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Hygiene is an integral part of self-care at any given time or period. However, it is of greater importance during pregnancy as little changes can have massive ripple effects during this period. During pregnancy, the woman's body undergoes several hormonal changes, and its effects vary from one woman to the other. Hormonal imbalances result in increased perspiration (sweating), increased vaginal discharge, less lubrication and vaginal dryness, dry skin, and nipple leaks, amongst others.
Infections are best kept at bay during pregnancy. Infections can affect the health of the mother and her baby and may result in complications. Hence, good hygiene is an important part of self-care in pregnancy. Also, it boosts your self-esteem and keeps you refreshed and comfortable in your skin.
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The following are basic tips that can help you maintain good hygiene in pregnancy.
Hormonal changes can affect your dental health. Increased estrogen levels can cause inflammation of your gums, resulting in pain and frequent bleeding. Increased progesterone also puts you at risk of hosting plaque-causing bacteria and developing gingivitis.
Hence, poor oral hygiene can cause dental health issues and increase your risk of certain pregnancy complications. Bacteria that cause gingivitis can make a low-birth-weight baby if it enters your bloodstream and reaches the fetus. See a dentist in case of any mouth condition, especially gum disease.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet, avoid sugary and hard foods, brush and floss daily, and, as prescribed, take fluoride supplements.
To stay safe from infections;
Increased vaginal discharge may stimulate bacterial growth and cause ‘bacterial vaginitis. This can cause complications and get transmitted to the child if left untreated in the mother.
To maintain vaginal hygiene:
These tips help maintain air circulation and keep your vagina optimally dry, preventing infections:
Hormonal changes and weight gain during pregnancy can result in increased sweating and buildup of sweat, dirt, oil, and bacteria between skin folds. Hence, experts recommend that you bathe regularly with mild soaps and shampoos. Avoid harsh soaps, dyes, and other chemicals for your skin and hair to prevent an allergic reaction in you and your baby.
Avoid taking a bath or shower with boiling water. Use warm water instead. Also, apply lotions or creams immediately after a bath or shower to soothe and soften your skin.
Wear cotton and loose-fitting clothes to improve and maintain air circulation between your clothes and your skin.
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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You may have wondered what labor looks like and how it feels. You are not alone. Many pregnant women also ask questions about how it will feel, what to expect, and how long it will last.
This article will discuss what labor is and how to know you are in labor.
Labor is the process of childbirth that starts with strong uterine contractions and cervical dilation and ends with the expulsion of the fetus.
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There are early signs that labor is soon or imminent. Some may occur 3-4 weeks before actual labor sets in. At other times, these signs happen just before labor starts or hours before active labor.
Some very early signs of labor include the following:
This is also known as lightening, where your baby (ideally, your baby's head) descends into your pelvis. If you are a first-time mum, this may occur a few weeks before labor. If you're not a first-timer, lightening may not happen till you're truly in labor.
Your healthcare provider may notice your cervix dilating (opening) and effacing (thinning out) during your antenatal visit. This may happen weeks to days before delivery. Note that some women do not dilate at all till labor starts.
As labor nears, you may feel cramping and pain in your lower and groin. Not to worry, your abdominal and pelvic muscles and joints are loosening up and stretching in preparation for labor and childbirth.
While your joints and ligaments may have loosened up during pregnancy, you may feel them loosen as labor nears. This is your body's way of preparing for the passage of your little one.
You may experience diarrhea as your expected date of delivery nears. Ensure you drink lots of water and stay hydrated.
During the last days of pregnancy, you may feel very tired and sleepy with your big belly and active bladder.
You may have bursts of energy and a compelling urge that sees you through cleaning, arranging baby clothes, putting up a baby's room, organizing your home, and many more.
The following are signs of true labor:
Unlike Braxton Hicks contractions, labor contractions increase in intensity, are regular, painful, frequent, and don't get better with changing positions. Also, real labor contractions last anywhere between 30 to 70 seconds, depending on far you've gone into labor.
During pregnancy, a mucus plug seals off your uterus at the cervix. However, as the cervix dilates or the body prepares for labor, it may come off as a large piece or in bits.
When the mucus plug comes off, it may be with blood. Hence, a thickened, pinkish vaginal discharge is called bloody show. When you notice a bloody show, it indicates you are close to or in labor.
If you're having strong abdominal cramps, abdominal pain or pressure, and/or pain in your lower back that radiates to your legs, you are most likely to be in labor.
This may occur just before labor or after you've experienced other labor symptoms. When your water breaks, your membranes rupture, and amniotic fluid escapes from the sac. It could be in big gush. At other times, it could be a trickle or leak.
Not all women's water break before labor. Usually, it happens later during childbirth and occurs in a small percentage of pregnancies. Hence, it is not a definitive sign of labor.
Call your doctor when your contractions are painful, intense, regularly spaced, and last for 30 to 70 seconds
Also, if you have doubts about whether or not you're in labor, call your healthcare provider. If you also experience or notice any of the following, immediately contact your healthcare provider:
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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Are you on the bigger side? Does your BMI suggest you are overweight or obese? Are you also pregnant and wish to lose weight? Women with obesity have a higher risk of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. Their babies also have a greater risk of premature birth, neonatal problems, and birth defects.
As much as you may be encouraged to gain a little weight during pregnancy, it is dangerous for you to gain too much weight. More so, what if you are already overweight? Previously, doctors didn't want to advise weight loss during pregnancy to prevent harm to you and your baby. However, recent studies show that pregnant women with obesity can safely exercise and lose weight without risking their health and that of their babies.
As a rule of thumb, pregnancy is a time to do things in moderation. Hence, any form of exercise or dieting shouldn't be intense or extreme.
So, if you want to lose weight during pregnancy, the following are safety tips to follow:
Consult with your doctor before you embark on any exercise regimen while pregnant. Your doctor will ask some questions, check your health status and help you come up with an exercise regimen that will best suit you. Your doctor will also answer any questions you may have.
Also, your doctor may refer you to a dietician, nutritionist, or trainer that may help you with your weight loss journey.
Whether or not you're pregnant, do not rush into anything new. Instead, start slow. Don't cut down on your calories abruptly. Start an exercise routine slowly and build up over time from 5 to 10 minutes every day to more time over the next few weeks.
You may start with easier exercises such as walking and swimming. These can keep you active for roughly 30 to 45 minutes each day.
As stated earlier, do everything in moderation while pregnant. Intense workouts can be dangerous to you and your baby. Listen to your body and trust your instincts. You should be comfortable when exercising. If you are breathing too heavily, or feeling hurt, take a break.
Avoid activities like horseback riding, skiing, or mountain biking. These sports can throw you off balance and cause harm and injury.
Diet fads are often very calorie-restrictive. You lose out on nutrients that you and your baby need to stay healthy and grow optimally. You need healthy amounts of calories during your pregnancy for a safe pregnancy and childbirth. Your body and baby will thank you for it.
This could be manual or online. Keeping a journal helps you track how many calories, nutrients, and water you are getting every day. It helps you know what to cut down on and what to increase per time.
It is also a great way to create a routine and plan your schedule. This applies to both diet and exercise.
There are certain foods you should limit or avoid altogether, if possible. These include fast food, fried food, soda and energy drinks, sweets, pastries, and microwave dinners.
These foods contain empty calories and avoiding them can be more effective than exercise in helping you lose weight.
Prenatal supplements provide you and your baby with more of the necessary vitamins and minerals like folic acid and iron. They also help prevent health problems in you and your baby like anemia, obesity, and neural tube defects.
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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Gaining a few pounds is expected and normal during pregnancy but how many calories do you need?
Eating for two doesn't necessarily mean eating twice as much. Instead, you need to eat a healthy, balanced diet in the right portion so that your baby gets the nutrients they need to grow and develop optimally.
The average pregnant woman needs an extra 300 calories a day than when she was not pregnant to gain the right amount of weight in pregnancy. However, the extra calories a woman needs during pregnancy vary from woman to woman. Ask your doctor how much weight you should gain.
The amount of weight you should gain depends on your pre-pregnant weight and BMI. If you were of average weight before getting pregnant, you should gain 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy.
If you were underweight (that is BMI is less than 18), you should gain 28 to 40 pounds. Women who were overweight before pregnancy need only 15 to 25 pounds more weight during pregnancy.
As a rule of thumb, you should gain about 2 to 4 pounds during your first trimester. Afterward, you gain 1 pound per week for the rest of your pregnancy.
Multiple pregnancies require more weight gain. If you are having twins or more babies, your weight affects the babies' weight. Your babies' weights need to be healthy because they are born earlier than singleton babies. You need to gain about 35 to 45 pounds.
If you are pregnant with twins, you need to gain about 35 to 45 pounds. So that's about the normal 2 to 4 pounds during the first 3 months of pregnancy and 1½ pounds every other week of pregnancy.
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Let's have a little weight allocation budget, shall we?
If you are overweight, your doctor may recommend you lose weight under supervision. In most cases, you'll want to wait until after delivery to lose weight.
However, if your doctor asks you to gain weight in pregnancy, here are some ways to gain the right amount of weight:
Usually, you will have to wait till you have the baby before you can lose any extra weight gained.
However, you can slow down your weight gain. Here are some tips to help you:
Do you feel you're gaining weight rapidly? Or do you want to know how much weight you should gain during pregnancy? Are you suddenly losing weight in your second or third trimester? Do you have other food and weight-related questions to ask?
At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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During pregnancy, you need more of certain nutrients. So, it would be best to make smart food choices to ensure you get enough of these nutrients, including protein, iron, folic acid, calcium, and iodine.
Are you trying to eat healthily? The following tips may help you:
Create an eating pattern that includes healthy and nutritious food options. Thes food options include various vegetables, fruits, whole grains, protein, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
Cut down on foods and drinks with added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium (salt). Also, avoid processed and refined foods like white bread, cookies, and snack foods.
Make healthy snack choices. You can snack on whole-grain crackers, fruits, and veggies like berries, carrots, apple, celery, avocado, and tomatoes. When you want to eat cheese or yogurt, go for options that are low-fat or fat-free with no added sugar.
Eat more seafood, about 8 to 12 ounces per week. These foods have healthy fats that are beneficial to you and your baby. Healthy choices include catfish, trout, shrimp, oysters, salmon, tilapia, shad, cod, canned light tuna, and herring.
However, avoid certain seafood that contains high amounts of mercury like king mackerel, swordfish, tilefish, marlin, big-eye tuna, orange roughy, and shark.
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The best drink option remains water. However, if you must drink coffee or tea, choose decaf. Also, go for options that are unsweetened and sugar-free. Avoid drinks with added sugars, including soda, energy or sports drinks, and fruit drinks.
You might have heard "eat for two" while pregnant, but that doesn't mean you need to eat twice as much food.
Most women do not usually need extra calories in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. During the second trimester, between the 13th and 26th week, most women need about 340 extra calories per day. This increases to about 450 calories in the third trimester.
Calorie requirements vary from pregnant woman to woman, so ask your doctor or healthcare provider how many calories you need.
Taking prenatal vitamins is essential to your health and your growing baby. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that all pregnant women take at least 600mcg of folic acid daily.
Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects in babies. Neural tube defects affect the development of the brain and spine. It may also prevent congenital heart defects, cleft lip, and cleft palate.
Taking iron helps produce more blood and prevents anemia. The extra blood is needed to make oxygen available to your baby. During pregnancy, the body's iron requirement is 1000 mg.
Pregnant women are to take 250mcg of iodine daily. Early in pregnancy, the need for iodine increases because of increased thyroid hormone production in the mother, increased loss of iodine via the kidneys, and transfer of iodine to the fetus.
Do not take any prenatal vitamins you see. Talk with your local physician about a prenatal vitamin that’s right for you.
Avoid certain foods because they contain bacteria that can harm your baby. These include:
Don't drink alcohol. No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy. It can affect your baby's growth and development.
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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If you are pregnant, some tests can help you predict your baby's chances of developing certain genetic disorders.
Getting a prenatal genetic test is your choice. You may decide what test you want or not get any done. In this article, we'll discuss the different prenatal genetic tests performed in the first trimester.
The three tests we will discuss are:
The first trimester screening helps provide an early risk estimate of the following chromosomal abnormalities:
It is performed between 11 and 13 weeks of gestation. The first trimester screening includes a blood test and an ultrasound exam.
The blood test measures the levels of two pregnancy hormones- free β-human chorionic gonadotrophin (β- hCG) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A)- in the pregnant woman's blood.
On the other hand, the ultrasound exam measures the baby’s fetal nuchal translucency (NT)- the amount of fluid in the back of the baby’s neck.
Results usually are ready within a week and show two pieces of information:
Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), also called non-invasive prenatal screening (NIPS), is another type of genetic screening that measures your baby's risk for genetic abnormalities. It can be done as early as ten weeks.
NIPT is performed by drawing a simple blood sample and analyzing small DNA fragments (cell-free DNA/cf-DNA).
Compared to traditional first trimester screening, NIPT has a much higher detection rate and lower false-positive rate for the three most common genetic abnormalities. They are:
NIPT can also detect sex chromosome abnormalities like Turner syndrome (monosomy X), Triple X (XXX), and Klinefelter’s syndrome (XXY). It can also reveal your baby's sex with more than 99% accuracy.
Usually, results return after 2 weeks. A result that is “negative,” “low risk,” or “normal” shows that your baby is unlikely to have any of the chromosomal disorders tested. However, your baby is likely to have any of the genetic disorders tested if the result is “positive,” “high risk,” or “abnormal.”
The only tests that can diagnose genetic disorders are chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis. Hence, they are called diagnostic tests.
Diagnostic tests state whether or not your baby has a particular genetic disorder rather than measure the risk or chances.
The only diagnostic test that can be done during your first trimester is chorionic villus sampling (CVS). It is performed between 10 and 13 weeks of pregnancy.
During CVS, a doctor inserts a needle into the villi of the placenta to harvest some cells. These cells are used for testing in the laboratory. You do not have to be afraid for your baby. During the procedure, an ultrasound is used to prevent the needle from pricking your baby or other areas of your uterus. Results are often ready within a week.
The second diagnostic test, amniocentesis, is performed in the second trimester (between 16 and 18 weeks of pregnancy).
A visit to us at My Virtual Physician helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
We are also available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise.
We are in network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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Hearing a baby's heartbeat for the first time is one of the most exciting moments for expecting mothers and their partners. A fetal heartbeat tells the mother the baby is alive. Beyond that, a baby's heartbeat can also tell the healthcare provider a lot about the baby's health.
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A fetal heartbeat can be detected as early as the fifth week of gestation. At that time, the baby's heart tube begins to beat, although you cannot hear it. Only a vaginal ultrasound can pick it up.
However, it can be better picked up between the 6½th to 7th week of gestation. In some cases, you may not hear it till later. Depending on the medical practice and your history, your doctor may schedule your abdominal or vaginal ultrasound to assess your pregnancy around this time.
You may be asked to have an early ultrasound if you:
The ultrasound will:
Timing may vary, depending on your doctor, his medical practice, and other factors. Some doctors may ask for your first ultrasound early in the 7th to 8th week of pregnancy and then ask for another a week or two later.
At other times, your doctor may schedule your ultrasound in the tenth week. You may hear your baby’s heartbeat for the first time. However, the Doppler may find it challenging to pick the heartbeat. Don't panic. It may be that:
Give it a couple of weeks. The Doppler will be able to pick your baby's heartbeat perfectly by the 12th week of gestation. After 8 to 10 weeks, you can hear your baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope. This should be around the twentieth week of pregnancy.
It is almost impossible for the human ear to detect a fetal heartbeat. However, some women claim they hear their baby's heartbeat. This may be possible in the late second and third trimesters.
At 6 to 7 weeks, the normal fetal heart rate is between 90 to 110 beats per minute.
By the ninth to tenth week, your baby's heart rate should beat between 150 to 170 times per minute. However, this should reduce to around 140 beats per minute by week 20.
During labor, your baby's heart can beat 110 to 160 times per minute. But there may be slight variations due to several reasons, some of which are perfectly normal.
Your doctor may warn against using at-home fetal apps and devices. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also warns against using such unless you’re under the supervision of a medical professional.
These apps and devices are mostly substandard and may either not pick up a baby's heartbeat or give you an inaccurate reading, resulting in unnecessary fear and worry. Also, using some of these devices like the at-home Doppler requires training to avoid wrong readings.
Your doctor will monitor your baby’s heartbeat at each prenatal visit. If you are worried about your baby’s heartbeat, talk to your doctor. They will schedule an ultrasound and check your baby's heartbeat. If your baby's heartbeat is too fast, too slow, or irregular, the doctor may assess some others things and order more tests to diagnose the problem.
Rarely, if your baby has a heart condition, your doctor may schedule a fetal echocardiogram to examine your baby’s heart further.
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in-network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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One of the exciting moments expecting mothers look forward to is when their baby starts kicking. These baby kicks help moms bond with the life growing inside them and track the growth of their babies.
Usually, you should feel the first fetal movement, also known as quickening, around weeks 18 to 22. Depending on your pregnancy, it may be sooner or later than that. You may feel them as late as the twenty-sixth week if it's your first pregnancy. In subsequent pregnancies, you may feel them as early as the thirteenth to fourteenth week.
How and when you feel your baby's first movements depends on different factors. These include may include your weight, position of the placenta, etc.
Different women feel their baby's movements differently. Pregnant women have described their baby's kicks as a flutter, a nudge, a twitch, a tumbling motion or roll, gas bubbles, a tickle, hunger pangs, or waves.
As the baby grows, the movements become stronger and can feel like a punch, jab, or kick, especially in the 6th and 7th months of pregnancy.
Towards the middle and end of the third trimester, you may feel your baby turning and wiggling.
In your first trimester, you may feel movements, especially flutters, occasionally. However, you should feel more rhythmic, frequent, and stronger movements towards the end of the second trimester. By the third trimester, you can feel your baby move about 30 times or more in an hour.
Babies can also be active at certain times. This doesn't necessarily mean you have a super active baby. You may feel your baby kicks more when you are nervous, are about to go to bed, have just eaten, or when it has hiccups. Your baby can also respond to sound or touch.
Yes, you should. Usually, a baby's movements are well established early in the third trimester. By week 26 to 28, you can start a fetal movement counting or fetal movement assessment. This means keeping track of your baby's kicks, punches, and jabs. Obstetricians often recommend this to know if your baby is still growing as it should.
If you are pregnant with twins or more babies, doing a fetal movement count may be difficult. You may get confused as to which baby is moving.
Keep in mind that there are times your baby might be calm and not move so much. Don't be worried. To keep track of your baby's movements, pick a time your baby is most active, get into a comfortable position, and count how long it takes to make ten movements. Usually, you should count at least ten movements in 2 hours. Chart your measurements each time.
If your baby is not moving as often as they should, or you can't feel ten movements in 2 hours despite a trigger such as eating a snack, contact your doctor or health care provider.
You may not be able to distinguish your baby's movements in time. So, if you haven't reached week 25 and you do not feel your baby move or cannot describe what you are feeling, don't be worried.
Also, some babies move less frequently than others, and some only get active when something makes them. There are times they may be asleep or have lesser room to move around, especially towards the end of your pregnancy.
However, if you notice that your baby's movements have significantly reduced or you do not feel at least ten movements in 2 hours, call your doctor.
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Do you have questions about your baby's movements? Do they seem too much, or have they significantly reduced? At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise.
We are in network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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Fibroids are abnormal, noncancerous growths within the uterus of a woman. They are common in women aged 30 to 40 but can occur at any age. The risk of having fibroids increases with age.
A woman can have multiple fibroids of various sizes. Fibroids can grow within the uterine wall, inside the uterine cavity, or outside the uterine wall.
Fibroids can be present during pregnancy, although detecting fibroids during pregnancy can be tricky. Most times, fibroids do not cause problems for women or their babies. Women with fibroids can go on to have normal and safe pregnancies. In some cases, however, they can cause challenges.
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Usually, fibroids do not grow while you are pregnant. Instead, they remain the same size or shrink. However, there are cases where fibroids increase in size during pregnancy, especially in the first twelve weeks.
Fibroids need estrogen, a female reproductive hormone, to grow. When you become pregnant, estrogen is produced in higher amounts. Increased levels of estrogen may make fibroids grow during pregnancy. When that happens, it may cause the following:
Your chances of having problems in your first trimester increase with the number and size of fibroids you may have. In other words, the more fibroids you have or, the larger your fibroids are, the more your chances of having challenges during pregnancy.
As your baby grows, your uterus expands to accommodate your baby better. As your uterus grows, it can push against your fibroids and bring about the following problems:
Having uterine fibroids increases your risk of having a cesarean section. The reason is that fibroids can prevent the uterus from contracting.
In rare cases, large fibroids can block your birth canal and hence, the need for the baby to be delivered via cesarean birth.
Another potential challenge is breech birth, where the baby's butt or feet is born first. Typically, a baby is positioned with his head down and hence, born head first.
Usually, fibroids decrease in size after pregnancy. As the uterus remolds into its pre-pregnant state, it helps reduce or shrink fibroids. According to a study, about 70% of women experience more than 50% reduced fibroids size.
Usually, fibroids do not need to be treated during pregnancy. The baby and fibroids can coexist in the uterus throughout pregnancy. In most cases, fibroids move out of the baby's way as the uterus expands.
If you have problems with fibroids, such as pain, discomfort, or bleeding, you may be placed on bed rest. Your doctor may admit you and ask you to rest in the hospital for a while. Where the pain is mild or without bleeding, pain relief medications may be given.
In rare cases, surgery 'myomectomy' may be required to remove the fibroids. If a pregnant woman has surgery to remove fibroids, she may need a cesarean section.
Cesarean section is also performed for pregnant women at risk of uterine rupture. This may also be due to previous uterine surgeries or cesarean sections.
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Have you been diagnosed with fibroids and already having symptoms? At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise.
We are in-network with many insurance health plans, including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), otherwise known as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are spread by having sex or any sexual activity with a person with an STD. STDs can be transmitted through any sexual activity involving the mouth, vagina, or anus.
STDs include:
STDs should be taken seriously and urgently attended to, whether or not you are pregnant. However, if as a pregnant woman, you suspect you have or have been exposed to an STD, tell your doctor immediately. Prompt treatment is needed to protect you and your baby.
During pregnancy, having an STD is more harmful, because you are not the only one at risk, your baby can be affected. A pregnant woman with an STD can infect her baby before, during, or after childbirth.
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There are cases where an infected person doesn't experience any symptoms. Sometimes, symptoms may mean the disease has progressed and is worsening or the infected person's immunity is low.
Symptoms of STDs include:
STDs in pregnancy can affect you and/or your baby before, during, and after childbirth.
STDs and how they affect you and/or your baby are highlighted below:
HIV/AIDS
Note: Transmission of HIV infection from mother to child can be prevented.
Gonorrhea
Chlamydia
Genital herpes
Syphilis
Trichomonas vaginalis
Hepatitis B
Note: Hepatitis B vaccine can prevent the disease in the mother. Medications can also be given to newborns to prevent mother-child transmission.
During pregnancy, treatment of an STD depends on how bad the infection is and how far along you are in your pregnancy.
HIV/AIDS
Gonorrhea
Chlamydia
Genital Herpes
Syphilis
Genital Warts (HPV)
Trichomonas vaginalis
Hepatitis B
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. Your virtual physician can help to electronically order prenatal care labs and/or send an order to the nearest radiology facility for you to get an ultrasound.
At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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Before you became pregnant, some medications may have been safe for you to take. However, when you become pregnant, you cannot just take any medications including painkillers. This is because some of these medications are not safe for you or your baby during pregnancy. In some cases, the effects may be unknown.
So, it's best you ask your physician or healthcare provider what meds are okay and what meds you may need to find alternatives for. Your local doctor will weigh the risks and benefits to help you know what's safe.
Also, let your pharmacist or other doctors know you are pregnant if they are prescribing any medications for you.
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First of all, if you are using any medications while pregnant, write them out and give your healthcare provider. This includes over-the-counter (OTC) medications, prenatal vitamins, nutrition supplements, herbal medicine, alcohol, and illegal drugs.
Prenatal vitamins are safe and must be taken when pregnant. Take extra precautions before taking other vitamins, herbal remedies, and supplements. Ask your doctor before taking any of the aforementioned substances.
Certain prescription drugs may pose more risks than benefits if you take them. On the other hand, some potential risks may be overlooked because not using a certain medication may pose a greater risk to you and/or your baby.
Illegal or street drugs are injurious to your health and even worse during pregnancy. These substances can be passed to your baby through the placenta and umbilical and can affect its life, growth, and development in utero and when delivered. No amount of street drugs or alcohol is proven to be safe when pregnant.
Your baby can be born with congenital problems due to illegal drugs and alcohol. Examples of these drugs include cocaine, heroin, angel dust, marijuana, crack, and LSD.
Other problems include premature birth, low birth weight, birth defects, fetal alcohol disorders, placental abruption, miscarriage, stillbirth, and developmental problems.
The following medications below are proven safe to take during pregnancy. Please note that no drugs can be considered 100% safe to use during pregnancy. Hence, check with your doctor before taking these drugs, especially during the first trimester. There's no harm in being extra sure.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl®)
Loratadine (Claritin®)
Steroid nasal spray (Rhinocort®)
Cetirizine (Zyrtec®)
Acetaminophen (Tylenol®)
Saline nasal drops or spray
Warm salt/water gargle
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl®)
Mentholated or non-mentholated cough drops
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
Vitamin B6
Loperamide ([Imodium®]
Docusate (Colace®)
Psyllium (Fiberall®, Metamucil®)
Methylcellulose fiber (Citrucel®)
Polycarbophil (FiberCon®)
Aluminum hydroxide/magnesium carbonate (Gaviscon®)
Aluminum hydroxide/magnesium hydroxide (Maalox®)
Famotidine (Pepcid AC®)
Ranitidine (Zantac®)
Calcium carbonate (Titralac®, Tums®)
Calcium carbonate/magnesium carbonate (Mylanta®)
Diphenhydramine (Unisom SleepGels®, Benadryl)
Bacitracin
Neomycin/polymyxin B/bacitracin (Neosporin®)
Polysporin
Diphenhydramine cream (Benadryl)
Hydrocortisone cream or ointment
Caladryl lotion or cream
Oatmeal bath (Aveeno®)
Phenylephrine/mineral oil/petrolatum (Preparation H®)
Witch hazel (Tucks® pads or ointment)
Miconazole (Monistat®)
N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET®)
The following substances are not considered safe for use in concentrated amounts. They can harm your baby, and cause premature birth, and birth defects.
The following oral supplements should be avoided in pregnancy:
You should avoid the following aromatherapy essential oils if you are pregnant:
A visit to us helps you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. At My Virtual Physician, we are available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise, including concerns about medications.
We are in-network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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High blood pressure (hypertension) has negative effects on persons living with the condition if left untreated or poorly managed. However, having high blood pressure during pregnancy can pose a higher risk for complications for both mother and baby. Hence, it is and should be taken seriously if diagnosed.
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Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the blood vessel. The heart pumps blood into the arteries-blood vessels that carry the blood from the heart to all the parts of the body. A person is said to have high blood pressure, also called hypertension, when the pressure in the arteries is above the normal range.
According to the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA), the ranges of blood pressure and what they indicate are as follows:
Normal: < 120/80 mm Hg
Elevated: 120 to 129/< 80 mm Hg)
Stage 1 hypertension: 130 to 139/80 to 89 mm Hg
Stage 2 hypertension: ≥ 140/90 mm Hg
Hypertensive disorders refer to the several different types of high blood pressure during pregnancy. These types vary in severity and impact on the body. The forms of high blood pressure during pregnancy include:
Chronic hypertension
High blood pressure which is present before pregnancy or before 20 weeks gestation.
Chronic hypertension with superimposed preeclampsia
Preeclampsia, which develops in someone who has chronic hypertension (high blood pressure before pregnancy).
Gestational hypertension
High blood pressure that first develops and is diagnosed during pregnancy, typically after 20 weeks of gestation. In this type, there are no other signs or symptoms of preeclampsia present.
Preeclampsia
A serious condition only found in the latter half of pregnancy with the following signs and symptoms:
It can progress into eclampsia and cause seizures.
The following risk factors can increase a woman's risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension) during pregnancy:
High blood pressure (hypertension) during pregnancy can affect both mother and child in serious ways.
In the baby, it can lead to poor placental development, affecting the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the baby in the womb. This can result in:
In the mother, it can result in:
Treatment of high blood pressure depends on the severity, cause, and time of onset. Generally, women with hypertensive disorders will need close monitoring. This could include more prenatal visits, ultrasounds and other tests, and intense fetal monitoring.
To prevent complications, women with any type of high blood pressure in pregnancy are expected to:
As a telemedicine platform, My Virtual Physician is available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We also help with electronically sending orders for tests and examinations while you wait for an appointment with a local OB doctor.
We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare and Blue Cross.
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Pregnancy is a beautiful period and process that every mother should enjoy while looking forward to welcoming her babies. However, it does come at a price.
Several women experience different forms of discomfort during pregnancy, leading to anxiety. While some may be fleeting, others may last for longer periods. Some could be experienced early in pregnancy, some later or even closer to delivery, and others may emerge earlier, go away and later return.
In this article, we will be highlighting several discomforts a pregnant woman may experience, causes, and simple relief measures.
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The are several discomforts that pregnant women experience. 25 of them are listed below but are not limited to the following:
Discomforts may be experienced in all the trimesters. Hence, their causes vary depending on the age of the pregnancy. Additionally, some discomforts may lead to other discomforts.
The following are causes of the various pregnancy discomforts mentioned above:
The following measures help prevent and relieve the pregnancy discomforts you may feel.
At My Virtual Physician, we help you get your prenatal care started while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. We are also available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise.
Additionally, we are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
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The advent of telemedicine, or better still, telehealth was not aimed at replacing in-person health care. Instead, it serves as a supplementary means of providing healthcare, especially to nonemergent cases.
However, this does not rule out the use of telemedicine in emergency cases. Your virtual physician could help link you with a facility nearby while giving directives on what could be done to alleviate some symptoms or buy time.
Generally, health emergencies are health problems that require immediate medical in-person attention. In pregnant women, they are referred to as obstetric emergencies.
Obstetric emergencies are health problems arising at any time during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth that threaten the life of a pregnant mother and that of her baby or babies. In most cases, these health problems require specialist care, hospital admission, and extended stay.
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Obstetric emergencies may occur during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth. The following are obstetric emergencies that arise during pregnancy:
This is the loss of a baby before the 20th week of pregnancy. It usually manifests with bleeding, abdominal cramping, and pain. If a miscarriage occurs, the mother may need to be treated to prevent infection or to remove retained tissue in the uterus.
This is a serious condition where the fertilized egg implants anywhere other than the uterus or womb. The most common site of ectopic pregnancy is in one of the fallopian tubes leading to the damage and loss of the tube. A woman with an ectopic pregnancy will experience bleeding accompanied by severe abdominal or pelvic pain, feeling faint, and shoulder pain. Ectopic pregnancy reduces a woman's chances of getting pregnant in the future due to damage and loss of a fallopian tube.
This condition occurs when the placenta separates from the uterus before birth. Manifestations include bleeding, pain, and contractions. There is a higher risk of infection as blood could be trapped behind the placenta and in the uterus. Bleeding could also result in weakness, anemia, shock in the mother, and the death of the baby.
This is when the placenta attaches to the lower segment of the uterus and partly or completely lies over the internal of the cervix, also called the neck of the uterus. This results in vaginal bleeding during pregnancy.
Pre-eclampsia, also known as pregnancy-induced high blood pressure is an obstetric emergency. Pregnancies in women with preeclampsia are regarded as high-risk pregnancies. Symptoms include high blood pressure, edema (severe swelling) from water retention, and protein in the mother's urine. It can cause kidney and liver failure in the mother and cause preterm labor. It also affects the growth and development of the child and causes premature birth and stillbirth. If it progresses to eclampsia (convulsions), it can be life-threatening for the mother and her baby.
This is when a woman's water breaks before contractions or labor begins. This is an emergency if the waters break before 37 weeks of pregnancy and lead to a major leak of amniotic fluid or infection of the amniotic sac.
These conditions cannot be managed at home or virtually. They mostly require hands-on treatment by specialists or a team of healthcare professionals.
Generally, medical history will be collected and pelvic and general physical examinations carried out. Series of tests may also be carried out including blood and urine tests, blood pressure monitoring, and abdominal ultrasound, amongst others. Your baby's heartbeat will also be checked and monitored.
Depending on your condition, you may require one or more of the following:
As a supplementary health care service, our team at My Virtual Physician is available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We also help with electronically sending orders for tests and examinations while you wait for an appointment with a local OB doctor.
We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare and Blue Cross.
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Telemedicine is the practice of using digital technology to provide care remotely. To ensure telemedicine in prenatal care is possible, accessible, and effective, there are several pieces of equipment that you may need.
While there are several types of telemedicine including store-and-forward, real-time, and remote monitoring, real-time telemedicine is the most common and used. Real-time telemedicine involves live consultations between physicians and patients via audio and video calls.
In store-and-forward telemedicine, as the name implies, healthcare providers and patients communicate and exchange medical information, usually at different times using HIPAA-compliant platforms.
Remote monitoring is used to examine or monitor patients without an in-person visit using certain equipment that record, transmit, and store patient data.
Each of these forms of telemedicine requires equipment and devices. In this article, we discuss what types of equipment are needed by both or one of the physician or the pregnant woman and her family.
Remote patient monitoring as a form of telemedicine is majorly device-based. At times, a patient may be asked to get a standard home care kit that contains most if not all of the below:
These telemedicine devices are used to monitor, record, and transmit patient health data directly to physicians, nurses, or other healthcare providers. Most of these devices are programmed to automatically record and transmit the data they collect. These data are transmitted via the internet or Bluetooth technology.
This process enables healthcare providers to monitor pregnant clients without a physical appointment, especially women with diabetes, hypertensive disorders, or who are just recovering from an illness. Also, they can address concerns promptly preventing late diagnosis and complications.
Virtual consultations majorly use the real-time and store-and-forward forms of telemedicine. They rely largely on are largely dependent on telecommunication devices and software because they are best suited for video consultations, basic visual exams, scans, counseling, therapy, and follow-up care.
The following are the equipment needed for virtual consultations including:
At My Virtual Physician, our team is committed to ensuring that patients get the best of health care as needed.
We provide virtual care at any point in your pregnancy while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. We are also available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise.
We are in-network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
Prenatal care has evolved and can be provided to pregnant women and their babies from the comfort of their homes. Care is accessed via digital devices such as smartphones, iPads, and laptops via audio and video calls, text messaging, and other forms of chatting. This defines telemedicine in prenatal care.
While telemedicine in prenatal care has its pros and cons and has recorded positive health outcomes, is it the way to go for high-risk pregnancies?
A high-risk pregnancy is one where the mother, the fetus, or both have an increased risk of health problems or adverse outcomes before, during, or after delivery.
Your pregnancy may be considered high-risk if you:
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Typically, while prenatal care is needed for all pregnant women, it is crucial for women with high-risk pregnancies. This population of women require special monitoring or care throughout pregnancy to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Prenatal care in the United States is accessed by 4 million women annually and only 6 to 8 percent of these pregnancies experience high-risk complications. This figure is a lot, running into hundreds of thousands.
Hence, women with high-risk pregnancies will require increased number of prenatal visits, monitoring, tests and examinations, and consultations with their healthcare provider and specialists.
Telemedicine in prenatal care means adopting videoconferences, at-home monitoring, and virtual consultations to replace in-person visits and monitoring at the healthcare facility.
However, not fully. It is impossible to completely rule out in-person visits during prenatal care. Instead, Telemedicine should be seen as a model of care that enhances access to and delivery of health care. The question, however remains, "can high-risk pregnancies benefit from telemedicine visits?"
High-risk patients usually have to work closely with their doctors and care team to prevent, reduce, and manage complications. Generally, they require highly specialized and comprehensive care to manage the several health conditions that may be affecting or may potentially affect the mother, unborn baby or both.
Research shows that prenatal care via telemedicine can be modified for women with high-risk pregnancies. This requires more remote visits to their local OB doctor and other specialists, fetal testing and ultrasound examinations.
The study also suggests that telemedicine is feasible with special recommendations given for certain conditions and services including:
It may seem as though these recommendations have been implemented. A study shows that patients with health conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes were instructed on how to monitor their blood pressure and sugar levels respectively at home. The results were transmitted to their providers which facilitated active participation of patients in their care and self-efficacy. Subsequently, results of the study showed similar pregnancy outcomes between telemedicine and conventional prenatal care.
Remote consultations with specialists could also encourage care and delivery of high-risk patients in nearby local hospitals.
As a supplementary health care service, our team at My Virtual Physician is available to help guide you through your pregnancy and answer any questions that may arise. We also help with electronically sending orders for tests and examinations while you wait for an appointment with a local OB doctor.
We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare and Blue Cross.
Book Appointment Now Call For An Appointment
The Covid-19 pandemic and technological advancement in healthcare delivery have introduced telemedicine in prenatal care. It might seem that telemedicine is here to stay and in a few years, will become a major approach in delivering health care to pregnant women.
With telemedicine, expecting mothers receive consistent and necessary care via videoconferencing, at-home monitoring, and consultation with remote specialists. These were said to improve health outcomes while allowing for less frequent antenatal visits.
However, certain challenges may affect the use and outcome of telemedicine to provide care to patients. Below are perceived barriers to telemedicine in prenatal care.
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Several factors affect the use and health outcomes of telemedicine. Patients and healthcare providers alike play a significant role in the provision and delivery. However, other non-human factors exist which may affect the successful outcome of virtual visits and at-home monitoring.
The following are perceived barriers to telemedicine in prenatal care:
Poor internet connection and slow speed result in loss of connection, poor audio and video quality, hence affecting the smooth interaction between patients and providers. Due to poor signal, online consultations can experience multiple interruptions leading to frustration, low patient satisfaction, and reduced use of the virtual approach to healthcare delivery.
In some cases, factors such as weather conditions, living in rural areas, and home interior can affect the network service in homes and workplaces, hence reducing the frequency, duration, and efficiency of virtual visits for healthcare delivery.
Lack of technological knowledge and skills is a challenge to the use and success of telemedicine in prenatal care. Unfamiliarity with communication technology is common to both patients and providers.
Healthcare providers who have little to no knowledge on how to use communication technology may not want to take up online consultations.
Likewise, patients may find it difficult to install and navigate the telemedicine software on their digital devices. In other cases, patients lack knowledge and training on how to use certain monitoring devices. Hence, they may find it difficult or impossible to interact and provide adequate information during online consultations.
The lack of certain equipment and instruments poses a challenge to the success of telemedicine in prenatal care. Some patients may not have certain instruments such as a fetoscope, weighing scale, sphygmomanometer, amongst others, resulting in non-availability of data to work with.
Consequently, this can lead to poor monitoring which may affect health outcomes of prenatal care via telemedicine.
While patients may enjoy convenience at home, they may be faced with discussing health concerns at the risk of being heard by family members and friends.
In-person visits provide the privacy of the doctor's office which may not be possible with audio and video calls from the homes of patients. This may affect the use of telemedicine in providing and accessing prenatal care.
In other cases, the patient may feel their conversations are being recorded and hence, lose trust in both the service and the healthcare provider.
Telemedicine switches up the order of the conventional hospital visit. The presence of family members, children, colleagues, and other persons may make engagement difficult. Activities in the background may cause distraction during virtual visits.
On the other hand, certain patients may feel disconnected due to a lack of social presence and physical contact with their healthcare provider. The online interaction may be alien to some patients and affect their ability to bond with their healthcare provider.
Nonverbal communication is as effective as verbal communication and in some cases, more. Virtual visits limit communication with body language and facial expressions. Healthcare providers can read these cues during in-person visits and act accordingly.
While telemedicine might be said to save cost, it does not come cheap. Patients may lack the financial ability to buy smartphones, airtime and data, and instruments and equipment.
Unfortunately, patients may not have insurance, or their insurance companies may not cover telemedicine healthcare services.
Healthcare providers are not left out as they also need airtime and data to call and interact with patients.
Telemedicine is a novel approach to access and delivery of prenatal care. Like the conventional in-person approach of care, it has its pros and cons.
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At My Virtual Physician, our team is committed to ensuring that patients get the best of health care as needed. We provide virtual care at any point in your pregnancy while you await your appointment with your local OB doctor. We are in network with many insurance health plans including Medicaid, Medicare, United HealthCare, and Blue Cross.
