In the first few days after having a baby, around 80 percent of new moms experience a common feeling known as the baby blues. You might feel tearful and distressed during this time. It’s completely normal, and many moms go through it. The baby blues can make you feel tired, discouraged, unhappy, and even helpless. Your mood might suddenly change from feeling chatty, happy, and full of energy to feeling sad and easily annoyed. There are different reasons for these mood swings, like the rapid drop in your hormone levels after giving birth, or feeling pain and exhaustion from the labor and delive ..read more

You don’t need to wait until your baby is born to bond with them. Pregnancy can be the perfect time to start forming an attachment with your baby, which is very important for their development once your baby has actually arrived. At around week 18 of your pregnancy, your baby will begin to hear the sounds of your body, such as your heartbeat and your stomach rumbling. At 26 weeks, a baby may react to noises both inside and outside the mother’s body and may be soothed by the sound of your voice. The outside noise your baby hears inside the uterus is about half the volume we hear. However, unbor ..read more

When you think of breast milk, you’re probably thinking of the white, Watery stuff you see in baby bottles. But that’s actually mature breastmilk. Before you reach that stage, you’ll have another type of milk which is called colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk you express. Colloquially, it is known as ‘liquid gold’ because it is yellow or orange in colour and it has huge health benefits for your baby. It’s much thicker than matured breastmilk and has almost a completely different nutrition profile. Colostrum is full of antibodies and protein, which help build up your baby’s immune system an ..read more

Ectopic pregnancy (also called extra-uterine pregnancy) is when a fertilized egg grows outside your uterus. This can include other areas like a fallopian tube, the ovaries in your belly, or the lower part of your cervix, which is above the vagina. In more than 90% of cases, the egg attaches itself to a fallopian tube. This is called a tubal pregnancy. As the fertilized egg grows, it can burst (rupture), which causes life-threatening bleeding. If this happens, you will need medical help right away. Ectopic pregnancy is the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the first trimester. SIGNS ..read more

In the conduction of the pre-conception clinic, women are given standard questionnaires to extract information on personal, family history, social history, past medical and surgical history, history of previous pregnancies. The immunization history of the client is also determined. Relevant blood test and other investigations are also carried out. Women are thereafter counseled on their preparedness or otherwise for pregnancy and are thus able to make informed decisions and plan for pregnancy. Clinic attendance is flexible and tailored to the need of the client. Certain factors will however in ..read more

Term is technically defined as 37 completed weeks to 42 weeks. The estimated date of delivery is usually calculated at 40 weeks. Pregnancies are not always allowed to get to 42 weeks because of the associated risk of complications. At this late stage of pregnancy, there is significant weight gain by the baby. The average weight of the baby at term is about 3.4 kg. There is accumulation and deposition of fat underneath the skin and muscles. Most of the lanugo hair would have disappeared from the baby’s skin. At term, there is complete maturity of the lungs aided by secretion of a hormone called ..read more

Indiscriminate use of prescription drugs can lead to birth defects. It is important that you check with your care giver before you ingest any prescription drug. Abuse of drugs can be harmful. In poor areas of sub-Saharan Africa, individuals are of the habit of indiscriminately using antibiotics because they lack the financial means to visit proper clinics. Some of the antibiotics are not safe for pregnancy, some are however safe for usage. Herbal preparations are unpredictable. Herbal preparations that the components are not known are particularly notorious because some of them can cause gastr ..read more

Malaria is a protozoan disease cause by Plasmodium species (Plasmodium falciparum is the most common in our environment i.e the tropics, and most deadly). Malaria in pregnancy is common because of low immunity during pregnancy. The effects of Malaria in pregnancy includes; Malaria attacks being more often, attacks are more severe, presentation may be atypical, complications are severe and treatment are more difficult because the unborn baby considerations.           Prevention is said to be better than cure; early recognition of pregnancy after a mi ..read more

This blog post is dedicated to highlighting just a few of the powerful benefits of breastfeeding or nursing. Of note, breastfeeding or nursing is strongly encouraged within the first 6 months of an infant’s life. When your little one latches and begins to receive your elixir for life, otherwise known as breastmilk, oxytocin is released from your brain. In general, hormones are tiny yet mighty messengers of the human body responsible for MANY aspects of physiology (what makes the body work) and our behavior (how we humans respond to our environment). Oxytocin is a hormone that promotes the feel ..read more

Preparing to have a baby is not something that should be done in an impulsive manner as pregnancy and delivery are life changing events. With this in mind health care providers now believe that healthy women should attend a pre-conception clinic to prepare for a new pregnancy. Pre-conception clinic targets women within the reproductive age (16-45yrs), to enable them plan and prepare for a pregnancy in the future. In certain categories of women, the attendance of a preconception clinic is mandatory and not optional. This includes women with the following. (i)  Chronic medical conditions su ..read more