A recent study conducted by doctors in the Netherlands has found that women with high blood pressure are more likely to have premature or underweight babies. They also found the same to be true in women who had blood that was rich in red-blood-cells.

Other factors that impacted premiee birth included mothers who smoked or didn't take their prenatal supplements correctly and most of these were more significant during the first three months of a woman's pregnancy.

The Journal of the American Medical Association published this study in which researchers also noted that ultrasounds early in the pregnancy may help identify the high-risk babies.

In the above study, 1,631 pregnant women were studied. They were given ultrasound scans of their fetuses when the fetuses were between 10 and 13 weeks old. The researchers concluded that ultrasound and biochemical screening during the first few weeks of pregnancy may help identify women who have a high risk of complications later during their pregnancy.

Increased antisocial behavior, including violence, is found among teens whose moms were depressed during pregnancy. These were the conclusions arrived at by researchers who also found that women who went through disruptive teen years and who were aggressive as teenagers were more likely to be depressed during pregnancy.

This is a very interesting study because that means that a teenagers anti-social behavior can actually be predicted based on their mother's history of teenage years.

Researchers studied 120 inner-city youth and their moms who were interviewed during and after pregnancy and also when their kids were 4, 11 and 16 years of age.  They found that moms who were depressed during their pregnancy were four times more likely to have kids who were violent at 16.

Researchers are not quite clear yet on how depression in pregnancy leads to antisocial teenage behavior. However one thing may be clear in that women with troubled childhoods may require more support during pregnancy to combat their depression and to prevent long-term effects on their babies.

The January/February issue of Child Development includes details about this study.

Pregnancy causes a lot of physiologic, hormonal and other changes in a woman due to the woman's body preparing the uterus for the birth of a child. These changes occur over the nine months of pregnancy.  However, pregnancy, a woman's body begins going back to how it used to be before pregnancy and this happens immediately after the baby is born.

Researchers believe that the post-pregnancy phase of six weeks is when a new mother needs extensive medical and social support. During the six week period, not only does the uterus begin to go back to its natural state, a new mother needs rest and care as she takes on new responsibilities of caring for a new-born.

The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology's January issue includes findings of a study in which 220,000 women were observed from birth through six and half months after birth. The study authors found that approximately 1.2% of the women had a risk of being admitted to the hospital for post-birth infections within the first six weeks. They also found that women who had Cesarean sections has more infections and risks of being readmitted than women with normal birth.

The study authors suggest that the postpartum period (six weeks after birth) may be a time when women face immune suppression which could put the women under increased risk of diseases.

I find this study interesting because if what the authors observed were to be the case, then it appears that with more postpartum care within the first six weeks after the birth of a baby, we can uncover physiological and psychological issues faced by a new mother.
 

Just cause your pregnant, doesn't mean you don't need the exercise. I always tell my patients that they should continue exercising during their pregnancy to ensure that they remain healthy and active throughout the pregnancy.

Now keep in mind that there are exceptions to this advise and this advise doesn't apply to women who have high-risk pregnancies or have other health problems. However, keeping the excess pounds off is important.

Exercising throughout your pregnancy can help you to stay healthy and keep those extra pounds off. I wouldn't recommend running a marathon but an exercise program under the guidance of your physician can keep you and your baby healthy, not to mention it can even help make the delivery process easier.

And almost every pregnant woman at one time or the other during the pregnancy thinks "how am I going to get back into shape after the baby is born". Well, exercising throughout the pregnancy (again under the guidance of your doctor) can help you keep the excess pounds off during and help you take them off faster after the delivery.

Some recommended exercises include: Swimming, Walking, and Yoga.

By exercising, you can lower your stress and feel energized even when you are tired. Talk to your doctor today and get in shape before the baby arrives so that you can remain healthy after the baby arrives.