Search Results
You searched for blood-pressure
-
Pregnancy
Pregnancy causes profound changes in your body, including ones that affect your heart as your body works to produce and supply enough blood to keep your developing baby healthy. During the first 5-8 weeks of pregnancy, the total amount of blood in...
-
Pregnancy
Preeclampsia is defined as high blood pressure that develops in the second half of pregnancy and is associated with too much protein in your urine, along with other concerning findings such as headaches, vision changes, or pain coming from your...
-
Pregnancy
Most pregnant women have heard of preeclampsia as a complication of pregnancy whose hallmark is high blood pressure. And most women have also been told by their obstetricians and midwives that this disease becomes more common as a woman gets closer...
-
Pregnancy
Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy that is diagnosed based on having high blood pressure along with certain abnormal lab tests or symptoms such as headaches, vision changes, or abdominal pain. With preeclampsia complicating 5 to 8 percent...
-
Pregnancy
Defined as the loss of more than 1 liter of blood in the first 24 hours after giving birth accompanied with signs of low blood volume (such as passing out or low blood pressure), postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) is the deadliest complication of...
-
Pregnancy
Almost every pregnant woman notices swelling at some point in her pregnancy, whether it is in her feet, legs, hands, or face. It’s important to know that while most of the time this swelling is not a problem, there are a few signs you should not...
-
Baby
Coarctation of the aorta describes a narrowing of the aorta, which is the major artery carrying blood from the heart to the body. The congenital condition constricts blood flow from the heart to the lower part of the body. About four out of every...
-
Health
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a condition that generally occurs in children as a result of infection from a toxic strain of bacteria called Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. This infection commonly begins as diarrhea (which is often bloody)....
-
Health
Nosebleeds are very common in toddlers. While they can be downright messy at times, most nosebleeds are not a cause for concern. The nose has lots of vessels that provide a rich blood supply. When the lining of the nasal passage breaks down and...
-
Pregnancy
The use of bed rest or extreme activity restriction is a common first-line treatment for many complications of pregnancy, including: preterm labor, being pregnant with multiples, placenta previa, and preeclampsia or high blood pressure, to name a...
-
Pregnancy
Your heart is working overtime during pregnancy, supporting healthy circulation for you and your baby, so it makes good sense to take a few precautions to protect your heart health. At its most basic level, your heart is a pump that responds to the...
-
Pregnancy
HELLP syndrome, also considered a possible variant of preeclampsia, is a life-threatening complication that usually occurs during pregnancy’s later stages or even up to a week after childbirth. The acronym HELLP describes what happens to women when...
-
Pregnancy
There is definitely one pregnancy symptom that is not at all enjoyable: hemorrhoids. They can show up during pregnancy or in the postpartum period, and up to 35 percent of pregnant women will experience them. Either way, they can be a nuisance....
-
Health
Many people think that strokes only affect the elderly. Stroke, however, can and does occur in children. In fact, statistics show that up to 13 children out of every 100,000 have suffered from the neurological event. Boys are slightly more likely...
-
Health
When a child suffers a stroke—or a cerebral vascular accident—blood flow is momentarily cut off to the brain, leading to symptoms like dizziness, blurred vision, seizures, and more. Treatment options vary depending on a number of factors, including...
-
Pregnancy
Just 10 weeks to go! How are you feeling? Ready? At this point, it’s not uncommon to be both excited and nervous, or you might find yourself alternating between confidence and feeling completely unprepared for what’s coming. Not only is all of this...
-
Health
The sight of blood can be very frightening, both for a child and a parent. If your child is bleeding, the most important first step is to remain calm so you can figure out where the blood is coming from. The following first aid tips can help after...
-
Health
The kidneys are a pair of small abdominal organs that are responsible for filtering waste from the blood and eliminating it through the urine. Most children are born with two kidneys, but sometimes a child is either born with a single kidney,...
-
Baby
A normal heart has a muscular wall known as the atrial septum that separates the organ’s upper chambers, or the left and right atria. If there is a defect in this wall, it’s known as an atrial septal defect. In a normal newborn’s heart, the heart’s...
-
Blog
A 3-year-old boy was carried to the ER at my hospital late on a Friday night last fall. The parents reported he had cold symptoms and fever for the past couple of days, but that night, something was just not right. By the time my colleague got into...
-
Pregnancy
When you hear that February is American Heart Month, it might make you think of your grandparents who have cardiovascular disease. But did you know that if you’ve ever had preeclampsia, it’s just as important for you to pay attention to what this...
-
Pregnancy
If you’re about to give birth, surely your friends and family have told you exactly what their deliveries were like — and how yours should go, too. After reading the books and searching Dr. Google, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. Here...
-
Pregnancy
Unfortunately there is no one thing that always happens to all pregnant women when they go into labor. In fact, what a woman experiences as her body prepares to give birth can vary greatly between different women and even different pregnancies. But...
-
Baby
Premature infants are at risk for a variety of lung problems and diseases, in part because infants can survive birth at earlier ages than ever before. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, infants today “consistently” survive birth at...
-
Toddler
Caffeine is one of the most commonly used psychoactive substances in the world. Every day, tens of millions of adults enjoy a cup or two of coffee, and everything from energy drinks to soda to bottled drinks have been fortified with caffeine. But...
-
Pregnancy
Approximately 35 percent of adult Americans, or 1 in 3 people, are now obese. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above. While we know many complications associated with obesity, being pregnant and obese has its own...
-
Pregnancy
An amniotic fluid embolism, or AFE, is thankfully an extremely rare complication of birth. It only occurs in about 1 in 40,000 deliveries, but it can be deadly, with a 20 to 60 percent mortality rate. Here we will break down what it is and how it...
-
Health
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare disorder that can affect children and adults of all ages. Its onset can be scary, with muscle weakness and pain that occasionally progresses to paralysis of the legs, chest, and/or face. Children with these...
-
Blog
Are you breastfeeding or bottlefeeding? Talk about a loaded question! New mamas look at me and assume the answer I expect, not knowing the response I will give. Breast is best, right? I can see on their faces the worry that I will judge their...
-
Pregnancy
Welcome to Week 39! You probably noticed you still haven’t gotten much bigger since last week. You hit near your peak weight a week or two ago, so now it’s just about keeping comfortable and waiting for labor to begin. It could be anytime this...
-
Pregnancy
Prenatal visits are important for many reasons: to make sure your baby is growing normally, to screen for any concerning symptoms, and to provide education about your pregnancy, delivery, and the postpartum period. There is a lot to cover during...
-
Pregnancy
While the second trimester probably left you energized and nausea-free, for many women, the last trimester can herald the return of a few unwanted pregnancy symptoms. Some women experience all of these, while others only notice one or two. And if...
-
Pregnancy
With about 30 percent of women in the United States delivering by C-section, it is important to be able to separate fact from fiction when it comes to this method of delivery. Whether you know ahead of time that you are having a planned C-section...
-
Parenting
After you have your baby, your doctor or midwife usually wants to see you in the office for a postpartum visit about six weeks after you deliver. However, a recent study that looked at moms who delivered in Maryland showed a pretty depressing...
-
Pregnancy
Do yoga exercises promote a healthier, more relaxed pregnancy? Although the jury is still out with a definitive answer, recent research indicates that yoga has multiple benefits for pregnant women. In one recent study, practicing yoga was...
-
Baby
There’s no denying that when it comes to feeding your baby, breast is best, especially early in life. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends “exclusive breastfeeding for approximately the first six months and support for breastfeeding...
-
Pregnancy
Welcome to Week 8! Now that you’re at the two-month mark—almost two months into your pregnancy—your abdomen will likely finally start showing your pregnancy. This isn’t because of the size of your uterus or baby (they are still tiny and well under...
-
Health
Sepsis is a very dangerous medical condition that results from infection, usually by a bacteria, but a virus or fungus can also be a cause. Sepsis occurs when the infectious agent spreads from its initial area of infection into the bloodstream....
-
Pregnancy
Many women report uncomfortable and unpleasant first trimester symptoms, so it can be a wonderful relief to enter the second trimester and realize that many of the worst symptoms are fading. Oftentimes, women in the second trimester report feeling...
-
Pregnancy
-
Pregnancy
If you’re feeling like you’re pretty over this pregnancy thing already, you wouldn’t be alone: lots of moms at this point are tired of all the symptoms, the mobility issues, and generally just sharing their body with their new roommate. But don’t...
-
Baby
Teething is no fun—just ask your baby. During teething, baby teeth (which are quite sharp) erupt through the tender tissues of the gums. Teething can start in newborns as early as 4 months old, but usually begins around 6-7 months of age. Teething...
-
Blog
An 18-month-old toddler was rushed to the emergency room after her grandfather found her sitting on the floor, blood pressure and anxiety pills scattered beside her. She had a fistful of pills in her hand and white powder at the corner of her...
-
Toddler
Calcium is an essential part of a growing child’s diet. It’s not only needed for muscle and bone development and strength, but also for the proper functioning of the heart, muscles, and nervous system. In addition, it plays a role in maintaining...
-
Pregnancy
Despite planning otherwise, sometimes babies arrive a little too quickly! While the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists doesn’t endorse home births, you may find yourself going into labor before you even reach the hospital. Here’s...
-
Pregnancy
For many people, a cup of coffee or tea in the morning is a must-have to get going. In fact, as many as 90 percent of the people in the world use caffeine in one form or another, and in the United States 80 percent of adults consume caffeine every...
-
Pregnancy
Medicine is rarely so straightforward that it can offer a “one size fits all” pattern. In fact, there is a reason it is called the “practice” of medicine or the “art” of medicine — because oftentimes a doctor or midwife needs to carefully consider...
-
Pregnancy
Almost every pregnant woman has the same fear: that their bag of water will break in some public place and leave a huge, embarrassing trail of fluid for all to see. Luckily that isn’t the case for many, but here’s a look at what amniotic fluid is...
-
Pregnancy
Before the pandemic, telemedicine was something that wasn’t used that often in the American healthcare system. All that changed in March 2020, however, when clinics everywhere were left figuring out how to deliver care safely to their patients....
-
Pregnancy
You’ve just given birth to a beautiful baby. And you may be anxious to get your baby home and begin your life together. But the time you stay in the hospital after delivery is an important time for you to heal. The length of time you will be in the...
-
Baby
Parents are often devastated when they find out their newborn has a congenital birth defect. An uncommon cause of birth defects includes amniotic bands. Amniotic band sequence (ABS) involves a group of disorders that result in birth defects of the...
-
Pregnancy
A shoulder dystocia is a complication encountered at the time of vaginal delivery. This occurs when a baby’s head has delivered, but the shoulders are stuck in the birth canal and do not deliver using standard delivery technique. Complicating...
-
Pregnancy
Epidurals are a popular method of pain control for laboring women, but what are the risks? Is the pain relief worth it? Here are some of the specific questions women often have about epidurals. Will an epidural make my labor longer? Having an...
-
Baby
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is the medical term for the set of symptoms experienced by a newborn that is going through drug withdrawal. Exposure to many drugs in utero can lead to NAS, including nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, LSD and opioids....
-
Health
If your child has asthma, severe allergies, or even eczema, your pediatrician has probably prescribed a corticosteroid at some point. But what exactly is it, and is long-term use safe for your child? Corticosteroids are potent anti-inflammatory...
-
Toddler