A baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy is considered premature. According to 2010 information supplied by the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, approximately 12 percent of all babies in the United States are born prematurely. The...
Labor and delivery of a baby may last from only a few hours to several days. During this time, women experience numerous physical and emotional sensations as their bodies prepare to give birth. While each woman's labor and delivery is unique, the...
If you're leaking amniotic fluid during your pregnancy, you may be concerned -- and rightly so -- that your baby is in danger. While it's possible to leak amniotic fluid slowly, in which case it's generally replaced, some leaks lead to too much...
As a pregnant woman's due date approaches, she may begin to wonder if she will be able to recognize the signs of labor. While the only sure indications of labor are killer contractions and the amniotic sac rupturing, there are signs that occur as...
Many wanted pregnancies terminate early due to issues beyond a parent's control. Sometimes fetal death in utero necessitates early termination of the pregnancy. Other times, early pregnancy termination stems from maternal health conditions that...
In the movies, labor is usually preceded by a dramatic and public breaking of the water, but in real life, only a very small percentage of women experience their water breaking before they go into labor. So if you're nervous about your water...
Breaking water, also called amniorrhexis or rupture of membranes, is a normal part of labor and giving birth. The "water" is actually amniotic fluid, a straw-colored liquid with a faint odor that may be confused with urine. During...
A miscarriage is usually preceded by one or more warning signs that indicate that the developing fetus may not survive. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that miscarriages occur in about 15 to 20 percent of...
In nine months, a future human being develops from a ball of cells into a baby. Fetal development follows a well-documented chronology and is divided into trimesters.
While some normal bleeding occurs after a pregnancy and birth, in some cases the level or type of blood flow is abnormal. Recognizing the signs of abnormal postpartum bleeding can help a woman and her doctor determine whether her body is...
Babies in-utero do not use their lungs to breathe or their mouths to eat. So how do they get the necessary nutrition and oxygen to grow and thrive? A womb has a complex support system sustaining the fetus with the necessary nutrients and oxygen...
After nine months of pregnancy, any expectant mother is understandably eager to meet her new baby. There are signs that precede the birth of a baby and knowing these can help mothers-to-be recognize when their body is preparing for birth and when...
The traditional definition of true labor is the onset of regular contractions, which prepare the uterus to deliver the fetus. For most pregnancies, this occurs between 38 and 42 weeks of gestation. What truly sets preterm labor apart from...
If you are pregnant, excess amniotic fluid can increase your chances of developing gestational diabetes, characterized by high blood glucose levels. Having too much amniotic fluid may also be a signal that you have gestational diabetes. This...
After being pregnant for nine months, most mothers are ready to meet their new baby. Doctors ideally want labor to start naturally, and that means that sometimes a woman has to continue a pregnancy a few days up to a week past her due date. There...
It is possible to test a baby's DNA before birth. Known as prenatal genetic testing, this is generally performed when there is a family history of a genetic syndrome or features of a genetic syndrome have been during the pregnancy. Prenatal...
During pregnancy, a fetus is protected from the outside world by the amniotic sac, a tough, fluid-filled membrane that encircles it. According to the University of Alabama, the membranes rupture before labor starts in around 10 percent of...
When a woman goes into labor, she starts having uterine contractions, the amniotic sac ruptures and birth is imminent. Since normal human gestation lasts between 37 to 42 weeks, the start of labor before the 37th week of pregnancy is considered to...
During a 38-week pregnancy, one fertilized egg cell develops into a fetus that is soon ready to become a newborn baby. The process of fetal development consists of a set of stages that unfold with consistent order and timing. Fetal development...
Within the first month of pregnancy a woman's egg becomes fertilized and undergoes rapid changes to eventually form what is called an embryo. Merck Manual explains that a fertilized egg (called a zygote) develops into a blastocyst, then an embryo...
If you're a first-time parent, knowing when you're ready to deliver a baby can be difficult. Every little stab of pain can make an expectant mother think she's ready to go into labor, as some of the classic pregnancy discomforts can be easily...
Waiting to go into labor naturally is usually ideal, but sometimes things don't work out that way. Whether it is because a woman is past her due date, experiencing complications with the pregnancy or baby's development or experiencing another...
A single fertilized egg matures into a full-term fetus over the course of approximately 38 weeks. This development is remarkably complex, as a newborn infant emerges from the womb with essentially a full set body parts already formed. The growth...
A woman goes through a variety of physical and emotional changes during pregnancy. Among the many changes, her hormones surge, her appetite fluctuates, her belly grows and her posture changes to accompany her new size. She also might notice a few...
Before your baby was born, he or she was surrounded by sound--your heartbeat and the sounds of fluid movement in your body and amniotic sac. Your baby could even dimly perceive voices and other sounds outside the womb. So, it makes sense that a...
Over the course of approximately 38 weeks, a single, fertilized egg develops into a full-term fetus, ready to be born as a new baby. This process of development progresses through a remarkably consistent set of stages. These stages have been...
Before the fetus is born, a precisely ordered and timed set of developments takes place. Over the course of eight weeks, a single, fertilized egg cell grows into a ball of cells called the blastocyst, then an embryo and then a fetus. The fetus...
If you're having a normal or low-risk pregnancy then there is no medical reason why you shouldn't be able to have and enjoy pregnant sex with your partner. What's a "normal" or "low-risk" pregnancy? A low-risk pregnancy is characterized as one...
A ureterocele, a birth defect, can sometimes be detected before your child is born. In rare cases, when the urine blockage resulting from the swelling in your baby's ureter threatens your unborn child's life, your doctor may recommend the...
