1. DRINK PLENTYOF WATER AND BE WELL HYDRATED.
2. After every 1 hour, move around a and take a walk in the aisle .
3. Do a HEEL LIFT exercise and raise your heels up and down .repeat 10 times.
4. Raise your toes up and down and repeat 10 times.
5. Rotate our ankles 5 times in one direction and 5 times in the opposite direction.
6. While Traveling in a car, always wear a seat belt in the way described to you.

It is better to avoid traveling in the last month to avoid complications of premature labor.

Yes, you can travel during pregnancy if here are no other medical problems. The main two concerns are

• Urinary tract infection
• Clot in the veins of the leg

A pregnant female is anyways more prone to suffer from this condition and especially so if she has to be immobile for a long time.

IT IS THE MOST COMMON GENETIC TEST , done between 14-17 weeks of pregnancy. Like chorionic villus sampling, it is done as an office procedure and anesthesia is not required. A needle is inserted through the abdominal wall after confirming the position of the baby by ultrasound and a small amount of amniotic fluid is withdrawn. His is then tested further.

Few women do complain of pain in this procedure but most of them find it only mildly discomforting.

The only disadvantage is that it can be done at a later date and so it becomes a difficult decision if the pregnancy has to be discontinued.

This is the procedure in which a sample of the placenta is taken with a straw like instrument and it is done without anesthesia and can also be done as an office procedure. It does not cause much discomfort and in addition an ultrasound is needed just before the procedure to confirm the status of the baby and the fetus.

ADVANTAGE

• DONE BETWEEN 10-12 Weeks, which is very early in pregnancy and so it becomes easier to take a definitive step.

DISADVANTAGE:

• Cannot detect neural tube defects like amniocentesis
• May be associated with a higher rate of miscarriage.

A 3 D ultrasound is extremely good because it will provide you with clear, life like portrait of your baby. But there are some drawbacks too. He sinologist cannot take measurements and differentiate the anatomical features with this. In addition it may be compromised because of the position of the baby. In addition it is costly and not really covered up by any insurance as there is no emergency in doing it. So like an old adage, OLD IS GOLD AND GOLD IS NEVER OLD.

If your blood level of AFP comes normal, no further testing will be required. But if the levels are raised or depressed, further testing will be required. For maximum accuracy, the test must be done between 16-18 weeks and before jumping to conclusions, one must first be sure of the age of the fetus.

Alpha feto protein is the protein is released by your baby and it is found in the fluid surrounding the baby. it is used to detect various abnormalities of the fetus like neural tube defects (lack of closure along the spine or brain of the fetus) where this is elevated or Down’s syndrome where it is depressed.

Yes, with the instruments available, you and your partner can definitely hear the heartbeats and it is going to be the most rewarding moment of your life. With your baby’s heartbeat, you will skip yours.

The baby’s heart beats very rapidly at a rate of 120-160 beats /minute. That is twice that of yours.
You can also train yourself to hear it with a stethoscope but after 20 weeks only.

The most important incentive is your baby and if you quit smoking within the first few months, you can lower your baby’s chances of being born too small and having other related problems.

There is no other way to quit but being internally firm to bring a healthy baby in this world. Just remember that it is an all or none phenomena. if you just cut back on smoking, there is a very high chance that you may start again. but if you leave at one go, trust us ,it is going to be an easier job.

Smoking during pregnancy can cause the following problems -

• Miscarriages
• Still births
• Low Birth Weight
• SIDS(Sudden infant Death Syndrome)
• Small under developed child
• Premature baby with poorly developed lungs
• Physical deformity in the child.

Remember that even passive smoking (exposure to someone else’s smoking can also cause problems.