Antenatal Colostrum Collection
A question that has been increasingly coming up in the office is, “Should I be collecting colostrum before my baby is born?” Let’s take a closer look.
Tag: obgyn
Maternal Mental Health: PMADs
Many parents have heard the term Postpartum Depression, but PERINATAL encompasses both the pregnancy and postpartum periods, extending to 1 year AFTER delivery. While mild mood changes can be common during the perinatal period, up to 1 IN 5 women (20%) experience more significant perinatal mood and anxiety disorders – also known as PMADs. PMADs can affect anyone and do not discriminate based on ethnicity, age or socioeconomic status. Here, we’ll discuss the implications of PMADs during pregnancy, symptoms to look out for, and what you can do to reduce your pregnancy-related risks and to feel better.
Maternal Benefits of Breastfeeding
When people talk about breastfeeding, they usually focus on the benefits for babies. Your family, friends, pediatricians and OBGYNs will tell you that breastmilk provides excellent nutrition and has major health benefits for babies. But what we don’t talk about nearly enough, are the significant positive impacts that breastfeeding has on mom.
What’s Up With The Cup?
A patient asked me last week if it is ok if she uses a Diva Cup (a brand of menstrual cup). I confidently said, “Sure, as long as it is working for you.” After the appointment I decided I better educate myself more, as while still not used with popular frequency, we are getting more […]
Shedding Light on Infertility for National Infertility Awareness Week
In the United States, infertility affects 10-15% of heterosexual couples, making it one of the most common medical diagnoses for people ages 20 to 45 years old. Amongst married women in the U.S. specifically, 19% are affected. The WHO estimates that ONE in SIX couples worldwide experience infertility during their lifetime. LGBTQ couples face family building challenges at well. What these substantial numbers suggest is a high likelihood that most of us either know someone affected by infertility, or have been affected by infertility ourselves. Yet there is still so much that is not talked about when it comes to Infertility. Infertility can feel lonely and isolating to those trying to build a family. To address this, National Infertility Awareness Week, or NIAW, was started in 1989 to improve education and bring awareness to infertility.
Weather and Your Pregnancy
As I sit here on call on Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023, writing this blog post, I am reflecting about the last 48 straight hours of rainfall as well as the crazy weather shifts going on at the Masters golf tournament this weekend. I started thinking about weather and temperature changes and pregnancies and the passing comments the doctors make to each other like “Good luck, big storm coming in tonight, be ready for some water to break.” Does weather really affect pregnancy? Does water break more often with pressure changes in the weather? Do more women go into labor with storms? Let’s take a closer look.
