Pregnancy

Quitting Birth Control When you decide that it's time to add another member to your family, it's obviously time to ditch the birth control. The type of contraception you have been using might determine how soon you will conceive: After stopping the...

Quitting Birth Control When you decide that it's ...

I go swimming twice a week and love the feeling of having the weight taken off my belly! But is the chlorine in the pool bad for my baby? In the past there has been some debate about whether it's safe to swim in chlorinated pools during pregnancy. Ho...

I go swimming twice a week and love the feeling of...

Hey Mom! When making a decision about when to leave work, keep in mind that you'll feel the most discomfort and fatigue during the first three and the last three months. Many women feel full of energy during the second trimester. Before you breathe a...

Hey Mom! When making a decision about when to leav...

Your social habits Whether you're pregnant or are planning to conceive, now is the time to do a safety check on your social habits and home and work environment. Anything that could affect your well-being could affect your baby too, especially in th...

Your social habits Whether you're pregnant or are...

Heartburn and Indigestion The heart has nothing to do with this problem, which was named long before it was understood. Heartburn involves regurgitation of stomach acid back into the throat or esophagus. It's a mild form of indigestion that, once aga...

Heartburn and Indigestion The heart has nothing to...

wouldn't it be great to hear that you should not get on your knees and scrub anything during your pregnancy? The truth is that the majority of cleaning products really can't hurt your baby. Still, it's smart to be cautious about using the toxic chemi...

wouldn't it be great to hear that you should not g...

If you live in the city, you know you're not breathing the best air around. Cars, trucks, furnaces, and industrial machinery all spew poisonous carbon monoxide into the air. If you breathe in a lot of second-hand smoke from cigarettes and cigars, you...

If you live in the city, you know you're not breat...

It's the legal responsibility of your employer to provide a safe environment. In pregnancy, being aware of your rights can help protect you and your baby. In recent decades, women worried about whether working at a computer screen put their babies at...

It's the legal responsibility of your employer to ...

Nosebleeds The tiny blood vessels of the nose become more congested during pregnancy and break open easily. That's why nosebleeds are so common. Dry air tends to worsen the problem. You might try these techniques: Apply pressure—Lean your head forwa...

Nosebleeds The tiny blood vessels of the nose beco...

Fatigue During your first trimester, you may experience extreme fatigue. By the second trimester, your body will probably have adjusted, and you may feel full of energy. By the third trimester, however, you may feel exhausted again and need more rest...

Fatigue During your first trimester, you may exper...

The Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNSS) and the Pregnancy Surveillance System (PNSS) are program-based surveillance systems that monitor the nutritional status of low-income infants, children, and women in federally funded maternal and c...

The Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PedNS...

The following are the most common pregnancy concerns and the strategies to deal with them while you are on the job: Backache Backaches are common during pregnancy because of the increased weight you're carrying, especially if your baby is resting on ...

The following are the most common pregnancy concer...

Are pregnant women tested for Hepatitis B? Yes. When a pregnant woman comes in for prenatal care, she will be given a series of routine blood tests, including one that checks for the presence of Hepatitis B virus infection. This test is important bec...

Are pregnant women tested for Hepatitis B? Yes. Wh...

Rubella (German measles): Rubella infection in pregnant women can cause unborn babies to have serious birth defects with devastating, life-long consequences, or even die before birth. Make sure you have a pre-pregnancy blood test to see if you are im...

Rubella (German measles): Rubella infection in pre...

Did you know that your baby gets disease immunity (protection) from you during pregnancy? This immunity will protect your baby from some diseases during the first few months of life but immunity decreases over time. Babies need to be vaccinated start...

Did you know that your baby gets disease immunity ...

Though the benefits of taking folic acid supplements to prevent certain birth defects is firmly established, a study from several years ago found that women who took a multivitamin containing 800 micrograms of folic acid before and during early pregn...

Though the benefits of taking folic acid supplemen...

If you're thinking of having a baby, you've likely heard about how important it is for you to take folic acid supplements everyday. It's already known that folic acid helps prevent certain birth defects, and now a new study shows it might also help r...

If you're thinking of having a baby, you've likely...

Although the role of folic acid in preventing certain birth defects is established, many women of childbearing age don't seem to be heeding the message before they conceive, a new poll suggests. Why? Their doctors aren't routinely telling them to tak...

Although the role of folic acid in preventing cert...

Traditionally, doctors haven't liked to see pregnant women lose weight, even if the women are obese. Indeed, the 1990 guidelines of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggest that obese women should gain 15 to 25 pounds over the course of a pregnancy. Y...

Traditionally, doctors haven't liked to see pregna...

A new study builds on previous research, all indicating that vitamin use during pregnancy seems to protect children against both neuroblastoma -- a childhood nervous system cancer -- and leukemia. The current study is the largest of its kind ever con...

A new study builds on previous research, all indic...

The findings are slated for presentation at the Experimental Biology 2011 meeting in Washington, D.C. Many new mothers experience the “baby blues” in the first few weeks after delivery. Symptoms of the baby blues, such as mood swings, insomnia, and f...

The findings are slated for presentation at the Ex...