Some time towards the middle of your pregnancy or even earlier, you may notice the muscles of your uterus tightening. If you place your hands on your bare bump when this is happening you can feel how hard your uterus becomes.
Each tightening usually lasts for about half a minute and usually does not cause you any discomfort. You may have this sensation once or twice an hour perhaps a few times a day.They get their name from John Braxton Hicks the English doctor who first described them in 1872.
Archive for May, 2010
What Are Braxton Hicks Contractions?
Monday, May 31st, 2010
Aerobic Exercise During Pregnancy Reduces Birth Weight Of Baby
Friday, May 28th, 2010Regular aerobic exercise during pregnancy is likely to reduce a baby’s birth weight and reduce the risk of obesity later in childhood.
The team of researchers from the University of Auckland and Northern Arizona University, divided 84 mothers into two groups. One group exercised regularly and one control group. The women in the exercise group were instructed to perform 40 minutes of exercise on an exercise bike no more than five times a week. The routine had to continue until at least the thirty-sixth week of pregnancy.
After measuring birth weights and body mass indexes (BMI) of the babies within 48 hours of birth the results showed the babies of the women from the exercise group were approximately 0.32 pounds lighter than those of the women in the control group. The findings show that regular aerobic exercise has an impact resulting in a reduction in baby birth weight.
How Can I Tell If My Baby Is Ready For Solid Food?
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010Your baby may be ready to start solids if she:
Can hold her head up. Your baby needs to be able to maintain a steady, upright position, to take her first foods.
Sits well when supported. You may have to have your baby on your lap at first. A highchair can be used when she can sit up by herself.
Makes chewing motions. Your baby should be able to move food to the back of her mouth and swallow. As your baby learns to swallow efficiently you may notice that she dribbles less. She may even have a tooth or two.
Has gained a healthy weight. Most babies are ready to eat semi-solids when they’ve doubled their birth weight. This may happen before or around their sixth month.
Is curious about what you’re eating. She may look at your meals and try reaching out to try foods that you are moving from your plate to your mouth.
Conjoined Baby Twins Return Home
Monday, May 24th, 2010Surgeons who separated the conjoined twins Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf have disclosed the true complexity of the life saving operation as the babies prepare to return home.
The five month old boys were separated in a 14 hour operation at Great Ormond Street Hospital last month.The brothers were joined from the chest to the hip, and shared a liver, bladder and intestine. They had one kidney each and only two legs between them. About 20 staff including four anaesthetists and four surgeons worked in shifts to separate the boys during the complex procedure.
They will return to Cork with their parents today and will be back in the family home early next week after a brief stay in hospital for monitoring following the journey. Doctors said they were astonished by the speed of the twins’ recovery.
Miracle Sextuplet Babies
Friday, May 21st, 2010An Oxfordshire mother has given birth to six babies. Just one in 4.5 million pregnancies ends in the birth of sextuplets. The babies are currently in intensive care after being born prematurely at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital. The 31 year old woman gave birth to four girls and two boys 14 weeks early at 11.05pm last Friday.
The babies range in weight from 1.3lbs to 1.9lbs and are all in the hospital’s specialist neo-natal intensive care unit. The delivery had been planned several weeks in advance and a large team of doctors and nurses were present when the woman gave birth and involved with the immediate care of the babies.The mother is reported to be recovering well. It is not known if she conceived the babies naturally or as a result of fertility treatment.
