Carrie called MotherToBaby on a Monday morning. She sounded anxious. “I just got home from a pretty wild bachelorette party held last week in New Orleans. I started feeling nauseous on the plane and I have thrown up twice this morning. I couldn’t eat breakfast. I’m really tired and my breasts hurt a little. I’m worried I might be pregnant.” Carrie was wondering if we could help her figure out if she was pregnant or not. Although MotherToBaby mainly answers questions about medications and other …
The Baby Blog: Mom's Health Conditions
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 …
Battling Obesity Ahead of Pregnancy is ‘Beautifully Individual’
The year of the pandemic has not been easy. It has left most doctors and essential workers drained from the added stress. But I just got off a telehealth visit (sadly, a part of my new normal) with my long-standing patient and I am so excited! My patient (and myself) has struggled to lose weight for most of her life, but considering some of her chronic medical conditions, she was so motivated to lose weight prior to her pregnancy. I am so ecstatic because I love my patient! My patient, beautiful …
Maternal Alloimmunization: Protecting My Baby from My Body
A Guest Blog by the Allo Hope Foundation's Bethany Weathersby I grew up in a large family, loving both the chaos and the built-in friendships that came with having four siblings. My mom had five normal pregnancies and five healthy children, and I always (naively) assumed my experience would be the same. Seven weeks ago my dream of having five kids — just like my mom — became a reality when I delivered my fifth living child, a beautiful 8-pound boy we named August. But while my mom’s path …
Stress, Pregnancy & the COVID-19 Pandemic: When You Have Anxiety about Having Anxiety
Sometimes we have anxiety about…well, having anxiety. Kristen contacted MotherToBaby and was asking about ways to manage her already extremely high anxiety around pregnancy and birth during the pandemic. Should I even try to get pregnant right now? How will I deal with my anxiety and stress if I do become pregnant? What if almost no one in my family can even come to the hospital when I go into labor? How can I deal with my anxiety during labor and birth? I could tell she had a tremendous amount …
