Thoughtful Christmas Gifts for your Pregnant Friend.

If you’re pregnant and seeking natural, effective ways to prepare for childbirth, then think about popping acupressure in your toolkit — it’s a time-tested practice rooted in Chinese medicine. This holistic approach is safe and effective and offers incredible benefits during pregnancy, labour and post-nataly, helping you to navigate the journey with more ease and confidence, ultimately leading to a more empowered birth.

Finding the perfect gift for a mum-to-be can be tricky – you want something that's both practical and special. We've curated a selection of carefully chosen items that will make her pregnancy and early postpartum journey more comfortable.

Pre-eclampsia is considered a serious pregnancy complication that requires prompt medical attention. It occurs after 20 weeks gestation and in rarer cases, can develop after birth (this is called ‘postpartum pre-eclampsia’). Between five and ten percent of preterm births in Australia are due to pre-eclampsia and its associated symptoms.

Noninvasive Prenatal Testing (NIPT) is a blood screening test that determines the risk of your baby being born with certain chromosomal abnormalities, such as trisomy 21, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13. It’s commonly called the Harmony Test and is done at 10 weeks gestation. It’s also an opportunity to find out the sex of your baby earlier than an ultrasound. In these stories, women share the reasons why they opted to have a NIPT.

Following your 12 week combined screening test, results may show low PAPP-A. This isn’t uncommon but it’s also not something that’s commonly discussed between friends or in pregnancy forums, hence it can be overwhelming at first.

If you are preparing for your glucose tolerance test between 24 to 28 weeks (or earlier if you have a history of insulin resistance), you may be wondering what gestational diabetes is and how it affects your pregnancy.

Chances are you’ve never heard of cytomegalovirus, even though you’ve likely had it. It’s a very common virus in the herpes virus family with 50 per cent of Australians having been infected by young adulthood and up to 85 per cent by 40 years of age.

If you’re nearing the end of your pregnancy, you’re likely taking note of every little twinge. It can quickly become allconsuming, especially if you’re past your estimated due date and well and truly over being pregnant.