The placenta, a remarkable organ facilitating the vital exchange of nutrients and waste between mother and fetus, exhibits incredible diversity in its structure and composition. Beyond the conventional placental configurations, such as the discoid shape, several intriguing variations have been discovered. In this blog post, we embark on an enlightening journey to explore and understand four distinctive placental anomalies: circumvallate placenta, balltledore placenta, vasa previa, and...

Navigating the complex world of healthcare can be overwhelming, especially when you're faced with the task of advocating for your own needs. However, being an active participant in your healthcare decisions is essential for ensuring that you receive the best possible care. In this blog post, we will explore practical strategies and tips to help you effectively advocate for yourself in healthcare settings. Educate Yourself: The first step towards advocating for yourself is to become an...

Extramural delivery is a term used to describe a situation in which a woman gives birth outside of a hospital or birth center setting. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as a fast labor, lack of transportation, or unexpected complications. While extramural delivery is relatively rare, it can be a stressful and dangerous situation for both the mother and baby. So, what can you do if you find yourself in this situation? Here are some steps to take: Stay calm: The most important...

  Modern Ways of Finding Out Your Baby's Gender: A Sneak Peek into the Womb Discovering the gender of your baby is an exciting milestone for expectant parents. With advances in technology, there are now several ways to determine the gender of your unborn child with remarkable accuracy. There are several ways not to determine the gender of your baby which differs much more than a few decades ago.  Ultrasound Ultrasound is the most common and widely used method to find out a baby's gender....

The umbilical cord is a vital part of pregnancy, connecting the fetus to the placenta and providing essential nutrients and oxygen to support its growth and development. This cord is formed early in pregnancy and typically measures around 1 feet in length at birth. During pregnancy, the umbilical cord acts as a lifeline between the fetus and the mother. It contains two arteries and one vein that transport blood, nutrients, and oxygen from the mother to the baby, while carrying away waste...

Acupuncture, Chiropractics, Massage and other complimentary medicine practices are safe in pregnnacy.   Complementary and alternative medical therapies, such as acupuncture, acupressure, chiropractic, and massage, are often sought out by pregnant women to relieve common pregnancy-related discomforts such as back pain, nausea, and fatigue. Many women wonder if these therapies are safe during pregnancy, and the good news is that they generally are. Acupuncture, for example,...

The overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 was a significant legal decision that has generated strong reactions from various groups and individuals across the United States. Some see it as a positive development, arguing that it aligns with their moral and ethical beliefs regarding the sanctity of life and the rights of the unborn. Others see it as a negative development, believing that it represents an erosion of women's reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. Regardless of one's perspective,...

For some women, the risk of premature birth or second trimester miscarriages are real and imposing concerns in pregnancy.  In some cases, a cerclage may be recommended to help prevent these complications. Here's what you can expect when you get a cerclage during pregnancy: What is a cerclage? A cerclage is a procedure in which a stitch or band is placed around the cervix to help keep it closed and prevent premature birth or miscarriage. It is typically recommended for women who have a...

A scar pregnancy is a rare type of ectopic pregnancy where the fertilized egg implants in the scar tissue of a previous cesarean section or other surgical procedure in the uterus, rather than in the lining of the uterus where a normal pregnancy should occur. This can occur when the scar tissue is not fully healed or is weakened, allowing the fertilized egg to implant and grow in the scar tissue where the uterine muscle can be weakened. Scar pregnancy can be dangerous, as the scar tissue may...

What would happen if Mother Nature opened a labor and delivery unit? In a world where labor and delivery were left to all things natural, and there were no doctors to guide the process, how would women and babies fair?  Before the advent of modern medicine, women relied on Mother Nature to ensure a safe delivery. But without medical intervention, complications were much more common than they are today As time passed, communities began to realize the importance of medical care during...

VBAC stands for Vaginal Birth After Cesarean, which is a delivery method chosen by women who have previously had a c-section but want to deliver vaginally for their next birth. VBAC2, on the other hand, refers to the second or subsequent vaginal birth after a c-section. VBAC and VBAC2 are two different terms that can be confusing for new parents. Women who have had a previous c-section may be wondering about their options for future deliveries. So, let's break down the difference between...

Cervical lacerations are cuts or tears that happen to the cervix during labor and delivery. These types of laceratsion are different from the typical 1st and 2nd degree lacerations that occur during labor and delivery normally.  Generally they tend to have more blood flow and can be responsible for more blood loss.  They also may have an effect in a subsequent pregnancy and labor.    Today’s episode of True Birth is all about cervical lacerations.   A cervical laceration is a cut...

What happends when a cesarean birth is not planned.     As always, we'd love to hear from you! Connect with us on our website at www.truebirthpodcast.com or send us an email at [email protected]   Maternal Resources’ website is:  https://www.maternalresources.org/   Remember to subscribe wherever you listen, and leave us a review!   Our Social Channels are as follows ...

On today’s episode of True Birth, we’re talking about labor coaches, birth coaches, and doulas.   Dr. Yaakov Abdelhak and Certiied Nurse Midwife Kristin Mallon highly recommend having a birth coach during labor. They share some of their positive experiences with the recommended birth coaches and doulas on their site www.maternalresources.org.   It helps to have already a reputation of being practitioners that are C-section averse and always put their patients first because...

Today’s episode of True Birth is all about circumcision. Circumcision often falls under the category of obstetrics, and many obstetricians are the ones who perform circumcisions at the hospital because it’s considered surgical.   It’s rare to need a suture or have bleeding complications after an infant is circumcised, but having someone familiar with surgery perform the procedure is an added advantage, just in case.   Historically, removing the foreskin of the penis was...

What is the optimal timing for delivery when a pregnancy goes past the due date?  How far past a due date is it recommened to go? Is it safe to go?  Why are there different recommendations for each type of pregnancy?  A postterm pregnancy is when the pregnancy goes on beyond beyond 42 weeks (294 days) from the calculated first day of the last menstrual period. A postdates pregnancy is a pregnancy that goes beyond the due date. Relevant to this episode is our podcast on how to calcuate a...

Cervical cerclage is a fantastic tool used to prevent preterm labor.  The placement of a cerclage is a surgical procedure in which a synthetic suture or tape is used to reinforce the cervix. This mechanical enhancement of the tensile strength of the cerclage reinforces the cervix, keeps it closed and is very successful at lengthening many pregnancies.  This podcast covers the different types, why and when each is used.    As always, we'd love to hear from you! Connect with us on our...

Molar pregnancies, also known as hydatidiform moles, are rare usually unviable pregnancies that develop when trophoblasts (the cells that normally develop into a placenta) grow abnormally. Today’s episode is all about this rare issue in pregnancy, its treatment, and possible complications.   As you may know, human cells should contain 23 pairs of chromosomes; one set from the mother and the other from the father. In a complete molar pregnancy, an empty egg is fertilized by one or two...

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a depressive period or series of depressive episodes that can happen after the birth of a baby.  While there is some debate, most psychological and OB/GYN experts agree that any depression that occurs within the first 12 months after birth may be related to the birth.  This type of depression affects 1 in 7 moms and 1 in 10 dads.  Postpartum Depression is not to be confused with postpartum anxiety or perinatal depression and anxiety which can occur shortly...

We've included a list of the most common acronyms and short hand lingo used common in with medical professionals in labor and delivery.  This is a great refrence for when you are surronded by new medical lingo and acronyms and you need some help naviating through.    We'd love to hear from you and hear what topics you would like us to cover. If you are interested in more information about our practice love C/S delivery rate, VBACs, twins or breech deliveries. Our practice website can be...

Obstetrics and Gynecology can be a wonderful beautiful experiene as a place to work but also have its fair share of challenges. In this episode, Dr. Yaakov Abdelhak, Maternal Fetal Medicne Specilaist, and Kristin Mallon, Certified Nurse Midwife, disucss why someone chooses the field of OB/GYN.  Our practice website can be found at: Maternal Resources: https://www.maternalresources.org/ Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  Please consider leaving us a review.  Our Social...

Finding out the gender of the baby in pregnancy.   What do most familles decide to do? Find out from the persecptve of the exeprts on how familes approach gender revelation in pregnany.    Our practice website can be found at: Maternal Resources: https://www.maternalresources.org/ Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.  Please consider leaving us a review.  Our Social Channels are as follows Twitter: https://twitter.com/integrativeob YouTube:...

Pregnancies affected by pregestational (also called preexisting) diabetes has significantly improved over the past several decades as\ insulin management improved and tighter glycemic control is achieved with glucose monitors. Diabetes in pregnancy is classifed as followes:   ●Type 1 diabetes (autoimmune beta cell destruction, usually leading to absolute insulin deficiency): a. Without vascular complications b. With vascular complications (eg, nephropathy, retinopathy, hypertension,...

Tips for getting pregnany naturally may seem simple enough for some, but navigating fertility and the fertile window can sometimes be confuisng. We have broken it down in an easy to understand way and included some fun tips about how to conceive.  Preconception visits are becoming increasingly more popular as patients educate themselves about how to set themselves up for a health pre-pregnancy period.  In this episode, we review some of our very obvious tips for conceiving and not so obvious...

This episode will cover exaclty what to expect from your labor induction.  From addmission to the hospital to delivery of the baby, we've covered everything and the order of events so you can undertand the labor induction process.    There are several reasons why your OB/GYN or midwife may suggest induction of labor and several pregnant patients prefer labor induction, electively.  Labor induction has been shown to improve maternal and fetal outcomes for the right situations and conditions....