Pregnancy

Medical tests such as a pregnancy ultrasound can help your health care provider monitor your baby's development, while more specialized pregnancy tests such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS) can help detect conditions such as Down syndrome and cystic fibrosis.

Taking care of your health is essential to the well being of your growing baby. Prenatal care means finding the right care giver for you as well as attending regular prenatal medical checkups. Here you'll also find information on finding a doula and midwife, as well as questions to be sure to ask your health care provider.

Learn about the stages of pregnancy and follow your baby's development with our very own pregnancy calendar. Discover how to calculate your baby's due date and find fun ideas on how to announce your pregnancy.

Teen pregnancy brings with it its own unique set of challenges. Learn about pregnancy myths and facts as well as teen pregnancy statistics. Here you'll also find advice on how to tell your parents.

Experiencing discomfort during pregnancy is something all moms-to-be go through. Learn about how to alleviate common pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness, cramps and swelling, as well as how to minimize the appearance of stretch marks and varicose veins.

Eating for more than two? Being pregnant with twins or multiples is an exciting time for moms-to-be that can also bring with it special concerns. Learn about staying healthy during a multiple pregnancy as well as information on how to reduce the risk of complications.

If you're a mom-to-be, working during pregnancy can be a challenge. Find out about how to stay safe from workplace hazards for pregnant moms as well as how to talk to your boss about going on maternity leave.

Don't forget the importance of a healthy diet and exercise to your growing baby. Discover easy tips on eating right and staying fit during your pregnancy so that both you and baby stay healthy!

One common concern moms-to-be have is about sex during pregnancy. Learn about when sex during pregnancy can be unsafe and about comfortable sex positions, as well as changes in your libido during pregnancy.

Finally, find out about plus size pregnancy, including the best birth options for plus size women as well as advice on how to find fashionable but affordable plus size maternity wear.

Health Care-Of the People, By the People

As our new leaders and the American public begin to think about how to address the inefficiencies in this nation's health care system, we have an opportunity to ensure that the issues we care about are front and center in this national discussion.

The new Administration wants to know what's important to you, and they're encouraging people throughout the country to host or attend community discussions on health reform over the next few weeks.

We want our elected leaders to know: Any changes to improve the health care system must include ways to help teens and young adults avoid too-early or unplanned pregnancy.

But how do we do it? We have some ideas, but we want to hear from you. We hope you'll take a few seconds to let us know your thoughts by leaving comments on this blog post, and we'll make sure that the new Administration gets the message loud and clear.

Operation Health Reform

People all over the country are getting together to discuss ways to improve our health care system, and we want to make sure that the issues we care about most are a part of this dialogue.

This is a priority for us. And not just because it's our job. It's because deciding whether and when to become pregnant and have children is one of the most important decisions many of us will make in our lives. We think women, men, and families will do better if they have the opportunity to prevent pregnancy and plan families affordably, in consultation with the best medical professionals, and without barriers.

We've asked some of our friends to share some of the challenges they've faced seeking care, and we hope you'll share your stories by leaving comments on this blog post.

"I switched jobs and therefore my insurance plan changed. I went from paying $7 for a month's supply of birth control to more than 4 times as much for the exact same prescription."

"I was having trouble getting pregnant, and did some research on what might be causing my particular issues. I read about a hormone that might help, but my doctor at the time wasn't very familiar with it. He agreed to administer it, but wanted to test for it in my blood after a few weeks. This was impossible, because that particular hormone doesn't show up in your blood. I switched to an OBGYN who knew about the hormone and understood my issues, and shortly after receiving the treatment I was pregnant with my first daughter."

"I decided I wanted an IUD. I had been seeing an OBGYN at a hospital that doesn't do IUD's. I called four different doctors in the area, and no doctors do them. Finally I found a doctor a long way from my house who said she did them, so I made an appointment. I finally saw the woman and she gave me an exam then told me that she would not recommend an IUD -- because I hadn't had a baby, and because she had so little faith in her own ability to insert one properly. I was super excited that I'd taken off an afternoon to drive out to the middle of nowhere for that."

"When I changed pills based on advice from my doctor to try anther type, the new ones ended up costing me over $50/month (with insurance paying about $5). On other pills, I'd paid $10 -- $15 month, with insurance paying the balance."

"I had been having reproductive health issues for years, and when doctors ruled out endometriosis, fibroids, and cancer, we decided that a hysterectomy would be the best course of action. Since I am done having children, I agreed. After a few more weeks of tests, exams, and follow-up visits, I received a bill from my insurance company for almost $1,000 -- all this on top of my $20 co-pay I was dishing out for every office visit. When I called my doctor to straighten this out, it was explained to me that on top of a $750 deductible for my plan, I have to pay 20% of all the costs beyond that. The good news is that I had met my high deductible for the year. The bad news: my surgery is scheduled for next year."

...And Baby Makes Two. Forget Juno.

I love this article from Slate -- simply because it has the temerity to suggest that the well being of a child might be at least as important as the desires of an adult. When it comes to getting pregnant and having a baby, it's NOT all about me (what I want, me, my life and me), it's all about we (what is best for a family?). Emily: you are my new hero. Be strong.

Desperate? A Parent? Read on...

Over the years, Campaign surveys have offered up two striking and consistent conclusions: (1) teens consistently say that parents most influence their decisions about sex, and (2) parents freely admit that they know--in their souls--that they should talk to their kids about sex, love, relationships and values but that they don't know what to say or when to start the conversation.

Help is on the way.

A new book, Like Whatever: The Insiders Guide to Raising Teens contains a terrific chapter on teens and sex authored by former Campaign family member Karen Troccoli.

Teens & Sects, Teens & Sex

Authorities in Texas have removed 53 teen girls from a polygamist compound and they report that 31 of them are pregnant or have already had children. That's 57% of the girls. Creepy, dangerous, sad, shocking, awful - it seems like everyone has an opinion. It also seems as if there are unlimited resources to deal with this problem. Child Protective Services, the foster care system, law enforcement, the news media, the healthcare system, religious entities, groups like the ACLU - all these and more are concerned, engaged, watching, helping, hoping.

These girls and their children are important, and their fates and futures hang in the balance to be sure. But what about the millions of other teenage girls in this country who are growing up in situations which lead them to teen pregnancy and childbearing? There are communities all over the United States where more than half of girls get pregnant as teens. Among Latina girls in this country, 53% get pregnant at least once as teens. Among African American girls, 51%. In fact, 30% of ALL teen girls in America get pregnant before age 20. That means every state, every county, every community, every high school, and more and more junior high schools too.

Where is the outcry about these girls? Where is the intervention? Where is the government, the news media, the cultural intelligentsia? Why are the little voices inside our heads that are asking so many questions about the FLDS girls - about their clothes, their lifestyles, their beliefs, their parents, their community - why are those voices so silent about the fates and futures of the girls elsewhere in this country?

One of those compound girls had a baby yesterday. She delivered her son while child welfare officials, state troopers, reporters, and others waited outside the hospital maternity ward. She is one of 750,000 teen girls who will have a baby this year. Who is waiting for them?