Scientists discover a protein that triggers labour

Interesting article :

"Australian scientists appear to have solved one of the great mysteries of human biology - exactly what triggers labour after about 40 weeks of pregnancy.

They cannot explain how the timing works or predict a child's birthday with greater accuracy.

But they know that, when it's time, the body produces a protein, which releases a safety switch that allows the uterus to contract in a way that any stretched muscle should."

Link

Stressed during pregnancy - play some music

My favourite music to listen to in pregnancy was Mantovani and Mozart........just bliss.

"The link between music and mood seems pretty obvious, but scientists at the Max Planck Institutefor Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, are finding it’s especially strong during pregnancy. Researchers played 10-to-30-second music clips to female volunteers. The clips were then played backwards or distorted to sound more clashing. Their findings? For moms-to-be, “unpleasant” music was especially irritating, and “pleasant” music sounded especially nice. Even better: The pleasant music contributed to a significant drop in blood pressure, while the unpleasant music spiked blood pressure after just 10 seconds. By 30 seconds, it was down again, but the implication is clear: pregnant women are physiologically reacting to music.

“The body’s response is just as dynamic as the music itself,” says Tom Fritz of the Max Planck Institute. “Every acoustic manipulation of music affects blood pressure in pregnant women far more intensely than in non-pregnant women.”

The reason is unclear. Researchers were unable to attribute this strong effect to estrogen. But no matter what the explanation, some Jack Johnson might be better than some Black Sabbath if you’re looking to de-stress, especially during pregnancy.

Next question: how do these tunes make baby feel? Well as Kelly Kasper, MD, explained to The Bump, there’s no way to know. We simply can’t analyze the little guy’s neurons while he’s in utero. What wedo know is that your baby can hear sound and reacts to it with movement. In fact, the Max Planck Institute study shows that by 28 weeks, your baby’s heart rate changes when he hears a familiar song. So if you’ve been dying to play him a few bars of Mozart, go right ahead. We just can’t promise that he’ll become a prodigy because of it."

Link
Prenatal exposure to music may influence brain development

Dads recreating their partners best pregnancy moment

All done for charity for healthy birth outcomes. Makes me wonder what men would really be like if they had to give birth ;-) 

Link

Why sleeping on your back in pregnancy is a problem

"During pregnancy you will often hear that sleeping on your back is a bad idea. The reason has to do with your anatomy. When you lay on your back after about the fourth month of pregnancy, the weight from your pregnant uterus can decrease the blood flow in the vena cava, the vein that brings blood form the lower part of your body to the heart (Marie - it can drop your blood pressure making you feel very dizzy). If this were to happen, there is a risk of decreasing the blood flow to your uterus and baby.

The vena cava runs slightly to the right of your spine. This is why you may hear that laying on your left side is the best option. The key is really not laying on your back, either side is usually fine.

So what happens when you wake up in the middle of the night and you're laying on your back? Don't worry. Just roll over onto a side or prop your body with a pillow to turn you one direction or the other.

Using pillows between your legs while you sleep can be more comfortable. It can also help you remember not to roll over on your back, even when you are asleep. Any pillow will work, but there are special pillows made for pregnant women."

http://pregnancy.about.com/od/symptoms/qt/backsleeping.htm