Big babies get all of the attention in the news, but what about tiny full term babies? When a full term baby is much smaller than usual, it is called intrauterine growth restriction, or IUGR. Not all small babies are diagnosed with IUGR; those that do often have low amniotic fluid levels and do not grow at normal rates. If a baby stops growing, the doctor may choose to deliver the baby early to save his or her life. Before making any kind of decision to deliver early, the doctor will perform a variety of tests to determine the health of the baby and the cause of the IUGR.

There are a number of reasons a baby could develop IUGR. For one, there could be a problem with the placenta, which is responsible for providing the baby with the nourishment he or she needs to grow. The placenta might be too small, or it may have begun to detach prematurely. Certain diseases or medical conditions in the mother, such as preeclampsia or clotting disorders, among others, may also lead to IUGR. Birth defects such as anencephaly or chromosomal disorders like Down syndrome may be to blame for IUGR. Other factors that might lead to IUGR include smoking, drinking, drug use, severe malnutrition, infection, certain medications and carrying multiples.

It is important to monitor the baby’s health. Babies with IUGR are at risk for complications such as stillbirth, low blood sugar, compromised immune systems, low body temperatures, jaundice, and high red blood cell counts. They are also more likely to swallow meconium. IUGR has also been linked to cerebral palsy.

If a woman is at risk for having a baby with IUGR for any reason, extra ultrasounds may be done to track growth. If she has not gained the recommended amount of weight, the doctor may ask her to up her calorie intake each day and eliminate aerobic exercise. The outcome of the diagnosis depends on the severity of IUGR. Each case is different.

This past week while browsing the bargain table at the bookstore, I came upon a title that really caught my eye: “The Secret Language of Babies: The Body Language of Little Bodies.” Written by Sally & Edwin Kiester, who wrote the Better Homes & Gardens New Baby Book, this book is just under 200 pages and is hard to put down. It’s full of large, colorful photos of the cutest babies (and their parents). It also features a language development charts, interesting baby facts, visual guides to interpreting baby’s body language, sounds, faces and cries, and interesting research about babies and how they communicate with their caregivers. Since my son is already ten months old, I was able to look back on some of his behavior and milestones and see that this book is dead on. This book acts like an entertaining road map to your baby’s development. In addition to describing the way babies learn to communicate, the book has countless ideas for developing those skills through different activities, games and songs.

Probably one of the most useful aspects of this book for new moms is the guide to baby’s cries. The authors describe ten main types of crying: the howl, the rhythmic cry, the whine, the whimper, the shriek, the wail, the exhausted sob, the discomfort cry, the outburst, and the rhythmic sob. A picture of a baby crying in the particular style is paired with a description of what the cry sounds like, what it means and what you can do to make your baby feel better.

I would highly recommend this book to pregnant women and new moms alike. I think it would make a great shower gift. It is one of those books that is fun to leave on the coffee table since you do not need to read it straight through and there are so many great pictures to look at. Even my son loved looking at all the pictures of the babies!

A research study conducted at the Australian National University claims that “baby brain,” or forgetfulness attributed to pregnancy, is all in a woman’s head. I know what you’re thinking, because I’m thinking it, too. They are nuts!! Clearly none of the researchers have ever been pregnant.

I think I’ve told you this story before, but I’ll recount it again for those of you who missed it the first time. In my first trimester I drove to the library to check out a few books about childbirth and pregnancy. This particular branch of the library was a block or two away from a building where I used to work for nearly two years. In other words, I was very familiar with the area. Shortly after I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, I realized I couldn’t remember which one-way street I needed to take to get back to my route home. It felt like my mental map of the downtown area had been erased like a GPS with a virus. Panic set in as I phoned my husband and tearfully explained my predicament. He had to guide me turn-by-turn until I got to a road I could remember. Though he was patient, he was clearly in disbelief. I had taken this same route over a thousand times and I had never gotten lost like that before!

That wasn’t the only occurrence of unusual memory loss. Countless times I forgot to do routine tasks at my job. Fortunately my boss was entertained, but I was quickly getting frustrated.

A few months after giving birth, I took my son to that same library and had no problem driving home. In fact, I didn’t think twice about which way I was turning at each intersection. Do these researchers really think they can tell me that was all in my head?

I watched Special Duggar Delivery tonight on TLC and I found myself tearing up on numerous occasions. Watching Jim Bob tearfully determine to continue to praise God during such a difficult time, Michelle looking so ill in her hospital bed, baby Josie’s little kicks in the incubator, and Josh’s reaction to hearing the news about the birth, filled my heart with grief over all the fear and trials they must have experienced. It must be so traumatic to look upon your child, who still should have had four months in your safe womb, struggling to breathe and fighting for life. Josie’s skin was red and her chest heaved with each breath. Her head was the size of a pool ball, as Jim Bob put it. The children silently entered Josie’s room to see her for the first time, whispering over her beautiful, tiny frame. She kept her knees pulled up as though she were still in her mommy’s tummy. It was joyful and heartbreaking at the same time.

Born at just 24 weeks gestation, Josie entered the world much too early. Michelle Duggar developed severe preeclampsia and her blood pressure was reaching fatal levels. She was in danger of suffering a stroke. The only cure for preeclampsia is to give birth. Had they not delivered Josie via emergency cesarean, both her life and Michelle’s life could have been in danger. Initially doctors said Josie had an 80% chance of survival.

It’s amazing how many premature babies’ lives are saved; the survival rates are increasing for younger and younger babies. Though there are many complications associated with being born premature, and the problems don’t stop once the babies come home, doctors continue to find ways to help these babies develop and grow in an otherwise hostile environment.

Do you have any children who were born premature? What was your experience like? How did it change your life?

Go ahead and exercise during your pregnancy, but don’t expect it to increase your chances of having your “dream birth.” That is one conclusion drawn from a recent research study by Dr. Ruben Barakat and his colleagues, at Universidad Politecnica de Madrid in Spain. The study followed 142 women for the second and third trimesters. Half of them followed a moderate exercise plan and the other half exercised very little or not at all. While the study confirmed the health benefits commonly associated with exercise during pregnancy, it did not confirm the previously held assumption that women who exercise are more likely to have a vaginal delivery. In fact the cesarean rates between the two groups were identical. Exercising women had fifty-one vaginal deliveries compared to fifty and ten instrument deliveries compared to nine. In both groups, eleven women had cesareans. Both groups had similar rates for epidural usage. Their labors were also similar in duration.

The study did not indicate the affects of prenatal fitness on postpartum healing and recovery or weight loss. I am guessing that the benefits of exercise during pregnancy are more long term. From personal experience, I know it’s hard to get back into an exercise program after a nine-month break. Seeing as the women in the study who exercised were not found to suffer any adverse effects, it proves that exercise is perfectly safe during pregnancy. (Women in the study did resistance type exercises to strengthen and tone mainly their arms, legs, and pelvis.) In addition to prenatal fitness classes, there are many prenatal fitness DVDs out there to choose from. Check with your doctor if you are not sure whether a particular exercise program is appropriate for your pregnancy. Usually, most exercises are fair game as long as you do not strain yourself too much or jump up and down.

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Occasionally it becomes necessary to medically induce labor. A women might appear to be “stuck” in latent labor, she may be too far past her estimated due date, her blood pressure might be too high (hypertension), or the baby might be experiencing fetal distress. Sometimes the reasons are not medical in nature. If a woman is full term and her preferred doctor is going to be out of town, she might be induced so her doctor is able to deliver the baby. I have also heard of pregnant women being induced so their husbands can attend the birth while they are on military leave.

Most often, the method of choice for induction is Pitocin, or synthetic oxytocin. This hormone causes uterine contractions, and when all goes well, will cause a woman to go into active labor. Occasionally it does not work. Pitocin is most successful when the body is already ready to go into labor.

Obviously one benefit of using Pitocin is it may allow you to avoid a cesarean if your labor has stalled and your water has already broken. Once your water breaks, you only have 24 hours to deliver before the risk of infection is too high. Sometimes Pitocin is all a woman needs to get her labor on track.

Pitocin does have some drawbacks. It works a little differently than natural oxytocin since it is delivered continuously through an IV. The result is stronger and longer contractions that may make labor pains unbearable without an epidural or other pain medication. Most women who have had both natural and induced labors will tell you that their induced labor was much more intense and painful than the natural one. Sometimes this intense progression of labor can cause fetal distress or other birth complications such as premature separation of the placenta or uterine rupture. For this reason, women on Pitocin are closely monitored during their labor. This continuous monitoring is another drawback, since the woman will not be able to freely move about her room or the delivery ward.

Despite the drawbacks, Pitocin may be the best choice for some women, and a great relief to those who have been in labor for days on end. Were you induced with Pitocin? What was your experience?

Perhaps you’ve heard the term “two week wait.” Who are we kidding, if you’ve ever tried to conceive, you lived (or died) for those two weeks. The phrase is a little misleading however, since it implies that most of us actually wait for two weeks after conception to take a pregnancy test. When I was trying to get pregnant, I joined a forum with some other women on the same ovulation schedule and some of us would start testing daily just seven days after ovulation. For the most part, testing so early and so often was a waste of money since most pregnancy tests can’t even detect hCG levels so low. Once in a while, someone would find out really early. It was assumed that the test was extra sensitive or her hCG levels were extra high, but this is certainly not the norm. Just as women are always looking for ways to find out sooner, be it through testing, intuition or charting symptoms and temperatures, manufacturers of pregnancy tests are also always looking for ways to detect that pesky little hormone sooner.

It looks like one company may have succeeded. It was just announced this morning that First Response has created a test that is more sensitive than any other home pregnancy test on the market. This test will be able to detect hCG up to six days before a woman’s expected period. The test uses something called PAT, or Polymeric Amplification Technology, which increases the overall sensitivity of the test. I guess the First Response people are determined to live up to their name. I’m sure their customers won’t complain. I can just hear all the women who are trying to get pregnant rejoicing over the internet.

(Photo courtesy of Edelman – Healthcare Media Relations)

The sooner you know you are pregnant, the sooner you can get good prenatal care, but I would encourage all women who are trying to get pregnant to really take care of their bodies as though they are pregnant all of the time. It can’t hurt, and it may even increase your chances of getting pregnant. The healthier you are, the healthier your baby will be as well.

I probably sneezed over a thousand times during my pregnancy. Beginning at around six weeks, I started experiencing mild cold symptoms that lasted for the duration of my entire pregnancy. It was really annoying, and I found myself constantly telling others, “I’m not sick, I promise!” Nearly a third of pregnant women develop a condition called pregnancy rhinitis. It happens when the nasal passages become inflamed due to the increased levels of estrogen and increased blood volume in the body.

There is no cure, except giving birth, of course, but there are some things you can do to minimize the symptoms of pregnancy rhinitis. Drinking plenty of water, using a humidifier at bedtime, elevating your head with an extra pillow or a hot shower (but not too hot) can all bring some relief. One thing you do not want to do is take an over the counter nasal decongestant. You will also want to avoid cigarette smoke or areas where the air is heavily polluted, since these can aggravate your symptoms and make them worse.

If your stuffy nose is accompanied by other symptoms, it may not be pregnancy rhinitis, but rather a virus. In that case, you will want to talk to your midwife or doctor. Besides illness, allergies could also explain your symptoms. Pregnancy is known to make even the most minor allergies much worse. If symptoms are the worst during the night and when you wake up, your bedroom might be the culprit. Wash all of your bedding in extremely hot water to kill dust mites, thoroughly dust your bedroom, including the window treatments. If you use curtains, wash them according the label instructions. Pay attention to ceiling fan blades and vent covers, which can collect quite a bit of dust. Vacuum carpet or mop non-carpeted floors. You may also want to consider replacing your pillow. Continue to keep your doctor or midwife updated on your symptoms.

With one final push you look up to see your brand new baby, waving his arms around and crying wildly. And then you glance down to see what used to be a tight, very round belly, now draped across your abdomen like a pillow. It feels like a half-drained water bed mattress. It moves like a bowl of gelatin. When you stand up, it falls against your body in the shape of a rain drop: one the size of a cantaloupe. And although it makes a perfect cushion for your nursing newborn, you can’t help but look forward to the day it’s gone. It will shrink significantly over the next few days, but you will have to give yourself at least nine months before you can expect to see something resembling your old stomach. After all, it did take nine months to get that way in the first place!

I am so glad that Kourtney Kardashian called out Life & Style for altering the photos of her and her newborn to make it look like she had already gotten back down to her old size just one week after giving birth. That’s impossible for any woman, even a celebrity, and photos like that are what make women cringe over something that is completely natural and normal. Skin and muscle stretch quite a bit to accommodate a baby. Even if a woman does manage to lose all her baby weight, she will still have to wait (no pun intended) for her skin and abdominal muscles to return to their natural size and tightness. Despite the fact that I weigh less now than I did before I got pregnant, my belly button is forever frowning. To be quite honest, for most women, the postpartum body never looks quite like the pre-pregnancy body. That’s not to say it looks bad. It doesn’t! It just looks different. How could we expect anything else? I think the blessings that come out of pregnancy and childbirth greatly outweigh any body “issues” that result. I would never trade in my sweet baby boy for a six pack!