Whenever I think about pregnancy weight gain, I think of Renée Zellweger playing Bridget Jones, the role that catapulted her to true stardom—and for which she had to gain some 30 lbs. After losing the weight and then regaining it for the second Bridget Jones film, Zellweger was fed up with the yo-yo-ing. She griped […]

In addition to weird aches and discomforts (sciatica, anyone?), weight gain, and puking, pregnancy can make routine decisions—what should I eat right now?—annoyingly complex. For every meal, it’s a series of questions. Does this contains any “no-nos” like soft cheese or deli meats? Is it healthy enough? Did I get at least two servings of […]

Let me just start by saying: due dates are total BS. If you already tried out another due date calculator, there’s a good chance it was wrong. The date your doctor gave you? Wrong. So now what? We built a better due date calculator! Ours includes a few more data points so you can more […]

Positive pregnancy test in hand? Wiped out just by getting up from the couch? Mapping out the best places to discretely puke while at the office? Congratulations, and welcome to the first trimester! Assuming you’ve had your first prenatal visit and seen that galloping heartbeat, you’re ready for the next step—testing. So much testing. You’ll […]

Last month, the measles outbreak in Washington State prompted its governor to declare a state of emergency. Some parents have wised up and finally vaccinated their kids. But others have dug in, even gathering to protest universal vaccine policies. As a researcher who knows how thoroughly the autism-vaccine hypothesis has been debunked*, it’s hard to watch […]

This is the first chapter of our free ebook Your Best Birth: Providers, Plans, and Being Proactive. One of the best ways to ensure that your prenatal care, birth, and postpartum care go well is to find a pregnancy provider that you like, respect, and trust. This is often easier said than done.  Insurance, location, […]

When it comes to prenatal genetic testing, chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and amniocentesis (amnio) are rarely the first types of tests discussed. Most doctors tend to recommend prenatal screenings for women under 35. But screenings have their shortcoming— they miss at least half of certain types of genetic problems and only provide a likelihood of […]

Many women shy away from amniocentesis and chorionic villi sampling for fear of miscarriage—but this risk of amniocentesis causing miscarriage has been widely overblown and the evidence is outdated.

Your first prenatal visit is an important time to meet your doctor, midwife, or nurse practitioner and get all your initial questions answered. With so much to accomplish in that one visit, it can help to come prepared with the most important questions you want answered. Here's a list to get you started.

Pregnancy prep can feel a bit overwhelming - all the information, the physical changes, the what-if?! Five ways to start early and not get overwhelmed.