Let’s Demystify them! — Our takeaways: Maternity leave policies vary greatly by company and country. Knowing the composition of paid and unpaid leave, their durations (can range from a few weeks to several months) and additional benefits in advance can minimize surprises and alleviate stress. When evaluating maternity leave policies, it’s important to consider these factors…

Our takeaways: During pregnancy, the volume and the intensity of expectations often involuntarily skyrocket, from ourselves or others. How we manage our expectations of others’ expectations matters because we have no control over what others expect. Do your own stakeholder analysis using the Interest-Influence Grid, so that you can prepare yourself and…

Breasts and Breast Milk — Our takeaways: Breasts are constantly changing throughout our lives due to hormone fluctuations. The size of our breasts does not affect the quantity or quality of our milk. Some people may notice nipple discharge during their second trimester. For others, this may not occur until the third trimester or after labor. While…

How ovulation tests can help predict your fertile days with higher confidence — Our takeaways: COVID-19 may have a say in your ovulation timing. Ovulation tests can’t guarantee a pregnancy, but they can help you predict what your fertile days are with higher confidence given the uncertainties presented by the bigger environment. Different manufacturers of LH tests have very different recommendations on the best time…

Sadly…they are real! BUT here’s what you can do — Our takeaways: TTC (Trying to Conceive) blues are as real but not as well recognized as baby blues. The waiting game TTC blues symptoms 2. To cope with TTC blues or prevent it, you can Equip yourself with TTC knowledge so that you can set realistic expectations Design your schedules so that…

Why you need to start early and how — Our takeaways: Start thinking about your ideal maternity hospital early because the learning curve is steeper, the medical system is complex and other factors might influence your decision-making. The maternity hospital plays at least an equally important role as your practitioner (i.e: obstetrician or midwife) in your overall laboring and delivery experience…

From labeling to reliable (free) tools for new parents — Our takeaways: FDA revised the pregnancy and breastfeeding labeling format on prescription and biological drugs to replace the old A, B, C, D and X categories but labeling for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are not affected by this change. While fewer than 10% of medications have enough information to determine fetal risks, there…

A step-by-step guide for stress-free L&D experience Our takeaways: The labor and delivery process differs by person and perhaps that’s why the pregnancy literature doesn’t seem to be consistent in defining the stages. A process flow with general reference points (i.e: cervix dilation, contraction frequency, and duration) for each labor and delivery…

Spoil alert: timing is the key! — Our takeaways: Wait until the day of or after a missed period to do pregnancy test(s) to avoid unnecessary stress due to low(er) accuracy. There are two common types of hCG tests: qualitative (i.e: FIRST RESPONSE™) and quantitative (i.e: Clearblue Digital Ultra Early Pregnancy Test). Quantitative pregnancy tests use mIU/ml to indicate…