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Pregnancy
Expecting parents — week-by-week guides, nutrition, tests, and care.
Braxton Hicks vs Real Contractions: How to Tell the Difference
Braxton Hicks tighten and let go without ever finding a rhythm. Real contractions get longer, stronger and closer together, and they ignore whatever you do to stop them. Here is the side-by-side, the practical test, and when to call regardless of what your timer says.
Caffeine During Pregnancy: How Much Is Safe? (The 200 mg Rule)
Almost every guideline lands on the same ceiling: under 200 mg of caffeine a day in pregnancy. Here's what that is in real mugs, cans and squares of chocolate — and how strong the evidence behind the number really is.
Hospital Bag Checklist: What to Pack for Labor (2026 Guide)
Most "what to pack" lists are someone else's bag. Here's the framework for building yours: three bags (you, your partner, baby), tuned to your delivery type, with the items hospitals don't tell you about until you're already there.
How Much Water Do You Need During Pregnancy?
ACOG says 8 to 12 cups a day, and the IOM sets an adequate intake of 3.0 L of total water for pregnancy. Here is where those numbers come from, and why your body weight, your activity and the weather matter more than your trimester.
Normal Kick Count Patterns: How Many Kicks Should You Feel?
Guidelines are clear that there is no set number of movements that counts as normal. Here is when kicks start, when a real pattern forms, how the count-to-10 method actually works, and why reduced movement is an immediate phone call, day or night, rather than a wait-and-see.
Ovulation 101: When You Are Actually Fertile
Your fertile days are a six-day window that closes on the day you ovulate. Here is where those days fall, how cycle length moves them, and what cervical mucus, LH tests and basal body temperature each actually tell you.
The 5-1-1 Rule: When to Go to the Hospital During Labor
The 5-1-1 rule is shorthand: contractions 5 minutes apart, 1 minute long, for 1 hour. But it's a starting point, not the only signal. Here's how to read your contractions, what your provider really needs to know when you call, and the cases where you don't wait for 5-1-1 at all.