Car Safety During Pregnancy
Most pregnant women wonder if it is advisable to wear a seat belt while riding in a car. The answer is a definite yes. If you protect yourself from injury, you also protect your...
Working During Pregnancy
More than 1 million working women become pregnant each year. For most of these women, continuing to work until right before their due dates is not a problem. As long as you and your...
Tests Used In Pregnancy
Various tests and procedures are used in certain cases of pregnancy complications. Like all medical procedures, they offer advantages, but also carry risks. Therefore, they should be utilized only when medically indicated, not on...
Higher-Risk Pregnancy Conditions
Some pregnant women are considered to be at “higher risk” than most women. They include women who have diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure, or who develop these conditions during pregnancy or labor....
Group B Strep
Group B streptococcal (GBS) infection is found in the genital area of up to 30 percent of healthy women. Most infected pregnant women show no signs of illness, but are at increased risk for...
Rh Incompatibility
Blood type is identified by two major components—a letter (A, B, AB, or O) and the Rh factor. If your blood contains the Rh factor, you are Rh positive; if it lacks this factor,...
Receiving Prenatal Care Once Pregnancy is Suspected
You should begin receiving prenatal care the moment you suspect you are pregnant. All of your baby’s vital organs will have already begun forming by this time. The person you choose as your caregiver...
Sexual Relations During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, you undergo many changes, both physical and emotional. How you react to these changes, how openly you can talk with your partner, and whether your caregiver makes you feel comfortable discussing lovemaking...
Physical and Emotional Changes in the Pregnant Woman
Pregnancy is generally divided into three trimesters, or three periods of 3 months each, for purposes of discussion. This is done because most women experience the same general changes during each trimester. During pregnancy,...
The Length of Pregnancy
The average length of pregnancy is 280 days. This is about 9 calendar months or 10 lunar months. A lunar month is the time it takes to go from full moon to full moon—28...