Pregnancy

If you live in Minnesota, you will likely pay somewhere between $6,000 and $15,000 to have a baby, according to FAIR Health’s state-by-state data. The survey showed that Minnesota was 31st in the nation for delivery costs, with vaginal birth ranging from $6,000 to $11,000 (with vs. without insurance) and C-sections ranging from $8,800 to about $15,000, again the first figure showing a delivery with healthcare insurance and the latter without insurance. The cost with insurance reflects the full hospital bill and out-of-pocket costs would vary based on the insurance plan.

While more women today are open about their struggles with infertility or pregnancy loss, it is still hard to find the right words when one of your friends or loved ones shares her challenges in getting pregnant or maintaining pregnancy. Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month can open our eyes and hearts wider to these issues: 1 in 8 couples has difficulty getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While not everyone is familiar with this condition or big name, it is something we see almost every day at Clinic Sofia. Diastasis is typically defined as a separation of the rectus abdominus muscle of 2 centimeters or more. Some women are born with a congenital condition, which can lead to abdominal wall weakness, although this is less common, while others acquire it due to pregnancy, obesity or age-related tissue defects.

If you have had an ultrasound at Clinic Sofia, you’ve had the opportunity to meet our wonderful sonographers, Nancy Kibwage and Jenni Curran. Both have been with our clinic for several years—Nancy has been here since day one—and play an integral role in keeping our patients informed about their bodies throughout pregnancy and other conditions. This month we spoke with Jenni to learn more about what a sonographer does and the role of ultrasound in women’s healthcare.

From ice cream and pickles to Beyonce’s apparent yearning for bananas dipped in ketchup, pregnancy cravings are far from urban myth. While the exact cause of cravings is unclear – they may be related to changes in hormones, indicate a deficiency in a particular vitamin or mineral, or urge women to eat food higher in calories and fat – most women will experience strong cravings during pregnancy.

The evening before Aaron’s birth, Nicole and I both got food poisoning. We both had a rough night, and in the early morning, Nicole was feeling particularly awful despite drinking lots of fluid and walking around the apartment for a few hours. I kept recommending we go to the hospital for some IV fluids and […]