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     If you’re in your third trimester you’re probably beginning to wonder what labor and delivery will be like. There are three stages of labor with each stage serving a specific purpose. In this post, I will break down each stage so you will have a better idea of what to expect. Stage 1- Early & Active Labor      Stage 1 of labor is composed of 2 phases, early labor and active labor. It is...

     In the last blog post, "What to Expect Postpartum", I covered three different symptoms that occur in the postpartum phase (right after the baby is born). In this post, we are going to focus on the topic of when you will get your period back and how your cycle will look after having your baby. I will also discuss how breastfeeding can influence this.       After not having a period for nine...

     If you’re reading this, you are most likely pregnant and may be very knowledgeable on pregnancy symptoms and even the birthing process. This is common for many women to focus on these two topics as pregnancy is the task at hand and birth can be a bit overwhelming to think about, especially for first-time moms. It also seems like these are the topics that are discussed with other mothers....

     In the last post, I covered the benefits and challenges of breastfeeding. The conclusion was that nutritionally speaking, breastfeeding is the best option for feeding your baby. But there are other factors to consider when choosing a feeding method and some families choose to use formula instead of breastmilk. There is no right or wrong choice, it just depends on what works best for you and...

     Many choices have to be made when a new baby is on the way. One of these choices is how you are going to feed your baby, with breast milk or formula or maybe a mixture of both. Many factors can indicate which feeding route will be better for you, your baby, and your family. These can include job schedules, other young children to take care of, the amount of breast milk supply, and even just...

     In this blog post, I am going to discuss different types of birth control. While there are numerous choices when it comes to choosing a birth control method, today I’m going to focus on four types. Two types that do not require a prescription and two that do. Some things to consider when choosing a birth control method are effectiveness (how well and often they work), safety, and potential...

     Sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, are infections that are spread through different types of sexual contact. STIs can be hard to catch because many of them are asymptomatic or don’t show symptoms until months after the infection occurs. There are many types of STIs but we are going to focus on the most common in this blog post, HPV, Chlamydia, and Gonorrhea. (1) Human Papillomavirus...

     In the last blog post, I went over a common pregnancy complication called gestational diabetes. This post is going to cover another common complication, preeclampsia. Scientists are not 100% sure what causes preeclampsia, but they believe it occurs when the placenta is not developed correctly. This causes blood vessels that go to the placenta to constrict and results in high blood pressure...

     Pregnancy is probably one of if not the most, unique times in a woman’s life. It can come with many different emotions like excitement, fear, worry, joy, and the list goes on. One thing all pregnant women can expect to experience is a change in their bodies. Some of these changes are completely natural and even necessary for a healthy pregnancy, like a growing belly, growing breasts, and...

Week 28      This is the first week of the third trimester and the week you may start to notice things like leg cramps and hemorrhoids. Leg cramps can be caused by the extra weight you are carrying, swelling, lack of exercise, and certain vitamin or mineral deficiencies. A great way to combat this is to walk! (1) Walking can help keep blood flowing and it does not only help with leg cramps....

     You’ve made it to the second trimester! It is during this trimester when women feel relief from morning sickness and food aversions and get some of their energy back. In this post, we will cover what you can expect to happen to your body as your baby is growing through the next 12 weeks.     Week 14      This is the first week of your second trimester. I’ve heard the second trimester...

     In the last three blog posts, we covered the growth cycle of a baby while in the womb through each trimester. In this post, we will focus on physical changes and symptoms you (the mother) can expect while pregnant. When pregnancy occurs, you have a huge surge in hormones estrogen and progesterone that can cause symptoms such as constipation, mood swings, and a frequent need to pee. Your...