the9months

• Research shows that 1 out of every 5 pregnancies (i.e. 20% of all pregnancies) ends in a miscarriage during the first 12 weeks. That is why it is wise to not to raise your expectations during the initial few weeks.
• Do not tell your family. In case something goes wrong with the pregnancy, you would have to hear a lot of unwanted things from your family along with coping the loss yourself. Miscarriages can happen even if you took and followed all the advice that your mother and aunts can give. (more…)

I believe most of us are extremely paranoid and anxious on our fist visit to the doctor. We wonder about all the possible good or bad news that may be awaiting us. My friend remembers having a fight with her husband on her way to see the gynaecologist. One always feels for the men in such cases. And a few moments after the fight, she was sitting with her gynaecologist who was looking at the couple that just walked in through her rectangular glasses. She was every bit the professor at a well-known medical college that she expected her to be – spectacles with a chain hanging by, a thin frame, and skepticism written all over her face. (more…)

A friend of mine took a trip down to the hills with two other couples over a weekend marked by scorching heat. By the time all of us were headed back home, things were not quite fine with her. She looked pale as sin and needed to go to the not too public-friendly bathrooms on the way all too often and looked plainly miserable. I noticed that her feet were heavy. I asked her, “sweets, are you ok?” And she said that she had an infection down under and she was in extreme pain every time she urinated. I carry Mycitracin, which is a triple action first aid ointment for preventing infection and speeding the healing process, with me in my handbag most of the time. I passed it on to her and voila…. she managed to sleep for 2 hours, with her head placed on her husband’s lap, after applying Mycitracin to the affected area. (more…)