Benefits to breastfeeding For the infant 1. Human breast milk is specific for the needs of human infants. 2. Breastfed infant takes what he/she wants, no mor...

Dietary 1. To avoid toxoplasmosis, avoid raw meats (e.g. raw ground beef, rare lamb, uncooked pork), unpasteurised goat's milk, eating unwashed vegetables an...

Both the mother (up to 10%) and the father (up to 5%) can experience mental health issues during the pregnancy and after birth. It is normal to have some wor...

There are numerous physiological changes that occur during the pregnancy. I will highlight some of the changes here that seem to bother more patients. Skin ...

Nausea / vomiting of pregnancy (or "morning sickness") Morning sickness is a misnomer as this can occur at any time. It affects about 80% of all pregnant wom...

Second Trimester Screening Scan or Fetal Anomaly Scan at 18-22 weeks This scan typically takes 30 minutes but may take longer if the baby is not "co-operativ...

Possible complications in Third Trimester include: Preterm labour This is the onset of regular painful contractions after 24 weeks and before 37 weeks gestat...

Delivery may be accomplished by normal vaginal delivery, assisted vaginal delivery or Caesarean section. Normal vaginal delivery We always aim for a normal v...

Induction of labour may be considered when there is a medical indication, or when the benefits outweigh the risks. I gave a talk in Auckland at the Royal Aus...

Pain relief methods during labour would include non-pharmacological methods and pharmacological methods. Non-pharmacological methods include meditation, acup...

Caesarean section involves making an abdominal skin incision and an incision over the lower segment of the uterus to deliver the baby.  Common reasons for d...

Postnatally, I normally see my patients one week and 3 months after delivery. At the first postnatal visit I check the following: Return to normal functions ...

A) Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy 1. This begins early in pregnancy, most commonly between the 4th and 7th week or pregnancy, peaks at about 10 weeks and u...