How Does Your Fetus Get Fed? Jul 25 06:51am Have you ever wondered exactly how nutrition and oxygen get from your body to the baby's? The process depends on an amazing organ, the placenta, and the baby's lifeline, the umbilical cord. The placenta is a large soft disk that fits tightly... Read more

Trying to Get Pregnant Jul 20 03:57am Trying to get pregnant can be...trying. Those of us who are used to planning our lives and feeling in control most of the time can feel stress from the unknowns of trying to conceive. Some people handle this by turning the conception process into... Read more

Learning to Breastfeed Jul 18 09:21am I was talking recently with Tina Smillie (pronounced "smiley"), a Connecticut pediatrician who specializes in breastfeeding. She said to me: Why do we say women have to take classes in breastfeeding when we don't say women need help... Read more

Should You Wear a Seatbelt When Pregnant? Jul 11 01:03pm You may wonder if a seatbelt is helpful in a car accident when you are pregnant -- or if it might injure the baby in some way. Research on automobile safety has clearly shown that pregnant women and their babies are safer when they are belted in .... Read more

Planning a Pregnancy? Know Your Genes Jul 10 12:07pm To become board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, you have to take a big written multiple-choice test, and then two years into practice, submit a list of all your surgeries and 40 of your office patients' case histories (names removed,... Read more

Multiple Births: What to Watch for Jul 10 04:36am A few days ago I was listening to several experts on public radio talking about assisted reproductive techniques and multiple pregnancies. One of the speakers said that because of fertility treatment, the incidence of twins has increased by 30... Read more

Tubal Ligation Without Regret Jul 06 11:55am About ten percent of women who have their tubes tied have serious regrets about the decision, and some of those seek reversal, which is costly, requires major surgery, and doesn't always work. So if you are considering tubal ligation (TL), what... Read more

Regrets After Tubal Ligation Jul 04 11:48am When I wrote recently on feelings about being done having children , a lot of readers contributed their own thoughts and experiences. It made me think about how important it is to have some control over reproduction, because being pregnant when you... Read more

Dilation and Effacement: What Does It Mean? Jun 28 11:42am So you're in the office on your due date and your doctor checks your cervix and says it is "long and closed"...or you're 33 weeks and your cervix is already three centimeters dilated. You may wonder: what do those terms mean, and... Read more

Boy or Girl? How to "Tell" Jun 26 11:04am As an obstetrician, I get to hear all sorts of "boy or girl" predictions. Here are some that I've heard: -       If you are really sick, you are carrying a girl because of the extra hormones -       If the hair on your legs... Read more