviated PCOS or PCO (also known clinically as Stein-Leventhal syndrome, Sclerocystic ovary syndrome, Hyperthecosis, ovarian, Polycystic ovarian disease PCOD ) is an endocrine disorder that affects approximately 5% of all women . It occurs amongst all races and nationalities, is the most common hormonal disorder among women of reproductive age, and is a leading cause of infertility. The principal features are weight problems, lack of regular ovulation and/or menstruation, and excessive amounts or effects of androgenic (masculinizing) hormones. The symptoms and severity of the syndrome vary greatly between women. While the causes are unknown, insulin resistance, diabetes, and obesity are all strongly correlated with PCOS.

To put in layman's terms, according to FamilyDoctor.org, if your hormones don't work in the normal way, your ovaries might make too many eggs. Those eggs turn into many cysts. The cysts (say: "sists") are like little balloons filled with liquid.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is called PCOS for short. Women in their childbearing years can get it. It often begins in the teenage years. It doesn't go away.

My doctor had determined that insulin resistance was a main factor in my infertility, caused by the PCOS. So, she prescribed me a medication called glucophage. This is traditionally a diabetic medication but in my case it was supposed to balance out my insulin so that I would begin to ovulate. And, after three months on the glucophage, I had my menstrual cycle (on my own) for the first time EVER! It was pretty exciting. When that came about, I was given a round of clomid to insure ovulation and set up an appointment with the doctor to determine if it worked. However, after going to the doctor and having them check my hormone levels to see if I ovulated, they said it didn't look good. So, we would try again the next month with a larger dose of clomid, while I continued taking the glucophage.

But...when I didn't get my period the next month despite mild cramping for about a week and a half, I was getting ready to make an appointment with my doctor for a round of provera (like I had in late August, and would have had again had I not gotten my period on my own in early December) followed my the clomid again when I decided to go ahead and take a pregnancy test, just to be sure I wasn't pregnant. Turns out I did ovulate and I was pregnant! WOO-HOO!!

Then what started off as a great pregnancy turned extremely difficult for me...tune in tomorrow to learn all about it!!

My Pregnancy: Symphysis Pubis Disfunction (SPD)


If you have PCOS, there is a support page you may be interested in: The Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association Read more!

Umbilical Cord Blood Banking

If you are pregnant, you have a decision to make that maybe you aren't aware of. I guess if you aren't aware of the possibility of the decision, it will be made for you in the hospital. But lots of parents today are aware of the ability to store the precious stem cells found in the blood of the umbilical cord. It's called "banking" and most people who make the decision, choose to pay a fee to have their children's umbilical cord blood stored for as long as they want to pay the yearly maintenance. For those who don't choose, the hospital throws the cord blood away as medical waste.

There was an article recently on MSNBC about it called: Cord blood choice: Private fears vs. public good. It talks about the industry and a couple that decided to privately bank their child's cord blood and a couple that donated their child's to a public bank.

Kind of like donating regular blood, if everyone donated their baby's cord blood to a public bank, everyone would reap the rewards. But, like regular blood, there is a shortage of donations and while everyone has access to the public bank, they don't have the resources to meet everyone's needs.

When making the decision to privately bank or donate your baby's cord blood, you may be interested in the likelihood that you will ever use it. According to Wikipedia (a source I love because they tend to take medical jargon and explain it in layman's terms while citing where they got the info from), "The likelihood of using cord blood in private banks has rested mostly on the odds that the donor child or a family member will require a stem cell transplant. In the United States, the lifetime probability (up to age 70) that an individual will undergo an autologous transplant of their own stem cells is 1 in 435, the lifetime probability to undergo an allogeneic transplant of stem cells from a donor (such as a sibling) is 1 in 400, and the overall odds of undergoing any stem cell transplant is 1 in 217 (according to this study released in March 2008). These figures are based on actual transplant rates in 2001-2003."

However, those numbers are a little bit in dispute according to the MSNBC article; But the math behind that statistic is widely debated, said Dr. Dennis Confer, chief medical officer for the National Marrow Donor Program in Minneapolis, which maintains a public registry of donated cord blood units. The ViaCord number spreads the odds over 70 years instead of the minimum 20 years typically regarded as the standard for public cord blood storage. And it fails to note that most of the transplants would be likely to occur between ages 40 and 70, as the diseases that benefit from them increase.

“The likelihood that it will be used now or in the future is extremely low, probably 1 in 1,000,” said Confer, who adds that that’s probably a generous estimate.

Overall, the chance that a publicly stored unit of cord blood will ever be used is about 650 times higher than the odds that a privately banked unit will ever be needed, Confer added.

So, like I said, you have a decision to make if you are pregnant. Do you want to privately store your baby's umbilical cord blood? If not, please consider donating it to a public bank. That's what we did. We used CryoBanks International. They offer both private banking and public donation. And when donating all we had to do was fill out a questionnaire and then bring the kit to the hospital and give them a call when I was in labor. They did the rest.

Surprisingly, it was quite difficult to find a place to publicly donate Willow's cord blood. But we were happy to do it in the end. My ObGyn even asked me for information on public donation so she could tell patients about it.

Good luck in making your decision!

ETA:
A little bit more information on CryoBanks Intl (from their website):

Cryobanks International is a National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) umbilical cord blood processing and storage bank accredited by the AABB (formerly called the American Association of Blood Banks) in cord blood activities, licensed for tissue banking operations by the New York and New Jersey State Departments of Health and registered with the Food and Drug Administration.

In addition, many members of our staff are currently active in dozens of related organizations, such as:

• American Society of Hematology


• World Marrow Donor Association


• American Association of Tissue Banks


• American Society for Clinical Pathology


• International Cord Blood Society


• American Association of Bioanalysts


• State of Florida Department of Health - Division of Medical Quality Assurance


• American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Founded in 1993, Cryobanks International, Inc., a pioneer in the collection, isolation, and storage technologies for cord blood stem cells, is located in Altamonte Springs, Florida, a suburb of Orlando. Cryobanks International, initially formed as a semen bank and a clinical and andrology laboratory, expanded its scope of business into the field of cord blood banking in mid-1995. The company is focused on providing high-quality umbilical cord blood stem cell processing and storage for both private family use and public donation purposes.

Like I said, we did quite a bit of research when I was pregnant and this was the only completely FREE option we could find for publicly banking Willow's cord blood. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND them for those parents who wish to do the same. Read more!

In the News - Caffeine and Pregnancy

David was reading Time Magazine and saw a couple of articles available on line that he thought I'd like to feature in here, so here we are!!

The first one is called: Caffeine and Pregnancy: How Risky?

Let me preface this with the fact that I drank caffeine when I was pregnant with Willow, just about every day. I tried decaf but it was awful and I hated it. So, I kept to 1-2 cups a day and happily drank my mocha from Starbucks. I know, it was selfish. I am sure it's not the last selfish thing I will do when it comes to my daughter. I should also note, since it's mentioned in the article, I had no morning sickness at all during my pregnancy.

According to the article, "Several studies suggest a link between caffeine consumption and risk of miscarriage. But the cause and effect has never been clear: does caffeine increase a woman's risk of miscarrying, or do women who are already at low risk for miscarriage tend not to drink caffeine? (To wit: morning sickness, which is a sign of a healthy pregnancy, hardly makes you crave a cup of Joe.) At Kaiser Permanente Northern California's Division of Research, reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist Dr. De-Kun Li wanted to parse the association. He and colleagues recruited 1,063 women in early pregnancy, quizzed them about their caffeine intake and followed them to the end of their pregnancies. The researchers also checked to see, crucially, whether women had altered their caffeine-drinking habits after becoming pregnant — that way, scientists were able to control for the effect of morning sickness."

So, how much caffeine is "safe"?

According to Dr Li, "What we found is that for women whose caffeine intake was more than 200 mg every day, the risk of miscarriage was double compared with women who did not have any caffeine during pregnancy. For those who consumed more than 200 mg a day, their miscarriage rate was about 25%. Below 200 mg, we also saw a slight increase in risk, [but] we were not able to make a more definitive assessment. Generally speaking, though, for [risks due to] environmental exposure in the context of miscarriage, there is rarely a threshold effect. Usually, the higher the dose, the bigger the effect.

"I would think, given this study finding and other study findings before, the first choice for women should probably be to stop drinking caffeine entirely — at least for the first three to four months of pregnancy. But if you really have to drink, I think you should limit yourself to one regular coffee a day or less. Two hundred mg of caffeine is roughly about one-and-a-half to two [8 oz] cups of regular coffee. [In our study], most of the caffeine came from regular coffee. [It's also found in tea, hot chocolate and soda.] [If you drink] regular soda, 200 mg is roughly equivalent to five 12 oz cans."

So, there you have it! Stop (of you can) during the first trimester and limit your intake to 2 8 oz cups of coffee thereafter.

Why try to stave off during the first trimester? Well, "we know that caffeine can directly, easily cross the placental barrier. While adults can usually metabolize caffeine, a fetus usually can't, particularly in the early stages of development. So caffeine has a direct effect on cells, membranes and tissues. Those kinds of things for adults are OK. That's why we actually drink caffeine — because it interacts with our cell receptors. But for a fetus, particularly at the early stages of development, it may interfere with development."

Definitely something to take into consideration. Read more!

In the News - On Abortion

When you think of the word "Abortion", what comes to mind? According to WebMD, the definition for Abortion is: "the early ending of a pregnancy."

Let me preface. It took me a year to get pregnant. I had to take fertility drugs, but I did not need in vitro fertilization or anything. When I found out I was pregnant, it was one of the happiest days of my life and I was looking forward to seeing my baby grow and nurturing him or her as best as I could. Some women go through excruciating pain and many procedures in order to be able to fulfill their lifelong dream of conceiving a child. And sometimes, even after all that pain and suffering, they have finally become pregnant with a child only to find out that their precious miracle will never see the light of day because something is wrong...terribly wrong.

Such was the case for the woman in the article: When there is no good choice. The article has her heartbreaking story and also discusses something that has been in the news on and off, Abortion.

IN MY OPINION it is easy for someone who has never had a baby or been pregnant to get an abortion. Heck, I was one of those people that always thought it was something I would do if I wasn't ready for a baby (before I got married). It is especially easy for men to say "why don't you get an abortion?" when they don't want a baby, especially seeing how many "men" out there can't even take care of the life they helped bring into this world, but that's another post altogether.

The topic that this article covers is actually "late term Abortion". According to Wikipedia, A late-term abortion often refers to an induced abortion procedure that occurs after the 20th week of gestation. However, the exact point when a pregnancy becomes late-term is not clearly defined. Some sources define an abortion after 12 completed weeks' gestation as "late". Some sources define an abortion after 16 weeks as "late". Three articles published in 1998 in the same issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association could not agree on the definition. Two of the JAMA articles chose the 20th week of gestation to be the point where an abortion procedure would be considered late-term. The third JAMA article chose the third trimester, or 27th week of gestation.

The point at which an abortion becomes late-term is often related to the "viability" (ability to survive outside the uterus) of the fetus. Sometimes late-term abortions are referred to as post-viability abortions. However, viability varies greatly between pregnancies. Nearly all pregnancies are viable after the 27th week, and almost no pregnancies are viable before the 20th week. Everything in between is a "grey area".

According to the article, "No woman wants to imagine ending an advanced pregnancy after her belly has begun to swell and she has felt her baby kicking with life. Thankfully, few women have to take this step.

"Later-term abortions — those performed at 16 weeks and beyond — account for only 4.3 percent of the 1.21 million pregnancies ended in the United States each year, according to the Guttmacher Institute in New York City. These cases are often misunderstood, says Michael F. Greene, M.D., director of obstetrics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "Part of the strategy of [anti-abortion activists] is to demonize these women and make them into unsympathetic characters who view second-trimester abortion as a trivial decision," Dr. Greene says. "I have never met a woman who didn't agonize over this decision.""

So, what does the law say about abortion?

In April 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. In doing so, it banned for the first time certain methods of abortion, including intact dilation and extraction, a later-term procedure also known as D&X or intact D&E. Now, unless a physician can offer unequivocal proof that a patient would die without a D&X, the doctor risks being fined $250,000 and sent to prison for up to two years.

Since the Supreme Court ruling, Louisiana and Utah have implemented bans on D&X procedures, allowing those states to impose their own penalties. (Louisiana allows doctors to be fined up to $100,000 and given “hard labor” jail terms of up to 10 years.) Eleven more states have introduced similar bills this year.

Thirty-six states prohibit almost all abortions after a baby is viable, but most don’t define when that is. Meanwhile, the new federal abortion ban and its state doppelgängers are written so broadly that doctors worry the penalties could apply to other procedures besides D&X, some performed as early as 13 weeks of pregnancy. The result is that patients and doctors can’t always be sure when it is legal to perform an abortion or what methods are allowed.

The D&X technique is so uncommon that many doctors who perform second-trimester abortions, including Dr. Nichols and Dr. Greene, have never used it. Nevertheless, they worry that in an emergency, it would no longer be available to them. "The law makes no exception for a woman’s health, only if her life is at risk," says Dr. Nichols, also the medical director of Planned Parenthood of Columbia/Willamette in Oregon. "If during a standard D&E a woman has lost a quart of blood and I consider her to be dying, and I perform a ‘partial-birth abortion’ to save her, I fear there will be an expert witness to testify that I intervened too soon."

So, are there any alternatives?

Yes, Perinatal Hospice. Choices Medical Clinic, a privately funded nonprofit, opened in 1999 and is one of as many as 2,500 "crisis pregnancy centers" nationwide that exist to persuade pregnant women to avoid abortion. Choices was one of the first centers to offer perinatal hospice: end-of-life services for fetuses akin to the standard hospice care available to the sick and the elderly.

The facility doesn’t provide primary medical care; deliveries or inductions are done at local hospitals. But women who enlist its hospice services are invited to have free sonograms every day of their doomed pregnancy and, if they find it a comfort, can have free professional pictures taken of them and their dead or dying children after they are born. "Our job is to start from the womb to the tomb," says Scott Stringfield, M.D., a family physician in Wichita and medical director of Choices. "We try to comfort women and facilitate greater closeness to their child."

Hopefully this post has helped you to learn a little more about abortion and the agonizing choice it is for millions of mothers. Read more!

In the News - For moms, more kids can mean fewer teeth

I thought, I am always looking for articles about kids and family...why not look into women's health as well? Then I saw the article: For moms, more kids can mean fewer teeth.

Really? Interesting!

According to the article: "Women who gave birth to more children tended to lose more teeth during their lives, regardless of whether they were rich or poor, U.S researchers found.

They examined data on 2,635 U.S. women ages 18 to 64, sorting the nationally representative sample into three categories — low, middle and high socioeconomic status.

In the highest socioeconomic group, women with no children were missing on average less than one tooth, those with one child were missing about two teeth and those with four or more were missing about five teeth.

Among the women in the lowest socioeconomic group, those with no children on average were missing two teeth, those with one child were missing an average of three teeth and those with four or more were missing more than eight teeth.

The trend also held true in the middle socioeconomic group, said the researchers at New York University and Yale University in Connecticut."

But, why was this occurring?

"Women are more prone to gingivitis during pregnancy, when the response of the oral tissues to the bacteria in the mouth is altered, Russell said.

Gingivitis occurs when bacteria build up between the teeth and gums, causing inflammation and bleeding. Untreated, it can lead to more serious gum disease and eventually tooth loss.

In addition, Russell said women may be less likely to see a dentist while pregnant, perhaps in part because they want to avoid dental X-rays due to concern over radiation exposure.

Women with multiple children may also forgo their own dental care, possibly due to lack of money or time, Russell said."

So, in case you don't know what Gingivitis is, I'll break it down for you. According to the American Dental Association, Gingivitis is "Inflammation of gingival tissue without loss of connective tissue."

According to WebMD, "Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that increase your risk for developing gingivitis and periodontitis. As a result of varying hormone levels, between 50%-70% of women will develop gingivitis sometime during their pregnancy – a condition called pregnancy gingivitis.

"The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy – especially the increased level of progesterone – may make it easier for certain gingivitis-causing bacteria to grow as well as make gum tissue more sensitive to plaque and exaggerate the body's response to the toxins (poisons) that result from plaque. In fact, if you already have significant gum disease, being pregnant may make it worse."

So, how do you try to prevent this? Well, according to WebMD, "First, it's especially important to practice good oral hygiene habits, which include brushing at least twice a day, flossing once a day, and using an antimicrobial mouth rinse. If you are due for a professional cleaning, don't skip it simply because you are pregnant. Now more than ever, professional dental cleanings are particularly important."

Apparently gum disease and premature birth have been shown to be associated! "At least a couple of major studies have shown that this is indeed true. Researchers of one study who published their results in The Journal of the American Dental Association found that pregnant women with chronic gum disease were four to seven times more likely to deliver prematurely (before gestational week 37) than mothers with healthy gums. Mothers with the most severe periodontal disease delivered the most prematurely at 32 weeks.

"However, "The researchers' study did not address if treating gum disease would reduce the risk of preterm birth, adding that more studies need to be conducted to answer this question. Their main findings, however, support the results of another study that also showed that premature, underweight babies were born more often to mothers with periodontal disease."

Who knew? Now, you do!! Read more!

Pregnancy Advice

I was on bed rest for the last three weeks of my pregnancy. Even if you aren't on bed rest, I highly recommend watching The Learning Channel. They have many shows that really prepared me for what I should expect when I got to the Hospital. They included:

Birth Day
A Baby Story
Bringing Home Baby

On the Discovery Health Channel:

Make Room for Baby
Babies: Special Delivery
The Baby Diaries

If nothing else, you can see the process of what happens during normal, unconventional, and Cesarean section births. And these are on all morning every weekday. Read more!