Frequently Asked Questions....With Answers!
· What is the difference between gestational age and fetal age?
-Gestational age is the calculation that most doctors use to calculate the due date, and it's based on the first day of the woman’s last menstrual period. While fetal age refers to the actual age of the baby starting at the time of conception.
· Can music stimulate an unborn baby’s brain development?
-Music will help stimulate baby's senses and improve its brain development. Exposure to different sounds and scenes is essentially what helps establish connections from one set of neurons to another
·What is fetal-scalp blood sampling?
-Fetal-scalp blood sampling is a quick test a health care provider can use to check if the baby is getting enough oxygen during labor.
·How does a non-stress test measure a fetus’s heart rate?
-Performed in the third trimester, this test monitors the fetus's heart rate as a sign of its health. The mother will have a monitor strapped around her waist and her doctor will look for two or more accelerations of 15 beats per minute above the normal baseline, each lasting for 15 seconds or more, during a 20 to 30 minute period.
·When do synaptic connections in the brain form?
-Most of the synaptic connections form during the first year of life, a period during which the brain rapidly expands to near-adult size, and the total number of synapses approaches twice that seen in adults.
·Is consuming caffeine during pregnancy harmful to the baby?
-In 1980, the United States Food and Drug Administration removed caffeine from the list of drugs generally regarded as safe and advised pregnant women to restrict or eliminate caffeine consumption.
·What Do Prenatal Tests Find?
-Prenatal tests can help identify health problems that could endanger both a woman and her unborn child, some of which are treatable.
·How can you safely exercise while pregnant?
-Gynecologists recommend that females focus on non-weight-bearing activities and those that don't require an enormous amount of balance. They’ll have to wear loose-fitting, lightweight clothing while exercising, get plenty of fluids, and can't work to the point of exhaustion.
·What are the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on mental health?
-While many people with FASDs are misdiagnosed as having a mental illness or brain injury, FASDs can co-occur with: Major depressive or bipolar disorder, Psychotic disorders, Autism or Asberger’s Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Personality or conduct disorders, Reactive attachment disorder.
·What is postpartum depression?
-Postpartum depression is depression during or after pregnancy. Researchers believe it's one of the most common complications associated with pregnancy. It's thought to be caused by a combination of the fluctuating hormone levels associated with giving birth, the major transition to parenthood (or to having more than one child), and other life stresses that accompany pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.
-Gestational age is the calculation that most doctors use to calculate the due date, and it's based on the first day of the woman’s last menstrual period. While fetal age refers to the actual age of the baby starting at the time of conception.
· Can music stimulate an unborn baby’s brain development?
-Music will help stimulate baby's senses and improve its brain development. Exposure to different sounds and scenes is essentially what helps establish connections from one set of neurons to another
·What is fetal-scalp blood sampling?
-Fetal-scalp blood sampling is a quick test a health care provider can use to check if the baby is getting enough oxygen during labor.
·How does a non-stress test measure a fetus’s heart rate?
-Performed in the third trimester, this test monitors the fetus's heart rate as a sign of its health. The mother will have a monitor strapped around her waist and her doctor will look for two or more accelerations of 15 beats per minute above the normal baseline, each lasting for 15 seconds or more, during a 20 to 30 minute period.
·When do synaptic connections in the brain form?
-Most of the synaptic connections form during the first year of life, a period during which the brain rapidly expands to near-adult size, and the total number of synapses approaches twice that seen in adults.
·Is consuming caffeine during pregnancy harmful to the baby?
-In 1980, the United States Food and Drug Administration removed caffeine from the list of drugs generally regarded as safe and advised pregnant women to restrict or eliminate caffeine consumption.
·What Do Prenatal Tests Find?
-Prenatal tests can help identify health problems that could endanger both a woman and her unborn child, some of which are treatable.
·How can you safely exercise while pregnant?
-Gynecologists recommend that females focus on non-weight-bearing activities and those that don't require an enormous amount of balance. They’ll have to wear loose-fitting, lightweight clothing while exercising, get plenty of fluids, and can't work to the point of exhaustion.
·What are the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on mental health?
-While many people with FASDs are misdiagnosed as having a mental illness or brain injury, FASDs can co-occur with: Major depressive or bipolar disorder, Psychotic disorders, Autism or Asberger’s Syndrome, Schizophrenia, Personality or conduct disorders, Reactive attachment disorder.
·What is postpartum depression?
-Postpartum depression is depression during or after pregnancy. Researchers believe it's one of the most common complications associated with pregnancy. It's thought to be caused by a combination of the fluctuating hormone levels associated with giving birth, the major transition to parenthood (or to having more than one child), and other life stresses that accompany pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting.