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You searched for epidural
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Pregnancy
An epidural is a type of anesthetic that can provide pain relief during labor and delivery. Specifically, it is a regional anesthetic that blocks nerve impulses of the lower spine. It decreases sensations of pain in the lower half of the body. The...
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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...
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Pregnancy
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Blog
I had a colleague ask me a while back if I had delivered my son naturally. I responded, “What do you mean by ‘naturally’?” You see, I’ve heard this term thrown around to mean lots of different things to different people. To some it means a vaginal...
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Pregnancy
A recent study done from the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) shed some interesting light on how epidurals may impact the amount of time you’ll spend pushing your baby out. Even though we already knew that epidurals do prolong the...
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Pregnancy
When the subject of pain control in labor comes up, most women automatically think of an epidural. While an epidural might provide the most relief, it is not your only choice. There are multiple ways your obstetrics provider can make labor less...
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Pregnancy
When gearing up to deliver a baby, most moms have spent time considering how they might cope with labor pain. While many options exist, some women prefer to avoid the use of narcotic drugs. Here are some ways to prepare for an unmedicated delivery....
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Pregnancy
Giving birth vaginally can result in vaginal tearing or lacerations for many women. This is part of the normal process of a baby passing through the birth canal and out the vagina. It tends to be more common in women giving birth for the first time...
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Pregnancy
You see it in dentists’ offices nationwide, but until about five years ago, there was one place you didn’t see nitrous oxide (laughing gas): in the delivery room. But this isn’t true everywhere. Nitrous oxide is an anesthesia option for laboring...
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Pregnancy
Giving birth does not end once you deliver your brand new baby boy or girl, though it may feel that way to you! The final stage of labor is actually when your placenta delivers. Usually this happens in a matter of minutes and goes smoothly, but in...
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Pregnancy
Unless you’ve done it before, it can be hard to know how to prepare for a C-section. Fortunately, a little advance planning (if you’re having a scheduled C-section) can help make things go more smoothly. If you are having a planned C-section, you...
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Pregnancy
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Pregnancy
Having a baby can be an expensive proposition, but not all childbirths cost the same. In general, you can expect to pay more for a C-section—but not always. When comparing a vaginal delivery versus a scheduled C-section, there are a few factors...
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Blog
When I got pregnant with my first child, I’d just moved far away from home, and my mother had recently died. I decided to hire a doula to give me support through pregnancy and labor. My husband and I lived in a “free spirit” area of Northern...
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Pregnancy
Congratulations! Week 27 is generally considered the beginning of the third trimester, otherwise known as the homestretch. Now is a great time to get serious about planning for the big day—and if you’ve started planning already (because of course...
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Pregnancy
As you’re nearing the final weeks, labor and delivery are no doubt looming larger in your mind. Anxiety over labor is common—even if you’ve taken every birth class you could sign up for, prepared an extensive birth plan, and already packed your...
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Pregnancy
It’s no secret that giving birth can be a painful endeavor. But a growing number of women are opting against using pain meds and epidurals during labor and instead trying to find more natural methods of combating contractions. One such method is...
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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...
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Pregnancy
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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...
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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...
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Pregnancy
Chances are if you are pregnant, someone has talked to you about back labor (whether you asked them to or not). They may have also mentioned that their baby was “facing the wrong way” or “sunny side up” in labor. What they are referring to is when...
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Pregnancy
A cervical exam tells your doctor or midwife a few things about your cervix. However, the number most pregnant women focus on is how open, or dilated, the cervix is. Sometimes it can be confusing to know exactly what this number really does (or...
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Pregnancy
In a perfect world, labor always goes smoothly and every mom is able to have a quick, painless vaginal delivery. The reality, however, is that sometimes issues arise during labor that make a C-section necessary. Furthermore, if a problem occurs...
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Pregnancy
The Lamaze method is a popular childbirth approach that teaches expecting parents strategies for handling pain during labor, potentially reducing unnecessary medical intervention. The Lamaze method is America’s oldest, most popular childbirth...
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Pregnancy
A doula is a type of specialist who has been trained to support a laboring woman before, during, and after her birth. The word doula derives from the Greek term “a woman who serves” and they do just that: they provide emotional and physical support...
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Blog
Starting when you were a little girl, you dreamt of the day you became a mother.Even the thought of how many children probably crossed your mind. If the thought of becoming a mother is wonderful, but the actual delivery part is terrifying,...
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Blog
Lifetime has an all-new “unscripted” series, “Born in the Wild,” which documents couples’ decisions to forgo birth in a hospital and instead give birth in nature on their own terms without assistance. “In this new series, families take one step...
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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...
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Pregnancy
Sickle cell anemia is a disorder where a certain type of hemoglobin — a compound found in red blood cells that is responsible for helping transport oxygen — is abnormally formed. This changes the shape of a person’s red blood cells from a circular...
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Pregnancy
Every pregnant woman wonders, “How long will my labor last?” Friends and families are often quick to share their labor stories, ranging from, “My labor was so quick and easy!” to “It took forever.” It can leave many expectant moms...
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Pregnancy
When a woman thinks of her perfect birth experience, it may include scenarios like going into labor spontaneously, having a great connection with your doctor or midwife, delivering a plump, term baby vaginally, and going home feeling ready to get...
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Pregnancy
A cerclage is a stitch that is placed around the cervix to help hold it closed. It can be placed at different times in pregnancy, but is usually removed once a women is early term or full term. A cerclage can be used to help a few different...