Below is a list of each and every week of your pregnancy. Click on the week you are interested in and read about you and your baby. When available we provide pictures of what your fetus may look like.

If you would like this information emailed to you every week of your pregnancy, be sure to sign up for Week by Week. We will email you your current week of pregnancy and every week there after.

Also be sure to pick up your copy of the Pregnancy Pain Relief book. It provides you the most effective, safe, and easy ways to get away from the pain and discomfort that pregnancy often brings.

You’ll know the easy techniques to get out of pain in the shortest amount of time possible.

You do want to be comfortable don’t you?  Pick up your copy today.

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Many women have questions about how to properly breastfeed their baby, what positions are best for breastfeeding, and how to get your baby to latch on to the breast properly.

We have added these breastfeeding videos to help you with these questions.

Breastfeeding Videos

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Sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy can cause a great deal of discomfort.  The sciatic nerve travels out from the spine, through the buttocks and down the legs all the way to the foot.

Because it runs under the uterus, sciatic pain, also called sciatica,  may be caused by your growing baby putting pressure on the sciatic nerve.

What Does Sciatic Nerve Pain During Pregnancy Feel Like?

Sciatic nerve pain can vary in intensity.  You may feel pain, numbness, tingling, or burning sensations.  Because the sciatic nerve spans all the way to the foot, you may feel pain, numbness, tingling or discomfort along the leg and possibly into your feet and toes.

What Treatment is there for Sciatic Nerve Pain During Pregnancy

You may be able to alleviate some discomfort by trying some of the following suggestions:

• Avoid prolonged sitting if possible
• Lie down on your side opposite the pain to take pressure off the nerve
• Try taking frequent short walks
• Moist heat or cold compresses may help alleviate discomfort.
• Ask your physician about taking an over the counter pain reliever.

If your sciatica pain becomes constant or severe, you should seek the help of  your healthcare provider.

Because sciatic pain in pregnancy is generally caused by pressure from your baby, you may also find relief from manual stretches that gently help alleviate the pressure of your baby on your pelvis.  To learn how to do these stretches, please visit PregnancyPainRelief.com

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Causes of Headaches During Pregnancy

• Hormones- hormonal changes during pregnancy can trigger headaches and migraines.
• Lower blood pressure in first trimester- During the first trimester you blood pressure may be diminished, causing headaches due to decreased blood flow.
• Preeclampsia- Preeclampsia a complication of pregnancy that occurs after the 20th week, but more frequently in the last month. It can cause swelling, visual disturbances, high blood pressure, severe headaches, and protein in the urine. If it is late in your pregnancy and you are experiencing more than one of these symptoms contact your doctor.
• Stress- physical and emotional upheaval and stress can cause tension headaches.
• Sinusitis- sinus pain, colds, and allergies can cause headaches during pregnancy. Frequently, allergy sufferers report that their allergies intensify during pregnancy.
• Fatigue- experienced often during pregnancy can cause a headache to develop.
• Anemia- iron is important during pregnancy. Symptoms of anemia (low iron) include feeling tired, having headaches, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, and indigestion.
• Migraine- Migraine different than a headache, a migraine is more severe. It causes debilitating, throbbing headaches and can cause nausea, vision changes such as blurring and flashing lights, sensitivity to light and noise and intense pain.
• Caffeine withdrawal- If you have eliminated or cut down your caffeine intake since discovering you are pregnant, this can result in withdrawal headaches for several days.
• Blood Sugar changes- pregnancy can cause changes to your blood sugar and metabolism. Be sure to eat right and snack every few hours and consume adequate amounts of protein.

Preventing Headaches During Pregnancy

• Be sure to drink plenty of water. Dehydration can frequently cause headaches.
• Exercise regularly.
• Practice stress relieving techniques.
• If you are planning to decrease caffeine intake, do so slowly to prevent withdrawal reactions.
• Sinus headaches can be aided by application of warm compresses on the front and sides of the face and around the nose, eyes and temples.
• Tension headaches can be aided with cold compresses on the back of the neck and forehead.
• Get plenty of rest to prevent fatigue.
• Eat frequent small meals to keep your blood sugar levels stable.

When to Call Your Doctor

• Your headaches are severe or accompanied by visual disturbances or swelling.
• Your headaches is accompanied by fever.
• You are having spotting or bleeding.

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Back pain is extremely common during pregnancy. As a matter of fact, 50-70% of pregnant women experience back pain at some point during their pregnancy. Although it can occur at any point between conception and childbirth, it is most frequently troublesome late in a pregnancy. There are things that can be done to help manage back pain.

Causes of Back Pain During Pregnancy

• Implantation- Many women experience low back pain during early pregnancy when the newly formed embryo implants into your uterus. This can cause aching pain and cramping in your back.
• Hormonal Changes- When you are expecting, your body produces a wide variety of hormones, one of which is called relaxin. Relaxin’s job is to relax and loosen the tissues of your body in order to help prepare for childbirth. This causes shifting of the joints and laxity in the muscles and ligaments that normally support your body and your spine, resulting in discomfort.
  
• Changes to Your Posture- Your body is growing and changing each day. Your belly is growing and stretching along with the fetus that is inside. This causes the muscles and bones in your body to readjust in new and different ways. Your spine curves backward to compensate for a shift in your center of gravity as your abdomen protrudes. This can cause pressure and tension in your spine.
• Weight gain- As your baby grows your weight increases and your back gets strained from supporting the extra weight.
• Improper Bending- Heavy lifting, twisting, bending, and prolonged sitting can make your back hurt. You can prevent back pain by being aware of how you stand, sit and move.
• Stress- Stress adds tension to the body and can contribute to pain anywhere. With the extra pressure that pregnancy places on your spine, the back is a very common place to experience stress tension. Try out some of our stress relieving tips.

Preventing Back Pain Before it Begins

• The following are things you can do to reduce the amount of back pain you are experiencing. Sometimes it is not possible to eliminate pain completely, but the following tips can help dramatically.
• Practice good posture- Stand with your hips and pelvis tucked in and your shoulders back and head up.
• When sleeping or resting, lie on your side with your knees and hips bent. Try placing a pillow between your knees and one under your belly. This can help take pressure off your low back. There are also some great pregnancy pillows that can help make you more comfortable.
• Wear good shoes. Heels and unsupportive shoes can contribute to spinal discomfort.
• When you sit, elevate your feet slightly. Try to take breaks from sitting at least every half hour. Don’t cross your legs.
• Practice safe lifting and bending. To lower your body, bend at the knees instead of the waist. Use your thigh muscles to push yourself back up without using your back.
• Try a pregnancy support belt.
• If you will be standing for extended periods of time, try to keep one of your feet elevated on a low stool.
• Exercise regularly to support and strengthen your back.
• Pregnancy massage(prenatal massage) is excellent for keeping your body loose and free of pain.
• Get your partner or friend to practice hands on pregnancy pain relief techniques on your body.
• Chiropractic visits can help prevent back pain.
• Acupunture can help keep you balanced and prevent you from aching
• Prenatal Yoga can help keep your body loose and comfortable.
• Be sure you are getting adequate Calcium and Magnesium in your diet
• Drink plenty of fluids

Treatment for Back Pain During Pregnancy

• Use ice or heat.
• Take acetaminophen for pain.
• See a chiropractor, massage therapist, or acupuncturist.
• Use a pregnancy belt or support device.
• When lying down use a pregnancy pillow.
• Have your partner help you with hands on techniques such as those in the Pregnancy Pain Relief Book.
• Herbal Medicine.
• Take a warm bath

When You Should Call Your Doctor

• Your back pain is very intense.
• Your back pain is getting increasingly worse or you have sudden stabbing pain.
• You have rhythmic back pain that feels like menstrual cramps.

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Group B strep screening is a test where a swab is taken from the rectum and the vagina and cultured in a laboratory.

The Centers for Disease Control, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics all recommend Group B strep screening for all pregnant women.

This test is performed between weeks 35 and 37.

Group B strep is an infection that is found in the genitals, rectum, and urinary tract of between 10 and 35 percent of all pregnant women, and is usually harmless to adults.

Generally, Group B strep causes no symptoms in adults, but can cause serious and life threatening infections in newborns.

If you test positive to Group B strep, you will be given IV antibiotics during labor in order to prevent transmitting the infection to your baby.

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This is a culture or blood test which checks to see if you have a Gonorrhea infection. It is generally performed during the first prenatal visit. A normal test is negative. If you test positive, you will be treated with an antibiotic and your partner will also be tested and treated.

Gonorrhea can cause eye infection, blindness and serious infection in a baby delivered through the birth canal of a woman with an infection.

As a precaution, if you have tested positive for gonorrhea your health care provider may put antibiotic ointment in your baby’s eyes when it is born.

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The glucose tolerance test is a diagnostic test for gestational diabetes. You will be asked to fast overnight. When you arrive at your health care provider for testing you will be given a very strong glucose solution with 100 grams of glucose to drink.

Your blood will be drawn 4 times. The first time is before you drink the glucose solution, and then at 1, 2, and 3 hour intervals after you drink the glucose solution.

For each blood draw there is a cutoff level that indicates a high glucose level. If you have two ore more high values on your blood draws then you will be diagnosed as having gestational diabetes.

About 15 percent of women receiving the glucose challenge test will have an abnormal result. Of these women, 15 percent will be found to have gestational diabetes.

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The electronic fetal non-stress and stress tests help give you and your health provider a view at your baby’s well-being by evaluating fetal heart rate.

These tests are generally done during the third trimester of pregnancy, often if you have a high risk pregnancy or if you are past your due date.

Nonstress test

During the nonstress test, a belt will be placed on your abdomen. The special belt will measure your baby’s heart rate with the use of sound waves. You or a practitioner may push a button when your baby moves.

Each time your baby moves, its heart rate measurement will show up on a graph. A baby is thought to be in good health if its heart rate increases after moving. This is what the nonstress test evaluates.

The nonstress test takes about 20 to 40 minutes to complete.

Stress test

The stress test is a lot like the nonstress test. A special belt is placed on your abdomen to measure your baby’s heart rate with the use of sound waves.

The difference between this and the nonstress test is that your baby’s heart rate will be measured while your practitioner induces mild contractions.

Your healthcare provider may give you the medication oxytocin to induce the contractions. The test requires 3 contractions in a 10 minute time frame.

The stress test can take an hour or two to complete.

How accurate is this test?

Both the nonstress test and the stress test have a high rate of false positives. This means that the test could show a problem when one does not exist.

For this reason, if your test shows there is a possible problem, it is likely that your test will be repeated the following day.

A contraction stress test is usually done following an abnormal nonstress test.

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The glucose challenge test is generally performed during weeks 26-28 of pregnancy, sometimes earlier if you are considered at risk for diabetes. This test is for gestational diabetes.

When this screening is done, you will be asked to drink a glass of a sweet glucose solution containing 50 grams of glucose. One hour later you will have a blood sample drawn so that your blood glucose level can be checked. A normal test result is below 135 or 140.

If your test result is abnormal, you will be asked to return for a second test called an oral glucose tolerance test. For this test you will need to fast overnight.

Just because you are asked to complete this second test does not mean that you have gestational diabetes. Of those women with an abnormal glucose challenge test, only about 15 percent will be diagnosed with gestational diabetes following the oral glucose tolerance test.

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