Pregnancy Resources

Each situation in which a woman suspects she’s pregnant is different. Some women are excited, others shocked and still others worried. Regardless of how she feels once the pregnancy testing confirms a pregnancy, each woman needs to address her options as quickly as possible. Not every woman knows her options, though. Women are typically a resource for one another, sharing knowledge and advice about women’s health issues. When a woman doesn’t have a reliable resource network of her own, she’ll need to seek out her answers from other sources.

The Internet

Some people go straight to the world wide web for all their information needs. A quick search of the term ‘pregnancy’ loads a page full of medical references and articles that may be of help to the expectant mother. Some of the information, however, will not be of help. It’s easy to find yourself down a rabbit hole with regards to subjects on the web. Pregnancy-related topics like morning sickness have been covered in everything from articles posted by respected medical centers to blog posts to gossip columns. Sorting through all that material to figure out what applies in individual situations will be challenging.

Likely, you’ll find a blog or a source of articles that particularly appeals to you. That’s great. Keep reading, but don’t limit yourself to only reading from one source. Blogs tend to be very personal. What happens with one woman’s pregnancy won’t mirror what happens with another’s. You’re not going to be able to match up exactly what your favorite blogger experienced with what you’re feeling. Articles from medical centers have to be rather generic in nature because those articles are speaking to a wide audience. They won’t have absolutes about your specific needs because it’s impossible to try to treat a patient through an article.

Women’s Clinics and Physicians

Finding an obstetrician/gynecologist with whom you’re comfortable needs to be on the to-do list of every woman. Sometimes that sneaks up on you and before you find one, you need one due to your pregnancy. Be honest with yourself as to whether you’d be more comfortable with a male or female doctor. No one’s feelings are going to be hurt if you choose a doctor different than the one you first see. Be sure to go into at least your first appointments with a written list of your questions. Those are easy to overlook when you’re overwhelmed. Ask about your own pregnancy, but ask questions about the medical practice, too. You need to know the people with whom you’re entrusting your care.

If you choose to go with a women’s clinic rather than a traditional doctor’s office, you’ll discover different services may be offered. Some women’s clinics have midwives or doulas on staff. You may be offered the option of a home birth, a water birth or a birthing suite in the clinic itself rather than in a hospital’s maternity ward. Clinics often have classes on-site that specialize in yoga for pregnant women, how to prepare for delivery and gestational nutrition.

Sorting through pregnancy resources for viable, applicable information is one of the challenges each expectant mother faces.