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Some women may consider genetic testing when they are pregnant. Screening and diagnostic tests can help women find out about the genetic abnormalities of their unborn baby.

Holly Menino sits down with Lauren Eekhoof, a genetics counselor with Intermountain Healthcare, on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast. Together, they discuss how genetic testing is done and when you should meet with a counselor.

How are genetic tests done and what conditions do these tests look for?

Screening tests are blood tests that screen for common conditions like Down syndrome and other extra chromosome conditions. These tests are optional.

Diagnostic tests are more invasive procedures that can provide a diagnosis for chromosome conditions in the pregnancy and typically are done if there is a high risk for a genetic condition in the pregnancy. These tests are also optional.

When might you want to meet with a genetic counselor if you’re pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant?

• women who’ll be over age 35 at delivery
• women who’ve had an abnormal genetic test result
• women with abnormal ultrasound findings
•  women who’ve had a previous pregnancy with a genetic abnormality
•  couples with a family history of a genetic condition

What do genetic counselors do?

A genetics counselor can help you weigh the benefits, risks and limitations of genetic testing and provide information about the nature, inheritance, and implications of genetic disorders to help you make informed decisions.

What are some reasons to do or not do genetic testing?

Most pregnancies are uncomplicated, most babies are born healthy and no test will ensure the birth of a healthy baby.

• Some women may choose not to do genetic testing as this may cause anxiety during the pregnancy.
• Some women choose genetic testing for reassurance or for planning purposes.

How accurate are the screening tests?

It’s important to remember screening tests will never be 100 percent diagnostic.

Each screening has a detection rate for different conditions as well as false positive and false negative rates.

A normal screening result can be reassuring and makes the likelihood of those conditions in the pregnancy low.

An abnormal screening is NOT a diagnosis and requires further investigation which may or may not involve diagnostic testing if a woman chooses.

What are the risks of the more invasive genetic tests?

There is a risk for pregnancy loss of about 1:300 to 1:500 procedures with various genetic tests. Women who choose a diagnostic testing procedure can weigh the benefits of diagnostic results with the possible risks of the procedures and would benefit from seeing a genetic counselor.

To find a genetic counselor or for more information on genetic testing 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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Anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders are fairly common during pregnancy and postpartum. 1 n 7 women have mood disorders. The disorders often begin during pregnancy, but may not be recognized until the postpartum period.

Holly Menino sits down with psychiatrist Kelly Irons, MD, from the Intermountain Avenues Women’s Center, on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast. Together, they discuss the signs and treatments of mood disorders.

 Why might women be susceptible to this during this time?

• Drastic hormone shifts occur during pregnancy and postpartum in the body and can affect the brain
• If you have a history of past behavioral health symptoms
• Life stressors: medical complications for mom or baby, job change, death of a loved one, moving, etc.

Who is at risk?

• History or family history of behavioral health issues
• Traumatic labor and delivery
• Medical complications
• Isolation or lack of support from family and friends

What are the signs of postpartum anxiety?

• Worry more than normal about the newborn (reasonable dose of worry is healthy)
• Terrified of hurting the baby
• Become irrational
• Panic attacks
• Can’t fall asleep or stay asleep
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Numbness in fingers
• Nausea, feeling faint
• Can’t think straight
• Duration of these feelings can be minutes or up to an hour.

It is important to seek treatment, since anxiety can prevent proper bonding.

What are the signs of postpartum OCD?

• Intrusive thought become prevalent and occur often
• Taking action to avoid intrusive thoughts
• Checking things over and over (checking that locks are locked, bath water is not too hot, avoiding picking up dangerous tools)

A wrong, terrible thought it OCD, not psychosis. Psychosis is when thought and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality. Irrational thoughts become something you see yourself actually doing.

Untreated anxiety or OCD combined with lack of sleep can lead to psychosis. Talk to your OB/Gyn if you have these symptoms and believe you need help. They can refer you to a behavioral health provider.

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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During pregnancy it is important to eat healthy foods for both you and the baby. Eating a variety of all of the food groups will help you to consume the nutrients that you need for you and your baby to stay healthy.

Holly Menino sits down with Danielle Conlon, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with Utah State WIC Program, on this episode of the Baby Your Baby podcast. Together, they discuss nutrition during pregnancy, weight gain guidelines, and tips for preparing to breastfeed.

 Prenatal Vitamins: Once you become pregnant, your doctor will prescribe a prenatal vitamin for you. The reason why it is important to take a prenatal vitamin during pregnancy is because nutrient needs increase during pregnancy, and prenatal vitamins will help you to meet those increased nutrient needs. Two of the nutrients that prenatal vitamins contain and that are critical during pregnancy are folic acid and iron. Folic acid helps to prevent birth defects, and iron helps your baby grow and develop.

Which Foods to Eat: During pregnancy, eating a variety of all of the food groups will help you to consume the nutrients that you need for you and your baby to stay healthy. General recommendations for each food group include:

•  Eat whole grains such as whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, and brown rice.
•  Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. These can include fresh, canned, or frozen fruits and vegetables. When buying canned fruits and vegetables, look for “low-sodium” and “no-added sugar” or “canned in water” labels on the cans. These are healthier choices than canned fruits and vegetables that contain high levels of sodium and sugar.
•  Eat 3 servings of dairy foods each day. Dairy foods have calcium, which is essential to make sure that yours and your baby’s bones are strong. Dairy products include milk, cheese, and yogurt. If you aren’t able to have dairy products, soy milk is a great source of protein and calcium that is dairy free. You can also talk to your doctor about if you should start a calcium supplement.
•  Eat healthy fats from oils such as avocados, olive or canola oil, or nuts and seeds.
•  Eat a variety of lean protein foods such as poultry, fish, eggs, beans/lentils, PB, and nuts or seeds. A common question about protein is if fish is safe to eat during pregnancy. Fish is safe during pregnancy as long as the fish doesn’t have high levels of mercury and it is cooked all the way through. During pregnancy, avoid raw fish such as sashimi or sushi that has raw fish, and fish with high mercury content such as tilefish, swordfish, king mackerel, or shark.

Foods to avoid during pregnancy:

• meats, poultry, and fish that aren’t cooked well-done
• unpasteurized or “raw” milk and juice
• raw or runny eggs
• raw sprouts
• deli meats and hotdogs unless they are cooked until they are steaming or reach a temperature of 165 F
• soft cheeses such as feta, brie, or queso fresco

 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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During your third trimester, it is time to start thinking about what to bring to the hospital when you go into labor. There are some essentials that mom and dad need to pack ahead of time, but the hospital will also provide you with some things.

Holly Menino sits down with Nurse Diana Jensen from Intermountain Medical Center in this week’s Baby Your Baby podcast. They discuss what you should bring, what you should leave at home and what the baby will need.

 What you should bring to the hospital:

Nightgown (front-opening styles are easier for breast-feeding)

Bathrobe

Slippers

Bras (nursing style if you plan to breast-feed your baby)

Cosmetics and toiletries

Pillow (hospital has pillows, but some patients prefer to bring their own)

Journal, Thank You cards, writing paper, and pen

Phone, camera, film or memory card, extra batteries, and chargers

Clothes for you and your baby to wear home. For your baby, we suggest you bring a shirt, gown, hat, receiving blanket, and a heavier blanket (depending on the weather.) For you, clothes that fit in mid-pregnancy are usually best.

Pacifiers – some babies don’t like the ones from the hospital and it’s always good to have extras

Burp Cloths

Birthing Plan

Car Seat – this has to be installed in the care and checked to make sure the baby is in right before you leave.

Make sure you’re current on your immunizations

Choose a primary care provider for your baby

What you shouldn’t bring:

Any personal valuables, such as, jewelry, credit cards, or cash.

Intermountain hospitals provide:

Diapers, wipes, nasal aspirators, onesies

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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Moms may feel like they shouldn’t take medications during pregnancy to protect the baby  but, the illness or condition may be more harmful for the baby than the medication. Toughing out an illness usually isn’t better for baby.

Holly Menino sits down with Al Romeo, a registered nurse with the Utah Department of Health’s MotherToBaby/Pregnancy Risk Line program on this episode of the Baby Your Baby Podcast. Together they discuss the risks and benefits of taking certain medications and vitamins.

 *Correction: Carbamazepine use in pregnancy may have an increased risk of approximately 1% for neural tube defects (spina bifida). Ondansetron (Zofran) use in pregnancy is not associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects (spina bifida). * 

 There is always a chance for a baby to have a birth defect since the background chance for a major birth defect for all healthy pregnancies is between 3% to 5%. When we look at the research studies, we expect to see some birth defects in each study. We are looking to see if the rate of birth defects is higher than that background risk and we are looking for the same pattern across the studies.   

Sometimes the condition is worse than the medication. Talk to your doctor to weigh the risks and benefits especially when it comes to fever, depression and diabetes.

Some vaccines do more to protect mom while other vaccines do more to protect baby. We’ll talk about 3 common vaccines. The influenza vaccine helps protect mom from the flu virus. Having the flu during pregnancy increases the chance that mom will have difficulty breathing and adults can die from complications of the flu. The varicella, or chicken pox, vaccine is one that helps protect baby. Getting the chicken pox vaccine before pregnancy helps mom avoid chicken pox during pregnancy which can lead to scarring in the fetus, limb defects, eye defects, and other complications. The tDap vaccine, tetnaus, diptheria, and pertussis, helps protect baby. Getting the Tdap vaccine late in pregnancy gives a boost of immunity just before baby is born in case baby gets exposed to whooping cough, which can be deadly for baby.

Listen to our podcast about immunizations here.

Protecting baby sometimes means that mom has to take care of her own health so that those illnesses and chronic conditions don’t harm the baby. It’s a complex balance that may require different decisions for different situations based on mom’s medical condition. If moms or providers have concerns or questions about a particular medication or the situation, they can contact  MotherToBaby.utah.gov.

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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It’s summer — and a great time for families to spend fun days in the sun! Just remember to use extra caution with kids around water and cars to prevent tragedy — especially as we transition to summer and our schedules change.

Holly Menino sits down with Jessica Strong, Community Health Manager at Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital, in this week’s Baby Your Baby Podcast. They discuss three of the most dangerous ways kids can be injured during the summer and give tips on how to avoid a tragedy. 

Water Safety

In Utah, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under age 14.

Teach your children to swim and always supervise them around water.

Use extra caution and care to supervise children near lakes, rivers and streams.  

Water at any depth can be hazardous.

Prevent Heatstroke: Never Leave A Child Alone in a Vehicle

About 40 children across the country die each year after being left in a hot vehicle. Of these fatalities, 87 percent are children ages 3 years and younger. 

Never leave your child alone in a vehicle – even for a few minutes. A child’s body temperature can increase 3-5 times faster than an adult’s. 

Keep a visual reminder that a child is with you.

• Place a stuffed animal or diaper bag in the seat next to you
• Place something you will need when you arrive at your destination in the back seat, like a cell phone or purse
• Order your free Baby Safety Snap at PrimaryChildrens.org/safetysnap.

If you see a child left alone in a car, contact the police or call 911.

Spot the Tot

During warm weather months, Utah children are at increased risk for being accidentally run over by a vehicle in a driveway or parking lot, most often by a parent or caregiver. 

Prevent injury by doing these three things:

• Walk completely around the car before getting in to drive
• Eliminate distractions (put phone away, turn off music)
• Roll down windows and listen before backing up

Additional Information & Resources:

-Visit primarychildren’s.org/safety for more tips on how to keep kids safe this summer.

-Primary Children’s “Hold On To Dear Life” Water Safety PSA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vuSAzkBkwk&list=PL84577120D5FE83BE&index=20

-Child Backovers: National Data can be found here https://www.kidsandcars.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/backover-19-map.pdf

-Kids and Cars safety information: https://www.kidsandcars.org/

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.