Going Past Your Due Date

Since the day you discovered you were pregnant, you’ve been counting the days until your due date. As the date approaches, you get excited and maybe a bit anxious about the birth, but mostly excited. Then the day comes and nothing happens and nothing happens the next day and the day after that. This is frustrating to say the least.

As frustrated as you feel, it’s important to remember that the due date is really just an estimate. In fact only about five percent of all babies are born on the actual due date. This means that ninety five percent of them will not arrive on that day. In the vast majority of the cases, the baby will come within two weeks of the due date, either before or after.

If the baby isn’t here by your first visit after the due date, the doctor may want to do a bit of monitoring to check on the baby and assess his condition. An ultrasound may be done to check the baby’s heart rate and general health. The placenta can also be checked during the ultrasound to be sure it is still functioning properly. The amniotic fluid will be measured to be sure the level is sufficient.

Carnival of Pregnancy and Family - 1st Edition

Welcome to the More4kids Pregnancy and Family Carnival Welcome to the March 24th, 2008 edition of carnival of Pregnancy and Family. A blog carnival is where some of the best bloggers on the internet share their stories. This will be our first monthly carnival devoted to Pregnancy and our Families. We hope all our readers will enjoy these great articles:

Silveral presents Celebrity babies – new kids on the block posted at Celebrity News, and Gossip.

Malia Russell presents I Love You More from Homemaking 911 posted at Homemaking 911.

Karen Alonge presents bringing home Baby Number 2 posted at advice for parents.

Sonja Stewart presents Top 10 Things Not to Say to New Mothers | Parenting Squad posted at Parenting Squad.

Raymond presents Thinking of Having a Baby? Reserve That Domain Name Before It’s Too Late posted at Money Blue Book.

Steven Chang presents Chinese Conception Calendar posted at Gagazine.

Here at More4kids Pregnancy and Family we are presenting Should Siblings be Present at Birth.

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of carnival of pregnancy and family using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

Filed under Blog Carnival, Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.

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Should Siblings Be Present At Childbirth?

If you are pregnant, you may be wondering if the baby’s older siblings should be present at the birth. This is largely a matter of choice. Some women believe that birth is a family event and welcome their children at the birth. Others prefer to give birth without the children present, but welcome them into the room after the baby is born to meet the newest member of the family.

The personality of each child is an important consideration. Some children are more sensitive and easily upset than others. A very sensitive child may find seeing mommy in pain to be very upsetting. In this case, waiting until after the baby is born may be best for the child. This is a matter of knowing the personality of your child and figuring out what is best in your situation.

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Filed under Pregnancy by More4kids Inc.

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A Guide to Amniocentesis

by Patricia Hughes

Amniocentesis is a medical test that is sometimes done in pregnancy. The test involves extracting a sample of the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby. In this fluid are the baby’s chromosomes. These cells are collected and sent to a laboratory to be analyzed. It can take a week or more to get the results, depending on the testing done.

Cellulite and Pregnancy

young pregnant woman It is almost always a glorious occasion when a woman finds out she is pregnant. You will excitedly talk to friends and your mom about what to expect during pregnancy, and of course, your doctor should fill you in of the necessary precautions that you need to take.

As you progress in your pregnancy, you notice that your swelling a bit, in all areas of you body, however, you may also notice that something else has made an appearance; Cellulite. By this stage of your pregnancy, hormones have almost surely have taken over and you may get mad, however, it is more likely that you will break down in tears.

Cellulite is caused by many different things, it gives your skin on you’re a dimple appearance much like cottage cheese. It is found mostly on the hips thighs and buttocks and women who have it consider it to be unsightly. It is brought on by weight gain, and pregnancy is when it strikes the most. Cellulite is a build up of fat deposits.

Interestingly enough, cellulite does not strike everyone. If cellulite is in your family, than you will more likely to be affected by it. What is equally interesting is that cellulite is not a medical term nor can it be found in any medical journals.

How Pregnancy Changes Marriage

young and beautiful family Becoming a parent changes your relationship with your spouse. The changes often begin before the baby arrives. All marriages will change to some degree. Some of the changes may be good and others not so good.

You may find that your husband becomes more concerned about your well being. He may express concern about pregnancy symptoms, your general health or the well being of the baby. Some men become very protective of their wives when they are carrying a baby.

Caffeine During Pregnancy

by Patricia Hughes

The advice on caffeine in pregnancy varies depending on the source. Some books and articles will tell you that a small amount of caffeine is fine, while others recommend skipping it altogether. The same is true among health care professionals. Some say a limited amount of caffeine is not dangerous, while others say to eliminate it entirely. With advice differing, it can be difficult to know what to do.

The issue becomes even more confusing because studies of caffeine use in pregnancy are not consistent. An FDA study in the late 1980s showed that caffeine consumption had an impact on miscarriage rates. The study was later refuted due to the fact that rats were used in the study. Later studies on humans were criticized because they failed to control for other contributing factors such as tobacco and alcohol use.

Capturing The Birth Of Your Newborn On Film And Video

Opinions about video taping or photographing child birth vary widely. Some women want to capture the miracle of birth on film. Others are completely turned off by the idea and would never even consider a camera in the room for the birth. There is no right answer. It is a matter of personal preference and your own comfort level with the idea of being filmed during birth.

What if you aren’t sure what you want? This isn’t an issue that you can revisit after the birth. If you don’t take pictures or film and regret it later, there is nothing you can do. Women that are undecided may choose to film the birth and then discard the photographs if they are upsetting or something they wish they had not done.

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Filed under Childbirth by More4kids Inc.

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