You are pregnant. You ask, "Can I take my medication?" If you ever heard, “it depends...", you are not alone. Things affect people differently. So, what is going on? This has to do with genetics. Genetics is the study of genes. Genes are a part of our DNA. Genes tell your cells what to do. Genes tell us how to process the world around us. What Do We Mean by “Exposures”? Anything that comes into contact with your body is an exposure. Food, drinks, and drugs are exposures. Getting sick …
The Baby Blog: caffeine
From Diapers to Decisions: MotherToBaby & NDBN Tackle Parents’ Top Concerns
By Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, President of OTIS/MotherToBaby, in partnership with Joanne Samuel Goldblum, CEO and founder of National Diaper Bank Network. MotherToBaby is proud to partner with the National Diaper Bank Network (NDBN) as the organization marks its 15th anniversary in 2026 - celebrating a decade and a half of supporting families across the country by ensuring access to diapers and other essential material needs. Through our partnership, we’ve learned that many parents and …
Navigating the Holiday Menu during Pregnancy
Holiday festivities sometimes include eating foods and drinks that might not be part of our everyday diet. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, we need to give a little more thought to what we should eat and drink. “Is it ok for the baby?” often goes through our minds during these times. As a teratogen information specialist at MotherToBaby who answers a lot of the questions we get via our texting service (855-999-3525), these types of questions ramp up during this time of year! So, here’s some …
Planning a Healthy Pregnancy
Tanya called in on a Monday morning. “I’m getting married in a few months and we want to start trying to get pregnant right away. What should I be doing now to have the best chance of a healthy baby?” Preconception health and pregnancy planning present a terrific opportunity to assess a wide range of factors that can give your baby the best start. This blog will outline the things to consider, as I relayed to Tanya: Your Personal Health Are you generally healthy? If you already get …
Kombucha and Pregnancy: Answers to Your Brewing Questions
Kombucha: fizzy, fermented, and full of probiotics. Some people drink kombucha for its fun effervescence and wide range of fruity flavors. Others, for its alleged health benefits ranging from improved digestion to lowered blood sugar. The increasing popularity of kombucha has not surprisingly led to an increased number of inquiries to MotherToBaby about the safety of drinking it during pregnancy. Carly, a recent visitor to our online chat service, explained that she had been drinking kombucha …
