Preggy Vits

Prenatal vitamins are a great idea. These pills are great sources of vitamins and minerals for pregnant women. The problem comes when we have misconceptions about prenatal vitamins. Here are some of the most common myths about prenatal vitamins:

Prenatal vitamins are a cure all.
There is no doubt about it - prenatal vitamins are great as supplements. The real issue at stake is that we believe that we can have poor nutrition fixed by popping a pill. Even when that pill is a great prenatal vitamin, it's not going to do anything but boost your nutrition. Remember, the better your nutrition, the more you will get out of your prenatal vitamin.

You have to use a prescription prenatal vitamin.
While drug companies would love you to believe that their prenatal vitamin is the only thing that will really work, most prenatal vitamins will work for most women, with a few exceptions. There are many over-the-counter prenatal vitamins that work really well. If you are in doubt, bring your bottle with you to your next visit with your doctor or midwife.

You have to use a prenatal vitamin.
There are also some good multivitamins available that are safe in pregnancy. You need to ensure that it has an adequate amount of folic acid and the appropriate amounts of other vitamins and minerals. Some vitamins, like Vitamin A, in high doses, can actually cause birth defects. Though if you have trouble taking regular prenatal vitamins, many practitioners will recommend other variations on the traditional prenatal vitamin.

You need to take it before pregnancy or it does not good.
This one is actually only partially a myth. You should begin taking a prenatal vitamin before you want to become pregnant, hopefully at least several months before you become pregnant. If you fall into that category of becoming pregnant prior to taking vitamins, it is still advisable that you begin taking prenatal immediately as there are still benefits to be had.

Concealed and Denied Pregnancy?

We’ve all seen the news that shows a proud mother cradling her newborn, but looking baffled – she didn’t know she was pregnant until she was in labor. (That’s the news portion of the story.) For those who have been pregnant before, we’re perplexed and puzzled. After all, how can you miss all of the pregnancy signs and symptoms of pregnancy? Most women are chomping at the bit to take a pregnancy test the minute their period is late.

According to research, the state of denied pregnancy is not uncommon. In fact, not knowing you are pregnant until you are 20 weeks pregnant happens in about 1 in 475 pregnancies. They add that denial of pregnancy at 20 weeks' gestation or later (one in 475 pregnancies) occurs more often than Rh disease and some other things we think of as fairly rare.

While it is a bit rarer to not know until you’re in labor, about one in 2,455 births. Though when you put that into perspective, you learn that you’re actually three times more likely to give birth without knowing you were pregnant than you are to give birth to triplets! (1 in 7,225 pregnancies) In fact, when researchers extrapolated the data to a country like Germany, it found that about 300 mothers a year would not know they were pregnant until they started labor.

The researchers are proposing that a specific category of medical classification be added under reproductive dysfunction for negated pregnancies. This would include denied or concealed pregnancies. It may also include false pregnancy (pseudocyesis), obsessive desire to have children and other pathological behavior of a mother towards her offspring.

This is not a problem with only a certain subset of women, it happens in every socioeconomic group, race, religion, etc. Either way the bottom line is that not knowing your pregnant, even for 20 weeks of pregnancy, has the potential to risk the health of the mother and baby.

Bleeding During Pregnancy

Why Vaginal Bleeding Occurs During Pregnancy

Bleeding during pregnancy can be a frightening experience. There are several reasons why bleeding may occur in pregnant women. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy can pose a serious risk to you and/or your baby. Depending on the cause, vaginal bleeding during pregnancy may also not pose a serious risk. It's important to inform your health care provider immediately if you experience any amount of vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.

Vaginal bleeding during the first trimester (12 weeks) occurs in many women. This does not necessarily mean that a miscarriage is immanent; however, any vaginal bleeding during pregnancy should be investigated by your health care provider. Most miscarriages occur during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. About half of pregnant women who experience vaginal bleeding during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy do not have a miscarriage. If you pass anything you think is fetal tissue be sure to take it to your health care provider for examination.

Unfortunately, most miscarriages are not preventable; a miscarriage is often nature's way of dealing with abnormalities. Exercise and sex have not been proven to cause miscarriage, in fact continuing regular exercise (always check with your health care provider before starting an exercise program during pregnancy) during pregnancy can help ease labor when it is time for your new baby to be born. Fifteen to twenty percent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage.

Another potential cause of bleeding during early pregnancy is having an ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg implants itself in one of the fallopian tubes. This is often called a "tubal pregnancy." Ectopic pregnancy is much less common than miscarriage occurring in about one out of sixty pregnancies.

An extremely rare cause of vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy is a molar pregnancy. A molar pregnancy occurs when abnormal tissue grows rather than an embryo. This type of pregnancy is often referred to as gestational trophoblastic disease or GTD; it may also be called a "mole."

Vaginal bleeding during late pregnancy is often due to an inflamed cervix or cervical growths. Bleeding during late pregnancy may be a serious health risk to both the woman and the fetus, and may require hospitalization. Heavy vaginal bleeding during late pregnancy is, most often, an indicator of a problem with the placenta. The two most common problems that involve the placenta are placenta previa and placental abruption.

Placenta previa occurs in about one out of every two hundred pregnancies. If your placenta is laying low in the uterus it can cover all or part of the cervix. While many women experience placenta previa early in pregnancy, the placenta often moves before labor occurs. If a woman has placenta previa in the last weeks of pregnancy, a cesarean section will be scheduled. Placenta previa poses a serious risk to both the mother and the baby if it is not diagnosed and labor is allowed to occur; both the mother and baby are at risk of death in this situation. Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is often the first sign of placenta previa.

Placental abruption occurs when the placenta detaches from the wall of the uterus either before or during labor; most often, placental abruption occurs during the last trimester of pregnancy. Vaginal bleeding may occur or not; most women will experience stomach pain even if they do not have any obvious bleeding. Fortunately, placental abruption occurs in only about one percent of pregnancies.

When labor arrives, many women will experience a "bloody show." This is when the plug that covers the opening of the cervix during pregnancy is passed shortly before birth occurs. This often contains a small amount of blood and mucous; it is quite common and not a health threat if it happens with a few weeks of your due date.

Remember anytime vaginal bleeding occurs during pregnancy, whether early pregnancy or late pregnancy, it should be reported to your health care provider.