Simone Scully

Postpartum OCD is a treatable mental health condition that typically occurs within 6 weeks after the birth of a child. Becoming aware of the signs and symptoms may help you cope. After the birth of their newborn child, birthing individuals may notice…

If you’ve been trying to conceive for more than a year, you may be experiencing infertility. Most medical professionals define infertility as the inability to get pregnant after 1 year or longer of sex without birth control. If you’re over 35 years…

Gestational surrogacy, also known as IVF surrogacy or host surrogacy, is the process where a person carries a pregnancy for someone else — the “intended parents.” During this process, the gestational surrogate becomes pregnant through in vitro…

There are smiles and warm greetings as parents log on. One dad cracks a joke about grabbing a drink for anyone that wants one. The couples that know each other from previous sessions exchange compliments over new haircuts and tease someone about how…

The last few weeks of pregnancy — and the first few after baby is born — are uncomfortable, sometimes even painful. Your hips hurt, your back hurts, you’ve likely got heartburn, and your belly is always in the way. Then, when baby comes, your whole…

“Just wait until you have kids…” For years, I’d cringe when I heard those words. The very idea that you had to change after having kids bothered me. I found it insulting, demeaning, outdated, and even a little sexist. It conjured images of the 1950s…

By the time you got pregnant, chances are you saw plenty of people on TV and in movies having painful, difficult births, complete with lots of screaming and crying (and maybe a spouse’s hand being squished, too). But what if birth didn’t have to be…

When it comes to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you may wonder whether nature or nurture plays the largest role in causing it. For example, say more than one of your children has been diagnosed with ADHD. Maybe you’re wondering if…

As anyone who’s ever been pregnant can probably tell you, there’s a lot of talk about how you feed your baby, whether that’s breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, pumping, formula — or some combination of these. But the term “breastfeeding” doesn’t apply…

There are lots of aches and pains that come with being pregnant. Whether it’s your hips that scream in pain after a long day on your feet or your back that throbs as it supports your growing bump or your swollen feet, chances are a massage sounds…

So, you went to the drugstore, bought a pregnancy test, and peed on the stick. Then you waited for those what-feel-like-forever minutes until the result showed up. And it’s positive. Now what? First: Breathe. Whether you got the result you wanted…

Over 1.2 million mothers in the United States deliver their babies by cesarean section every year. According to the CDC, that’s roughly 31.9 percent of all deliveries performed in the country, making it the most common surgery performed…

Toward the end of your pregnancy, you might start producing a clear, golden-yellow, or light orange, milky fluid in your breasts. This is called colostrum. Some people refer to it as “first milk” or “liquid gold.” Colostrum is packed full of…

Your first period after a miscarriage will typically look and feel different from the ones you usually have. Exactly what symptoms you’ll experience mostly depends on how long you carried the pregnancy and what your normal flow is like. Here’s what…

What Are Leopold Maneuvers? Leopold maneuvers are a series of four maneuvers used to determine the position and presentation of your baby in-utero, as well as estimate your baby's weight.1 "This process allows medical professionals to not only make a…

What Does Marie Mean? Marie is a traditional French name that is believed to have several meanings because the name has a complicated origin story. In France, Marie came from the Latin "stella maris," which means "star of the sea." However, it is…

Pregnancy and breastfeeding can change the shape, size, and look of your breasts — so if you have breast implants and you’re pregnant (or you’re thinking about becoming pregnant), it’s only natural to have questions. Here’s a look at some frequently…

What Is Chromotubation? Chromotubation (also known as chromopertubation) is a medical procedure where a blue dye solution is injected into the fallopian tubes in order to determine if there are any blockages.1 It is performed as part of a type of…

It's no secret that exercising when you're pregnant is good for both you and your baby. It can reduce some of your symptoms like aches and pains, improve your blood circulation, manage your weight gain, and help you sleep.1 "Exercise is extremely…

Some people get their periods like clockwork. Others… not so much. If it feels like Aunt Flo’s arrival date is always a mystery for you, you probably have an irregular menstrual cycle. Irregular periods have a bunch of possible causes, from stress to…