Taking Drugs While Pregnant

Your pregnancy weight may have taken nine months to put on, but it seems to be taking much longer than that to take off. While other new moms seem to snap right back to the pre-pregnancy form, you can’t seem to lose much weight. Along with the complete exhaustion of taking care of a baby, your poor body image is not helping your mental and emotional state. To make matters worse, you may have been side-tracked by your realistic weight loss plan by the lure of a fad diet that guaranteed quick results. Whether you have ten or twenty pounds or more to lose, the good news is that you can lose that extra unwanted weight. While it may seem like your motivation and willpower are zapped, you do have what it takes to lose weight. After all, if you can get through the grueling pain of labor and childbirth, you can certainly get your body back in shape!

Get Real! Think back to when you were pregnant and were noticing the different shapes of all the pregnant bellies. Some moms seemed to carry a bowling ball under their shirts while others plumped out nicely in all the right spots. Still others got bigger everywhere. The truth of the matter is that no two bodies are alike. So while you may envy those very few number of moms who can squeeze into their tight jeans a few weeks after childbirth, check your envy at the door. You are not that woman. In fact, most women are not that woman. The vast majority of women have to work very hard at getting their weight back to being even within eye-shot of their pre-pregnancy weight.

And once you lose your baby weight, your body still may not look the same. The fact of the matter is that you may never fit into those old tight-fitting jeans again, even when you reach that  magic number on the scale. So set your expectations accordingly and avoid the disappointment that is bound to ensue. Your body has gone through a tremendous adjustment in order to bring your little miracle into the world, so be content with your baby and the “new” you.

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By: K. Karl

Mastitis affects about 20% of nursing mothers. On a rare occasion mastitis can occur while the mother is still pregnant. The routine cures for mastitis does not apply to a pregnant woman. Left alone, mastitis in a pregnant woman can lead to serious complications.

Mastitis is normally caused by a blocked lactation duct. This duct does not completely empty when the baby nurses which causes the mother’s milk to back up. Since the milk is high in sugar, bacteria love it and flourish.

Nursing mothers with mastitis are put on antibiotics. They are told to encourage frequent feedings for the infant in order to keep the lactation duct clear. This situation is impossible for the woman who is still pregnant. It is not recommended to use a breast pump to clear the duct because that type of breast stimulation can cause premature uterine contractions.

The following is a true story of a woman who developed mastitis while she was pregnant. The story includes mastitis treatments while pregnant, nursing, and weaning. The treatments lasted over eight months.

The first sign that Samantha had that there was a problem was eight weeks before her due date. She had a small red lump on one side of her breast. It hurt to touch it. Samantha’s obstetrician recommended a breast doctor since he was unfamiliar with this problem during pregnancy.

The breast doctor was also unfamiliar with this problem but she needed to know what type of bacteria was causing the infection. She aspirated the lump with the smallest needle possible in order to send the fluid to the lab.

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Cesarean section (c-section) is delivery of a baby by surgery. An incision (cut) is made in the mother’s belly and uterus (womb). According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 1 in 3 babies in the United States is delivered by cesarean section.

C-section can be a lifesaving operation when either you or your baby face certain problems before or during labor and delivery. Many women who deliver surgically do not expect it. Most cesarean sections go well for both the mother and the baby.

Some health care experts believe that many c-sections are medically unnecessary. A cesarean section is major surgery and should be done only when the health of the mother or baby is at risk.

What you can do:
Learn about cesarean section well before your due date so you will be prepared if you need to be. Talk to your health care provider about c-section.

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Thomaz Rafael Gollop and Ivan Salzo

Abstract

Fetal hydantoin syndrome (FHS) is a set of disruptions occasionally present in fetuses exposed in utero to phenytoin or other anticonvulsants. Administration of phenytoin in early pregnancy may impair proper psychomotor performance expected for children’s development. Several combined phenotypic markers delineate the syndrome, but the presence of single clinical signs is more common. There is controversy about the etiology of FHS. Associated disruptions may be related to a deficiency in a detoxifying enzyme (epoxide hydrolase), vascular problems, and/or factors not yet known. Genetic causes are believed to influence susceptibility to the drug. This text reports an unusual pattern of malformations detected in an ultrasound scan (gastroschisis, sacral meningomyelocele, and absence of the right lower limb) and in the anatomopathological study (left-side gastroschisis, sacral meningomyelocele, scoliosis, left clubfoot, absence of the right lower limb, and pectus carinatum) of a fetus whose mother took phenytoin. These defects may have been provoked by exposure to the drug during embryogenesis. In view of similar malformations observed in cases of prenatal exposure to cocaine, a recognized vasoconstrictor, it is suggested that vascular disruptions of hemodynamic origin constituted the event leading to some of the anomalies caused in the developing embryo. A complication of the chorionic villus sampling procedure, used for cytogenetic analysis, is another possibility.

Introduction

Phenytoin (Dilantin), the new denomination for diphenylhydantoin, is an efficient hydantoin anticonvulsant. Phenytoin is presumed to disrupt normal development of some fetuses when administered during pregnancy. In the 60’s, effects attributed to this medication were grouped into a somewhat recognizable pattern of anomalies (Briggs et al., 1994): fetal hydantoin syndrome (FHS). Classical indicators of FHS were classified by Hanson (1986) into three distinct sets:

1) abnormalities of pre- and post-natal growth – this set includes microcephaly;

2) delay in development, and impaired psycho-motor performance – cases of mental retardation are common;

3) dysmorphic craniofacial features and limb anomalies.

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During pregnancy, acne can both clear and get worse. In early pregnancy, acne often gets a bit worse but as pregnancy progresses, acne can often improve, possibly because of increased levels of oestrogen.

Treatment in pregnancy

Topical treatments that can be used in pregnancy include:
* Benzoyl peroxide
* Azelaic acid

Benzoyl peroxide

Benzoyl peroxide is a commonly used topical treatment for mild acne. It is safe for adults and children, and can be used in pregnancy.

Benzoyl peroxide has the following properties:

* Antiseptic i.e. it reduces the number of skin surface bacteria (but it does not cause bacterial resistance and in fact can reduce bacterial resistance if this has arisen from antibiotic therapy). It also reduces the  number of yeasts on the skin surface.
* Oxidizing agent – this makes it keratolytic and comedolytic i.e. it reduces the number of comedones.
* Anti-inflammatory action.

Benzoyl peroxide is available as cream, gel, lotion and wash at concentrations of 2.5 %, 5 % and 10 %. It may
be combined with other topical or oral therapy. It is especially valuable in combination with topical or oral antibiotics as it may reduce the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In New Zealand, products containing benzoyl peroxide are available without prescription. They include:

* Benoxyl™ 5%, 10% Lotion
* Benzac™ AC2.5%, 5%, 10% Gel; Wash 5%
* Brevoxyl™ 4% Cream
* Oxy™ 5 5% lotion, Oxy™ 10 10% Lotion
* PanOxyl™ 2.5%, 5%, 10% Gel, PanOxyl™ AQ 2.5%, 5%, 10% Gel

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According to a study, breastfeeding may offer broad protection against breast cancer that extends to women who delay having children.
Previous studies have shown that giving birth before age twenty five and having many children protects against certain types of breast cancer , while delayed child birth is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer.
The most important finding of the new study is that breastfeeding seems to lower the risk of developing breast cancer that comes from having children later in life according to an associate professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California and the study’s lead author.
Results of the study were announced at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Los Angeles.
“As more women may chose to delay pregnancy until after age twenty five, it is important to note that breastfeeding provides protection against both estrogen and progesterone receptor positive and negative tumors”, the associate professor said.
Women who develop breast cancer that is hormone receptor negative have a much poorer prognosis than women with other type of breast cancer.
The researchers analyzed data for women age fifty five and older, including 995 invasive breast cancer patients, and found that breastfeeding appears to have a protective effect regardless of when they started giving birth.
This is important since having many children was only protective among women who began having children at an early age. Evidence suggests that women who have children after age twenty five can reduce their risk of breast cancer by choosing to breastfeed, the associate professor concluded.
According to US Census data, twenty five is the average age that women in the US first give birth.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and by the National Cancer Institute.

The birth of a child has a huge effect on the life of its parents and other relatives.Most parents-to-be use pregnancy as an opportunity to prepare their lives and environment to the new circumstances, with the safety of the baby they are responsible for in mind particularly. One of the things that there is reason to consider is parents’ consumption of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. Women who are trying to become pregnant should make it a priority to cut down on or stop consuming these substances as they can reduce fertility and increase the risk of miscarriage.

With the baby in mind

A nine month pregnancy is only a short period of a person’s life, which is therefore reason for women to enjoy it as best as possible. The most important role of expectant parents is to contribute to the health of the baby that is on the way. A mother’s lifestyle – including her diet and consumption habits – can make a great difference for her baby’s future and development. Her diet must include all essential nutrients for both mother and child, but it is no less important for her to avoid foods and substances that may be damaging to the foetus she carries. This can be difficult if the lifestyle of close family and relatives is not in keeping with the needs of mother and baby. Their support and willingness to help meet these new needs make a big difference. This is something that needs to be discussed openly within the family.

Is alcohol harmful to the baby?

Yes. When a woman is pregnant, her baby is a part of her. Everything that she eats or drinks is also passed on to the baby, including alcohol. Alcohol that she drinks is carried by the bloodstream through the placenta and umbilical cord to the foetus. Its organs are not sufficiently developed to break down alcohol, meaning that alcohol affects the foetus more than the mother.

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