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Travel in Pregnancy
When is it good to travel? The best time to travel is when you are between 20th to 32nd weeks of your pregnancy. At this time of your pregnancy, you should out the other end of all the initial pregnancy concerns with miscarriage, nausea, etc and have completed all the...
How do I stay healthy during my pregnancy?
Pregnancy is an exciting time when you have new life (your baby) developing and growing in your uterus. I am regularly asked “what can I do?”, “what can’t I do?”, “what can I eat?”, “what can’t I eat?” etc. A mother-to-be wants to look after her precious cargo in her...
Can I exercise in pregnancy?
Exercise and Activity Walking is an excellent idea. As well, antenatal exercise classes are available through the hospital and privately. You can inquire about the hospital classes when you book. See also in link section exercise in pregnancy. Working Normally I am...
Having A Healthy Diet In Pregnancy
A healthy diet It is very important to endeavour to be in optimal nutritional health before you conceive and in pregnancy. When you are pregnant you are feeding two not one! Because of chemical additives in the food you buy in the supermarket, etc. it is very had to...
No Gap private pregnancy care
My previous blog “The cost-of-living crisis is prompting many women to defer having a baby.” has prompted comments and discussion about how women are deferring pregnancies because of current cost of living pressures. That is very sad. When it is on woman’s heart to...
Foetal distress in first stage labour, Caesarean section avoided
Emily was in labour for her first baby. Her pregnancy had been uneventful. At 5cm cervical dilatation the midwife who was looking after Emily contacted me to say the baby’s heart rate pattern had become very abnormal and that she was concerned about baby’s wellbeing....
The cost-of-living crisis is prompting many women to defer having a baby.
Many women are putting off having a baby because of the costs both of pregnancy management and afterwards, once baby is delivered. The family finances of so many are already stretched, and they are struggling and so the thinking is adding the cost of a baby is...
Rectal bleeding after pregnancy
I have bleeding from my rectum. Is that ok? This is not an infrequent question at the 6-week postnatal visit It is usually due to an anal fissure. An anal fissure results from tearing the anal mucosa with passage of hard large stools. What can be done about it? You...
Vacuum cup and forceps
When are vacuum cups and forceps used when delivering a baby? For an operative vaginal delivery and sometimes with a Caesarean section delivery. Will I need an operative vaginal delivery? Hopefully not. Only about 12% of my patients need operative vaginal deliveries....
Mirena IUCD
The Mirena intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) is very popular method of contraception, including for postnatal women who are breast feeding. It is good ‘spacer’ between pregnancies and good for long term contraception when the family is complete. Mirena consists...
Looking and feeling good after pregnancy
During pregnancy and vaginal childbirth there are lots of body changes. Commonest changes include enlarged abdomen, stretched abdominal wall skin, weight gain, breast enlargement, nipple and areola changes, fluid retention and swelling, stretch marks, acne, red skin...
When will my baby turn head down?
As you progress through pregnancy the baby’s position becomes a more important consideration. At about 30 weeks about 25% of babies are not in a “cephalic” (head down) position. It is normal for the baby to turn head down even by about 34 weeks. So don’t worry! It is...
Do pregnancy hormones cause anxiety?
A patient recently asked me: “Do pregnancy hormones cause anxiety?”. The answer is no. Pregnancy hormones do not cause anxiety. This patient, who is 11 weeks pregnant, had an extra reason for pregnancy anxiety. She had required progesterone pessary support to maintain...
“No idea about labour”
A midwife said to me recently that often women today have “no idea about labour.” She said they often have no idea how painful labour contractions will be and have almost romantic ideas about what will happen. The attitude of some women is comparable to their attitude...
Avoiding stitches with a vaginal delivery
A patient asked me this week: “How can I avoid stitches with my delivery?” It is the wish of every woman who is planning a vaginal delivery to have no stitches. There are many factors that relevant in determining the likelihood of this. These are considered in this...
Hope
Marelle had first trimester miscarriages in 2018 and 2019. Later in 2019 she had a pregnancy loss at 22weeks because of spontaneous rupture of membranes with umbilical cord prolapse. In 2021, Marelle had a successful pregnancy. Her pregnancy was complicated by...
Ransomware attack
I have a new patient who told be at her first antenatal visit that she works in cyber security. Cyber security is of increasing importance. Cyber security protects an organisation and its employees and assets against cyber threats. I told her that my computer system...
How Are We Different?
It is very important for you and your unborn baby that you choose the right pregnancy and childbirth support. Many pregnant women and their husbands/partners assume pregnancy care is the same irrespective of who provides it. This is certainly not the case. There are...
Which hospital should I book to have my baby?
I am often asked: Which hospital should I book to have my baby? I will start answering this question by writing about my personal experiences as an obstetrician in private practice. When I started in private practice, I had appointments at the San Hospital (Sydney...
An unusual presentation of HELLP Syndrome
Emma presented to the Birthing Unit at 9.00pm with epigastric pain. She was 39 weeks 1 day gestation in her first pregnancy. There was no uterine tenderness of pain, no uterine contractions, and no vaginal bleeding. She was otherwise well. Her baby’s heart rate...
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