Pregnancy
Arthritis During Pregnancy
It is important if you have arthritis and are planning on trying to conceive that you consult with your doctor before you try to have a baby. By consulting with your doctor you will increase your chances of having a healthy, normal pregnancy and baby. This planning is important because it will effect [...]
Asthma During Pregnancy
Asthma & Pregnancy
The most important thing for mothers-to-be to remember during pregnancy if they have asthma is that it is more important than ever to manage your asthma. Asthma that is not controlled can be a risk to both the mother and the fetal growth of the baby. If you have asthma [...]
Average Fetal Length and Weight Chart
Gestational Age
Length (US)
Weight [...]
Baby Development – Week 1 to Week 4
Week 1
This week begins at the last day of your first period
You shed your uterine lining (endometrium)
Your body releases follicle stimulating hormones (FSH)
Ovarian follicles are formed containing immature eggs
The ovarian follicles stimulate the production of estrogen that will trigger ovulation later
Week 2
The eggs, inside the ovarian follicles, are maturing and get to three times their [...]
Baby Development – Week 14 to Week 17
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Week 14
Congratulations! You and your baby have reached the second trimester.
Your baby weighs about an ounce and is still about three inches in length.
Expressions begin to appear on your baby’s face. They may wince or grimace but this is just muscles flexing and not an indication of mood or pain.
Your baby [...]
Baby Development – Week 18 to Week 21
Week 18
Your baby is beginning to get his or her own fingerprints. These fingerprints will be unique to them.
Your baby will start making a grasping motion and may suck their own thumb.
The placenta is about the same size as the baby at this point.
The placenta nourishes the baby with nutrients and oxygen but also [...]
Baby Development – Week 22 to Week 26
Week 22
Your baby now has a layer of vernix caseosa, a sticky white goo that covers their body. This protects their skin from the amniotic fluid and prevents wrinkling.
Vernix caseosa is a product of the sebaceous glands which produces skin-oils later in life.
The vernix caseosa also protects skin from infections at birth.
The testes in [...]
Baby Development – Week 27 to Week 30
Week 27
Your baby will open his or her eyes now and be able to look around.
With the eyes now open the baby can detect different lights.
Eyelashes begin to form at this point in time, they will help shield the baby’s eyeball from any debris.
Week 28
This is the last week in the second trimester.
After this point [...]
Baby Development – Week 31 to Week 35
Week 31
Your baby’s iris color begins to become more apparent. Most babies either have blueish-brown or bluish-gray eyes. This shade generally changes after birth.
True eye color will not be apparent for six to nine months. Final eye pigmentation happens as a response to exposure to strong light of the outside world.
The pupils begin [...]
Baby Development – Week 36 to Week 40
Week 36
Your baby’s weight is compiled about 15% of fat. This fat will help him maintain his body temperature and give him energy.
The fat beneath the baby’s skin is white and it causes the baby to appear lighter.
Usually with first time mothers the baby will drop about two to four weeks before delivery, this [...]
Baby Development – Week 5 to Week 8
Week 5
The date of your last period has passed.
You have probably taken a pregnancy test and received a positive.
A positive pregnancy test is the result of the rising hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).
This [...]
Baby Development – Week 9 to Week 13
Week 9
Your baby is about an inch in length – approximately the size of a pinky toe.
The first detectable brain waves occur in your baby’s head.
There is no genitals formed at this point even though your child’s gender was already selected.
The gonads (reproductive organs) begin to develop. This will either be testes or ovaries.
The [...]
Cancer During Pregnancy
It is rare that cancer occurs during pregnancy. There are some cases in which a woman who is pregnant and has cancer can give birth to a healthy baby. There are also certain cancer treatments that are safe to be used while pregnant.
Cancer can occur in about 1 out of every 1,000 pregnancies. [...]
Diabetes During Pregnancy
In pregnant women who have either type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes there are some challenges that they may face that other pregnant women are not privy to. During pregnancy you should consult with your health care team that can include your endocrinologist or other diabetes specialist, educator or registered dietitian. Throughout [...]