While we believe that pregnancy means glowing skin, in reality that is not always the case. In fact, more commonly, women experience other skin conditions during pregnancy, most of which are less attractive than a glow. You may experience some skin conditions, during the different stages of pregnancy, such as acne and stretch marks. You may experience itching, which comes with skin stretching and if it is mild, can be relieved with the simple use of body lotion. Pregnancy acne is also common and should not be treated with medication without consulting your healthcare provider first, even over the counter medication.

Not all women are faced with skin conditions. If you are one of these women or if you only experience acne and stretch marks, consider yourself lucky. Other pregnancy skin conditions include PUPPP, Prurigo gestationis and Pemphigoid gestationis.

PUPPP (pruritic uticarial pupules and placques of pregnancy) is a rear condition in which women develop an itchy, raised rash on her belly and thighs during the last trimester of her pregnancy. This condition, while unpleasant, is not harmful to the pregnant woman or the baby. There is no treatment, but the itchiness can be relieved with cortisone creams. The causes of PUPPP are unknown and it is not linked to any other pregnancy condition. Both rash and itchiness usually disappear prior to childbirth.

Prurigo gestationis is another harmless, but annoying pregnancy related rash. It looks like many tiny bumps or bug bites and usually appears on the hands, feet, arms and legs, but can also develop anywhere on the body. This type of skin condition can appear at any point of the pregnancy, but is mostly common during the second half of the pregnancy. There is no cure for Prurigo gestationis, but the itching can be relieved with topical cortisone or antihistamines and the rash usually disappears shortly after delivery.

Pemphigoid gestationis is a rear condition in which pregnant women develop itchy areas that initially look like hives, but turn into large, blistering lesions. The rash often begins on the belly, around the belly button, and may spread to the arms and legs. This condition may be associated with an increased risk of preterm labor and birth, as well as fetal growth problems. 5% of newborns born to women with this condition have a noticeable rash. While this condition usually begins in the last trimester, it can appear at any time, even shortly after delivery. Pemphigoid gestationis usually develops, again, in subsequent pregnancies and tends to be more severe.

Many women, near the end of their pregnancy, start wandering how they will know if labor has started and what contractions will feel like. Do they really hurt and how will they handle the pain of contractions and childbirth.

Labor contractions are the periodic tightening and relaxing of the uterine muscle. They are often described as a cramping or a tightening sensation that starts in the back and moves around to the front in a wave-like manner. Some women report that contractions feel like pressure in the back. During a contraction, the abdomen becomes hard to the touch.

Many expecting mothers describe early labor contractions as similar to menstrual cramps or as severe gas pains, which may be confused with flu symptoms or intestinal disorders. Imagine your contractions as a wave. Each contraction will gradually increase in intensity until the contraction peaks, then slowly subside and disappear. As your body does the work, during labor, the time between contractions will decrease.

As the strength of each contraction increases, the peaks will happen sooner and last longer. There should be some regularity or pattern when you time your contractions. Persistent contractions that have no rhythm, but are five-to-seven minutes apart or less should be reported to your physician or midwife.

A typical labor for a first time mother is eight-to-fourteen hours, and is usually shorter for a second or subsequent birth. For many women, rocking in a chair or swaying back and forth, during a contraction, assists them with this relaxation.

You can check for contractions by feeling your uterus tightening and softening. Lie down and use your fingertips to feel the uterus. During a contraction your abdomen harden, then become soft again.

Amniocentesis is a prenatal test in which the amniotic fluid is analyzed for signs of birth defects or other problems. It is usually performed in women over 35 years of age or after an abnormal triple test result. Amniocentesis will also be suggested to you if there are inherited or genetic concerns in your family.

This procedure is elective, although may be recommended by your doctor, and is performed on an outpatient basis. An ultrasound is used to determine a safe location for the needle to enter the amniotic sac and amniotic fluid is collected. The procedure, in its entirety, can last about 45 minutes, though the actual collection of fluid takes less than five minutes. The amniotic fluid, which contains cells shed by the fetus, is sent to the laboratory for analysis. Results take anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks to be returned.

Amniocentesis is usually performed between weeks 14 and 20. It can also be conducted later, in the third trimester, if your membranes have ruptured prematurely, to assess for uterine infections, to determine the severity of fetal anemia in babies with Rh disease and to assist your physician in determining whether the fetus requires lifesaving blood transfusions.

Although the procedure is considered to be a safe, it is categorized as an invasive diagnostic test that poses potential risks. Miscarriage is the number one risk associated with amniocentesis. This risk ranges from 1 in 400 to 1 in 200. A miscarriage can occur due to an infection in the uterus, your water breaking or labor being induced prematurely. Although extremely rare, the possibility of the needle coming in contact with the baby does exist. The use of a sonogram is used to ensure the needle is inserted away from the baby.

You may experience a sharp pain when the needle enters the skin and again when it enters the uterus. After the procedure, you may experience other side effects which include: cramping, fluid leakage and/or minor irritation around the puncture site. Contact your healthcare provider if these complications continue or worsen.

While pregnancy is a time of excitement and anticipation, it can sometimes also be filled with unknowns, worries and concerns. While pregnant, you are more aware of your body as you follow the changes it is going through.  If this is your first pregnancy, you may be wondering how you will know when labor has begun. You may also wonder what, of all the new symptoms you are experiencing, is normal. You may wonder how your baby is developing, is he doing well or is there a reason to be concerned.

A healthy, low risk pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks. If you go into labor after the 37^th week, it is considered a full term pregnancy and there is no reason to be alarmed. However, if you go into labor before the 37 week mark, it is considered a preterm labor.  A baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy is considered premature and can be at risk with regard to health problems.

Preterm labor is usually common in pregnancies with multiples, women with previous premature birth experience and women with certain uterine or cervical abnormalities.

Warning signs that you may be experiencing premature labor include 6 or more contractions an hour, leakage from your vagina indicating your water broke, cramps in your lower abdomen, back pain that comes and goes, pelvic pressure and/or an increase in vaginal discharge.

If you think you may be experiencing preterm labor call your healthcare provider immediately. To help prevent preterm labor, take these precautionary actions – lie on your left side, avoid lying on your back (it can cause contractions to increase), empty your bladder, drink plenty of water (dehydration can cause contractions) and count your contractions per hour.

If symptoms continue or worsen, go to triage. At the hospital you will be checked for the frequency of the contractions and your cervix will be examined to see if it is dilated. If your cervix is opening premature labor could be starting.

To stop or prevent premature labor, magnesium sulfate is given, via IV, at the hospital. If birth is unavoidable or seems to be near, corticosteroid is given to help mature the baby’s lungs and brain. While it is usually better for the baby to stay in the womb longer, birth is sometimes unavoidable. In these cases the baby may be admitted to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) for special care.

When there are complications with your pregnancy, you will be told by your healthcare provider to spend most or all of your time lying down. Around one in five women in the US is put on bed rest at some point during her pregnancy, for a few days to a few months, to prevent possible complications. Depending on your condition and its severity, your bed rest may vary from simply resting at home to full bed rest at the hospital with monitoring.

The reasons for bed rest include:

• Preterm labor
• Multiples pregnancy
• High blood pressure, preeclampsia and eclampsia
• Cervical changes including cervical effacement and incompetent cervix
• Vaginal bleeding
• History of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or premature birth
• Poor fetal development
• Gestational diabetes
• Placenta complications, such as placental abruption, placenta previa, and placenta accreta

The purpose of bed rest is to help your body rest and minimize or overcome the condition that had your doctor put you on bed rest in the first place. If you suffer from high blood pressure, bed rest is used to decrease stress and lower blood pressure. Working, staying active or exercising may provoke or worsen certain situations. Bed rest is necessary to prevent or diminish certain conditions.

It is important to get a clear understanding of what your bed rest restrictions are. Depending on the nature and severity of your condition, the list of your approved activities may vary. If your doctor has not specified what you are allowed to do, make sure to ask about activities such as cooking, light housekeeping, walking, bathing or showering, driving, exercising and sexual intercourse.

While it may sound like resting is a great idea, especially now that you are exhausted because of your pregnancy and may need the rest anyway, you could find it less pleasant than expected. Being restricted to bed for days or even weeks or months can be boring, uncomfortable and inconvenient. However, do not take it lightly. Bed rest is prescribed for your health and your baby’s health.

Braxton Hicks, also referred to as false labor or practice contractions, is usually a painless tightening or hardening of your belly. It may be quite uncomfortable, but is your uterus’s way of preparing for true labor. Braxton Hicks contractions may cause thinning and dilating of your cervix. They usually first appears during the second trimester, around 20 weeks, though they may come earlier (and be more intense) if this is not your first pregnancy.

As your pregnancy progresses they may become more frequent, but before the last month of your pregnancy they are likely to remain irregular and somewhat painless. If you are not sure if you are experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions (false contractions) or true ones, which may be hard for you to determine especially if this is your first pregnancy, call your healthcare provider and ask to be seen and evaluated. Playing it safe and going to get checked out is always better than misdiagnosing your condition, yourself.

If you are less than 37 weeks pregnant and are experiencing more than four contractions an hour, call your healthcare provider immediately. After 37 weeks you may experience more intense and frequent contractions, which may also cause discomfort. These contractions are likely to be true ones, which also help your cervix ripen, by gradually leading to its softening and thinning out, and maybe even dilation.

Braxton Hicks are different from true contractions in that they do not grow longer, stronger and closer together like true ones do. They may trick you into thinking you are in labor, for they may feel frequent and painful. If you are not sure whether you are experiencing true or false labor, call your healthcare provider and get checked. You will likely be connected to a monitor at triage to determine your condition.

To overcome Braxton Hicks contraction discomfort:

• Change your position or activity – true contractions will persist regardless of what you try.
• Draw a warm bath to let your body relax.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Try breathing techniques from your birth preparation classes.

You may not realize it, but it can be easy to get caught up in your daily routine and forget that you are carrying another tiny human inside. Life is busy and staying on top of it all (work, your partner, friends, household chores, etc.) takes much of your time and energy. You were always able to handle it before and you see no reason why your home or social life should suffer now. When you have reached your third trimester, you must start thinking like a very pregnant woman and cut yourself some slack.

Your home does not have to be spotless, or if it does, getting someone to help (your husband or hired help) is not a crime when you are that pregnant. Eating out sometimes rather than having to cook every day should be an option. Leaving the laundry for tomorrow is not the end of the world.

While pregnancy is not an illness, overdoing it may lead to complications, which you can easily avoid. At this point in your pregnancy you should not stand on your legs for too long without a break. The weight of the pregnancy causes extra stress on your body. If you cannot avoid standing for long periods of time, when possible put your legs up and let your body rest.

By now your body may already be signaling to you when you need to slow down and rest. And while you may think, “it is only 6 / 7 / 8 pm,” your body is telling you it needs the rest because it is not only busy with your daily activities, but also working on the development of your baby non stop. In other words, if you are tired, take a break, rest, let your energy rejuvenate. Your top priority right now should be taking care of yourself and your unborn child. Everything else can wait until tomorrow.

You will soon be busy with your little one and will not get much time to rest. Take this opportunity, before your pregnancy is over, to rest up when you can. Later, it will most likely be harder to find the time for it.

When you are pregnant your body and mind work somewhat differently than when you are not. Your mind may be occupied with the health and development of the baby, life changes to come after childbirth or fears of the unknown. Your body is also busy, growing your little one and providing for his development, which takes a lot of energy and nutrients from your body.

One of the changes in your daily routine caused by pregnancy is usually manifested at night, when you are laying down and ready for a much needed good night’s sleep. You will find that throughout your pregnancy sleep becomes harder and rarer. Maybe it is nature, designed to prepare us for sleepless nights after the birth, but the fact is, when you need it most, sleep becomes harder to get.

Night time urination is usually the first cause of sleepless nights during pregnancy. Next are the dreams, which may be caused by fears, concerns and other thoughts that come with becoming a parent.  Veteran moms also report strange dreams during pregnancy, so you are not free of these in subsequent pregnancies.

As the pregnancy progresses, and your weight and belly grow, you will find that you cannot sleep on your back or belly comfortably anymore. It is also suggested that you completely refrain from sleeping on your back after the 20^th week.

Some woman suffer from hip pain, and wake up repeatedly due to it, or experience pain when rolling over, which can be challenging to do. Further along in your pregnancy you may find it hard to get out of bed at all and may need to devise strategies to get yourself up. Funny as it may sound it is not pleasant and may be frustrating, at times. But you can find comfort in the fact that it is all temporary (until the next pregnancy) and will go away after childbirth.

Believe it or not, but Hubby may find it hard to sleep too, during your pregnancy. Whether or not you used to snore, before the pregnancy, you are likely to do so now, especially during the third trimester. Snoring during pregnancy happens due to an increase in the amount of blood in your body and blood vessel expansion, which leads to swollen nasal membranes. You may also suffer from sleep apnea, which much like the other night discomforts, will dissolve after childbirth.

If you are feeling that your memory is betraying you during your pregnancy, you are not imagining things. Research shows that elevated hormone levels during pregnancy affect the brain and can cause forgetfulness.

Forgetfulness is most common in the first and third trimesters. If you think about it, it actually makes sense: during the first trimester your thoughts are occupied by many factors. You may worry about the health of your baby, the future of your family and how your lives will change, the pregnancy and how it will affect your body and so on. In your third trimester you will be anxious to meet your unborn baby and may be worrying or even fearing the near birth. You may also be exhausted if you have had trouble sleeping or discomfort carrying the baby weight. It is only logical that your mind is ‘not all there’ when it comes to other matters.

Forgetfulness during pregnancy is more evident with new tasks, such as trying to memorize new information. It will be harder to memorize new information while pregnant, but old information will not be forgotten.

To overcome this obstacle, come up with strategies to help you remember what is important. Do not be hard on yourself when you cannot remember something, like a phone number or a task you where just about to do. Instead, make yourself a list of your tasks or carry your phone book with you in your purse. Find ways to make your life easier while you go through this temporary phase of forgetfulness.

It may also be a cue that you are asking too much of yourself. After all, you are pregnant, and whenever possible, you should give yourself a break or try to slow things down. Prioritize and realize you cannot do it all, even if you really want to. You do not have to wash all the new baby clothes you have received or paint the nursery, today. Remember that your health affects your baby’s health directly. And while it may not feel like it, this pregnancy is only temporary.

An ectopic pregnancy is a pregnancy outside the uterus. When an embryo implants in the fallopian tubes, ovary or another abdominal organ other than the uterus, it is considered an ectopic pregnancy. This condition is life threatening and requires emergency treatment.

Chances for an ectopic pregnancy are around 2%.

Symptoms include:

• Light vaginal bleeding.
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Lower abdominal pain.
• Sharp abdominal cramps.
• Pain on one side of the body, or around the hip.
• Dizziness or weakness.
• Pain in the shoulder, neck, or rectum.
• HCG levels do not double.

An ectopic pregnancy can occur because of a damaged fallopian tube. In this case the fertilized egg may not be able to make its way to the uterus and implant in the fallopian tube or elsewhere, instead. Another reason for such a pregnancy is due to scar tissue build up in the fallopian tube that the egg gets caught on.

Other causes for an ectopic pregnancy include:

• Use of an  IUD at the time of conception.
• History of pelvic inflammatory disease.
• Sexually-transmitted diseases.
• Congenital abnormality of the fallopian tube.
• History of pelvic surgery.
• History of ectopic pregnancy.
• Unsuccessful tubal ligation (surgical sterilization) or tubal ligation reversal.
• Fertility drugs.
• Infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF).
• Smoking.

If you have had an ectopic pregnancy, you can still have a healthy pregnancy! Speak to your healthcare provider about your risks and chances with regard to conception and how to carry a healthy pregnancy to term after having had an ectopic pregnancy.