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Pre-term births  can happen to any expectant mother. Doctors says right now, they do not know all of the causes of pre-term birth, but there are some risk factors that can increase the chance of one.

Jade Elliott sat down with Sean Esplin, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine Specialist, Intermountain Healthcare, to discuss pre-term birth, the causes and how technology is helping doctors learn more about it.

Common causes or risk factors that increase the chance of pre-term birth:

• Infection is most common. There are different types of infections and it depends on how the body responds to that infection.
• Smoking or substance abuse during pregnancy
• Short time between pregnancies
• Expecting multiples, twins, triplets, etc. This is becoming more common. Identical twins who share a placenta are especially risky. 50 percent of twins come early.
• Abnormal vaginal bleeding
• Abnormal shape of the uterus or a cervix that is short or weak.
• Maternal and fetal stress

What kinds of symptoms of preterm labor should a woman call her doctor about?

• Call your obstetrician or other health care professional right away if you notice any of these signs or symptoms:
• Change in type of vaginal discharge (watery, mucus, or bloody)
• Increase in amount of discharge
• Pelvic or lower abdominal pressure
• Constant low, dull backache
• Mild abdominal cramps, with or without diarrhea
• Regular or frequent contractions or uterine tightening, often painless
• Ruptured membranes (your water breaks with a gush or a trickle of fluid)

For more information on symptoms and risk factors, click here.

Why is it so difficult to prevent pre-term birth?

Of every 100 women, 10 percent will deliver pre-term. Doctors don’t  know which 10 percent. When they have a heads up it’s easier to prevent. There’s a 30-40 percent recurrence rate if a woman has previously had a pre-term birth. In most cases doctors have no prior knowledge that a woman will have pre-term labor or deliver prematurely. Sometimes they can do surgery to stitch the cervix together if it’s opened prematurely. At 20 weeks gestation, it’s standard practice to look at the cervix in an ultrasound. Sometimes doctors insert a pessary device that helps holds the cervix closed. Sometimes doctors do everything we can, but we can’t stop the labor.

This is the Instagram account mentioned on this episode, @imamom2be.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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Cooler weather is coming and kids will be playing indoors more often. Whether you have young children who visit or you’re bringing home a new baby, fall is a good time to reduce the risk of injury inside your house. It’s also good to make sure your safety efforts and devices are up to standard and in good working condition.

Jade Elliott sits down with Jessica Strong, Community Outreach Manager, Primary Children’s Hospital, on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast. Together, they discuss how to make your home safe for kids.

Falls are a leading cause of injury at home.

• Don’t leave babies alone on beds, changing tables, or sofas.
• Secure furniture to the wall using mounts, brackets, anchors, or wall straps to prevent tip-overs.
• Keep a locked gate at the top and bottom of stairs. Replace older safety gates that are large enough to entrap a child’s head and neck.
• Always strap children into highchairs, swings, bouncers, and strollers.
• Keep windows closed and locked

Cribs

• Use an infant sleep sack instead of loose blankets to keep baby warm.
• Remove pillows and all other loose items (blankets, toys) from an infant’s sleep area to reduce the risk of suffocation.
• No older cribs w/drop sides

Heating elements

• Cover all radiators and baseboard heaters with childproof screens.
• Keep electrical space heaters at least 3 feet from beds, curtains, or anything flammable.
• Unplug and store all hot appliances, such as curling irons, out of reach.
• When cooking, turn pan handles toward the back of the stove.

Poisoning

• Store medicines and products in their original containers.
• Lock medicines and household products where children cannot see them or reach them.
• Call medicine by its proper name, not “candy”.
• Use a carbon monoxide alarm to help prevent poisoning.
• Keep the Poison Control Center’s number handy, such as a fridge magnet or programmed into your phone, 1-800-222-1222.

Other safety measures

• Learn CPR and first aid.
• Use Anti-Scald Devices for faucets and shower heads and set your water heater temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit to help prevent burns.
• Use corner bumpers on furniture and fireplaces to help prevent injuries from falls against sharp edges.
• Cordless window coverings are recommended to help prevent strangulation.  If your blinds were installed in 2000 or earlier and you cannot afford cordless window coverings, visit the Window Covering Safety Council.

To see Jade and Jessica walk through a home and demonstrate what they are talking about on the podcast, click here.

For more information and keeping your child safe, click here.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that happens during pregnancy. Like other kinds of diabetes, gestational diabetes affects how the body processes glucose or sugar, causing glucose levels to be higher than they should be.

Jade Elliott sits down with Emily Hart Hayes, a Certified Nurse Midwife with Intermountain Healthcare, on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast. Together they discuss how to prevent gestational diabetes and how to manage it.

How common is gestational diabetes?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 2 and 10 percent of pregnancies are affected by gestational diabetes.

Why does it happen during pregnancy?

Pregnancy hormones can make it harder for insulin to move glucose from your blood into other cells in your body.

How can diet and exercise help you prevent or manage gestational diabetes?

We know gestational diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to process glucose normally. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet low in sugar, and getting regular exercise all help the body keep blood sugar under control. Exercise is especially important because it helps the body be more sensitive to insulin (the hormone that allows cells to use blood sugar for energy).

Is gestational diabetes routinely tested for during pregnancy? When and how?

Yes, most women will be tested for gestational diabetes. Typically, we test for this between 24- 28 weeks gestation (at the end of the 2nd trimester or beginning of the 3rd trimester). This usually involves drinking a sugary drink with a set amount of glucose in it, then measuring the blood glucose level an hour later to see how the body is able to process that sugar. For women who have risk factors, they may be tested early in pregnancy during the 1st trimester.

What are the warning signs for gestational diabetes?

Most people with gestational diabetes don’t have any symptoms, which is why it’s so important to test for this during routine pregnancy care.

What are the risk factors?

• Being overweight or obese,
• Family history of type 2 diabetes,
• Have previously given birth to a baby who weighed more than nine pounds
• Have had gestational diabetes in a previous pregnancy
• Women who are African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander

Women considering pregnancy can help start the pregnancy out as healthy as possible by eating healthy and exercising to help reduce the chances of developing this disease and give their baby the best possible start in life. For women who have a body mass index in the obese or overweight category, they may reduce their risk of diabetes by losing weight prior to pregnancy.

For more information on gestational diabetes, click here.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.