pregnancy week 34 – the thirty fourth week of pregnancy

By the 34th week of pregnancy the baby will weigh around 5Lbs or 2 and a quarter kilos and is almost 20 inches long (0.44 meter) from head to foot. Some sources say that baby weighs around 4.5 Lbs now and is about 17 inches long. Baby is also drinking amniotic fluid at this stage at the rate of a pint a day ! And urinating the same amount. Placenta antibodies are helping baby develop antibodies to certain mild infections. Whatever the difference, its clear that baby is getting close to being ready to enter the world ! For Mother, braxton and hicks contractions may be increasing in number and getting stronger and if twins are expected it is likely they will stay in positions they are in before birth, while a single baby can go from a sitting position to breach…

Pregnancy Weeks:

Pregnancy week 33
Pregnancy week 32
Pregnancy weeks

Pregnancy life jacket – the life vest you might consider using during pregnancy

Apparently the best life jacket to use during pregnancy is the Astral V-8 model kayaking PFD. This is according to c_kayak_fun over at yahoo answers. Kayaking life jackets or vests are generally shorter than waterskiing or sailing jackets as they designed to be used when sitting down. The V8 is cut low and short in the front with good waist adjustment.

Reference: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20101202111530AAqbCRI

Buy it: Astral Buoyancy V-Eight Personal Flotation Device Orange, M/L – 38-44in

Should it bother us that 13 percent of pregnant women don’t have health insurance ?

Based on 2006 data almost 16% of people in the USA were uninsured with around 13% of all pregnant women being uninsured. One in five women of childbearing age (age 15 to 44) was uninsured. Younger women and low income women were more likely to be uninsured. Hispanic and Native American women were three times more likely to be uninsured than non-hispanic whites.

Does that mean that these women don’t care enough about themselves or their offspring to have pregnancy insurance ? Surely not. It could be that they can’t afford health insurance, or life circumstances such as a separation from an insured spouse has complicated matters.

Whatever the reason, it is not good enough for the woman, the child or society.

It is catastrophic in this day and age that a vast tract of motherhood (carrying our future in their wombs) is not covered by insurance. Society has failed them and by extension you could argue that you and I have failed them. By not having insurance there must be mental stress involved that cannot be beneficial for a growing baby. Did you know that Mothers of Babies who receive no prenatal care have an infant mortality rate more than six times that of mothers who receive early prenatal care ? Or that uninsured pregnant women are less likely to seek prenatal care in the first trimester and also less likely to receive the optimal number of visits during their pregnancy ? They have a 31% higher likelihood of experiencing an adverse health outcome after giving birth.

There is a geographic and demographic divide. The uninsured rate varies by state. Texas (31.3%) and New Mexico (29.7%) had the highest average rates of uninsured women of childbearing age, while Minnesota and Hawaii (10.8% each) had the lowest. Women of color are at particular risk for being uninsured, as are younger and low-income women.

Back to the money side of things. We all know that life is of more value than money. Right ?

Why is it then that in 2004, one in six women with individual coverage reported postponing or going without needed care because she couldn’t afford it ? Why is it that The Institute of Medicine estimates that the cost of achieving full insurance coverage in the U.S. would be less than the loss in economic productivity from existing coverage, and health insurance costs are rising ?

Where do we go now Mr Obama ?

Reference: http://www.acog.org/departments/govtrel/HCFWHCFA-Numbers.pdf

http://www.hisboyscanswim.com/baby-cost : The real cost of having a baby in ther US without pregnancy insurance or medicaid.

pregnancy week 33 – thirty three weeks pregnant

At this stage of pregnancy baby is weighing in at around 4 and a half pounds, or Read more