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Having one baby can be overwhelming enough – so what happens when you’re expecting two at the same time?
A woman has a comparatively higher chance of having twins if she has a family history of twins. A family history of twins on the mother’s side increases this likelihood more than a family history on the father’s side. However, this only applies if conception takes place without the use of fertility treatments.
If you’re thrilled, scared, extremely anxious (or all three), it’s natural to have mixed emotions and is understandable.
What exactly are twins?
We all know that twins mean two babies BUT there are actually three different types of twins.
Your doctor will be able to explain this to you at your appointments but in a nutshell it comes down to whether two eggs were fertilised around the same time or whether one egg was fertilised and then split into two (babies).
There are three different types of twins: –
Depending on the type of twins ; you may require fortnightly to monthly scans from as early as 16 weeks
Many mums-to-be find these extra scans reassuring, keeping a close eye on your baby’s growth and development as the pregnancy progresses.
Your doctor will also guide you regarding appointments frequency depending on the type of twins.
There are no surprises in the fact that moms who are expecting twins will have a visibly larger belly than moms with singleton pregnancy. A mom of twins is possibly to see more severe morning sickness symptoms with twins, and earlier in the gestation period. You’ll gain more weight than if you were carrying one baby but there’s no definitive answer as to how much you’ll put on.
Moms who are pregnant with twins should exercise as it will help to tone up muscles and ward off aches and pains, not to mention strengthen your body for labour . Exercises that won’t overstress your joints, such as walking, swimming, pregnancy yoga, or tai chi are suggested by the doctors during this period.
You’ll feel big and uncomfortable in your third trimester but remember that you’ll most likely deliver the babies at 37 weeks, so you won’t be pregnant for as long as you would be with one baby.
The risk of complications do increase a little when you’re carrying more than one baby.
Pregnancy complications you need to be aware of are:
You will also be advised by your gynaecologist to deliver the babies at or before 37 to 38 weeks to lessen the risk of complications at birth.
In terms of your giving birth to twins, you still will have both the options as are for delivering single baby
Luckily, despite being in a ‘high risk’ category; most mothers have healthy multiple pregnancies.
Meet our Expert gynaecologists at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, CK Birla Hospital, top maternity hospital in Gurgaon. Get in touch today!
The CK Birla Hospital is one of the first hospitals in India to offer Lamaze classes in addition to our world-class aid in obstetric healthcare. To sign up for a session, or to talk to a professional about Lamaze, contact us at your soonest convenience.
What is The Lamaze Method?
Childbirth has long been known as one of the most painful experiences a woman might go through during the course of her life. Over the years, researchers, pharmacologists, and doctors have continually searched for ways to ease this process.
In the 1940s, Soviet scientists attempted to develop a new, painless, non-pharmacological method of childbirth called the psychoprophylactic method (PPM). The method was anchored in training the mind of a pregnant woman to resist bodily pain during labour.
PPM was adapted and popularised by Dr. Fernand Lamaze, a French obstetrician, in the 1960s. Subsequently, the method came to be known as the Lamaze Method. The Lamaze Method, although no longer exactly the same as the Soviets’ PPM, is now widely recognized as a tried and tested way to help pregnant women handle and cope with their pain during natural childbirth without using pharmacological drugs.
So how does it work?
Lamaze today is based largely in simplifying the birthing process by teaching expecting mothers and their partners pain management tactics and educating them about what to expect during pregnancy and birth. Classes are taught by a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator (LCCE), and typically range between one to three-hour sessions over the course of six to eight weeks.
Breathing exercises are a large component of Lamaze classes. The active concentration required to engage in these rhythmic breathing while in labour has been found to promote relaxation during childbirth. The breathing techniques also allow mothers to distract themselves from their contractions and thus alleviate some of their pain.
Other Lamaze class topics include, but are not restricted to induction of labour, when to go to the hospital, positions for birth and labour, pain medication options, massage techniques, and use of common tools to make labour more comfortable such as the birth ball, squat bars, and pillows.
The Lamaze Method also promotes “Six Healthy Birth Practices”, a system of guidelines that are designed to facilitate a safe and healthy birthing process. These are:
The Lamaze teacher encourages students to discuss all medical interventions with their caregivers so that they can make well informed decisions during labour.
Should I take Lamaze classes?
Absolutely.
Lamaze classes help build an expecting mother’s confidence, readiness, and strength. They help individuals, both mothers and their partners, be more in control of the process of childbirth.
No amount of classes and research can completely ready a person for the beautiful and tumultuous journey of parenthood. Yet, to know what to expect during childbirth and be prepared with pain management techniques allows you to stay out of the dark during the emotional, and often scary experience of giving birth.
If you are expecting, contact us to speak about Lamaze classes at the CK Birla Hospital now!
Consultant- Obstetrics and Gynecology
While a NICU is rarely part of a birth plan, knowing what neonatal services are available at the place where you are giving birth, should something be required, can help put parents at ease. For example, it is much easier for the neonatal team to communicate with obstetricians and maternal fetal medicine doctors a lot before the baby is born. This communication continues as the baby receives care from many specialists in the hospital, and then follows the infant after being released from the hospital, easing the transition of care from medical specialists to the baby’s new paediatrician.
Every parent’s experience in the NICU is different and hospitals support NICU parents. One thing that mothers recall from their NICU days is that when they started the journey, they just didn’t know what to expect once they got there. Some common tests that the parents might notice their baby undergoing are the bilirubin test, oxygen level tests, sugar level tests, blood tests, and urine tests. Even though these tests can be daunting to parents, try and remind yourself that they are necessary for your baby’s advancement and proper growth. Infants get measured every day.
Breastmilk can often help babies that are born early. Sometimes mums whose babies are in the NICU are not yet strong enough to nurse, but mums can still pump milk and have their babies consume it. The hospital often has staff that can help new mums pump milk or even try nursing if their NICU babies seem healthy enough. There are certain NICU units which also have a milk donation center where other mothers donate their breastmilk to tiny infants in need of the power.
NICU doctors and nurses play an important role in monitoring the baby’s growth and development. The Newborn Baby Care at the CK Birla Hospital provides expert neonatologists to ensure that the treatment is as comfortable for the baby as far as possible. Research has shown that babies nursed with Development Care approach are healthier, develop faster and go home earlier.
Consult top neonatologists at the Department of Neonatology & Paediatrics to learn more.
In India, menstruation has proven to be a bit of a taboo. Considered dirty and impure, women avoid speaking about their periods in public and shopkeepers package sanitary napkins in opaque black plastic. Yet, all women experience the emotional and physical ebbs and flows of the menstrual cycle. For some women, their periods can feel like the worst part of the month. Ladies far and wide find themselves curled up under blankets, cradling hot water bottles in attempts to soothe the pain.
What causes period or menstrual cramps?
On the most part, cramping is considered a normal part of the menstrual cycle. A common experience, three out of four women report having cramps during their period. The likely cause of most menstrual cramps has been linked to hormone-like compounds called prostaglandins that are released as the uterine lining begins to shed. Although prostaglandins facilitate the uterine contractions that help expel the uterine lining, they can cause extreme pain when produced in excess.
Severe menstrual cramps can also be caused by medical conditions such as endometriosis or adenomyosis. If your cramps are particularly bad, you should reach out to your doctor. Since female pain is often overlooked and under-treated, we encourage you to advocate for yourself and seek out treatment from an OB/GYN healthcare provider near you.
Five well known methods you can try to soothe your cramps at home: –
Heat
In the face of livid menstrual cramps, heat compresses through hot water bottles and warm baths are a tried and tested method for relief. Some studies have shown heat to be as effective as NSAIDs and aspirin for menstrual cramp pain.
Ginger
It seems ginger may also be as effective as common painkillers, some clinical trials suggest. Ingestion of an eighth of a teaspoon of ginger three times a day during one’s period is reported to be helpful for cramps and reduction of bleeding.
Exercise
Certain low stress workouts have been found to ease bloating, back and leg pain caused by menstruation. Increasing blood circulation in the affected area while also strengthening it contributes greatly to pain relief.
Lifestyle (Alcohol and Tobacco)
During one’s period, it is recommended to refrain from the use of drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and caffeine. All are known to increase inflammation and can lead to worsened pain.
Orgasm
The release of endorphins such as oxytocin and dopamine through sexual activity is a strong line of defense against period pains. The power of endorphins in reducing pain is as strong, if not stronger, than many over-the-counter painkillers. Although a pain relief method that is slightly off the beaten path, it is surely worth considering.
Fertility is a natural process to produce an offspring. Usually, a man’s fertility is linked to its sperms. The treatment for male infertility has changed very minimally over the years and is still provided as an extension of female infertility, to be accessed when treatment for the female partner has not resulted in conception. Sperm count is one of the factors which determines men’s fertility.
Men are most likely to be fertile if at least 15 million sperm per milliliter is present in the semen discharged in a single ejaculation. Too little sperm count in an ejaculation indicates low fertility. Sperm movement or motility is also an important indicator of male fertility. Sperm must move through a woman’s cervix and uterus to reach and fertilize an egg.
Motility of sperm indicates fertility while movement less than 40% indicates low fertility. Various factors like, environmental, genetic, and medical can affect men’s fertility. Some more factors which affect fertility in men are: Improper functioning of the pituitary gland can affect fertility. Pituitary gland signals the testicles to produce testosterone and its inactivity can cause lower fertility. Sperm transport disorders. Testicular disease. Aging also plays an important role in fertility. Sperm motility and sperm count decrease with age especially after age 50 which causes lower fertility.
While it is difficult to prevent infertility entirely, the following measures can be taken to lower the risk:-
The degree of fertility decreases with age for a woman and also for a man but in different ways and different stages. One of the most important factors that determine fertility is age. One of the reasons why fertility decreases with age has to do with the volume and quality of the sperm. For a start, semen volume decreases with age. The amount of semen that you produce as well as the sperm’s ability to move towards an egg, decreases continually starting at the age of 20.
Semen consists of mobile sperm cells and seminal fluid that transports the sperm cells and enhances their fertilization abilities.
Extreme stress, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive smoking and the use of hard drugs can gather together to worsen your sperm count. If any of these habits are part of your lifestyle, working toward changing them could increase your chances of remaining fertile. Fertility specialists are not only beneficial for women. In cases when you and your other half are finding it hard to conceive, a specialist can help you combat age-related fertility issues. As far as treating infertility is concerned, most healthcare providers first guide the patient with the conventional route of cure:
In the rest of severe cases, doctors suggest treatments such as Artificial insemination, In vitro fertilization (IVF), or Donor sperm procedure.
We strive to provide you the best treatment with utmost care and our Department of Fertility has one of the largest IVF centres in Gurgaon with a combined team experience of over 100 years and a 55% IVF success rate.
In case you need more guidance on this concern, feel free to connect with one of our Fertility and IVF expert, the Southend Fertility & IVF centre, CK Birla Hospital. Book Appointment today.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the blood clot formation that forms in one or more of the deep veins in the human body, usually in the legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause leg pain or swelling, but also can occur with no symptoms. The formation of a blood clot within the blood vessel is a deadly situation because it prevents blood from flowing normally through the circulatory system.
Deep vein thrombosis develops when an individual has certain medical conditions. It can also happen if people do not move for a long period of time, such as after surgery or an accident, or when they are confined to a bed.
Deep vein thrombosis can be very serious because blood clots in the veins can break loose, travel through the bloodstream and lodge in the lungs, blocking blood flow (pulmonary embolism).
As far as the symptoms of Deep vein thrombosis are concerned, these include swelling in the affected leg. Rarely, there’s swelling in both legs. Some more symptoms are:-
Barring the visible symptoms, it is important to note that Deep vein thrombosis can also occur without noticeable symptoms. It is advised to seek immediate medical help if anyone develops signs or symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, or pulmonary embolism — a life-threatening complication of deep vein thrombosis.
While it is difficult to detect DVT beforehand, here are some of the risk factors you must be aware about:
Advanced protection, also called prophylaxis, for DVT is a lot comforting than treating it. Patients are taken under evaluation for risk of DVT and are treated with appropriate prophylaxis while in the hospital. Prophylaxis can possibly include:
The goal of treatment is to prevent the clot from getting bigger and to stop it from breaking loose and causing pulmonary embolism, avoid complications of DVT and also prevent possible medication-related complications.
The CK Birla Hospital in Gurgaon strives to provide you the best treatment with utmost care.
Connect with our team of experts from the Advanced Surgical Sciences Department today!
Babies begin experiencing the world right from the time they are in their mother’s womb. As much as their tiny bodies are still developing, some of their senses begin working when they are still inside their mom’s womb. They can perceive sound, light, touch, and a lot more when they’re in there. Babies also drink the amniotic fluid surrounding them, so when they do this, they can have a taste of what mom has eaten.
Growing fetuses develop likes and dislikes when they are still in the uterus and they can express their feelings to mom. They mostly communicate by moving in different ways while in the mother’s womb. A mom-to-be should take care of herself because more often than not, her baby will experience what she is experiencing. She should try to engage in activities that she knows makes her baby happy. Babies clearly recognize their mother’s touch while still in the womb, helping them to bond even before birth. Babies are most likely to reach out and touch the wall of the uterus when their mother caressed her bump. The response is nowhere near as strong when strangers or even the child’s father rubbed the mother’s stomach. This proves why mothers often feel their babies moving around and about when they touch their stomach only for it to stop suddenly when a partner or friend tries to feel it. Some researchers believe that the unborn babies response in a better way to touch in the third trimester, suggesting this is a key period for the development of a child’s self-awareness. Unborn babies also respond more and better when their mother talks to them, helping them learn to recognize her voice after birth. A gentle touch during pregnancy also plays a similar role. This familiarity between baby and mother is most likely due to the engagement of the mother with the developing foetus during the times of her pregnancy. A mother’s touch is in company of the movement of her whole body. It can also be the style of touch and the familiarity of the touch. A lot of women feel guilty admitting that they hate pregnancy. Others feel awful admitting that they were not as excited when they saw those two lines on the pregnancy test. Still others struggle with not feeling overwhelming feelings of affection for their newborn. Pregnancy and postpartum are physically and emotionally demanding times. A woman’s hormones fluctuate a lot more during this time, and it’s not realistic to expect yourself to feel the way you normally would in your usual routine. Yet still, the choices a mom makes during pregnancy affect the health and development of her baby. Therefore, it is vital for pregnant women to eat healthily, take prenatal vitamins, avoid anything deemed harmful to them, and keep off certain foods like raw and rare meats, fish, raw eggs, and unpasteurized milk as they contain harmful bacteria. They should also remain stress-free.
A famous saying quotes that “every pregnancy is different,” and it’s as true as it gets. No two experiences of pregnancy (even in the same woman!) are at all similar. Your best friend, sister, mother or grandmother may have had few symptoms and been able to maintain their usual schedule during pregnancy. You can make your own schedule that best suits you and your newborn, and continue bonding with your unborn.
The CK Birla Hospital in Gurgaon strives to provide you the best treatment with utmost care.
Connect with Dr. Aruna Kalra, expert obstetrician and gynaecologist at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. Book an appointment today to learn more about our special antenatal and maternity packages.
The loss of one thing often results in the gain of another.
Such also seems to be the case with our sensory systems. When an individual loses their eyesight or hearing, their remaining senses can become extraordinarily sensitive. Since blind individuals depend frequently on touch for perception, constant reliance and practice cause their sense of touch to become highly developed. Tactile Breast Examination, or tactilography, harnesses the heightened sense of touch of visually impaired individuals for precise and effective detection of tumors in the breast.
These superpowers, per se, and their medical importance, were first recognised by Dr. Frans Hoffman, a German gynecologist. Hoffman theorised that visually impaired women would be brilliantly suited to carry out breast examinations on patients. The evidence supporting this theory was incontrovertible.
CK Birla Hospital for Women, in partnership with the National Association for the Blind, brings this newly developed method of breast cancer detection to India. Using a standard system based on Braille strips, Medical Tactile Examiners are trained to conduct safe, repeatable, and accurate clinical breast examinations without any radiation or side effects. During 30-60-minute-long examinations, trained examiners find 50% smaller, and 30% more tumors than doctors administering standard examinations.
Tactile Breast Examinations benefit not only the patient being examined but also the professionals trained to carry out the examinations. The process provides vocational and educational opportunities to visually impaired women, allowing their difference to be recognised as a strength rather than a disability.
In India, 80% of women identify and report their breast cancer at advanced stages. At these stages, chances of cure are significantly reduced. This late identification can be attributed to the common inability to conduct BSEs and discover breast cancer in its early stages. The lack of day to day discourse surrounding the subject also plays a large part in individuals’ lack of knowledge. Processes such as the Tactile Breast Examination provide preventative measures that could identify breast cancer well before it reaches advanced stages, and would also give women an opportunity to learn how to conduct Breast Self-Exams (BSE) for themselves.
At the CK Birla Hospital for Women, we are currently offering Tactile Breast Examinations, as well as BSE training by tactilography professionals for free. For women under 40, the Tactile Breast Exams will be accompanied by a complimentary ultrasound, while women over 40 will be offered a complimentary mammogram screening.
To speak with one of our expert gynecologists or women’s healthcare providers in Gurgaon and to learn more about MTEs, visit our Department of Gynaecology at your convenience.
Eat more complex (“slow”) carbs and avoid highly processed ones.
Your body digests processed carbs (like cookies, cakes, white bread and white rice) quickly, and turns them into blood sugar. Complex carbs (those containing fiber, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains) are digested slowly and limit insulin. High insulin levels appear to inhibit ovulation.
Trans fats (found primarily in foods such as commercial baked and snack foods, animal products, french fries and some margarines) increase insulin resistance.
High insulin levels cause a lot of metabolic disturbances that affect ovulation
Plant protein (from beans, nuts, seeds) comes with healthy fats and is relatively low in calories
| Eat more | To gain |
|---|---|
| Whole grains | B vitamins, vitamin E, fiber |
| Fruits, vegetables | Vitamin C, antioxidants |
| Lean meats, beans | Protein, zinc, iron |
| Low-fat dairy | Protein, calcium |
| DHA/Omega-3 (Fish,nuts,) | Benefits baby’s brain and nervous system development; reduces risk of premature birth |
| Multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid | Reduces risk of spinal cord and brain defects, especially in weeks before conception and first trimester of pregnancy |
It helps to reduce harmful gene effects that may result in birth defects, also is important for brain function, among other benefits. Egg yolks, beef liver and Cauliflower have very high choline content.
Bonus: Move it.
Getting plenty of exercise during your pre-natal and ante-natal phase will improve your chances of having an easy and comfortable pregnancy. This can help avoid back pain, swelling and excessive weight gain.
By Ms. Prachi Jain, Dietitian/Nutritionist at the CK Birla Hospital in Gurgaon.
