Problems

By Jacque Shannon-McNulty

During childbirth classes, as soon as everyone is comfortable and ready to get down to the nitty gritty details of birth, almost ever mom confesses an often very specific and gory fear about tearing during birth. Vaginal and perineal injury is a major concern among pregnant women. Fortunately, there are many things that you can do to keep your pelvic floor strong and protect it during your pregnancy, birth and postpartum. (more…)

By Natural Family Online

As first reported in Human Reproduction, September 25, 2003.

Ginsenoside Rb1, one of the principal active components of ginseng, was researched by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and found to cause malformations in rat embryos. Embryos exposed to high doses had fewer muscle cells, affects to the heart, limb and eye development, and significantly shorter body lengths. (more…)

By Meagan Francis

When Kari (not her real name) found herself drawn to her laundry soap near the end of her second pregnancy, she didn’t think much of it. “I found that I really liked the way my laundry soap smelled more than normal,” says Kari. (more…)

By Gina Gerboth

You’re pregnant, and your hips are killing you. When you walk, you feel like your hips are two separate entities? Do you have intense round ligament pain (pain in the ligaments that support the sides of the uterus)? Is going up the stairs especially painful? Is putting on pants unusually difficult? Does rolling over in bed cause intense pain in your pelvis? (more…)

By Anne Smith

In the United States, nearly one in four births is a cesarean birth. Many of these cesareans are unexpected, so it is a good idea for the expectant mother to become informed and educated about the procedure before her baby arrives. (more…)

By Christine Dobrowolski

There are so many changes the body undergoes during pregnancy that it becomes easy to ignore the changes in the feet. During pregnancy, the body releases hormones that allow the ligaments to relax in the birth canal. The ligaments in the feet also relax, causing the foot to lengthen and widen. Many will complain of a shoe size increase by one or two sizes. (more…)

Question: I am 24 weeks pregnant and have recently been told by my doctor that I need to eat more protein because I have protein in my urine. I am having a hard time getting enough protein because I am vegetarian, dairy sensitive and do not care for soy. Any suggestions? (more…)