Being pregnant can be stressful enough without worrying all the time about things like “can I bake with poppy seeds?” Or “can I drink tea with peppermint?” Recently I had a caller tell me that “it seems like every time I turn around, there is something else that either I should not cook with or drink in a tea during pregnancy. What about when I am breastfeeding? Help!” As a specialist who answers questions about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding, I hear these kinds of questions all …
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About Our Baby Blog
Every mom wants to know what’s best for her baby, especially when it comes to knowing how to minimize exposure risks. Our relatable stories are packed with practical information from our rotating staff of MotherToBaby expert bloggers. Whatever topic you’re looking for, our blogs will provide you a great foundation to learn more.
To Boost or Not to Boost, That is the Question
Morgan called late Friday afternoon with a question about COVID-19 booster shots. She shared that she was 37 weeks along and had received both shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine back in February, at the very beginning of her pregnancy. Morgan wanted to do what was best to protect her baby, and asked if she qualified for the booster shot that was now available. As a Teratogen Information Specialist at MotherToBaby California, COVID-19 vaccine questions are my number one inquiry right now. …
The Headache of Dealing with a Migraine during Pregnancy
“I can’t get rid of it fast enough!” Caroline was 5 months pregnant and at her wits end when she contacted MotherToBaby. “My migraine is so bad that I can barely get out of bed, but I feel like there’s nothing I can do about it since I’m pregnant. I don’t want to harm the baby!” We often get questions like Caroline’s from people planning a pregnancy or already pregnant who would like information on the prevention and treatment of migraine headaches, so I start by asking Caroline what she would …
Using E-cigarettes to Quit Smoking during Pregnancy: Is It Safe?
I recently received a phone call from Molly. Molly told me that she had just found out that she was pregnant; this was a surprise, but a welcome one. However, Molly confessed that she smokes a pack of cigarettes per day and her doctor recommends that she quit smoking since cigarettes can present a number of hazards for her pregnancy and baby. Molly’s friend told her that e-cigarettes were safe in pregnancy and would help Molly with her efforts to reduce use of traditional …
Trans Masculine & Non-Binary Pregnancy: Exposures & Becoming a Trans Parent (It’s not always clear)
If you are looking for information related to transmasculine or non-binary pregnancy **(see definitions below), you might be hesitant to look at a website called MotherToBaby. You may be asking yourself, “How could this website be relevant to trans and non-binary pregnancies?” Before MotherToBaby became part of our name, we were known as the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS). While we still are called OTIS, people couldn’t get a sense of what we do from the long, …
