Classes & Events

Many of you have encountered our wonderful nursing staff at Austin Area OBGYN through phone triage, gynecological visits, infertility care, and prenatal/postnatal care. These same incredible nurses provide a variety of classes and events to help you prepare for your new baby. Click here for more information

 Diet

• Don’t skip meals. Eat sensibly—you are not eating for two!
• Eat a variety of foods to get all the nutrients you need. Recommended daily servings include 6-11 servings of breads and grains, two to four servings of fruit, four or more servings of vegetables, four servings of dairy products, and three servings of protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, eggs or nuts). Use fats and sweets sparingly.
• We recommend taking a prenatal vitamin to make sure you are consistently getting enough vitamins and minerals every day.
• Hydration—drink 8-10 glasses of water daily.
• Limit soft drinks, cakes, cookies, etc.
• Alcohol, cigarettes and recreational drugs are harmful to you and your baby and should be eliminated.
• Limit fish consumption to 12 ounces per week.
• Avoid un-pasteurized cheese products.
• Do not eat raw food of animal origin such as meat, fish, poultry or eggs.
• An average weight gain between 25-35 pounds is desired.

Coping With Nausea

• Splitting Calories—instead of eating the traditional 3 meals a day try having 5-6 small meals and light snacks. Avoid foods with strong flavors and acidic foods.
• Keep crackers or toast at the bedside and eat just before rising and throughout the day.
• Emetrol—It is a non-prescription medication for nausea that is safe in pregnancy when taken as directed.
• Ginger products—tea, ale, and ginger cookies.
• Sea Sickness wrist bands
• Vitamin B6—take 50 mg up to twice a day.
• Get plenty of rest—8 hours of sleep and several short naps (20-30 min) during the day.
• Try a different prenatal vitamin. Additionally, taking vitamins at night will most often relieve this side effect.
• If these things do not help, please call your physician.

Activity

• You may continue any exercise you are currently doing. Do not start new exercise programs while you are pregnant.
• Walking and swimming are two of the most beneficial exercises.
• You may have intercourse as long as you feel comfortable, unless otherwise instructed by your physician.
• Prenatal massage is safe in pregnancy.

Follow the links below to find out more!

Cosmetic Services

Colposcopy aided with DYSIS technology

CBR is our preferred provider for cord blood banking

Pelvic Floor Muscle Training aimed at resolving incontinence

ACOG – The American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, formerly known as The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, is an excellent source for patient education. You can search for information by typing your topic in the “Search Pamphlets” box on the left hand side.

Cord Blood Banking – Information provided by CBR.

Mayo Clinic – Provides useful and up-to-date information and tools for a healthy living.

WebMd – Considered to be one of the leading sources for trustworthy and timely health and medical news and information. 

eMedicine – A clinical reference that includes information on topics, such as obstetrics and gynecology.

Up to Date For Patients – You’ll find free brief overviews written by physicians on over 8,300 medical topics, plus the ability to subscribe for more detailed information.

US National Library of Medicine – From the campus of NIH (National Institutes of Health) in Bethesda, Maryland, this is the world’s largest medical library.

CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This website provides credible information on women’s health at every stage of life. The main page for the CDC can also be accessed at: http://www.cdc.gov/ Pregnancy Weekly ­– Information for moms during their 40 weeks of pregnancy, popular baby names, pregnancy symptoms, and health and fitness. Patients can also sign up to receive weekly newsletters.

Heartburn, gas and bloating, upset stomach, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

• Antacids for heartburn (Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids, Tums)
• Simethicone for gas pains (Gas-X, Maalox Anti-Gas, Mylanta Gas, Mylicon)
• Prilosec OTC

Cough or cold

• Guaifenesin, an expectorant (Mucinex)
• Dextromethorphan, a cough suppressant (Robitussin)
• Guaifenesin plus dextromethorphan (Robitussin DM, Mucinex DM);Cough drops Vicks VapoRub
• Avoid cold remedies that contain alcohol. Also avoid the decongestants pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, which can affect blood flow to the placenta.

Pain relief, headache, and fever

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Allergy relief

• Benadryl, Flonase, Zyrtec, Claritin, Normal Saline Spray, Neti-pot with packaged saline.

Constipation, hemorrhoids, and diarrhea

• Psyllium (Konsyl-D, Metamucil, Modane Bulk, Perdiem) Polycarbophil (Equalactin, Fiber-Lax, FiberNorm, Konsyl-Fiber, Mitrolan)
• Methylcellulose (Citrucel, Unifiber)
• Other laxatives and stool softeners (Colace, Dulcolax, Maltsupex, milk of magnesia, MIRALAX)
• Hemorrhoid creams (Anusol, Preparation H, Tucks)
• Anti-diarrhea medication Loperamide (Imodium)

Yeast infections and other fungal infections such as athlete’s foot

• Clotrimazole (Cruex, Gyne-Lotrimin 3, Lotrimin AF, Mycelex 7)
• Miconazole (Monistat 3)
• Terbinafine (Lamisil AT)
• Tioconazole (Monistat 1, Vagistat 1)
• Butoconazole (Femstat 3, Mycelex 3)
• Butenafine (Lotrimin Ultra)
• Tolnaftate (Absorbine Athlete’s Foot Cream, Absorbine Footcare, Genaspor, Tinactin)
• Undecylenic Acid and derivatives (Cruex, Desenex, Fungi Cure, Tinacide)
• Certain Cruex, Desenex, and Fungi Cure products may contain other antifungal agents not listed here that should not be used during pregnancy. Check the labels carefully.

Insomnia

• Doxylamine succinate (Unisom Nighttime Sleep-Aid)
• Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Tylenol PM)

First-aid preparations

• Cortaid, Lanacort, Polysporin

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

• Prilosec OTC

Gas

• Simethicone (Gas-X ®, Mylicon ®, Phazyme ®)

Unlike most OB/GYN practices, we provide intrauterine inseminations in our office. Essentially, we can provide most infertility treatments before patients need a referral to a specialist for expensive in vitro techniques.

Click here to download our Fertility Packet
The above fertility packet includes some basic information about your next steps as well as a glossary of terms.

How common is it for a couple to have difficulty conceiving?
Approximately one in six couples will experience infertility after one year of attempting conception. Is infertility more likely to be a “male problem” or a “female problem”? Male problems (low sperm counts, motility, etc) and “female problems (ovulation, tubal blockage, endometriosis, etc) have about the same likelihood of resulting in infertility. In approximately one third of cases, combined (male and female) issues exist.

Can Austin Area OB/GYN and Fertility help?
We are very proud of our high percentages of success stories. Please call for an appointment. What happens at a “Fertility Consult”? The process of diagnosing possible causes begins. We recognize this can be a difficult journey and we are honored to assist and support you in it.

• We begin with a medical history, with emphasis on possible infertility causes. A review of menstrual cycles can often determine if ovulation is a likely problem. Painful periods may reveal clues for endometriosis. Heavy bleeding may be a sign of uterine fibroids.
• A pelvic exam is the next step
• A pelvic ultrasound may be indicated to further identify possible fertility issues
• Laboratory tests may be ordered for ovulation testing, semen analysis, hormone analysis

What if ovulation is the problem?
Ovulation enhancing medication can often be an easy fix. These medications can be prescribed and monitored by your Austin Area OB/GYN provider.

What if the semen analysis reveals Male Factor infertility?
Supplements can help. Urology consultation may be necessary and a simple technique known as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) can be performed in the office.

What if I need surgery to diagnose or treat fertility problems?
All of the Austin Area OB/GYN physicians are experts in minimally invasive surgery. Diagnostic laparoscopy can be performed in an outpatient setting with only band-aid incisions and rapid recovery.