You will get a more truthful reading if you wait until after your period is due. Menstruation occurs on average 14 days after ovulation, so the likelihood of a false negative is low once a period is late.

Whenever you decide to do it, you’ll get the best results if you test first thing in the morning, and follow the test’s instructions. If it’s positive– congratulations! If it’s negative, and you still haven’t gotten your period, try again in a few days. If you get a faint positive reading, you probably are pregnant, since false positives are very rare. Wait a couple days and test again.

How Pregnancy Tests Work

Pregnancy tests detect the chemical markers associated with pregnancy, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which can only be detected after implantation. It is commonly believed that an egg implants in the uterus wall 7 days after conception, but research shows that first appearance of pregnancy hormone, hCG, due to implantation occurred 6-12 days after ovulation, with the majority of pregnancies implanting 8-10 days after ovulation.

Every woman is different, and the time it takes for the fertilized egg to implant in your uterus wall can vary.  If you don’t get a positive sign on your pregnancy test, it doesn’t mean that you are not pregnant. You may have ovulated later than you thought (meaning that conception and subsequent hCG production didn’t happen as you calculated) or that, for you, implantation took longer than the average.

If you want a review of  different types of pregnancy tests, click over to Parents.com: 10 Home Pregnancy Tests (and How to Use Them)

The sensitivity of the pregnancy tests on the market today vary greatly. The more sensitive the test, the greater the chance it will pick up your pregnancy before your period is due. Visit Baby Hopes’ pregnancy test comparison page for info on various types’ sensitivity in picking up the pregnancy hormone hCG.

I can tell you, that drink is pretty nasty. It makes some pregnant women feel downright nauseous. Some women add ice or lemon juice, so it’s more of a lemonade-type beverage. I just gulp it down as fast as I can, and try not to think about it!

What is the Test For?

This is a routine test that is done to check for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM).  This is different than regular diabetes. In GDM, the hormones secreted by the placenta alter how insulin is used in the pregnant body. If untreated, a pregnant woman with GDM may experience problems with ecclampsia, blood pressure, urinary tract infections and an increased risk of Type II Diabetes later in life. The newborn may experience problems of the heart and kidney, and respiratory distress syndrome.

When is the Test Done?

The test is usually offered to most women around 28 weeks gestation. However, if you have a family history of diabetes or had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy they may test you earlier.  There are no risks involved, although some women are concerned about the effects that this blast of glucose has on a baby who is not used to receiving it is such quantities.

If you “fail” the one hour test, there’s another 3-hours glucose test. (It is important to note that only about a third of women who test positive on the first test are found to have diabetes upon further diagnosis.) You will be asked to drink or eat something with sugar and will be tested at 30 minutes, one hour, two hours, and three hours. You must pass in three of these tests to “pass” the entire test.

Treating Gestational Diabetes

If you are found to have Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), you will more than likely be sent to a nutritionist to learn ways that you can control your glucose levels through diet. You will also have a plan for monitoring blood sugar levels to assess your progress. Glucose intolerance during pregnancy affects about 100,000 women every year. The condition usually ends with the pregnancy. However, a small number of women will continue to be diabetic after delivery, so you’ll have to take another glucose test six weeks postpartum.

Do You Need to be Tested for GDM?

A friend of mine was just complaining that her doctor wants her to “redo the whole stinkin’ test.” Somehow they lost her lab results, and she’s tempted to just skip the whole thing, rather than drink the nasty glucose and take another blood test. “Is that crazy??” she wants to know (this is actually her 3rd pregnancy, and she’s never had a glucose problem in the past).

Well, no. It seems she wouldn’t be all that crazy, considering her current situation.

Although GTT  is routine in many places, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists (ACOG) has actually stated that many women are tested unnecessarily. You may not need laboratory testing to screen for GDM if you meet all of the following criteria:

• Less than 25 years old
• Not a member of a racial or ethnic group with a high prevalence of diabetes (eg, Hispanic, African, Native American, South or East Asian, or Pacific Islands ancestry)
• A body mass index (BMI) 25
• No history of abnormal glucose tolerance
• No previous history of adverse pregnancy outcomes usually associated with GDM
• No known diabetes in first-degree relative

Women who are at a higher risk for GDM usually have one of the following risk factors:

• age
• ethnicity
• obesity
• family history of diabetes
• past obstetric history

It can’t hurt to take the test, but if you can talk to your doctor about whether or not it is really  necessary for you.

The Jelly Bean Alternative

I thought it was interesting to note that several years ago some studies were done showing that eating 18 Brach’s® jelly beans worked just as well as the glucola. This definitely sounds a lot more pleasant, and supposedly has few stomach side effects than the glucola. Some women are just told to eat certain sugary foods before the test, which also seems to make sense.

feature image from the mommy diary

Syphilis develops in three stages. The first state, primary syphilis, is characterized by an open sore called a chancre, which usually appears on the genitals, either internally or externally. If untreated, the disease can progress to secondary syphilis and tertiary syphilis. Other symptoms include fever, sore throat, a rash, hair loss and swollen glands. In its final stage, syphilis can cause dementia, blindness and damage to the nervous system.

How Would I Catch Syphilis?

The bacterium that causes syphilis can be acquired through sexual intercourse (the most common method), kissing, passage from mother to fetus through the placenta, blood transfusion or accidental contact with an infected lesion. (Your Total Health)

Syphilis During Pregnancy

Syphilis is extremely dangerous for a fetus, who can contract the disease through the placenta that nourishes it. It can cause miscarriage and result in a stillborn birth. It can be also transmitted to your baby through vaginal birth and possibly through a cesarean section.  Congenital syphilis can have some very severe symptoms, although they may not appear right away.

False Positive Lab Tests

If you do test positive for syphilis, don’t panic! NO TEST IS 100 PERCENT ACCURATE. According to Lab Tests Online, screening tests for syphilis are not highly specific, and a false positive result is quite common. The VDRL has a high sensitivity but low specificity, and is used as a screening test. Today, treponemal FTA-ABS or MHA-TP tests,with high specificity and sensitivity, are used to confirm the results.

How is Syphilis Treated?

Syphilis is treated with penicillin (PenVK), which is considered safe in pregnancy. t is not common for a fetus to be infected before the fourth month, so testing and treatment should be done as soon as possible. If you have a history of penicillin allergy, you should undergo skin testing. If skin tests are positive, you will be ” desensitized” and then treated with penicillin.

A baby that is born with syphilis will also be given penicillin injections to fight the bacteria.

If your tests keep coming up positive, even without any physical signs of syphilis, your doctor may recommend treating you with penicillin, just to be on the safe side.

feature image

What is Postpartum Depression?

Postpartum Depression is a common psychological side-effect of childbirth. As many as one in five new mothers in the U.S. experiences postpartum depression shortly after childbirth, leading to feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Another seven percent of women battle major depression after giving birth. If not properly diagnosed and treated, postpartum depression can lead new mothers to attempt suicide, neglect or even harm their newborns.

Can it really be predicted?

But now, researchers at the University of California, Irvine said they can fairly accurately predict which women will later suffer from postpartum depression, using a simple blood test. This type of screening test could one day become part of a woman’s standard prenatal care, along with the gestational diabetes screen, which is typically performed around 24 to 28 weeks of pregnancy.

This would work by measuring the level of a hormone produced by the placenta around the 25th week of pregnancy.  The study found that women with higher levels of placental corticotropin-releasing hormone (pCRH) midway through pregnancy were more likely to develop postpartum depression. The blood test correctly identified 75% of those who had future postpartum depression symptoms.

In pregnant women, the placenta pumps out 100 times more CRH than is normally produced by the hypothalamus. The hormone has been nicknamed the “placental clock” because it is thought to prepare the woman’s body for childbirth, said psychologist Ilona Yim, who worked on the study.

Levels of CRH and other hormones drop after the mother gives birth, which Yim said causes hormone “withdrawal” that can create havoc with the endocrine system.

“It puts the whole system out of whack,” she said in a telephone interview. (Reuters)

Other risk factors for postpartum depression include a history of depression or premenstrual syndrome, stress and anxiety during pregnancy, a lack of social support, and fluctuating hormone levels. The presence of high levels of CRH in the body triggers a variety of reactions, including an increase in the production of stress hormones, like cortisol. This can lead to the development of mental disorders, such as severe depression.

While antidepressant drugs can sometimes relieve postpartum depression, Yim urged a preventive approach, such as having at-risk women learn relaxation techniques common in prenatal yoga classes, and bolstering the emotional ties they may need. (Reuters)

You know what they say about an ounce of prevention… If doctors really can predict and watch for postpartum depression, it seems that could save many families much grief. It will be intereting to see what comes of this important study!

One minute — and again five minutes — after your baby is born, doctors calculate his Apgar score to see how he’s doing. It’s a simple process to help determine whether your newborn is ready to meet the world without additional medical assistance.

This score was developed by anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar in 1952 and is now used in modern hospitals worldwide. It rates a baby’s appearance, pulse, responsiveness, muscle activity, and breathing with a number between zero and 2. The numbers are totaled, and 10 is considered a perfect score.

How does it work?

The name “Apgar” is an acronym to help you remember what is included in the test: Activity, Pulse, Grimace, Appearance, and Respiration. Here’s how they’re used to rate your baby:

Activity (muscle tone)
0 — Limp; no movement
1 — Some flexion of arms and legs
2 — Active motion

Pulse (heart rate)
0 — No heart rate
1 — Fewer than 100 beats per minute
2 — At least 100 beats per minute

Grimace (reflex response)
0 — No response to airways being suctioned
1 — Grimace during suctioning
2 — Grimace and pull away, cough, or sneeze during suctioning

Appearance (color)
0 — The baby’s whole body is completely bluish-gray or pale
1 — Good color in body with bluish hands or feet
2 — Good color all over

Respiration (breathing)
0 — Not breathing
1 — Weak cry; may sound like whimpering, slow or irregular breathing
2 — Good, strong cry; normal rate and effort of breathing

What do the Apgar scores mean?

The one-minute Apgar score
This helps your practitioner decide whether your baby needs immediate medical help. If your baby scores between 7 and 10, it usually means he’s in good shape and doesn’t need more than routine post-delivery care. (We moms are already expecting over-achievers, but don’t be disappointed if your baby doesn’t score a perfect 10, though. It’s unusual for a baby’s hands and feet to have good color immediately after arrival.)

If your baby scores between 4 and 6, he may need some help breathing. This could mean something as simple as suctioning his nostrils or massaging him, or it could mean giving him oxygen. If your baby scores 3 or less, he may need immediate lifesaving measures, such as resuscitation. Keep in mind, though, that a low score at one minute doesn’t mean that your baby won’t eventually be just fine. Sometimes babies born prematurely or delivered by cesarean section, for example, have lower-than-normal scores, especially at the one-minute testing.

The five-minute Apgar score
This helps your practitioner see how your baby is progressing and whether he has responded to any initial medical intervention. A score of 7 to 10 is still considered normal at this point. If your baby scores 6 or less at the five-minute mark, he may need medical help and your practitioner will determine what steps need to be taken.

Don’t worry too much about this score. Chances are your baby will be fine, even if his color is a little bit — ok, a lot– off at first. My son is now the handsomest baby in town!

Source: Baby Center

Right after the birth of you baby is a very special time! You will cradle that bundle of joy in your arms for the very first time and, with the labor behind you, bask in the amazing feeling of motherhood. Although you probably want to enjoy this time uninterrupted, the doctors and nurses may whisk your baby away to perform several important tests and procedures.

You can request a little more time to bond with your baby. But here’s an overview of the care you can expect from the hospital staff, from WomensHealth.gov:

Apgar Evaluation

The Apgar test is a quick way for doctors to figure out if the baby is healthy or needs extra medical care. Apgar tests are usually done twice: one minute after birth and again five minutes after birth. Doctors and nurses measure 5 signs of the baby’s condition. These are:

• heart rate
• breathing
• activity and muscle tone
• reflexes
• skin color

Apgar scores range from 0 to10. A baby who scores 7 or more is considered very healthy. But a lower score doesn’t always mean there is something wrong. Perfectly healthy babies often have low Apgar scores in the first minute of life.

In more than 98% of cases, the Apgar score reaches 7 after 5 minutes of life. When it does not, the baby needs medical care and close monitoring.

Eye Care

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that all newborns receive eye drops or ointment to prevent infections they can get during delivery. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including gonorrhea and chlamydia are a main cause of newborn eye infections. These infections can cause blindness when left untreated.

Silver nitrate, erythromycin, and tetracycline are the three medicines used in newborns’ eyes. These medicines can sting and/or blur the baby’s vision. So you may want to postpone this treatment for a little while.

Some parents question whether this treatment is really necessary. Many women at low risk for STDs do not want their newborns to receive eye medicine. But there is no evidence to suggest that this medicine harms the baby.

It is important to note that even pregnant women who test negative for STDs may get an infection by the time of delivery. Plus, most women with gonorrhea and/or chlamydia don’t know it because they have no symptoms.

Vitamin K Shot

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all newborns receive a shot of vitamin K in the upper leg. Newborns usually have low levels of vitamin K in their bodies. This vitamin is needed for the blood to clot. Low levels of vitamin K can cause a rare but serious bleeding problem. Research shows that vitamin K shots prevent dangerous bleeding in newborns.

Newborns probably feel pain when the shot is given. But afterwards babies don’t seem to have any discomfort. Since it may be uncomfortable for the baby, you may want to postpone this shot for a little while.

Newborn Metabolic Screening

Doctors or nurses prick your baby’s heel to take a tiny sample of blood. They use this blood to test for many diseases.

All 50 states require testing for at least two disorders: phenylketonuria and congenital hypothyroidism. But many states test for up to 30 different diseases: All of these problems are impossible to spot without a blood test. And if left untreated they can cause mental retardation and even death. The March of Dimes recommends that all newborns be tested for at least 29 diseases.

Hearing Test

Many hospitals offer newborn hearing tests. Tiny earphones or microphones are used to see how the baby reacts to sounds. Newborn hearing tests can spot hearing problems early. This can help cut the risk of serious language and speech problems.

Hepatitis B Vaccine

Most hospitals now suggest that newborns get a vaccine to protect against the hepatitis B virus (HBV). HBV can cause a lifelong infection, serious liver damage and even death.

The hepatitis B vaccine is a series of three different shots. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommend that all newborns get the first shot soon after birth or before leaving the hospital. If the mother does not have hepatitis B, the first shot can wait for 2 months. The second and last shot should be given before 18 months of age.

Complete Check-up

Soon after delivery most doctors or nurses also:

• Measure the newborn’s weight, length, and head.
• Take the baby’s temperature.
• Measure his breathing and heart rates
• Give the baby a bath and clean the umbilical cord stump.