Cramping during early pregnancy

It's very rare to hear a man talk about how he bonded with his baby whilst it was still in the womb. For that matter I think the majority of men don't feel a strong bond with their baby for several weeks or even months. Why is this the case? What can we do about it? read more

We've interviewed hundreds of men around the world for our Being Dad films and color, religion or nationality doesn't matter; some men can have sex during pregnancy and some can't. Many women have told us that when their man tells them they aren't interested or can't do it that they perceived it was because he didn't find them attractive in their later stages of pregnancy. read more

Loss of an unborn baby often affects men and women in a very different way especially if the loss is in the early staa woman knows she is pregnant she will start thinking about the embryo as a real person -- one with a face, fingers, toes and a name. Guys on the other hand... read more

She's thinking of the baby, wondering how breastfeeding will go, how much time she'll take off from work and what color to paint the nursery. You're thinking about the money, the future, your buddies, perhaps a bigger house and wondering whether you really have to buy a mini-van. read more

The baby blues are common mood swings experienced after childbirth. Keep an eye out for these symptoms and be as supportive as possible. Remember your partner's body has been through a tough nine months and hormones are rampant. These symptoms should disappear within 10 days. read more

If you have just found this website, your wife is giving birth today and you are looking for some quick advice, here is a last minute guide to birth courtesy of guys from the Being Dad DVDs. read more

Morning Sickness is a lot like back pain. If you've never experienced it you'll never appreciate how debilitating it can be. Do men understand morning sickness? No. Do men under estimate how bad it can be? Yes. How can you get your man to be more supportive and sympathetic toward your morning sickness? read more

Okay boys, your wife is pregnant and things are starting to get interesting. The hormones are kicking in and things can get a little bit dicey. There are so many areas of discussion that can get you into hot water. Here are few typical issues faced by the unassuming dad-to-be. read more

StorkRadio, the leader in the Fetal Doppler industry and one of the first online Fetal Doppler companies is looking out for you and is the only Fetal Doppler rental company legally renting/selling Fetal Dopplers online. read more

QUESTION Dear Midwife, I have had a yeast infection throughout my entire pregnancy. My doctor has tested me for STD's and all are negative. He has prescribed metro gel to me. I have used this every few months. I am now on my 32 week and am using this prescription every other week. Is there something stronger I can use or something I can change or do different to help? ANSWER Metrogel will not cure a yeast infection, it's for a bacterial infection and can actually cause a yeast infection. Have you tried Diflucan (the yeast pill)? There are also over the counter yeast preparations and a heavy duty vaginal cream (Terazol) that might be appropriate. If all these fail, borax washes help some women and the yeast can be cultured to see what will kill it. Other things you can do for yourself include eliminating sugars as much as possible (no soda or juices for sure, only two fruits and two dairies per day) and eating more vegetables and proteins. Good luck! -- Cynthia, CNM. PhD. Send Page To a Friend

Hi! I love food, I love being healthy, and I don't like wasting time in the kitchen. To be honest, I don't even like to cook. That combination isn't always compatible. Solution? Get someone else to cook or make it so simply that it becomes painless! read more

Besides gender predictions, a pregnant woman is also apt to acquire an earful of advice about miscarriage, dietary habits and cravings, hair growth, weight gain, and childbirth -- from mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, sisters-in-law, new mothers, friends, and even strangers. And, of course, everyone wants to touch her belly. read more

QUESTION: Dear Livitician, Should I be eating extra fats to support my baby's brain development? What are good food sources of those fats? Thank you!! ANSWER: Hi. Thank you for submitting your question. Yes, essential fatty acids are critical for your baby's brain development. Specifically, omega-3 fatty acids; add into your week: wild fish- e.g., wild salmon, halibut, sole, orange roughy, haddock (2 times per week is fine in regards to mercury, 3 ounce portions twice per week), add 1 to 2 Tbsp. of ground flaxseeds into your whole grain cereal or in yogurt, add 1 to 2 Tbsp. of shelled hemp seeds into your cereal or in salad dressing or in spaghetti sauce with your whole wheat pasta (e.g, Manitoba Harvest or Nutiva brand-available on line or at health food stores), shelled hemp seeds are also a great source of protein, which is also important for your baby's growth. Also, the prenatal vitamin we provide on Pregnancy.org includes omega-3 fatty acids, which is a fantastic way to provide insurance that you are getting what you need on a daily basis. Healthy Pregnancy and Healthy Baby!! Please keep me posted on how you are doing. --Deborah A. Klein, MS, RD

QUESTION Dear Midwife, I was given antibiotics to treat GBS through IV during the delivery of my first baby 2 years ago. Now I am 35 weeks of my 2nd pregnancy, at 34 weeks, my doctor tested GBS on test and the result was negative and was told that no antibiotics is required even the labor would be on 40 or 42 weeks. My questions are 1) I thought that GBS cannot be treated, why this time it was negative? 2) Will the GBS come back any time between 34 weeks to 42 weeks? why the doctor was so sure that I don't need to have the antibiotics? ANSWER 1) I thought that GBS cannot be treated, why this time it was negative? For adults GBS is kind of like the common cold; most adults who get them from time to time get over them on their own. Some lucky adults never seem to get a cold and some women never have GBS. The reason we test is that if you happen to have active GBS at the time of delivery, the baby can be affected. Before you were active, so far you are not with this pregnancy. 2) Will the GBS come back any time between 34 weeks to 42 weeks? why the doctor was so sure that I don't need to have the antibiotics? The Centers for Disease Control recommends testing between 35-37 weeks, because they think that is close enough to delivery to tell whether the baby would benefit from IV antibiotics. In our practice, we re-test if 5 weeks passes without delivery, but I'm not recalling whether that is just us being safe or the CDC actually recommends that. 3) If I insist to have the antibiotics during labor, just to be safe, any there any harmful effect on the baby or myself? Possibly. Overuse of antibiotics can lead to allergic reactions (in either of you) which can even cause death in some cases; and the baby could have trouble with thrush, just to give two examples. 4) What is your advice? If your pregnancy goes past 39 weeks, I'd suggest re-testing, and go by the second testing results. If you deliver after 36 weeks but before 39, I'd say you don't need the IV antibiotics, because you can go by the test you already took. If the baby is really premature, some practices will treat even with a negative screen and others go by the screen. Hopefully, that won't come up for you! -- Cynthia, CNM. PhD. read more

QUESTION Dear Midwife, I just found out unexpectedly that I am pregnant with baby #3. I had my period (or at least I thought I did) the beginning of the month but it was very very light, I never even soaked through a tampon/pad. I originally went to the doctors because I thought that I may be having a kidney infection when the doctor came back and told me that my blood test came back positive for pregnancy. ANSWER Congratulations on your pregnancy!! Those first numbers were low enough so that the changes may easily have been due to rounding errors and the like, but now the hcg seems to be increasing, and you are not reporting any other signs of either a miscarriage or ectopic so far. As for the chlamydia, it would not affect the hcg (only your ability to conceive in the first place--obviously not a problem). The chances that you both tested negative in August, have had no other partners and now test positive are remote, but not impossible. Again, there is a small chance that there was a lab error one time or the other. I'm assuming you were both treated promptly. You should have a Test of Cure to make sure that you both test negative now, as chlamydia can hurt the baby. -- Cynthia, CNM. PhD. read more