Anywhere from 5-25% of women who give birth get some form of post-natal depression. One reason for the wide range in the numbers is the difficulty of pinning down exactly what it is. But women who have had it know too well what it feels like.
continue reading "Post-Natal Depression IS Treatable"

Pregnancy can be uncomfortable in many ways throughout the nine months period. But some aspects are within normal range, others can signal serious issues.
continue reading "Danger Signs in Pregnancy"

Mothers report that few things are as painful, or as rewarding, as giving birth. How much pain, for how long and when varies enormously among individual women.
continue reading "Pain Control Options"

Expectant mothers, especially those pregnant for the first time, often have doubts about when labor begins and what it feels like. That’s natural.
continue reading "Labor, Signs and Actions"

It can be difficult to know exactly when labor begins in earnest. But some signs are unmistakable. One such occurs when your new baby’s head exerts pressure on the amniotic sac and it breaks. When your ‘water breaks’ (the liquid isn’t just water, but amniotic fluid), labor is imminent.
continue reading "What To Do When Labor Begins"

Once labor begins, you’ll need to prepare yourself mentally for the day. For some women, especially after a first child, this is a very easy task. For others, anxiety builds and builds. The best way to relieve that tension is to find out what to expect on that golden day.
continue reading "The First Stage of Labor, What to Expect"

Once the first stage of labor is passed, the placental sac has broken, the cervix has dilated and contractions are regular and frequent, the second stage of labor - actual delivery - begins.
continue reading "Delivery, What to Expect"

Vaginal childbirth, in which the new baby emerges through the uterus and vaginal opening, has been the most common method of childbirth for millennia. But Caesarean sections - delivery by creating an opening through the abdominal wall - has been used for centuries, too. But no matter how long each practice has been used, every new mother will wrestle with the same issues, both physical and emotional.
continue reading "Caesarean Pros and Cons"

For centuries giving birth was strictly an affair between the pregnant woman and a midwife. Though not always present, a mid-wife would frequently aid in the birthing process.
continue reading "What’s a Midwife?"

There are a variety of tests that an expectant mother can have performed to gain information about the health of her growing fetus. Some, like amniocentesis, have been around for over 100 years.
continue reading "What Is an Ultrasound Test?"