A birth certificate is an important legal document that can be used to establish identity for the purpose of many other forms of identification such as Social Security cards and passports. Although some states may issue a birth certificate to the...
Women with a history of allergy are much more likely to develop allergic reactions after the delivery of a baby than those without. Exposure to allergens, such as pet dander, can increase the likelihood of postpartum allergies in susceptible...
It took nine months to get here, and the result will be a beautiful -- and hopefully healthy -- baby. You have prepared the nursery, bought enough outfits to last her through the first year and prepared an array of toys to greet her when she comes...
Human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, levels are produced by the cells that form the placenta, according to the American Pregnancy Association. The placenta is what provides your baby nourishment throughout your pregnancy. Nutrients and oxygen are...
Giving birth to a baby is an incredible, life-changing event that is very taxing on a woman's body. Some weight gain during pregnancy is normal and healthy, typically 25 to 35 lbs., depending on the woman's weight to begin with. Although it takes...
For many women, pregnancy is one of the most exciting times of their lives. Over the course of your pregnancy you may spend time decorating your baby's nursery, shopping for baby clothes, choosing a name for your new baby and contemplating what...
When you plan a birth at home or in a non-hospital birthing center, you're typically choosing a birth with less medical intervention. When your baby is born in a hospital, the paperwork to apply for a birth certificate is available for you, and...
After your baby's gender is announced and all of her fingers and toes have been accounted for, the next question on many minds is, "How much did she weigh?" Ultimately, no single weight is ideal for every newborn, but observing a baby's weight and...
Most women experience an increase in their breast size during pregnancy and after the birth of a child. It is quite common to increase one to two bra cup sizes during the course of your pregnancy. Part of this enlargement can be linked to a gain...
When you have a child, you receive a copy of the birth certificate that the hospital or health care provider files with the state or county Office of Vital Records. This is not an official copy, however. Official or certified copies must be...
According to the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health --- abbreviated NSDUH by the U.S. government --- more than 15 percent of pregnant women admit to using drugs or alcohol at some point during their pregnancies. Topping the list of drugs...
The first year of life for an infant brings with it many milestones to cover, which parents watch for with eagerness and apprehension. Babies go through several stages when it comes to motor skills, hearing, vision and hand-eye coordination,...
Babies born at a healthy weight have a lower risk for health problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, low birthweight babies are at a greater risk for developing problems such as neurodevelopmental handicaps or...
Babies often twist and move around inside their mothers' uterus during pregnancy. A few weeks before the mother's due date however, most babies settle into a position that allows them to be delivered head first. If the baby is not in the correct...
Even before most women know they are pregnant, important developments are already taking place. In the week after conception, cell division has resulted in a zygote composed of 100 to 150 cells that are already differentiating and by two weeks the...
During the 40 weeks of pregnancy, as your belt tightens and your belly expands, your baby transforms from a single-celled organism into a fully formed fetus prepared to survive outside the uterus. Although growth and development continue after...
Your child's name is one of the first significant decisions you will have to make after giving birth. Some parents have this name picked out months in advance, while others struggle to come up with a suitable name and deliberate even in the days...
Within the last month of pregnancy, changes occur that prepare an unborn baby for delivery. During this time the baby actually changes position and moves lower in your abdomen to a location that will allow the baby to properly pass through the...
As a new mother, your probably worry about a lot of things. You want to make sure your newborn is getting what she needs psychologically and physiologically. You try to make sure that she never is hungry and that she gets all the nutrition she...
When your pregnancy first begins, your baby will start off as tiny cells. But throughout the duration of your pregnancy, those cells will take human form--and before you know it, it's time to give birth to your baby. As your baby develops, he will...
Pregnant women and those in labor often find a birth ball indispensable throughout the process. The positioning allowed by the ball helps alleviate much of the pain and discomfort present throughout the last trimester and during birth. In addition...
When it comes to developmental stages, every child is different. You may notice that some children learn to walk or talk earlier or later than the age that is suggested as typical. Developmental stages should be used as a reference guide so that...
When babies are born, 95 percent will weigh between 5.5 and 10 pounds, according to "What to Expect." Soon after birth, most babies will lose some weight, so they actually go home from the hospital weighing less than when they were born. This is...
You can expect to lose as much as 16 pounds within a week after giving birth, the BabyCenter website explains, because your body is suddenly free of a 7- to 8-lb. baby, 1 or 2 lbs. of placenta and as much as 6 lbs. of extra fluid. Though you're...
Your baby's umbilical cord is her source of life as it connects her body to yours during pregnancy. Once your baby is born, begins breathing oxygen and obtaining nutrition from milk or formula, the umbilical cord is no longer needed. The cord is...
Newborns, when properly fed, grow at remarkably rapid rates. However, in the first two weeks following birth, they may fail to gain -- and indeed, often lose -- weight. This might be a source of distress to first-time mothers who are often breast-...
The period of time just before you have a baby is one of the most stressful periods of your life. You have so much to prepare for, yet you can be pulled away from your preparations at a moment's notice. Although you've got a lot of packing to do...
Many women have to deal with food aversions and cravings throughout their pregnancies. Unfortunately, in some cases, these issues can interfere with the body's blood sugar levels, decreasing them to levels that compromise daily life. Women should...
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant found in a variety of food products, such as spinach, hazelnuts, avocado and sunflower oil. It is also available as a supplement and in beauty products and may be ingested orally or applied topically as an...
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