It’s never too early to start preparing for birth and motherhood. Learning as much as you can now will help you feel more confident in making decisions like selecting a health care provider, choosing where to give birth, and finding a childbirth education class. Caring for Yourself Pregnancy is an excellent time to prioritize taking care of yourself. It is…
For the majority of women, pregnancy is a normal, healthy, low-risk life event. Midwives view pregnancy and birth as normal life events during which you need special attention, support, guidance, and care to prevent problems. For most women pregnancy is a time of wellness. It is a time of change when you and your baby should be supported so you…
If you’re trying to conceive or hoping to become pregnant, there’s never been a better time to pay attention to your health. Actions you take now can maximize your chances of a healthy pregnancy and birth and can establish positive habits that you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life. Midwives can help you navigate the important decisions…
What is Gestational Diabetes? Gestational diabetes happens when your pregnancy hormones stop insulin (the hormone that lowers blood sugar) from doing its job of moving sugar out of the blood and into your cells. Th is can cause your blood sugar levels to get too high. If you have gestational diabetes, you will change your diet to help your blood…
What Is Diabetes? Diabetes is a health problem that results in too much sugar in the bloodstream and not enough in cells where it can be used for energy. The problem occurs when the body is not able to make the hormone insulin (type 1 diabetes) or the insulin that is made doesn’t work very well (type 2 diabetes). Gestational…
Pregnancy is an exciting time. But it can bring up a lot of questions and concerns about what foods you can eat or how medicines will affect your baby. Not all foods and medicines are safe when you are pregnant. Even common headache or pain medicine may not be safe during certain times in your pregnancy. FDA’s Office of Women’s…
Americans pay a high price in illnesses and deaths due to tobacco use. Unfortunately, even though smoking rates have declined over the years—from 20.9% in 2005 to 15.1% in 2015—tobacco use still results in far too many deaths, disabilities, and smoking-related illnesses in the United States. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with…
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities.These disabilities are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, or FASDs. People with FASDs can have learning disabilities, hyperactivity, difficulty with attention, speech and language delays, low IQ, and poor reasoning and judgment skills. They can also have problems with their organs, including…
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy: what are the risks to the baby? A mother’s drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities for the baby that can last a lifetime. These disabilities are known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Some of the behavioral and intellectual disabilities of people with FASDs include:…
Tobacco smoking, in particular, cigarette smoking, remains the leading preventable cause of death among American women and poses one of the most significant threats to public health. 11 Harmful Effects of Smoking on Women’s Health Smoking also causes the following health problems for women who smoke: Decreased bone density Women who have gone through menopause and who smoke have lower…