Posts

In the United States, allergic rhinitis impacts as many as 60 million people a year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One common remedy for these symptoms is taking an antihistamine like Benadryl. Additionally, Benadryl (along with epinephrine) is often used to treat more significant allergic reactions to foods, bee stings, and other allergens. Unfortunately, though, Benadryl is usually not the best choice of allergy medication if you are breastfeeding—except in emergency situations....

Unfortunately, while Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) is unlikely to harm your baby, it can significantly lower your milk supply, which is why most experts recommend that you don’t take Sudafed while breastfeeding. “In general, healthcare providers do not recommend Sudafed use when breast/body feeding,” says Sarah Shealy, IBCLC, a professor of nursing, and certified nurse-midwife. “The primary concern with Sudafed is the effect it has on milk supply.” Let’s take a deeper look into taking Sudafed while breastfeeding, the way it affects milk supply, and what alternative medications and remedies may be an option for you....

During pregnancy, poor oral health is associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm labor, and having low birth weight baby. Ensuring your teeth and gums are healthy isn’t only important for your fertility—it may also be important for your not-yet-conceived child. How might dental hygiene impact fertility and a future pregnancy? And, most importantly, what should you be doing to make sure it doesn’t negatively affect it?...

The test can’t tell exactly how much hCG your body is making (it’s not what scientists would call a “quantitative” test), but your body needs to be producing a certain minimum amount in order for the test to detect it. How Drinking Water Affects Pregnancy Tests Drinking water—or any fluids—can, in fact, affect the results of an at-home urine pregnancy test, especially when taken very early in the pregnancy. When your urine becomes diluted by drinking lots of fluids, the urine concentration of hCG becomes lower....

What Is Herpes? Herpes simplex virus, or HSV, is a virus that can cause sores and blisters in either the mouth or the genital area (and occasionally other body parts). As background, there are two main forms of herpes, HSV-1, and HSV-2. Doctors used to think that HSV-1 caused only cold sores (oral herpes) and HSV-2 genital herpes, but they now know that both virus types can cause both types of herpes....

Maybe the trees and flowers are dropping lots of pollen, or perhaps you used a new detergent and now you’re breaking out in hives from an allergic reaction. No matter the cause, if you are pregnant and suffering from allergies, you might be wondering whether you can safely reach for the Benadryl (diphenhydramine) to get some relief. Benadryl is generally safe to take during pregnancy as an antihistamine to combat allergy symptoms....

During pregnancy, you may be wondering if lash tinting is safe to do. There are potential concerns over the safety of the dye used, as well as possible eye injury, irritation, or infection from the procedure, says Megan Gray, MD, an OB/GYN at Orlando Health Physician Associates. Complicating matters is that doctors don’t all agree on whether or not lash tinting during pregnancy is safe. However, generally, many experts give the beauty treatment their okay, assuming appropriate safety precautions are followed....

Enter breast pumping or nipple stimulation. Research shows that using a breast pump or your hands to stimulate your nipples can make your uterus contract; in some cases, this can get your labor started. Pumping to induce labor is generally safe as well, as long as you are far along enough in your pregnancy, healthy, and your doctor or midwife agrees that it’s a good option for you. Here’s what to know about pumping to induce labor, including why it’s used, its safety and effectiveness, and some tips for how to do it....

Patterns According to the Journal of Pediatrics, roughly 85% of babies born small compared to their gestational age show signs of catch-up growth in childhood. Rapid growth is usually marked by an abnormal height increase, but can also include body weight, body composition, head circumference, or body segments such as sitting height or leg length. In preemies, an increase in adiposity, or fat composition, has been observed, rather than increases in height....

Here we walk you through everything you need to know about vitamins and minerals: when supplementation is needed, when it’s not, and everything in between. We give you the inside scoop on the confusing world of supplementation, especially as it relates to kids. What You Need to Know About Supplements According to some reports, almost $2 billion a year is spent on vitamin and mineral supplements for kids in the United States....

If you’re pregnant and considering chorionic villus testing, this overview will help you understand why this elective test is done, when doctors usually advise women to have it, what risks may be involved, what the procedure is like, and how to understand the results. Purpose of Test The goal of CVS testing is to determine if a developing fetus has certain defects, specifically: Chromosome abnormalities. Examples include Down syndrome and other trisomies, Turner syndrome, and Klinefelter’s syndrome....

Infants Newborns and infants need to breastfeed often to grow at a consistent rate and stimulate the production of a healthy milk supply. But there may be times when your baby seems to want to spend even more time at the breast. In the beginning, it may be difficult to tell if your baby is nursing all the time due to a growth spurt, a strong desire for non-nutritive (comfort) sucking, or hunger due to a low milk supply....

Eventually, Delilah found out that Samson’s strength came from his long hair. As he slept, she had Samson’s hair cut causing him to lose his strength and be handed over to the Philistines. The name Delilah has since shed any negative connotations and has become popular in works of fiction and music. The Plain White T’s hit song, “Hey There Delilah,” is the most popular song to date with the name Delilah....

But of course, most people get divorced because they don’t see eye-to-eye. And differences in parenting styles are a common source of disagreement. But, even if you don’t agree on all parenting issues with your former partner, you can still take steps to teach your child the skills he needs to manage his behavior. Unfortunately, many parents lose sight of how to best discipline their children when they’re going through a divorce....

If you’ve noticed your hips expanding as your belly grows, you’re on to something, says Yen Tran, DO an OB/GYN at MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. and author of “Baby Behind Mommy’s Belly Button.” Although body changes like hip expansion are a totally normal part of having a baby, it’s natural to wonder whether those changes will be permanent. Why Your Hips Expand During Pregnancy You won’t just wake up one morning and have grown wider hips....

In November 2020, an online story claimed that the “head of Pfizer research” (a man named Michael Yeadon who worked for Pfizer between 1995 and 2011, although not in vaccine development) had called the Pfizer vaccine “female sterilization.” This wasn’t an accurate portrayal of what Yeadon said, and the claim has now been debunked. However, it sowed a seed of doubt in many minds. Alice Lu-Culligan is an MD-PhD student at Yale School of Medicine....