We understand that every birth story is unique, but most are filled with a mixture of emotions including anticipation, excitement and sometimes a little nervousness.
Many people have questions about pregnancy, what should you be feeling, what are some red flags to watch out for?
At Hendricks Regional Health, we want your birth experience to be as magical as you’ve dreamed.
The caring staff of our Childbirth Center gives comprehensive, family-focused care to support both moms and babies from pregnancy through infancy and beyond.
Dr Nicole King, MD OB-GYN is here to help you better understand what you can expect with your pregnancy!
You're Pregnant! Now What Can You Expect?
Featured Speaker:
Learn more about Nicole King, MD
Nicole King, MD OB-GYN
Hendrick's Medical Group welcomed OB-GYN Nicole King, MD, to New Life Associates in September, 2014. Dr. King is accepting new patients at both the Brownsburg and Danville locations of New Life Associates. Dr. King is a native of Hendricks County. She received her medical degree from the University of South Florida College of Medicine. She completed her residency at Indiana University Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Indianapolis. Dr. King is passionate about preventive care and, as a new mom herself, she fully understands the challenges and concerns of expectant mothers.Learn more about Nicole King, MD
Transcription:
Melanie Cole (Host): Many people have questions about pregnancy. What should you be feeling? What are some red flags to watch out for? My guest today is Dr. Nicole King. She is an obstetrician gynecologist with New Life Associates at Hendricks Regional Health. Welcome to the show, Dr. King. Let’s speak about pregnancy and start right at the beginning. Is morning sickness normal?
Dr. Nicole King (Guest): Yes, very normal. I would say over half of people have a lot of morning sickness. Sometimes it is just mild nausea and sometimes it becomes more.
Melanie: What do you do when you feel morning sick? Are you supposed to take anything? Eat mint? Is there anything you can recommend for morning sickness or is it just something you deal with?
Dr. King: No, there’s a lot of great things for morning sickness. First, one big thing is small frequent meals. Some people will have crackers right at their bedside. That way when they wake up, they can get a little bit in their stomach and that can help curb some of that initial nausea right as you’re waking up. Another thing that you can actually do over the counter, the first line in best medications even for morning sickness is Doxylamine, which is something that is similar to Unisom. It could also come under that drug name, combined with vitamin B6. You can take that at the beginning of pregnancy and it’s a great medication, extremely safe with pregnancy and probably the first thing your doctor would recommend.
Melanie: When women are pregnant and they are feeling morning sick, if they try some of these remedies how long do you think they should be morning sick? When does it start to go away?
Dr. King: Every pregnancy is different. The peak for most people is going to be between eight and ten weeks. That is usually when it is the worst. Some people start as early as six weeks and sometimes it can last for most pregnancies, up to twelve to fourteen weeks. There are, unfortunately, a few people who can deal with it all of their pregnancy.
Melanie: Can women exercise right through their pregnancy?
Dr. King: Yes, they can. They have to be aware of how they’re exercising and vigorous exercise is not always recommended but, typically, you can continue what you have been doing. You just don’t want to be adding additional weight or extra running time. But, staying at what you currently have been doing when you are pregnant is fine. As pregnancy continues on and you start feeling more soreness and more tired, then, typically, you will have to decrease your exercise regimen.
Melanie: What would you like to tell the listeners about nutrition during pregnancy, Dr. King? Is there something specific you tell your patients that they should or shouldn’t be eating when they’re pregnant?
Dr. King: There are lots of things. Probably the biggest thing I’ve noted is hydration is very important and some people discount that. Drinking lots of water can really save how you feel. It can prevent urinary tract infections. It can give you more energy and just keep everything healthy overall.
Melanie: Are there any certain foods you would like them to stay away from when they are pregnant?
Dr. King: Certain types of fish, not all fish, actually, but tuna is a big one and shark and tile fish and some of the more rare ones as well. Tuna fish is not recommended because of the higher mercury content. Salmon is fine, as well as shrimp. You can have limited amounts of that. It is definitely good for you and good for baby, too.
Melanie: What about prenatal care? How often should a pregnant woman come to see her gynecologist and what about prenatal supplements?
Dr. King: Starting prenatal care, we usually like to see a pregnant person for their first visit around 8 weeks. You’ll have every 4 week visits from 8 weeks until about 28 weeks. Then, from 28 weeks until 36 weeks every two week visits and then weekly until you deliver after that point. In terms of prenatal supplements, we definitely encourage prenatal vitamins. Nowadays, they have them even as gummy vitamins and other types of chewables which some people prefer; as well as adding iron depending on what your diet is at baseline.
Melanie: What about pain relief? If you get a headache or a cold while you’re pregnant, is there any over the counter medication you can use safely?
Dr. King: There are quite a few. The first line for pain is going to be Tylenol. You want to avoid ibuprofen in pregnancy, but Tylenol is safe. For colds, Benadryl is definitely a good first line medication. It can help dry up your sinuses and make you feel better. Some people like to use Mucinex as well. That’s also fine. One of the safest regimens which isn’t a medication is something called the neti pot. It’s not that fun but it works really well and it’s completely safe.
Melanie: How much weight should pregnant women gain? They tend to think that they are eating for two and that’s not always the case is it?
Dr. King: No, it’s not. The recommended weight – more the extra calories per day is only 300 calories. So, that might be a heavy snack, actually, for most people. For a normal weight person, the starting weight does really matter on this. A normal weight person should gain between 28 and 35 pounds. For your overweight people, depending on how overweight, somewhere between 15 and 25 pounds and maybe even less depending on how much extra weight the patient has when they get pregnant.
Melanie: Emotions run wild as our hormones are growing a baby. What do you tell women to do about those feelings of insecurity, sadness, depression, elation? We go through so many range of emotions when we are pregnant. What do you tell women about those?
Dr. King: First of all, that they’re normal. Just knowing that it’s okay to have those emotions, I think, is the first step. But, after that, just talking to them about support systems and a good friend or a mom or somebody who can help them get through some of their emotions and be a support system is a really great thing to have as well.
Melanie: Dr. King, when women are high risk or older than 35 and they might have to have an amnio during their pregnancy, what do you tell them about that to allay their fears?
Dr. King: When it comes to amniocentesis, it’s one of those things that it just depends on what their desires are. We now have really good testing that is not diagnostic like an amniocentesis but it’s good for screening through the blood. It is a risk to rely on that but some people prefer to rely on that than to get an amniocentesis and go through the extra risk of that procedure.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, give your best advice on preparing for the new baby while you’re pregnant and why they should come to Hendricks Regional for their care.
Dr. King: It’s a new adventure and there’s always those things that you need to have like a car seat and a place to sleep but getting good sleep before the baby comes is really important as best as you can because you may not get it once the baby comes. But, it’s definitely worth it. The joy, I know personally I never would go back and not do it again. It is worth it and you’ll get through it. As for why Hendricks Regional? I love the hospital. The nurses are amazing, the staff is amazing. Really, everybody cares and you can really tell that they do.
Melanie: Thank you so much. What an amazing physician you are and a caring woman. Thank you for being with us. You’re listening to Health Talks with HRH. That’s Hendricks Regional Health. For more information you can go to Hendricks.org. That’s Hendricks.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.
Melanie Cole (Host): Many people have questions about pregnancy. What should you be feeling? What are some red flags to watch out for? My guest today is Dr. Nicole King. She is an obstetrician gynecologist with New Life Associates at Hendricks Regional Health. Welcome to the show, Dr. King. Let’s speak about pregnancy and start right at the beginning. Is morning sickness normal?
Dr. Nicole King (Guest): Yes, very normal. I would say over half of people have a lot of morning sickness. Sometimes it is just mild nausea and sometimes it becomes more.
Melanie: What do you do when you feel morning sick? Are you supposed to take anything? Eat mint? Is there anything you can recommend for morning sickness or is it just something you deal with?
Dr. King: No, there’s a lot of great things for morning sickness. First, one big thing is small frequent meals. Some people will have crackers right at their bedside. That way when they wake up, they can get a little bit in their stomach and that can help curb some of that initial nausea right as you’re waking up. Another thing that you can actually do over the counter, the first line in best medications even for morning sickness is Doxylamine, which is something that is similar to Unisom. It could also come under that drug name, combined with vitamin B6. You can take that at the beginning of pregnancy and it’s a great medication, extremely safe with pregnancy and probably the first thing your doctor would recommend.
Melanie: When women are pregnant and they are feeling morning sick, if they try some of these remedies how long do you think they should be morning sick? When does it start to go away?
Dr. King: Every pregnancy is different. The peak for most people is going to be between eight and ten weeks. That is usually when it is the worst. Some people start as early as six weeks and sometimes it can last for most pregnancies, up to twelve to fourteen weeks. There are, unfortunately, a few people who can deal with it all of their pregnancy.
Melanie: Can women exercise right through their pregnancy?
Dr. King: Yes, they can. They have to be aware of how they’re exercising and vigorous exercise is not always recommended but, typically, you can continue what you have been doing. You just don’t want to be adding additional weight or extra running time. But, staying at what you currently have been doing when you are pregnant is fine. As pregnancy continues on and you start feeling more soreness and more tired, then, typically, you will have to decrease your exercise regimen.
Melanie: What would you like to tell the listeners about nutrition during pregnancy, Dr. King? Is there something specific you tell your patients that they should or shouldn’t be eating when they’re pregnant?
Dr. King: There are lots of things. Probably the biggest thing I’ve noted is hydration is very important and some people discount that. Drinking lots of water can really save how you feel. It can prevent urinary tract infections. It can give you more energy and just keep everything healthy overall.
Melanie: Are there any certain foods you would like them to stay away from when they are pregnant?
Dr. King: Certain types of fish, not all fish, actually, but tuna is a big one and shark and tile fish and some of the more rare ones as well. Tuna fish is not recommended because of the higher mercury content. Salmon is fine, as well as shrimp. You can have limited amounts of that. It is definitely good for you and good for baby, too.
Melanie: What about prenatal care? How often should a pregnant woman come to see her gynecologist and what about prenatal supplements?
Dr. King: Starting prenatal care, we usually like to see a pregnant person for their first visit around 8 weeks. You’ll have every 4 week visits from 8 weeks until about 28 weeks. Then, from 28 weeks until 36 weeks every two week visits and then weekly until you deliver after that point. In terms of prenatal supplements, we definitely encourage prenatal vitamins. Nowadays, they have them even as gummy vitamins and other types of chewables which some people prefer; as well as adding iron depending on what your diet is at baseline.
Melanie: What about pain relief? If you get a headache or a cold while you’re pregnant, is there any over the counter medication you can use safely?
Dr. King: There are quite a few. The first line for pain is going to be Tylenol. You want to avoid ibuprofen in pregnancy, but Tylenol is safe. For colds, Benadryl is definitely a good first line medication. It can help dry up your sinuses and make you feel better. Some people like to use Mucinex as well. That’s also fine. One of the safest regimens which isn’t a medication is something called the neti pot. It’s not that fun but it works really well and it’s completely safe.
Melanie: How much weight should pregnant women gain? They tend to think that they are eating for two and that’s not always the case is it?
Dr. King: No, it’s not. The recommended weight – more the extra calories per day is only 300 calories. So, that might be a heavy snack, actually, for most people. For a normal weight person, the starting weight does really matter on this. A normal weight person should gain between 28 and 35 pounds. For your overweight people, depending on how overweight, somewhere between 15 and 25 pounds and maybe even less depending on how much extra weight the patient has when they get pregnant.
Melanie: Emotions run wild as our hormones are growing a baby. What do you tell women to do about those feelings of insecurity, sadness, depression, elation? We go through so many range of emotions when we are pregnant. What do you tell women about those?
Dr. King: First of all, that they’re normal. Just knowing that it’s okay to have those emotions, I think, is the first step. But, after that, just talking to them about support systems and a good friend or a mom or somebody who can help them get through some of their emotions and be a support system is a really great thing to have as well.
Melanie: Dr. King, when women are high risk or older than 35 and they might have to have an amnio during their pregnancy, what do you tell them about that to allay their fears?
Dr. King: When it comes to amniocentesis, it’s one of those things that it just depends on what their desires are. We now have really good testing that is not diagnostic like an amniocentesis but it’s good for screening through the blood. It is a risk to rely on that but some people prefer to rely on that than to get an amniocentesis and go through the extra risk of that procedure.
Melanie: In just the last few minutes, give your best advice on preparing for the new baby while you’re pregnant and why they should come to Hendricks Regional for their care.
Dr. King: It’s a new adventure and there’s always those things that you need to have like a car seat and a place to sleep but getting good sleep before the baby comes is really important as best as you can because you may not get it once the baby comes. But, it’s definitely worth it. The joy, I know personally I never would go back and not do it again. It is worth it and you’ll get through it. As for why Hendricks Regional? I love the hospital. The nurses are amazing, the staff is amazing. Really, everybody cares and you can really tell that they do.
Melanie: Thank you so much. What an amazing physician you are and a caring woman. Thank you for being with us. You’re listening to Health Talks with HRH. That’s Hendricks Regional Health. For more information you can go to Hendricks.org. That’s Hendricks.org. This is Melanie Cole. Thanks so much for listening.