Latest News

Office Closed Monday, May 27th

Our office will be closed on Monday May 27, 2013 in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen for normal business hours on Tuesday May 28, 2013 at 8:30 AM.

Genetic Screening

1 in every 100 children is born with a genetic disease, usually to parents with no family history of the disease. World Health Organization, Human Genetics Program

For couples who are expecting or considering pregnancy, we offer genetic carrier screening. There are many types of genetic diseases. Some of these diseases are termed recessive, meaning that a person has to have two copies of an abnormal gene in order to show symptoms of the disease. If a person has only one copy of an abnormal gene, they are asymptomatic but are considered a “carrier” for the disease. When two parents are carriers for the same genetic disease their children have a 1 in 4 chance of having that disease. The screening we offer through Counsyl tests to see if you and/or your partner are carriers for any of the several more common recessive genetic diseases. Some of the more common diseases included in the screen are cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia, spinal muscular atrophy, and Tay-Sachs.

For more information, please visit the Counsyl website http://www.counsyl.com or speak with your physician.

Pregnancy and the Flu

The 2012-2013 flu season has been especially hard hitting with 47 of 50 states reporting widespread outbreaks of influenza. It is the recommendation from both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that ALL pregnant women receive the flu vaccine. This vaccine is recommended for women who will be pregnant during flu season (Oct-May).

For the official statement regarding flu vaccine please visit ACOG’s news release 

Text 4 Baby- New Pregnancy Info

Sign up for Text4baby! Receive weekly text messages with health updates throughout your pregnancy and babies first year. You can also sign up for prenatal and well child check appointment reminders.

Text4baby is a program of the nonprofit National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition and is endorsed by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the Centers for Disease Control.

Sign up by texting BABY to 511411. You can cancel the service at any time. No text message fees are associated with the text messages for service.

Visit text4baby.org for more information. Also visit their link Health Info for Moms for useful phone numbers that connect you to the help you need to care for your newborn.

Pertussis – What’s the Fuss?

Pertussis is more commonly known as the whooping cough. It is a highly contagious respiratory illness that effects all ages, but can be potentially very serious in infants. Pertussis usually begins with cold type symptoms and a mild cough lasting two weeks. Fever is rare. These symptoms are then followed by weeks to months of severe coughing spells which can be life threatening in infants. There continues to be increases in pertussis infections both in our state and nationwide.

Infants are most likely infected from an older sibling, caregiver, or adult. Protection from pertussis vaccination tends to wear off after 5-10 years, therefore, all persons aged 10-64 should be vaccinated with Tdap (pertussis vaccine).  Parents of young children, pregnant women, childcare workers, and healthcare workers are top priority for vaccination.

If you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or have an infant at home, please contact your health care provider regarding a Tdap (pertussis) booster.  Tdap vaccine can be given regardless of when you last received a tetanus shot; there is no waiting period needed. Here at Piedmont OB/GYN we offer Tdap vaccination. New CDC guidelines recommend vaccination with Tdap for all unvaccinated patients during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. It is also offered to all mothers after delivery at the Greenville Health System. For more information, visitwww.scdhec.gov/pertussis or www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/pertussis/default.htm

Midwifery Care

Piedmont OB/GYN is now offering comprehensive nurse-midwifery care. This is an exciting new addition to our practice. For patients that are interested in midwifery care, please call to schedule an appointment with one of our nurse-midwives. If you are an existing obstetric patient and wish to explore the possibility of midwifery care for the remainder of your pregnancy and delivery, you can request to schedule your next obstetric visit with one of our midwives. These appointments will be offered at our Highway 14 location starting on January 11, 2012.

Robotic Surgery

Are you facing hysterectomy or another major surgical procedure? You may be a candidate for da Vinci Robotic Surgery. This exciting, cutting edge surgical advancement allows your surgeon to provide complex surgical procedures with minimal invasion and incisions.

Here at Piedmont OB/GYN, Drs. Kristen MacClenahan, MD and Dr. Mark Moore, MD, trained robotic surgeons, offer this exciting surgical option to patients in need. A da Vinci hysterectomy offers several advantages over traditional hysterectomy, including:

1.       Significantly less pain

2.       Less blood loss and need for transfusion

3.       Less risk of infection

4.       Shorter hospital stay

5.       Quicker recovery and return to normal activities

6.       Small incisions and minimal scarring

If you are facing hysterectomy, please call to schedule an appointment with Drs. Moore or MacClenahan to see if you are a candidate for this innovative, minimally invasive surgical procedure.

For more information, please visit www.piedmontgynrobotics.com

Osteoporosis Resources

May is National Osteoporosis Prevention/Awareness month. Osteoporosis is a major health threat for 44 million Americans. Ten million Americans have the disease and an estimated 34 million have low bone mass placing them at increased risk. Eighty percent of those affected by osteoporosis are women and on average one in two women over the age of 50 will break a bone due to this disease.

Risk Factors for Osteoporosis

1. Older age
2. Female
3. Family history of osteoporosis or broken bones
4. Small and thin body type
5. Smoking
6. Diet low in calcium and vitamin D
7. Inactive lifestyle
8. Alcohol abuse
9. Certain medications (steroids, immunosuppressants, anticonvulsants)

Steps to Prevent Osteoporosis

1. Get your daily recommended amounts of calcium and vitamin D. For premenopausal women (typically age 19-49) recommended daily calcium is 1000mg and 400-800 IU of vitamin D. For postmenopausal women or those 50 and older the recommended dose is 1200 mg of calcium and 800-1,000 IU of vitamin D.
2. Engage in regular weight bearing exercise and muscle strengthening
3. Avoid smoking or excessive alcohol intake
4. Talk to your health care provider about bone health
5. Have a bone density test and take medication when needed

Calcium supplements

1. Take your supplements with food. Most supplements work best if taken with a meal or snack.
2. Don’t take all of your supplements at the same time. Your body can only absorb 600mg of calcium at one time.
3. Calcium citrate is one form of calcium supplementation. This can be taken with or without food.
4. Don’t take supplements that come from unrefined oyster shell, bone meal, or dolomite.
5. Use a supplement that has added vitamin D

All information provided by the National Osteoporosis Foundation. For more information please visit www.nof.org

Weight Gain Guidelines For Pregnancy

In an attempt to promote better health for mothers and their infants, the Institute of Medicine revised the recommendations for weight gain in pregnancy in May of 2009. The following summarizes these recommendations. For further information, please visitwww.iom.edu/pregnancyweightgain.

The new recommendations for healthy weight gain in pregnancy are based on prepregnancy BMI. BMI is based on your height and weight. To calculate your BMI visit www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ or for those of you with an iphone/ Ipod touch download the BMIapp (it’s free).  Then see where you fall on the chart below to determine a healthy weight gain for your pregnancy.

Prepregnancy BMI	BMI (kg/m2)	Total Weight Gain (lbs)	Rate of Weight Gain in 2nd and 3rd trimesters (mean range in lbs/wk)
Underweight	<18.5	28-40	1(1-1.3)
Normal weight	18.5-24.9	25-35	1(0.8-1)
Overweight	25.0-29.9	15-25	0.6(0.5-0.7)
Obese	>30	11-20	0.5(0.4-0.6)

The total weight gain recommendations assume a weight gain of 1.1 to 4.4 lbs weight gain in the first trimester.

If you have any questions regarding these recommendations, please ask at your next appointment. Here’s to a happier, healthier pregnancy for both mom and baby!

Latest News

• Office Closed Monday, May 27thOur office will be closed on Monday May 27, 2013 in observance of Memorial Day. We will reopen for normal Read more →
• Genetic Screening1 in every 100 children is born with a genetic disease, usually to parents with no family history of the Read more →
• Pregnancy and the FluThe 2012-2013 flu season has been especially hard hitting with 47 of 50 states reporting widespread outbreaks of influenza. It Read more →