This sheet is about having diabetes in a pregnancy or while breastfeeding. This information should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider. What is diabetes? Diabetes is a medical condition where the body either does not make enough insulin or cannot use insulin correctly. Insulin is a hormone that helps sugar (glucose) move from our bloodstream into the cells in our body. Cells use glucose for energy to function. When glucose cannot enter the cells, it …
Search Results for: medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding
Baby Blog: Birth Defects Prevention Month Series: Making Medication Decisions in Pregnancy Doesn’t Have to Be Lonely
By Ginger Nichols, Licensed Certified Genetic Counselor at MotherToBaby Connecticut With Birth Defects Prevention Month in full swing, it’s time to focus on Tip #2 for Preventing Birth Defects: Booking a visit with your health care provider before stopping or starting any medicine. Callers to MotherToBaby often wonder why it’s important to talk with their health care provider before stopping or starting a medication. My most recent caller to MotherToBaby asked this very question. Maria …
Baby Blog: A Not-So-Silent Night: Restless Legs Syndrome and Pregnancy
By Patricia Markland Cole, MPH, MotherToBaby Massachusetts I heard the pregnant mom on the phone say, “I get this miserable feeling at night with my legs. I feel this constant urge to move my legs and it feels like ants crawling all over. It only happens at night and I just cannot rest like I want to. What can I do?” Although I haven’t had many calls like this in my years with MotherToBaby, every now and then I get a call with a mom describing this condition with her legs and how miserable it …
Baby Blog: Flare-ups Fueling Fears During Pregnancy? Stop In The Name Of Psoriasis!
By Patricia Olney, MS, CGC, Genetic Counselor & Teratogen Information Specialist, MotherToBaby Georgia Emily’s call to MotherToBaby came in late at night. Her voicemail message sounded a bit garbled, almost as if she had been crying. I returned her call the next day and heard her anxious voice say, “My psoriasis flared up last week…it’s been several years. I’m really worried because I just found out I’m pregnant.” I replied calmly, “Emily, I’m glad you called MotherToBaby for information. …
Baby Blog: Empowering Moms this Mother’s Day and Every Day: Making the Most of Prenatal Appointments
By Lauren Kozlowski, MSW, MPH, MotherToBaby Georgia “I didn’t even know I should ask my OB about that!” It’s a reaction I hear almost daily as a teratogen information specialist (a fancy way of saying I’ve been trained in evaluating and communicating risks of exposures, like medications, during pregnancy). This particular caller’s reaction was like so many women going into their first appointment after finding out they were pregnant – she really didn’t know how to be her own best advocate. I …