Health

Reasons to Get an Ultrasound When Pregnant

Published

2 years ago

November 13, 2021

Ultrasounds are very common for pregnant women in Newport Beach. They can help you determine the health of the baby and the state of your pregnancy. They are safe for both mother and child but should only be done by a doctor. If you’re wondering whether or not to get an ultrasound when pregnant, here are some of the reasons why you should consider pregnancy ultrasound in Newport Beach.

Issue of Size

It determines whether or not the baby is growing at a healthy rate. If it seems that the baby might be too small, your doctor can offer recommendations to promote healthy growth.

It also gets accurate measurements so that caregivers can monitor baby growth. If you don’t get one, it may be impossible to track a baby’s growth accurately. Ultrasounds help caregivers spot any abnormalities that might cause developmental issues for babies, both in the uterus and after birth. Sometimes, they can monitor development for problems like Down Syndrome.

Detecting Health Issues

Ultrasounds are great for determining if the fetus is healthy. Some signs that there may be issues with fetal development include:

Abnormalities in the brain, spine, and heart.
Small size or failure to develop limbs.
The fetus’s measurements seem smaller than the average for that stage of pregnancy (when viewed via an ultrasound).

Checking for Life

It checks for signs of life. This is known as doing a viability scan. It helps determine whether or not there is a heartbeat in the fetus. If this test comes back positive, then you know that your baby still has a chance at life. If it doesn’t, you know that your baby isn’t alive.

Checking the Position of the Baby

It determines the location of the placenta and the position of the baby. If there is any reason to believe that something might be wrong with either one of those things (like when your placenta is low-lying), then an ultrasound can help determine it.

Addressing Concerns

Ultrasounds can also be used as follow-up for people who have experienced complications during previous pregnancies. If you’ve experienced miscarriages or problems before, then ultrasounds are needed to monitor your baby’s health during future pregnancies. Conversely, ultrasounds are helpful for people who have had no complications in their past pregnancies but still want extra reassurance that everything is okay.

Detecting Twins or Other Multiples

With IVF or IUI, there’s always a chance that you might end up with twins or even more multiples. It monitors the development and growth of multiple fetuses to ensure that they are all healthy. They can also help you determine the number of babies you’re carrying.

Issues of Miscarriage

You can use it in the event of a potential miscarriage. If you’re having symptoms of a miscarriage, your doctors might want to run an ultrasound. To see if the fetus has died and fallen away from the uterus. They can use this information to determine the best course of action.

If you have been on the fence about getting an ultrasound during pregnancy, it is time to go on and get it. Speak with your doctor, and they’ll help you determine the best time to get one.

Health

What Interferes with Successful Breastfeeding?

Published

3 weeks ago

September 5, 2023

Michelle Langton

While breastfeeding is ideal, it comes with many difficulties new parents might face.

After experiencing the intensity of labor and delivery, many new parents are left exhausted. Despite this fatigue and surviving pospartum, new parents soon learn the importance of managing the needs of an infant. Putting aside their own desires, parents learn to quickly adapt.

Exhaustion and recovery are not the only things that discourage parents from breastfeeding. There are a variety of other woes that can make it difficult for a lactating parent to continue to choose this option.

While 83 percent of women breastfeed at the beginning of postpartum, there is a drastic reduction by 6 months, resulting in only 56% of babies still being breastfed.

Engorged Breasts

When a lactating woman’s milk comes in, she may experience intense pain and discomfort. The breasts typically become overly filled with milk because they have not yet regulated their supply. This engorgement can continue throughout the breastfeeding journey for a variety of reasons.

If the baby’s schedule changes, a woman’s breasts can become overly full. If the parent misses a feeding, breasts can experience discomfor which can lead to breastfeeding infection. If a woman becomes preoccupied at work and does not make time to pump, she can experience discomfort.

If breast engorgement is not treated properly, milk ducts can become blocked, and if a woman does not work to move the milk through her breasts (via feeding her baby, pumping, or expressing the milk), this engorgement can lead to further problems and may cause clogged milk ducts.

Infection

One of the biggest concerns beyond the pain a woman experiences with engorgement is infection. This is known as mastitis, and leads to a woman experiencing not only breast pain and warm breast tissue, but also flu-like symptoms that come with fever, chills, headache, and further exhaustion.

In order to help prevent infection, regular feedings are essential. Often, the best mastitis treatment, at least for early symptoms, is to massage the breast in a warm shower and express the extra milk.

Furthermore, by working with an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), parents can have a great resource on how to best deal with, treat, and alleviate these problems.

Not only is an IBCLC a great resource in helping prevent breast infection, but a great source for your breastfeeding journey to encourage and educate you in best practices.

The best way to achieve breastfeeding success is to utilize the many tools that an IBCLC offers.

Burnout

To exclusively breastfeed your baby can be quite overwhelming and exhausting. Between nightly feedings, cluster feedings, and pumping sessions for working mothers, breastfeeding is difficult to maintain. Unless a woman is properly supported by her family, friends, and workplace, the chances that a woman will continue to breastfeed are significantly impacted.

Culture also impacts the likelihood of a baby being breastfed beyond 6 months. The CDC discovered that parents in the Southeast United States are less likely to breastfeed their children past six months. This was in contrast to the Northwest, where business policies and the culture is more breastfeeding-friendly and supportive.

Conclusion

Despite the nutritional benefits afforded to a breastfed baby, there are many obstacles that can be discouraging for parents on their breastfeeding journey. From exhaustion to pain to lack of supoort, parents have many reasons to give up.

To increase your chances of success, surround yourself with supportive individuals, reach out to an IBCLC, also known as lactation consultants, and gain the necessary tools required to provide your child with the healthiest option available – you!