Images courtesy of Kristi Kline
When my husband, Matt and I were in New Orleans for our first ultrasound visit, we were in for a surprise. We were waiting to hear a sweet baby’s heartbeat, but instead we heard two! I remember how the technician displayed the imaging and asked: “What do you see?” It looked like an amoeba to me, but my husband muttered the word “two.” I almost fell over as I thought: “There’s no way I can do twins!” This was just the start to our wild twin journey.
During our next appointment, my obstetrician noticed the twins were in the same chorionic sac, sharing a placenta. We discovered we were having...
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For expecting women, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common condition of glucose intolerance in which the pancreas struggles to adjust to an increased demand for insulin and/or insulin cells become resistant during pregnancy. There are typically little to no symptoms, but heightened blood sugar levels can impact you or your baby’s health. Screening for GDM is usually completed between 24-28 weeks gestation, when insulin demand begins to elevate. This can be done sooner if risk factors are present.
Screening for GDM is usually...
The “morning-after pill” is a type of emergency contraception used to prevent pregnancy following unprotected intercourse. There are several brands of emergency contraceptive pills containing levonorgestrel, a type of hormone, available and packaged for purchase. Some of these include Plan B One-Step, Next Choice, Take Action, My Way and AfterPill. If these are taken within three days of unprotected intercourse, success rates of preventing pregnancy can go up to 89 percent. They can be taken up to five days following intercourse, but they’re most effective when taken as soon as possible.
How does it work?
The emergency contraceptive pill...
What exactly is postpartum anxiety?
If you recently gave birth, postpartum anxiety can occur alongside depression or distinctly from it. For many women, the abrupt decrease in estrogen and progesterone at the time of delivery can lead to a greater sensitivity to stress, causing some to feel overwhelmed, fearful or panicky. Sleep deprivation from newborn care can also contribute to these feelings. In addition, especially for first-time mothers, the responsibility of caring for a newborn and the feelings of wanting to protect and keep the baby...
Image courtesy of Mary Lopera
Growing up, I always dreamt of the perfect fairytale story where I would meet my prince charming, live in a big castle and raise a house full of children. The first part of my fairytale came true in 1998 when I met my then boyfriend, Alex, and married him seven years later. Alex and I met in our early 20s, so having children wasn’t initially a priority for us. We enjoyed traveling and living our lives, but my heart and mind started longing for children as we hit our 30s.
I started taking birth control at the age of 19, and stopped at 32 when we decided to start trying to conceive. We let things happen...
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