Health & Fitness

The main function of the umbilical cord is to provide nourishment to the fetus through the placenta. The umbilical cord is created early in the pregnancy since it is the fetus only means of receiving nutrients from its mother. It is important for expectant mothers to be aware that they are the only source of sustenance for their babies. Remember that everything you inhale or consume is passed on to your unborn child.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Delivery
Your medical professional is the best source of information on what will occur when you are about to deliver your baby. Full term for your pregnancy is in the 37th week. At this time your babys lungs will have fully developed to sustain life outside of the womb. Delivery usually occurs around 40 weeks. Few women, however, actually make their exact due date.

Be sure to ask your doctor what to expect from delivery. You will want to decide ahead of time whether or not you will deliver vaginally or through cesarean. Some complicated births start out as vaginal deliveries and become cesarean deliveries. In the event of complications you will need to trust your doctor to consult with you to make the best decision for the circumstances.

You should talk to your doctor ahead of time about whether or not you would like to have an epidural. An epidural is an anesthetic that this administered through a shot to the lower back. The shot will numb expectant mothers from the waist down decreasing the pains from labor contractions. The epidural must be administered in a timely manner so that the delivery is not complicated.

Whether or not you want an episiotomy should also be discussed with your doctor. An episiotomy is a cut that is made to the expectant mothers perineum. This cut is made to ease the babys exit from the birth canal. Some medical professionals recommend episiotomies while other believe that this area should be left to tear naturally. There are also massage techniques that may be done to stretch the perineum. Talk to your doctor about various options.