True Birth

Induction of labor is safe for women who have had a previous cesarean birth and would like to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and is an options that can be considered.   Women who are in need of a induction for medical reasons or because an induction will help facilitate a vaginal birth are not prevented from doing so because they have had a previous cesarean birth. However, there are s...

There is no known threshold below which the number of repeat cesarean deliveries can be guaranteed to be uncomplicated. In this episode, Dr. Abdelhak discusses having multiple cesarean births.   Integrative OBSTETRICS Social Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/IntegrativeOB Instagram  @integrativeobgyn Maternal Resources Social Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/maternalresourceshackensack |nstagr...

Recently, Dr. Abdelhak was interviewed by Elisabeth Sherman for Input Magazine www.inputmag.com about an article relating to the use and addiction of internet chat groups in pregnancy and this got us thinking about the overall use of the internet in pregnancy. What role does the internet play in pregnancy?  How useful is it? And, how much should a woman and her family rely on the internet and its...

Traveling in pregnancy is generally considered to be safe for most women. It is typically recommended to check in with your medical provider before booking your trip and before going away on your trip.  The biggest risk the travel itself typically poses is being away from your primary medical provider and not the travel itself, via air, train, ship or car.  There also is the the potentially increa...

When there is a loop of umbilical cord around the baby's neck in the womb it called a nuchal cord.  This is actually a common ad normal finding during labor and delivery. Medically speaking the term nuchal cord is define as:  an umbilical cord that passes 360 degrees around the fetal neck. They are classified as single or multiple and tight and loose.  Single is more common than multiple and loose...

Sweeping the membranes is a great tool that is often used at the end of the 9th month to help stimulate contractions or labor.   It is typically performed during an office visit when and the cervix needs to be partially dilated in order for it to be effective.  The OB will typically insert one finger on a vaginal exam beyond the internal cervical os and then rate the finger circumferentially along...

Shoulder dystocia is when the shoulders fail to delivery easier after the fetal head. If the shoulders do not deliver easily with a few simple maneuvers it is considered an obstetric emergency. Shoulder dystocia is not always easy to  anticipate and prevent, and often occurs in the absence of risk factors. The incidence of shoulder dystocia is 0.2 to 3 percent of births and the calm trained demean...

Dr. Abdelhak answered some weekly questions about pregnancy.  If you have any comments or questions you would like us to answer please connect with us! We would love to hear from you about your birth experiences or anything you would like us to address about labor, birth pregnancy or postpartum on this podcast. Reach out to us at  www.truebirthpodcast.com Integrative OBSTETRICS Social Facebook htt...

Long gone is the thought of once a cesarean always a cesarean. Women who have had a cesarean delivery in the past have the option of undergoing a trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC) delivery or planned repeat cesarean delivery (PRCD) in their next pregnancy.  Ideally, a planned TOLAC leads vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) but may end in an unplanned cesarean delivery. How to decide if you are...

How much weight gain in pregnancy is normal? The answer is it's individual and unique for each woman.  Excessive weight gain can pose problems in pregnancy and is not typically recommended but in general there are several factors that contribute to what is normal and what is an acceptable amount. There have been several guidelines outlining the appropriate levels of weight gain in pregnancy and th...

Assisted vaginal delivery (also known as operative vaginal delivery) is when the doctor or midwife assists the woman to delivery using forceps, a vacuum, or other devices to extract the baby from the vagina during the second stage (pushing stage) of labor.  There are several factors that go into the decision of when to use an instrument to aid a woman in the delivery of her baby.  These factors bo...

Cervical insufficiency (previously termed cervical incompetence) is  defined as recurrent and painless cervical dilation leading to  pregnancy loss typically in the second trimester. While we addressed the primary cause of unexplained second trimester loss in a previous podcast episode, this is a common explainable reason for pregnancy loss in the second trimester.  Cervical weakness or insufficie...

The occiput posterior position otherwise known as the OP position is important to familiarize yourself with because it is the most common fetal malposition in labor.     It can be associated with assisted vaginal delivery (aka operative vaginal delivery) and even cesarean delivery. In this episode, we review the OP position, why it should and should not happen and what can be done about it.  Reach...

Dr. Yaakov Abdlehak and Kristin Mallon, CNM discuss listener mail and change their thinking on hyperemesis gravidarum.  You can now see the updated show notes for episode 6 about hyperemesis in pregnancy. True Birth is all about raw honest truths when it comes to labor, delivery, pregnancy and the postpartum period helping women have better births and better birth experiences. The whole essence of...

We're back with the second part of this information and extremely important episode about perinatal loss. We want to remind everyone that while Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is October 15, any day is a good time to reach out and show support to your friends and family who have experienced this type of profound loss.     Our perinatal loss support information can be found here The March...

Perinatal loss is a profound experience for women and her family. Examples of perinatal loss include miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, neonatal death, and other losses.  In this episode. Dr. Abdelhak specifically examines unexplained loss which most often will happen in the second trimester at 13 weeks to 28 weeks, but in rare occasions this type of loss will happen in the third trimeste...

NatureBACK  is a philosophical approach to pregnancy as well as a tool that optimizes a woman's chance of having a vaginal delivery. It represents the cumulative knowledge of Dr. Abdelhak's career in obstetrics that has spanned several decades. A career dedicated to providing women guidance to their desired birth outcome.   NatureBACK  stresses that the process that leads to natural birth needs to...

Dr. Abdelhak bust up some of the conventions that have been around for decades and dispels myths about what is safe and what isn't in pregnancy when it comes to food and why.  This mini-episode is full of true birth-isms.     Reach out to us at www.truebirthpodcast.com Integrative OBSTETRICS Social Facebook https://www.facebook.com/IntegrativeOB Instagram @integrativeobgyn Maternal Resources Socia...

Episiotomy, which literally means surgical cutting "tomy" and epis "pubic region" is a practice that largely fell out of favor after this 2005 JAMA study.   Even though this practice was railed against for years by midwives and several concerned OB/GYNs it took a while for the research to catch up with the truth that a natural tear is better than a surgical cut when childbirth is concerned.  This...

Can a woman sleep on her back in pregnancy? Is the left side really best?  All of these questions answered in this mini-sode of True Birth Podcast.  Sleeping on your back is a common and perfectly safe sleeping position for most people, despite some internet myths that suggest otherwise. Let's debunk these myths and discuss why sleeping on your back can be a healthy choice for many individuals. Be...

What are the best tips and strategies for preventing and treating nausea and vomiting in pregnancy?   Is it normal to feel nausea all day in the first trimester?  The answer is a resounding Yes! Is there anything that can be done?  That answer is also a resounding Yes!  What about the second trimester? Or the third? Nausea and vomiting are so common during pregnancy, that up to 80 percent of pregn...

True Birth is all about raw honest truths when it comes to labor, delivery, pregnancy and the postpartum period.   This episode covers what the listener can expect to get out of this informative pregnancy podcast. The whole essence of this podcast is we are telling you the way pregnancy and birth really is. We are not sugar coating it and we are not just reading from the book. We are two practicer...

Breech babies (or butt first) account for about 3% of babies at term. In this episode Dr. Abdelhak and Kristin take a comprehensive look at breech birth, including how to choosing the best route for delivery and then prepare for that type of birth.  One of the most widely used techniques is an external cephalic version.  External cephalic version (ECV) is the name given to a procedure in which the...

The incidence of multiple gestation (twin, triplet and more pregnancy) has gone up significantly over the past several decades, as women are using fertility stimulating drugs for ovulation induction, superovulation, and assisted reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) more and more.  Being in the vaginal delivery business, we often find women with twins or triplet pregnanci...

Deciding weather or not to get the COVID vaccine during pregnancy can be a major cause of undue stress for many pregnant women during this precious time. ACOG (the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) recommends getting the vaccine during pregnant and lactation. You can see their recommendations here .  Even with these recommendations It can help to hear from a physician personally...