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The placenta is an organ that develops during pregnancy in mammals, providing oxygen and nutrients to the growing fetus while removing waste products. It forms a crucial interface between the mother and the fetus, facilitating the exchange of substances through the maternal blood supply. Additionally, the placenta produces hormones that help maintain pregnancy and support fetal development. After childbirth, the placenta is expelled from the body, a process known as the afterbirth.
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WHAT will happen if taken aspirin during pregnancy?
Aspirin, like many other NSAIDs is a prostaglandin inhibitor (blocker) and therefore should not be used in the last tremester (6-9 months) of pregnancy. Prostaglindins help in redirecting the baby's blood flow into his/her lungs just before the birthing process (almost at the 2nd to 3rd stage of labour). Aspirin could prevent that vital and essential redirecting of blood flow into the baby's lungs and instead the blood might be routed to the uterus through the palcenta. Abruptio Placenta, is a very serious and potentially fatal condition to both the mother and baby, may occur if excessive use of Aspirin or other NSAIDs are used during the second and third tremester. Aspirin's use in warrented only in low doses and in early pregnancy, for very few reasons like recurrent miscarriages etc., and strictly under a your treating Ob & Gynae physician's directive and supervision. - MN
What month can you hear the baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope?
Around 20 to 24 weeks, you should be able to hear the babys heart with a stethoscope! It might be faint at first but the further along the louder it will get. Just don't confuse your heart with the babys heart. the babys heart will be beating much faster than yours.AnswerIt is actually quite difficult to hear a fetal heart with a stethoscope. You may be able to hear it during the last trimester depending on the position of the fetus and the quality of the stethoscope. This is why they invented the fetoscope, an antiquated device that the physcian wore on his head, it had a bell shaped listening end which was on his forehead and he could push against the babies back. Connected to that were the two ear pieces for listening.It has been replaced by the Doppler ultasound which allows doctors to hear the fetal heart as early as 8-10 weeks. If you are hearing a rapid pulsating noise with the stethoscope it is probably the "placental souffle" which is the sound of the blood pulsating through the palcenta, and not the fetal heart. AnswerIf you are cared for by a midwife she may use a Pinard stethoscope which is like a little trumpet with the wide end against the mother and the narrow end against the ear. If the baby is in a good position and the mother is quite slim you CAN hear the heartbeat from about 16 weeks but most midwives don't bother until 20-24 and the latest thinking is that there is no point in listening at all unless there is some reason to do so e.g the baby is not moving much, or the mother has pre-eclampsia.
