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Medical tests
such as a pregnancy ultrasound can help your health care provider
monitor your baby's development, while more specialized pregnancy
tests such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) can help detect
conditions such as Down syndrome and cystic fibrosis.
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There are a number of tests you
may take throughout your pregnancy to ensure that all is well for
you and your baby. The tests you take will depend on your age and
your pregnancy history. A number of these test can also help you
determine the gender of your baby.
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An ultrasound will probably be one
of the first performed to confirm your pregnancy. In particular,
3D ultrasounds offer
especially high quality imaging. This type of ultrasound provides
a particularly candid glimpse into the life of your growing baby.
But after the ultrasound, how do you know which tests you should
have?
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There are some tests that all
mothers will be offered, like glucose screening and
alpha-fetoprotein. Tests for things like cystic fibrosis are only
performed if you have a family history of the disease.
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Other tests, like chorionic villus
screening and amniocentesis are more commonly offered to pregnant
women over the age of 35. After having an amniocentesis test, some
women may be recommended for further testing involving fetal blood
sampling. Women can confirm the true father of their baby by
opting for paternity testing. This can be done as early as the
tenth week of pregnancy.
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Combined first-trimester screening
is a new test that has only started being offered to pregnant
women. Performed in the first trimester, this test is safer and
more accurate than many other prenatal screening tests.
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Your medical practitioner and/or
genetic counselor will advise you on which tests would be most
beneficial. Because all of these tests have positive and negative
aspects, it is important to be informed about them. Be sure to
read about all of them so you can decide what you want to be
tested for.
Taking care of your health is
essential to the well being of your growing baby. Prenatal care
means finding the right caregiver for you as well as attending
regular prenatal medical checkups. See the following sections of
changes of your body in each trimester:
Inducing Labor
Did you know that only five percent
of babies are born on their due dates? So being pregnant after your
due date is normal and common. And it does not mean anything is
wrong. But sometimes the doctor has concerns about the baby's and/or
your health. In these cases, the doctor recommends inducing labor.
Inducing labor means that your doctor will start your labor through
artificial means. Most doctors will wait one to two weeks after a
woman's due date before considering inducing.
Some reasons why doctors induce labor
include:
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The mother has a chronic illness
like high blood pressure or
diabetes that threatens the health of
the baby.
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The baby is not growing normally.
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A woman's "water breaks" which
means the membranes that surround the fetus rupture but
contractions don't start within a safe amount of time.
Most doctors induce labor in the
hospital to ensure the health of the mother and baby. There are many
ways to start contractions. Doctors can rupture the membranes (break
the water) surrounding the fetus. They can also insert a suppository
containing a hormone into the vagina. Most often, doctors use a
medicine called Pitocin to induce labor. Pitocin is a hormone that
causes contractions. Women in the hospital receive Pitocin through a
vein in the arm or hand.
When Labor Begins
Your uterus is a
powerful muscle that tightens and relaxes rhythmically during labor,
allowing the cervix to stretch open and help to push your baby
through the birth canal. Although every woman's labor is different,
at the outset, you may begin to feel a pattern of dull cramps
similar to menstrual cramps in your lower back or pelvis. If these
remain regular for an hour or more, last at least 30 seconds, and
gradually increase in intensity—even if you change position or move
around—your labor has begun.
The Signs Of
True Labor
If you've never given birth before,
you may assume that you'll just "know" when the time has arrived to
have your baby. In reality, onset of true labor isn't always easy to
identify, and events leading up it can drag on for days. Remember,
too, that your due date is simply a point of reference -- it's
normal for labor to start any time between three weeks before and
two weeks after this date.
So how will you know that labor is
starting? First, you need to understand the birth process. In a
nutshell, here's what happens during labor: The uterus repeatedly
contracts (tightens and relaxes), causing the cervix to thin
(efface) and open up (dilate) so you can push your baby into the
world. See the stages of labor for
more on this topic.
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