The post Stretch marks during pregnancy appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Basically, the skin has insufficient time to adjust to the expanding movement of the body. The skin thus tears because the body expands faster than the skin covering it. The scar that forms from this tear is called a stretch mark.
Another cause (which is still subject to debate) involves the priming of the skin by increased levels of hormones. These hormones attract more water into the skin, which relaxes the bond between collagen fibres. This makes it easier for the skin to tear when it is stretched and for stretch marks to form.
Stretch marks generally become visible during the third trimester of pregnancy. But, some women will start to notice them as soon as their bumps start to grow.
Lighter-skinned women tend to develop pinkish stretchmarks while darker-skinned women’s stretch marks appear lighter than the surrounding skin.
Most expecting women develop stretch marks on their bumps. However, it is also common to develop stretch marks on the breasts, thighs, hips, lower back and buttocks.
While they can appear anywhere, they are most likely to appear in places where larger amounts of fat are stored.
The best defence against stretch marks is to ensure that your skin maintains its maximum elasticity throughout pregnancy. To achieve this, you would need to keep skin well-hydrated and supple at all times.
Including foods that are rich in Vitamin E and C, Zinc and Silica, B2 and B3 in your pregnancy diet helps to form collagen. Collagen and elastin fibres in the skin are necessary to keep rapidly growing skin taut.
Exercise improves circulation, which keeps the skin elastic and more able to stretch as it grows.
In addition to ensuring that you keep your skin supple through eating the right foods and getting enough exercise, you should use a topically-applied product that is specifically formulated to maximise the skin’s elasticity. By applying a product from the first trimester twice daily throughout pregnancy, your skin will remain well-hydrated and better able to stretch.
About the Author: Bio-oil has been trusted by pregnant women since 1987. For more information, visit www.bio-oil.com
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]]>While most expectant mothers focus mainly on the adequate consumption of essential vitamins and avoidance of the likes of alcohol and caffeine, many are unaware of the body’s increasing need for water.
“Dehydration occurs when the body’s need for fluids are not met. Dehydration during pregnancy can be troubling because it has the potential to harm both mom and baby. Many pregnant women suffering from dehydration have to be hospitalised and treated with intra-venous replacement fluids.”
“Dehydration during the first trimester, can lead to an insufficient amount of amniotic fluid (fluid surrounding the developing foetus). In the second and third trimesters dehydration due to heat exhaustion increases the risk of muscle-cramping, fatigue and even premature labour,” explains independent midwifery consultant, Dr Diana du Plessis.
According to Dr du Plessis symptoms of dehydration in pregnancy include the following:
Although the signs of dehydration in pregnancy may seem obvious, sometimes there may be very little warning before the mother has to be hospitalised.
About the Author: Visit the Philips AVENT website at www.philips.com/avent to learn more about its product portfolio, and for valuable information and tips on feeding, or check out the Philips AVENT Facebook page at www.facebook.com/philipsavent.
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]]>The post Noninvasive genetic test for pregnant mothers to check for baby’s health appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>It is conducted on blood collected from the mother as early as 10 weeks of pregnancy. Genetic/(Chromosomal/DNA) abnormality in the foetus (baby) such as Down’s Syndrome and multiple other defects in the baby can now be detected early in the pregnant mother with this accurate and cutting-edge technology.
This state-of-the-art genetic (DNA) test uses genome sequencing and provides a clear and precise result which can be easily interpreted by parents and clinicians. It is the only test in the international market that not only detects abnormalities like Down’s syndrome but also defects called “microdeletions”. These are abnormalities that are very hard to detect in a baby and parents and clinicians usually spend years after birth trying to diagnose them. With this advanced test done from the pregnant mother’s blood, they can be picked up early in pregnancy.
According to Dr. Samit Sekhar who is the Managing Director for Synapse Diagnostics India, “Down’s syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that has always been a part of the human condition, being universally present across racial, gender or socio-economic lines, and affecting approximately 1 in 800 live births, although there is considerable variation worldwide. Down’s syndrome usually causes varying degrees of intellectual and physical disability in the baby and associated with various other medical issues”.
Currently doctors do a test from the amniotic fluid (fluid around the fetus) called amniocentesis to look for some disorders in women who are at risk such as those women who have a family history of genetic disorders. This test is done late in pregnancy and has a risk of miscarriage as it is invasive (a needle is used to take the fluid). It also sometimes cannot definitively pick up the ‘microdeletions’.
Materni T21 provides a safe alternative for early screening without any invasive procedure or risk of losing the baby. With this technology doctors and parents can now have information very early in the pregnancy and help to mitigate anxiety associated with more aggressive procedures or even other blood tests which may give probability-based results.
The Materni T21 Plus test is developed and validated by Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine® (Sequenom CMM), a CAP accredited and CLIA-certified molecular diagnostics laboratory based in San Diego, USA.
Synapse is a medical laboratory chain with strategic focus on development, validation and implementation of reference technologies providing unique products and solutions that can better the nature of conventional healthcare services. Headquartered in Malaysia and now at Hyderabad, Synapse Laboratory provides unique medical testing services to hospitals and medical centres and clinics. With a goal to improve maternal and infant health outcomes of pregnancy, Synapse Diagnostics Pvt. Ltd. has brought this technology benefit to India.
The launch was attended by Dr. Rachna Kairon, MD Medical Director, Dr Samit Sekhar, Managing Director Synapse and a team from Sequenom, Mr Steve Quinn General Manager Commercial Operations and Mr Marcos Gonzales Marketing & Medical Liaison. Synapse Diagnostics provides this test to clinics all over India.
More information on Synapse Diagnostics India can be found on http://synapsediagnostics.com/
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