1 out of 3 babies is born with the cord around the neck. For most babies, it does not matter at all if there is a chord around the neck. Most of the time the chord is long.  The average umbilical cord length is around 50-60 centimeters long, and baby is able to handle the stress of labor fairly well as long as labor goes about in its own phase.

When the amniotic fluid surrounding the baby is too less then it is called oligohydramnios. The amount of amniotic fluid increases until the beginning of the third trimester and generally peaks at 37 weeks at which point it is about 800-1000ml. After that, it begins to decrease until birth

Mild to moderate polyhydramnios can be harmless and pregnancy may go on with out any complications but, severe polyhydramnios where the fluid is more than 3 times normal like around 3 liters or so can lead to complications and premature labor. Polyhydramnios is usually seen later in pregnancy

Many pregnant women are concerned about their baby getting hurt with the slightest blow to their abdomen. It is a valid concern, but at the same time, it is good to know, that nature has an amazing way to protect your foetus. The baby is surrounded in the uterus by amniotic fluid , which is present with in the amniotic sac.

What are antenatal vitamins and Do I need to take them?

Antenatal vitamins are vitamin and mineral nutritional supplements useful for women who are pregnant, are planning a pregnancy or are breastfeeding. Women who are planning a pregnancy should be given pre-conception advice, which includes information on folic acid and vitamin D supplements along with healthy and nutritious eating. 

A baby bot at the time of birth already has numerous immature sperm cells called spermatogonia. The pituitary gland is responsible for male sexual maturation too. Did you know that every day a man produces almost 10 million sperms, i.e almost 1000 sperms a second? Each sperm carries genetic material from the father. Sperms are produced in the seminiferous tubules of the Testes.

Many of my viewers are concerned about the weight of the fetus during their pregnancy. On an everyday basis, I get at least two to three questions from my subscribers, about this. Hence decided to write a blog on the weight of the fetus, what is normal and what is considered small for gestation.Every baby is different and babies grow at different rates from early pregnancy. The weight of the baby inside the uterus is calculated by a formula which takes in to account the head circumference, abdominal circumference,

Pregnant women undergo certain tests to rule out Downs syndrome in the baby. This can be usually identified by two kinds of tests

1. Non-invasive test

2. Invasive test.

Chromosomal abnormalities can occur during the crossover of the genetic material of the ovum and sperm during fertilization. The pairs of chromosomes may not connect well or may break off.  This damage to the chromosomes at this stage may lead to the natural expulsion of the embryo as the pregnancy cannot proceed normally and may end in the form of an early miscarriage.

Babies can be born naturally by vaginal birth or in some cases where the natural birth is not possible for reasons relating to the risk associated with the life of the mother or baby, the doctor may have to resort to Cesarean section. Once a rarely performed procedure, only for obstetric emergencies, C-section today is performed more commonly. In India the recent data from the National Family Health Survey 2014-15 (NFHS-4)