Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, commonly causes infection in childhood. RSV is very contagious. Almost all babies get it before the age of 2. Many babies (and most older children) get only a cold from RSV.
Some babies with RSV develop potentially serious lower respiratory infections.]]> Podcast Transcript: Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, commonly causes infection in childhood. RSV is very contagious. Almost all babies get it before the age of 2. Many babies (and most older children) get only a cold from RSV.
Some babies with RSV develop potentially serious lower respiratory infections. Including:

• Bonchiolitis, an infection of the small breathing tubes in the lungs and Pneumonia

These infections are especially dangerous in babies who were born prematurely, have lung or heart problems, or have certain other chronic illnesses. Your baby can get RSV at any time of year, but it is most common from October to March.

Symptoms of RSV usually last between 8-15 days. Most babies with RSV do not become seriously ill. But a few become very sick. They may need to be treated in the hospital with oxygen. In some cases, the baby will need bronchodilators which are drugs that help open up breathing tubes and antiviral drugs.

If your baby has RSV, be sure he or she gets extra rest and drinks lots of fluids. If necessary, you also can use a rubber suction bulb to help clear mucus from your baby’s nose, especially before feedings.

If your baby was born prematurely (too early), or has lung or heart disease, talk to your health care provider about ways to help prevent RSV.

Babies who are at highest risk from RSV (including babies born at or before 32 weeks of pregnancy) may benefit from medication that helps prevent the infection. This medication is called palivizumab also know as Synagis. It is given in monthly injections during the fall and winter months. The March of Dimes supports the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for using this medication.

Be sure to call your baby’s health care provider right away if your baby:

• Develops fast breathing or breathing problems.
• Wheezes (which are a whistling sounds when exhaling)
• Develops a worsening cough. However, please note that according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, you should not give over-the-counter cough and cold products to infants and children younger than 2 years of age. These medications can have serious and life-threatening side effects.
• Looks blue around the mouth or fingertips.
• Has difficulty sucking and swallowing.
• Develops any fever of more than 100.4F in the first 3 months of life, or 101F or greater between 3 and 6 months, or 103F after 6 months of age.

Remember, you can help protect your baby from RSV by:

• Keeping him away from people who are sneezing or coughing
• Making sure everyone who touches your baby has clean hands
• Keeping your baby away from crowds of people
• Not allowing anyone to smoke near your baby

If you have any questions be sure to contact your baby’s doctor.

Unless it is a very small amount of spotting you will likely need some blood tests and an ultrasound.]]> Podcast Transcript: Bleeding Early in Pregnancy
Vaginal bleeding can be very scary for anyone who is pregnant. It can be a sign that something bad is happening with the pregnancy. You will want to speak with your doctor or nurse as soon as possible. Your doctor may have you go to the office or the hospital.

Unless it is a very small amount of spotting you will likely need some blood tests and an ultrasound. Believe it or not—if there is some bleeding in pregnancy everything turns out okay most of the time.

A healthy pregnancy makes a hormone called HCG. This HCG level should keep going up. If you are early in pregnancy and the HCG goes down or stays the same it might mean there is a problem.

An ultrasound can help look for a growing baby or a heart beat. Sometimes it is helpful to just see the bag of fluid where the baby will grow. Sometimes your pregnancy is just too early for the ultrasound to be helpful.

Bleeding early in pregnancy might mean that you are beginning to have a miscarriage. There might also be some cramping. After your doctor examines you and looks at the other tests they can tell you what is happening. You may need surgery or you may need further blood tests in a few days. Your doctor may tell you, “Everything is just fine.”

Bleeding early in pregnancy could be a hint that the pregnancy is in your tubes and not your womb. This is called an ectopic pregnancy. If your doctor finds out that this is true you will be treated with surgery. Sometimes tubal pregnancies are treated with injections of medicine.

The blood that you see might be just a small amount of pink spotting. It might be more like blood clots. The amount you have does not always tell how bad the problem might be. If you feel sick and light-headed and the bleeding is heavy call you doctor right away.

The areas of your vagina and cervix are very fragile in pregnancy. Sometimes they can bleed if you are just a little more active. After your doctor has evaluated you make sure you pay attention to their instructions.

Hopefully you will get to hear or see the baby’s heartbeat before too long. Once you do you will not have to worry as much. Things are most likely safe at that time.

Folate can prevent brain and spinal cord birth defects.

The brain and spinal cord are forming very early in pregnancy. You may not even know you are pregnant yet.]]> Podcast Transcript: Folic Acid or Folate
If you want to be pregnant or can become pregnant, you need to know about a vitamin called Folate. Folate helps you have a healthy baby. Another name for folate is folic acid.

Folate can prevent brain and spinal cord birth defects.

The brain and spinal cord are forming very early in pregnancy. You may not even know you are pregnant yet. That is why you should take folate before you get pregnant.

New research showed that people who took folate for a year before their pregnancy had much lower chance of having a preterm delivery. This was even true for people who smoked or had premature deliveries before. Even better news is that it prevented a lot of babies from being born too early.
The best way to get folate every day is to take a multiple vitamin. Read the label.

Folate is also in food. Many breakfast cereals have all the folate you need in just one bowl. Fruits and vegetables such as broccoli, bananas, oranges, and nuts are good sources of folate. Cereals, bread and pasta may have folate added. Always read the label to make sure you are getting enough folate.
It would be smart to take folate every day–even if you are not planning on getting pregnant.

If you become pregnant or are breast feeding, you will need more folate. Ask your doctor how much you will need to take.

Cervical cancer is a disease that can affect young and older women.]]> Podcast Transcript: Do You Need a Pap Smear?
As a new mother you will realize how important it will be for you to be healthy and alive for as long as possible. You have someone who needs you. Also, you want to be around to watch your baby grow.
There are so many bad things that can happen to our bodies. We are fragile. Thankfully, there are a few times where we can see that a disease is trying to develop long before it is a problem. One of these is cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is a disease that can affect young and older women. Like many cancers—by the time you notice any symptoms it may be too late. We are now very good at finding and stopping any chance of cervical cancer. The first step in this process is a simple Pap smear.

A Pap smear is part of a pelvic exam that you have at your OB/GYN office. A few loose cells are collected from your cervix. Your cervix is at the bottom of your womb. We look at these cells under a microscope. The appearance tells us a lot about how healthy your cervix is.

If there are some bad changes to your cervix we call this dysplasia. There are different degrees of abnormalities. Thankfully, most of these will go away on their own. Sometimes the cells need some treatment.

Actually the treatment is not as bad as it sounds. You are comfortable and the cells are easily removed. Your cervix will heal fine. Your cervix is important for holding your pregnancy inside your womb. This is another reason to make sure that you get your Pap smears.

Even if you are pregnant you should have a Pap smear. Getting a Pap smear should not hurt. You may need one after your pregnancy if you had any changes or abnormalities on your Pap smear. If you did not have a Pap smear during pregnancy make sure you get one after your pregnancy.
The time to get a Pap smear is within 3 years of your first sexual activity or if you are 21 years of age. Also, like it says above, if you are pregnant it would be a good idea.

If there are some abnormal changes on your Pap smear the doctor might want to wait a while and then repeat the Pap smear. Again, most of the time the changes are not the bad kind and they will go away on their own. Inflammation is a term that means there is some irritation to the area. This irritation could come from sexual activity or a mild infection.

If the changes look like dysplasia then your doctor will do a colposcopy. This is just looking at your cervix with a microscope. Again, this sounds scary, but it does not hurt. Remember, you are trying to prevent cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is a horrible, painful disease. It is much easier to have a colposcopy if your doctor says so.

Do you know where cervical cancer comes from? It may sound strange, but there is a virus called HPV that is passed back and forth when you have sex. If your partner had it then you may get it. HPV is very common. Most of the time it does not cause an infection and it goes away on its own. It can stay with your cervix, though, and some types of HPV can cause problems.