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You're Invited to our BABY FAIR!
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Mark your calendar for our first-ever BABY FAIR to be held on Thursday, April 11th, from 5-7 p.m. in our Lawrenceville office. This is an event you won't want to miss as we'll have great gifts and prizes for our expectant moms! To register, email Melanie DeLucca at: mdelucca@lawrenceobgyn.com.
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Contact Us
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Locations and Hospital Affiliation
We have 3 office locations to accommodate our patients in the Mercer and Bucks County areas:
123 Franklin Corner Rd.
Suite 214
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
Click for directions
1401 Whitehorse-Mercerville Road
Suite 216
Hamilton, NJ 08619
Click for directions
909 Floral Vale Boulevard
Yardley, PA 19067
Click for directions
Our physicians and midwives deliver at
Capital Health System's Hopewell Campus
in Pennington, NJ
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Top 10 Tips
for Morning Sickness
Being pregnant truly is a once in a lifetime and an absolutely wonderful experience. With that said, there is an aspect of pregnancy which can be difficult for many women. What commonly is referred to as morning sickness plagues many women who are pregnant. While there isn't one magic cure, here are some of the top tips to help ease your stomach.
1. Take two crackers...
Two crackers before your head leaves the pillow is old but wise advice.
2. Think Small
Smaller frequent meals can also help keep an ailing belly at bay.
3. Avoidance
Avoid foods and smells that seem to trigger nausea. Sometimes this will be nearly every food or every smell.
4. Blood Sugar
Eat something high in protein before going to bed. This will help your blood sugar stay more level.
5. A Cookie a Day...
Ginger, teas, cookies, even spices can be helpful in preventing nausea.
6. Ice, Ice, Baby
Have sips of ice water as the urge to purge strikes. Many women say that this helps them keep meals down as well.
7. Pressure
Acupressure bands can be worn like bracelets and can curb nausea while you wear them.
8. Great Breath
Peppermint, either smelling it in aromatherapy form or sipping the tea can help curb nausea. It's also known to help with sagging energy levels.
9. Relax
Take a deep breath. It might be mind over matter sometimes.
10. Comfort Food
Eat what you can, if it stays down it is probably a good thing. Slowly add more foods to your diet as possible.
When all else fails...
If nausea and vomiting are having a disruptive effect on your life and nothing seems to offer any relief, then you can speak to your doctor about medicines. Officially no morning sickness medicine is proven as safe for use during pregnancy, though several are considered safe by doctors, particularly when the alternative is a poorly nourished mother.
If you can't keep anything down at all and are vomiting frequently for more than 24 hours, then you should call your doctor right away. If you are losing weight and becoming dehydrated due to excessive vomiting then you may be suffering from hyperemesis gravida and should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Your doctor will be able to prescribe anti-vomiting medicine, and you may also need to be hospitalized and nourished through an IV-drip.
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How to Cope with Allergies during Pregnancy
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Allergies are annoying and sometimes painful to deal with and pregnancy often makes allergies even worse. The good news is that there are ways to deal with allergies during pregnancy. Here are some steps for coping with allergies during your pregnancy:
Try a nasal saline spray. Nasal saline, which is basically just salt water, tends to help allergies during pregnancy. They are also not harmful to the fetus. Simply spray the solution into the nostrils and blow your nose a minute later.
Use a humidifier at night to put moisture in the air. This can relieve some of the pressure and pain associated with allergies.
Allergy medication can be a good option if other solutions don't work. Women should opt for over-the-counter allergy medications unless their doctor recommends a prescription. Over-the-counter allergy medications usually deemed safe include chlorpheniramine, Benadryl, and Tylenol Allergy & Sinus. These types of medications should be avoided during the first trimester, but talk to your doctor about an allergy medication that will work during the second and third trimester.
Allergy shots. If a newly pregnant woman has been receiving allergy shots or immunotherapy, she may safely continue to receive them as they should not cause a negative reaction with the developing baby. If a woman is pregnant and has not previously been taking immunotherapy shots; however, then she will likely not be able to receive them as the introduction of new immunotherapy drugs that were not present at the time of conception can potentially cause harm to the fetus.
Other Remedies...
If you do not want to take any form of medication, there are other remedies you can try. Avoid your allergy triggers. If you are allergic to outdoor pollens, do not spend time outside in the early morning hours when pollen counts are the highest. Also, if you smoke, quit now. It will help ease your allergies, and your fetus will develop in a healthier environment. Avoid secondhand smoke, too, which can also cause allergies to become worse.
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April 2013
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| Oh, Baby! You're Pregnant! |
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Greetings!
With April signaling a time of renewal and rebirth, you may be feeling Spring Fever -- and if you're pregnant, you're probably feeling Baby Fever, too, which is why we are dedicating this entire issue to all our moms-to-be in order to help you to look and feel your best during this special time in your life.
Pregnancy can be an amazing experience, but the morning sickness that often accompanies it can definitely impact your life. Did you know that approximately 70 percent of women experience nausea early in pregnancy? Morning sickness can start as early as six weeks into pregnancy and tends to peak around the eighth and ninth weeks. If you have morning sickness, fortunately there are many things you can do to cope. Top 10 Tips for Morning Sickness provides some time-tested remedies that can help relieve some of your symptoms.
 Spring has sprung and summer is on its way! An unwelcome guest might accompany the waving grasses and beautiful blossoms -- seasonal allergies. What's a mom-to-be to do when a refreshing walk results in sneezes, a runny nose, nasal congestion and red, itchy eyes? You could reach into the medicine cabinet for pills and sprays, but you may be concerned about what you can and can't take. To learn more, check out our article on How to Cope with Allergies during Pregnancy.
 Pregnancy places extra demands on your body that can decrease your energy levels and cause you to shy away from exercise. Exercise, however, can ease the discomforts of pregnancy, improve your fitness level and prepare your body for normal delivery. Pregnancy Exercises for a Healthy Delivery will not only help your body prepare for childbirth, but will also help you to get back in shape faster.
A first-time pregnancy signifies a time of wonder and joy. A new life is forming that will result in life changes you've never experienced. It can also bring lots of questions, sometimes a little confusion, and a few fears. It can be difficult to know what to expect, how pregnancy will affect your body and how to prepare for your new baby. You'll probably get lots of advice from friends, family and even complete strangers on what you should and shouldn't do during pregnancy. To make sense of it all, we've put together 6 Tips for First-Time Moms.
Many families think of their pets as family. Animals can bring much fun and joy to the household dynamic. But pregnant women need to be careful about the kinds of animals they keep in their home and particularly how to handle them during pregnancy. Check out Pregnancy and Pet Safety so you can
maintain a healthy and happy relationship with your best friend throughout your pregnancy and beyond.
Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!
The Practitioners and Staff of Lawrence OB/GYN
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Pregnancy Exercises for a Healthy Delivery
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 Exercise during pregnancy can increase your energy levels during pregnancy, ease your pain during delivery, increase your chances of a normal birth and improve your rate of recovery after giving birth. Consult your doctor before starting an exercise program to ensure the safety of both you and your baby.
Exercise Guidelines
Exercise increases the demands placed on your body during pregnancy. Consume an extra 300 to 500 calories each day to ensure your body has enough energy to support both your pregnancy and your exercise routine. Include a 5- to 10-minute warm up and cool down into your workout to allow your body to adjust gradually to the changing demands of exercise. Avoid the following: playing contact sports, doing exercises that cause you to strain, lifting objects over your head, and activities requiring you to make sudden or jerky movements. After your first trimester, avoid exercises that require you to lay flat on your back, because they can decrease the amount of blood flow to both your brain and your baby. Drink a minimum of 8 oz. of water before you exercise, after every 20 minutes of exercise, and after you complete your workout.
Exercises To Prepare For Labor
Exercises designed to speed up labor and ease labor pains focus on strengthening and stretching the muscles of your pelvic floor, your abdomen, your back and your legs. Include three sets of eight to 10 repetitions of Kegels, squats, pelvic tilts and the tailor pose into your daily routine. Perform a Kegel by tightening the muscles around your vaginal opening as though you were trying to stop the flow of urine. Execute a squat by standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart, while you push your hips back and down as though you were sitting down in a chair. Support your balance by holding onto the back of a chair. A pelvic tilt requires you to get down on your hands and knees with your arms straight. Arch you back up as you contract your abdominal muscles and tuck your pelvis under. Finally, perform the tailor pose by sitting on the floor with the soles of your feet touching together. Pull your feet in as close as possible to your body as you relax your knees to the floor.
Exercises To Stay In Shape
Aerobic exercise in the form of water aerobics, swimming, low-impact aerobics, dance, walking or using aerobic exercise machines help keep you in shape throughout your pregnancy and give you the endurance needed for labor. Keep your exercise intensity at a moderate level, where you can still carry on a conversation, but cannot sing. This intensity level helps prevent overexertion and overheating, while allowing you to increase your fitness level. If you have never exercised before, start out with a 5- to 10-minute workout, adding more time as your fitness level improves.
Considerations
Listen to your body while you exercise. If you experience light-headedness, vaginal bleeding, persistent headache, dizziness, chest pains, contractions, leakage of fluid from your vagina, increased shortness of breath, decreased fetal movement, muscle weakness, calf pain or swelling in your lower extremities, stop exercising and contact your doctor immediately. Also, stop exercising if you start to feel overheated or overtired.
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6 Tips for First-Time Moms
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 Expecting a new baby is an exciting and daunting period at any time of life. Every new mom wants to get it right and enjoy the first precious months with her newborn. Once your precious newborn has arrived, you will probably begin wondering what to do now. Here are some tips to help stop you from getting into bad habits that can become very difficult and stressful to change later on.
Tip # 1
When the baby sleeps you sleep. This is probably the single most used tip in the history of new mommy tips, but it is the truth. For the first few weeks the only sleep you may get is when your baby is sleeping. You will need your energy for when the baby decides to wake up.
Tip # 2
Get your baby on a schedule and then prepare for that schedule. If you know your baby takes a bottle at 2 p.m. then make it at 1:45 p.m. If you know your baby wakes at 2 a.m. for a feeding set your alarm for 1:45 a.m. and get things ready ahead of time.
Tip # 3
When bathing your baby use your time wisely. Go ahead and trim fingernails and toenails as needed. Nails tend to cut easier once they have been wet, so this makes it easier on you and your baby.
Tip # 4
When you put your baby down for the night, throw a load of their clothes, blankets and such in the washer. They will be ready for the dryer the next time your baby wakes up to be fed. This way you always have fresh clean clothes, blankets and towels.
Tip # 5
Burp your baby often to help reduce the risk of colic.
Tip # 6
If your baby is crying and nothing else seems to work to calm him / her down try wrapping your baby like a cocoon (i.e., swaddling) in a blanket with the arms down at the sides inside the blanket. Sometimes your baby might have a belly ache and this works wonders to soothe a belly ache.
These are just some simple tips to help get any new Mom started. There are a ton of things that you will learn in the first few weeks alone. Most importantly learn from your baby.
Our vision is to provide the highest level of care to women through all phases of their lives while helping them to understand how and why their bodies function as they do.
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Pregnancy and Pet Safety
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 When it comes to pets, dogs and cats are some of the most popular. You don't have to worry about finding your beloved dog or cat a new home if you're pregnant. But you do need to keep yourself and your unborn baby safe from any potential hazards.
Feline Friends
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), toxoplasmosis is the main concern when it comes to pregnancy and cats. The infection can lead to birth defects and miscarriage in pregnant women. Cats can get the infection by eating contaminated raw meat, birds, soil, or mice. Cats then pass the contagious stage of the infection through their feces. The CDC recommends pregnant women take the following precautions:
- Avoid having the pregnant woman change, clean, or come in contact with the litter box. If there is nobody else to do the job then she should be sure to wear gloves and a mask, and wash hands thoroughly when finished.
- Keep cats indoors to avoid them possibly eating contaminates.
- Avoid handling or adopting stray cats.
- Feed cats only canned or dried commercial cat food. Never give them undercooked or raw meat.
- Do not bring a new cat into your house that might have been an outdoor cat or might have eaten raw meat.
Canine Companions
According to the American Pregnancy Association (APA), the biggest risk with dogs is the possibility of a large dog jumping on your abdomen while you are lying down or sitting in a chair. They also recommend if you have a dog that does this you should begin training it not to do it right away. While you are pregnant is the right time to start preparing your dog for the new baby. A good start in doing this is to identify behavioral issues, review basic obedience skills, and set routines.
- Be sure that your dog doesn't jump on your belly while you're sitting or lying down.
- If your puppy has picked up some bad habits, like biting or pouncing, use this time to break him of these habits before the baby arrives.
- Before bringing your new baby home, make sure your dog is up-to-date with vaccinations.
- If you and your dog are especially close, ask your partner or another family member to spend more time with him. Because your new baby will take much of your time and affection, having your dog develop a closer relationship with other household members can help prepare him for the changes that will come once the baby is home.
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Our Pledge to You...
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Our vision is to provide the highest level of care to women through all phases of their lives while helping them to understand how and why their bodies function as they do.
We consider patient education to be one of our most important responsibilities. By educating women and empowering them to take a more active role in their own health care, they are able to make better decisions that will enable them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Please know that we value and respect our patient's privacy. Your name will never be shared or sold and you can unsubscribe from our list by clicking the icon at the bottom.
The highest compliment you can give us is to refer our practice to others. We value your trust and thank you in advance.
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