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How do home pregnancy tests work?

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Today home pregnancy tests are so simple, common, and effective that we take for granted their operation and science behind them. You just have to urinate on a kind of pen, wait a few minutes to know the result and voilà. However, things were not like this a few decades ago.

People used frogs to detect pregnancy

You’re going to laugh, but in the 1930s and into the late 1960s, doctors used an African frog called Xenopus laevis to detect pregnancy. This test was patented by the British doctor Lancelot Hogben and was a common practice, recognized throughout the world. It was about injecting urine samples from the woman under the skin of a female frog and leaving it overnight in her tank.

The next morning the doctor checked for eggs. The human pregnancy hormone initiated the frog’s ovulation.

The science behind home pregnancy tests

The first home pregnancy test came out in 1971, but it didn’t become popular until the 1990s. The basic principle was the detection of the hormone hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) through a research technique known by the acronym: ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay).

The principle is simple and is inspired by the functioning of our own body: foreign agent-antigens enter the body and bind to antibodies, giving rise to an immune response.

This binding is used in the test to detect specific molecules.

On the one hand, the antibody binds to the antigen and on the other to an enzyme, capable of producing a visible reaction that we identify by the change of color.

How do home pregnancy tests work?

Through an animated presentation prepared by Dr. Adriana Sierra and Dr. Aldo Fernando Sosa from the Universidad de las Américas Puebla, this process is explained: “Everything works with a little urine. On the surface of the test is a kind of antibody linked to an enzyme”.

“The antibody is a receptor for the hormone Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCDG), which is present in the urine during pregnancy”.

“The structures with hCG-antibodies and the antibodies without hCG travel to the test zone where there are antibodies that are only receptors for the structures that have the hormone Gonadotropin”.

“The interaction with the hormone causes a change of color in the substrate, aroused by the enzyme. The window that is in the test area is tinted. The antibodies without the hCG travel to another control area where there are other antibody receptors, causing a change in the color of the substrate. There’s a baby!”

The line showing the result is not always intensely colored, nor does it occur at the same time, the average time is five minutes after the urine comes into contact with the reactor. However, there are times when a little more time is required. It is important to read the precise instructions for each test.

You may be interested: How breasts change during pregnancy

When to take a pregnancy test

“Menstrual delay is the first indicator that there may be a pregnancy. There are two early tests that can be done. The first is the dosage of the beta subunit in urine, buying a kit in a pharmacy and the second is the dosage in blood in a chemical laboratory”, says Dr. Rocío González, a specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics.

“Pregnancy tests are based on the detection of the hormone hCG. The end of a test strip is placed directly into the urine stream or dipped into a container where the urine was collected. A few minutes later the test strip reveals the test result. Depending on the test it is one or two lines or even the word pregnant or not pregnant”. “The point is when it is appropriate to do the test.

The sensitivity of pharmacy kits today is very high and with a few days of menstrual delay they already test positive.

But you have to keep in mind that some women can test positive with one day of menstrual delay and others may need a week of menstrual delay to test positive. In contrast, the dosage of the beta subunit in blood made in a medical laboratory is immediate.

The same day of the lack of menstruation can determine if there is a pregnancy in progress”, says the expert.

Home pregnancy tests are an easy, fast and cheap way to find out if you are expecting a baby. They are available in most pharmacies and supermarkets. Photo: PxFuel
Home pregnancy tests are an easy, fast and cheap way to find out if you are expecting a baby. They are available in most pharmacies and supermarkets. Photo: PxFuel

Don’t crave!

It is very stressful to wonder if you have are pregnant or not, but if you do not want to do a blood test, it is best to wait a bit to do a home test.

For the Mayo Clinic, the probability of obtaining a false negative with home pregnancy tests is greater if you perform it before the second day of the absence of menstruation. If we want the result to be reliable, it is a good idea to wait for the third day, or better yet, a week after the missed period. “Why is it necessary to wait?

Shortly after a fertilized egg attaches to the lining of the uterus (implantation), the placenta forms and the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is produced. This hormone enters the bloodstream and urine.

During early pregnancy, the concentration of this hormone increases rapidly, every two or three days.

The sooner you take your home pregnancy test, the more difficult it will be for the test to detect gonadotropin”, says the Mayo Clinic in the article Home Pregnancy Tests.

You can read: Vaginal discharge during pregnancy, is it normal?

How effective are home pregnancy tests?

Many home pregnancy tests claim to be 99% accurate, or even carry the slogan “before you miss your period”, but that is not entirely accurate, and the reality is that they have different capabilities.

If you take a test and the result is negative, but you think you are pregnant, repeat the test a week later or take a blood test.

“Medications to promote fertility or others that contain human chorionic gonadotropin could interfere with the results of home pregnancy tests. However, most medications, including antibiotics and birth control pills, do not affect accuracy”, Mayo Clinic explains.

The body produces the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) only when you are pregnant. Photo: Shutterstock
The body produces the hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) only when you are pregnant. Photo: Shutterstock

What factors can lead to a wrong negative result?

Until a few years ago, it was believed that false negatives could be less than 1%, but a study by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis revealed that they can be up to 5%. Why does it fail?

  • You get tested too soon.
  • You check the results too soon (read the instructions and if necessary use a timer).
  • You use diluted urine. For best results, perform the test first thing in the morning, when it is most concentrated.

To make sure of the result, it is advisable to do a second test.

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Is it possible to get a positive result and I am not pregnant?

It’s rare, but yes. They are known as false positives.

A false positive could happen if you lost a pregnancy soon after the fertilized egg had attached to the lining of the uterus (biochemical pregnancy) or if you took a pregnancy test too soon after taking a fertility drug containing human chorionic gonadotropin.

“An ectopic pregnancy, menopause, or problems with the ovaries could also contribute to misleading test results”, Mayo Clinic explains.

If your result is positive, see your doctor as soon as possible to start prenatal treatment and, if your result is negative, but you still do not have your menstrual period (amenorrhea), in addition to repeating the test or doing a blood test, it is important that your doctor evaluates other possible factors such as thyroid disorders, low body weight, ovarian problems, excessive exercise, or stress.

Remember that your health care provider can help you regulate your menstrual cycle.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version: Here

Other notes:

Regurgitation in babies: what to do when they spit up milk

7 ideas to reveal the sex of your baby

Making a Milk Bank, the quick guide

Virtual Baby Showers: a growing trend

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Turn on the computer monitor, try to charge the battery in advance and have a good internet connection. Now click on the link, turn on the microphone, the camera and voila! You are in a videoconference. But not just any videoconference, this is a very special one, the one that celebrates the arrival of your baby.

What is next?

It is seeing the faces of family and friends. From people you haven’t seen for a long time; some live in another country, and all of them are gathered to celebrate the traditional Baby Shower, now virtually.

Recently, this idea of a meeting was unthinkable for Alberto Solís, new father of Valentina who tells us that, in the midst of the pandemic, and a few weeks after the lockdown was decreed in our country, he and his partner found out that they would be parents.

Celebrating a Baby Shower never crossed his mind, “The main thing was to keep us safe and defend our unborn daughter”.

In the end, his family organized the virtual celebration.

Currently, many expectant mothers and their families are choosing to hold a baby shower online. The purpose is not to put at risk the mother’s, the baby’s and the guests’ health.

Since last March, virtual meetings have been on the rise. In Mexico, there was a 41 percent increase in the use of video conferencing in Microsoft Teams, according to data from Microsoft News.

If we have learned anything during the pandemic, it is that technology is our best friend; you can welcome your baby safely and have just as much fun with a virtual baby shower. Photo: PxFuel
If we have learned anything during the pandemic, it is that technology is our best friend; you can welcome your baby safely and have just as much fun with a virtual baby shower. Photo: PxFuel

What do you need to organize a virtual Baby Shower?

A computer, internet connection and a variety of games will be enough to celebrate a virtual Baby Shower and you will be ready to start the meeting.

“We didn’t imagine what it would be like, but it was a lot of fun to see the family play and get advice on what it means to be parents”, says Solís.

In some games, the host, who is usually the family member who organized the videoconference, must share the screen. Among the most common games for this type of celebration can be adapted to play them remotely:

  • Unscramble the words. For example: lmki (milk), apisder (diapers) or bbi (bib).
  • Charades. Send by private chat to one of the guests with the action to perform: crawl, cry, change a diaper, etc.
  • Measure the belly. They can do it with a tape measure or with toilet paper. In the distance, the guests must give their estimates.
  • Change the diaper. Blindfolded, the future parents must put a diaper on a doll in the shortest possible time.
  • The price is right. Choose some products, for example: diapers, powdered milk, baby bottles, onesies, t-shirts, blankets. Contestants must guess the price.
ACCORDING TO THE PAN AMERICAN HEALTH ORGANIZATION, A PREGNANT WOMAN IS WITHIN THE POPULATION AT RISK FOR COVID-19. DON’T RUN RISKS, BETTER GET READY FOR A BIG PARTY, BUT VIRTUALLY

It may interest you: Recovery after childbirth: how long does it take? How can I take care of myself?

A Baby Shower is a party to share the joy because a baby arrives in the family. Although it is an Anglo-Saxon tradition, little by little it has been adopted in our country. Photo: PxFuel
A Baby Shower is a party to share the joy because a baby arrives in the family. Although it is an Anglo-Saxon tradition, little by little it has been adopted in our country. Photo: PxFuel

The origin of this tradition

A Baby Shower can be held from the seventh month of pregnancy. It is customary for guests to bring gifts for the unborn baby and give advice to new parents.

The party, as we know it today, originated in the United States. However, there are sources that agree that the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans gave offerings to the mother once the baby was born.

In recent times, it is increasingly common for both parents to participate in the Baby Shower.

It can certainly be a start to include men in parenting. “I didn’t know what a baby shower was and also had no idea on what was going on, but it was fun to watch and participate in it. I think it is good that these traditions evolve under more open and inclusive parameters”, admits Alberto Solís.

It may interest you: Postpartum bleeding or lochia: what they are and when to go to the doctor

Is it a trend that has come to stay?

Virtual Baby Showers are a growing trend. They are a great opportunity for friends and family to participate in the shower of the unborn baby from the distance. With this type of gatherings, family ties have also been strengthened.

The advantages

The advantages offered by technology is to get closer and interact in a different, but fun way. “I am sure that this trend will continue because it is very functional. We learned that the family in another city or country can accompany us despite the distance”, says Sandra Salguero, who held her virtual Baby Shower with about 30 people to celebrate the arrival of her baby Neithan.

“People should not have an on-site Baby Shower in a pandemic if they love and want to raise and see their son or daughter grow up. Safety is the first thing they should focus on and see the safest alternatives that the digital world offers us”, Alberto Solís, Valentina’s father.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version

Making a Milk Bank, the quick guide

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A milk bank is not only useful for moms who are going back to the office. It is also for those who want to go out for exercising, spending a day away from home or must take a medicine that is not compatible with breastfeeding.

Ideally, you should start form three weeks to a month before you need it, so your body get used to the feeling of pumping milk with a pump, and your production gradually increases.

It is normal that, at the beginning, only little milk comes out, even less than 30 ml (one ounce), but over the time, thanks to the stimulation of your baby and the extractor, you will be producing more.

What do you need in a milk bank?

  • A manual or electric milk extractor. If it is for your office, I recommend a double and electric milk pump, so the extraction will be faster and you can do it on both breasts simultaneously. These extractors usually include a useful thermal box lunch for storing and transporting your milk.

Double and electric milk pump extractors are ideal for the office because they’re faster than manual ones.

  • Hermetic bags or bottles for storing the milk.
  • A permanent marker.
  • A lactarium. Every woman has the right to have a clean and private space to pump her milk at workplace.
  • A fridge. Ideally in the office, but if there is not one, you must put your milk in the thermal box lunch and storage it in the freezer as soon as you get home.

We recommend: Why does breastfeeding hurt so much?

How to do a milk bank?

  • Prepare the atmosphere. Choose a quiet place with a comfortable chair where you can stay for about 20 minutes. Ask someone to take care of your baby or do it while your kid is sleeping, so you can be relaxed.
  • Watch the hygiene. Always wash your hands and be sure that the extractor and the containers are clean.
  • Take out your milk between breast-feeding schedules. Do it after your baby has eaten so it won’t be hungry. A good timing is 30-60 minutes after the first intake in the morning. As the days go by, you should integrate more extraction sessions. It could be after the midday intake and at the end of the day.
  • Calculate how much milk you will need. Between one month and six months of age, a baby consumes about 25 ounces (30 ounces from 7 to 11 months) on average. Count how many times your baby eats over 24 hours and divide 25 ounces by that amount. For example, if your child eats 10 times in 24 hours, divide 25 by 10 and you will know that each feeding bottle you will need must have 2.5 ounces on average. Now calculate how many intakes your baby will have in the period you’ll be away from home and you’ll know how many ounces you’ll need to leave.
  • Freeze you milk. Once you have your milk in a bottle or a bag, write down the date and time of extraction with a marker. Try to freeze it in small quantities (one or two ounces) to avoid waste. Store it in the bottom of the freezer.
  • Defrost the one you froze first. The easiest way is to put the milk in the refrigerator the night before you’ll use it. You can also put the bag or bottle in a bowl with warm water or under running warm water. Avoid putting it in bain-marie or microwave because that could kill milk nutrients or burn your baby.

Basic rules of consumption

  • If you defrost, you shouldn’t freeze again. According to “The League of the Milk”, refreezing breast milk can cause nutrient breakdown and increases the risk of bacterial proliferation. If your baby doesn’t finish a defrosted bottle, you can give it to it in the next scheduled meal.
  • Milk lasts for three to five hours at room temperature, depending on the weather (the more heat, the faster it decomposes).
  • Freshly extracted milk can last for three to five days in the fridge at an ideal temperature of 4°C.
  • Frozen milk can last up to 6 months; however, it is not recommended to freeze it for so long because breast milk properties change as your baby grows.

It is normal that at first you get very little milk, but little by little, and thanks to your baby and the extractor stimulation, you will produce more.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version

We recommend you to read: How breasts change during pregnancy

7 ideas to reveal your baby’s gender

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Boy or girl?

Although the sex of the baby won’t determine his personality or his preferences, there is still the illusion of knowing what it will be before it is born.

And so be able to name it, plan purchases, decorate spaces and even imagine scenarios.

To share this illusion with our closest people, there are very funny and appropriate dynamics to reveal the great news in these times of healthy distance.

If you want to organize something in a garden, you could use:

A piñata

  • The most Mexican of the traditions can divinely serve to the purpose of making known your baby’s gender.
  • You just have to get a neutral piñata (white or in a question mark shape) and fill it with confetti and small balloons or balls with the color appropriate to the ad you want to make.
  • This type of piñatas do not usually break hitting them with a stick, they open rather pulling shoelaces, like those made for babies, and ideally mom and dad pull the laces at the same time, in front of all the guests.

Box full of helium balloons

  • Just as cute as the idea before mentioned, in terms of a visual show, this idea is similar to that of the piñata but in this case, the box is on the floor and, when parents open it, the balloons of the corresponding color gender will fly away.
  • You can also have the same balloons raising a sign that says “It’s a boy”, “It’s a girl” or the name you’ve chosen for the baby

Pop a giant balloon

  • This is about getting an opaque balloon (usually black) that has pink or blue confetti inside.
  • A variant of this option that involves more guests (since in the original idea only the parents of the baby blow up the balloon) is to make a board with several small balloons where only one is filled.
  • The guests take turns blowing up the balloons until someone finds the one who has the surprise.

Reveal the gender by videoconference

Shoot a video

  • What if you record yourself together for the others?
  • The first and most moving idea is to record the moment the doctor reveals you the gender at the 20-week structural ultrasound appointment.
  • So, everyone will share the emotion as if they had been there. However, you can also be recorded doing some of the above ideas in the garden.

Scraping cards

  • A super fun idea is to create cards that reveal the gender written and hidden by a layer of paint that guests will have to scrape all at the same time.
  • To make those cards you just need to have them printed anywhere and then, cover the part of the surprise with a mixture of ¼ teaspoon of liquid soap per ½ of acrylic paint of the color of your choice.
  • Let them dry and send them to your guests at the virtual event, for everyone to discover the gender of the baby at the same time.

Filled cupcakes

  • Bake or buy cupcakes with the color of your baby’s gender in their center.
  • Just like the cards, send them to your guests and arrange for everyone to take the first bite together to discover the surprise in a very sweet way.

The secret box

  • This option is the most exciting, but it means more suspense for you.
  • It’s about bringing a box the day of your structural ultrasound, asking the doctor to write down the gender of the baby on a piece of paper without telling you and putting it in a box that will be sealed and won’t be opened until the live event.
It is certainly the best way to share the excitement at the same time!
Which one would you prefer? And it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, it is a human being that will fulfill your heart with love.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version: Here

We recommend you to read: Virtual Baby Showers: a growing trend

What to eat and what to avoid if you are breastfeeding

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By: Nutritionist Raquel Pérez de León

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months. Most women can breastfeed without any problem; however, as in pregnancy, it is necessary to take care of your diet.

Feeding your baby on demand ensures that he gets everything he needs throughout the day to be healthy and grow well. This means that the volume of milk will not be affected by what you eat; yet, its composition can be altered.

So, if your dietary fat intake is deficient, the concentration of fatty acids in milk will also be low. And the same happens with some minerals such as selenium and iodine, vitamins A, D and B complex. In general, the content of carbohydrates, proteins, calcium and iron is quite constant regardless of the mother’s diet.

According to the Official Mexican Standard 043:

A complete diet is one that includes all nutrients. To achieve this, it is important to include in each meal, at least one food from each group of the Plato del buen comer (Plate of Eating Well):

  • Fruits and vegetables. All kinds and fresh ones. Remember to vary the colors, as each color of fruit or vegetable provides different vitamins and minerals.
  • Legumes and foods of animal origin. This includes high-quality proteins, such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs and legumes (beans, broad beans, lentils, chickpeas).
  • Avoid refined flours and opt for healthier carbohydrates such as brown rice, corn tortillas, oatmeal and whole wheat bread.

Fats are also important. Do not forget to include them in your diet, especially vegetables: avocado, olive oil, almonds, peanuts and walnuts.

Experts from the Mayo Clinic recommend a diet that is as varied as possible, since the consumption of different foods during breastfeeding will change the taste of breast milk but, this will teach your baby different tastes, which can help him accept solid foods more easily later on.

We recommend: What should I eat during my pregnancy?

Avoid These Foods While Breastfeeding

  • A cup of coffee a day may be safe; however caffeine can pass into breast milk and if you drink more than two or three cups, your little one could have trouble sleeping.
  • No level of alcohol is considered healthy for your baby. If you happen to drink any alcoholic beverage, you would have to wait at least four hours. If you don’t let that time pass, the alcohol in your blood will pass into your breast milk.
  • You should only avoid the one that contains high concentrations of mercury, especially swordfish, tilefish, shark and mackerel, as they can be dangerous for the development of the baby.

Adequate energy intake and a balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and animal products help ensure that women face pregnancy and lactation without deficiencies.

Spanish Association of Pediatrics

Water, vitamins and minerals

Water represents between 85 and 95% of the total volume of breast milk. Studies have shown that forcing fluid intake will not increase milk production. Of course, you will be thirstier and you will need to drink more water than before: around three liters a day.

It is important that you know that even if you take care of your diet, it is very difficult to meet all the vitamin and mineral requirements for your health and your baby’s.

It is best to continue with the multivitamin that you have taken during pregnancy. Consult it with your doctor, but remember that this will only be to complement your diet; you must eat varied, adequately and balanced.

Get down to it and recover your weight

Did you know that to produce 100 ml of milk you need 85 kilocalories? During pregnancy your body accumulated extra fat reserves, which will serve as energy for this new stage.

If you eat right, breastfeeding can help you recover your weight. A healthy woman can lose up to a pound a week and, in turn, supply enough milk to support a growing baby. If you submit to rigorous diets, the only thing you will achieve is that your body has no energy and you stop lactating.

Now you know, focus on making healthy decisions and eating a complete, sufficient, balanced and varied diet.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara

Spanish version: Here

We recommend: How do I return to my weight after giving birth?

Postpartum temazcal: an ancestral tradition

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The postpartum temazcal is a Mexican ancestral tradition that exists in different cultures since pre-Hispanic times and has been passed down from generation to generation. According to the Royal Spanish Academy (RAE), this word is of Nahuatl origin –temazcalli– and means “low adobe house where steam baths are taken”.

Currently, although the structural way of performing it has changed, this ritual continues to be carried out in many regions of our country. Women, mainly grandmothers, mothers-in-law, sisters or aunts, are the ones who have been in charge of the postpartum temazcal. “Those are the ones who transmit and pass this ritual from generation to generation”, says María Dolores Sangrador Melchor, a member of the Nanabi women’s cooperative.

The temazcal is a traditional ceremonial and therapeutic steam bath from Mesoamerica. Its origin is pre-Hispanic. It was used by women in labor after giving birth. The purpose: physical and symbolic cleaning.

“The temazcal in the traditional culture of health and Mesoamerican ethnomedicine”, Alfonso Aparicio Mena, Gazeta de Antropología.

A pre-Hispanic ceremony

María Dolores, an herbalist from Tlaxcala, has been performing this ceremony for 15 years. This ritual is inherited from her ancestors, “Doing a postpartum temazcal in a traditional way is a lesson I received from my tribe to celebrate and accompany the woman who becomes a mother and help her find balance”.

In her family, when a woman had given birth, the temazcal was held the day after the birth of the baby. The mother of the new mother went to the mountains to look for the herbs and the man lit the temazcal. A hen was also killed to prepare a broth and serve it hot to the new mom.

In María Dolores’s experience, “The postpartum temazcal helps “the milk let-down” and to remove air bags, as well as to balance the temperature of the woman, detoxify the body and dispose of the residues of some medications that have been used during labor”. Also “the hip bones close and the uterus gradually takes its place”.

Alcina Franch, in her book about the Aztecs, underlines the importance of the temazcal bath after childbirth, “Through the ritual bath, the body and spirit of the woman in labor were cleaned”.

A shelter among women

The great-great-grandmothers, great-grandmothers, grandmothers and mothers, made the postpartum temazcal with the purpose of accompanying the great-granddaughter, granddaughter, daughter or niece, “So that she recognized herself as a mother, was more aware of her motherhood and could enjoy it”, says Leticia Rodríguez Serrano, midwife from the School of Professional Midwives with a Professional Certificate.

She adds that this bath also has the purpose of listening to the woman, the partner, the older children, if there were any. The temazcal can be private, with the family or shared with other women.

“The postpartum temazcal is to give support to women. A support for that new mother who does not know what to do and who feels pain: pain in her body, in her breasts, in her soul”.

Leticia Rodriguez, midwife.

The temazcal offers warmth in all senses: to the uterus and to the body, but also it is a shelter for women: “Listening to them and providing them with support is empowering them to have self-confidence and to be able to have an organic upbringing of the baby”, says the expert, who belongs to the group of midwives and perinatal educators of Ticime Midwives.

How is it done?

The traditional postpartum temazcal is made in a small room and, at a corner, some water is poured over heated volcanic stones causing steam come out. This can be adapted and done at the woman’s home, eight or fifteen days after having the baby. Or, after quarantine.

The only requirement is that, if she had a C-section, she no longer has the stitches. Likewise, a preliminary interview is done to find out if she has high blood pressure or glucose, or some other illness.

Translated by: Ligia M. Oliver Manrique de Lara  

Spanish Version

We recommend: The three ‘R’ of childbirth

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