By Reena Talreja-Pelaez, MD It’s time of year for new beginnings and New Year’s Resolutions! Many patients share their New Year’s goals and aspirations with us. Often health-related, these resolutions range from exercising more to eating healthier to taking vitamins. And as we all know, many of these resolutions fall by the wayside within weeks… Read more
What if we told you that there was an elixir on planet earth that could help protect your baby from ear infections, bronchitis, pneumonia, diarrhea, urinary tract infections, and many other ailments. What if this so-called elixir lasted into your child’s teenage years thus reducing his/her risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and allergies. Would… Read more
Pregnancy can take a toll on a woman’s body. So we put together some tips that will help with the healing process after delivering a baby. This by no means is a substitute for what your doctor advises you to do. Rest This is a pretty obvious tip, but can often be forgotten or ignored…. Read more
In the past, many women thought of menopause as a sign that their lives were nearly over because they no longer felt useful. That they could no longer enjoy intimacy or bear any children. This was the past and fortunately today, women view menopause as a new and exciting phase of life. Maintaining a healthy… Read more
Your last delivery was a C-Section and you are pregnant again. Should you attempt a vaginal birth this time? The answer requires an in-depth look at what prompted the need for a C-Section in the first place, your personal wishes and how your pregnancy is progressing. Once all of the facts are known, making a… Read more
Now that you are pregnant you are literally eating for two. While most of the emphasis on nutrition will be on providing your baby with all of the nutrients needed to support growth, there are some foods which can potentially cause harm to you and your baby. Some of these foods are common and would… Read more
Obstetrics and gynecology are medical specialties that focus on two different aspects of the female reproductive system. At Virginia Beach OBGYN we provide care to women in all phases of their lives whether they are having a baby or are past menopause. Obstetrics deals with the care of the pregnant women, the unborn baby, labor… Read more
The Zika virus has been in the news lately and many of our maternity patients are confused and alarmed due to conflicting data and heartbreaking photos of South American babies born with smaller than average head size. The facts about Zika are simple; the virus only can affect a woman if she is already pregnant…. Read more
“Molly Lovebug” Eight weeks ago today was my due date. Forty-eight hours later, Molly was born. Two months of crying (both mom and baby), laughing (with and at each other) and I am finally ready to blog about it all. I tried to write a post about two weeks postpartum, but my husband gently commented… Read more
My entire life has been a series of planned behaviors broken down into four year increments. Here’s how I see it: during four years of high school, I planned how to get into a good college. And the next four years of college focused on attaining access to medical school. Next, four year of medical… Read more
In the last ten years practicing obstetrics, I’ve heard countless women state they entered pregnancy with a higher body weight than they would have liked. I’ve counseled patients in the preconception time period regarding optimizing health prior to pregnancy and for many this includes recommendations for weight reduction to enhance the ability to conceive and… Read more
So I officially have that “waddle” thing going on. By the end of each day, it looks like a bonifide limp. I wish we called it the pregnancy “saunter” or maybe even “swagger”, something that sounds a little less like the movements of a large marine mammal. I now weigh more than my husband, a… Read more
Let’s talk about … Wait, what?!? It’s OK, I’m your gynecologist. You can talk to me about … (sex!). The vast majority of my patients have the “logistics” of it down, it’s the libido part (or lack thereof) that plagues most of us. Well … I’m going to tell you something that maybe no other… Read more
My husband is very thoughtful. He is the better cook and despite his propensity to create meals with chili powder and Sriracha, he has taken to making me deliciously bland foods as third trimester heartburn rages. He tracks each week of pregnancy with his fruit/vegetable comparison calendar and tries to incorporate that item into a… Read more
Yes, most of us know we should lose weight. Our doctors tell us. Women’s magazines tell us. Our mirrors tell us. We know losing weight will reduce our risk of medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes. We will have more energy. We will fit more comfortably in our clothing. The problem is getting… Read more
I am admittedly a terrible patient. Often those who work in the medical field are chastised for taking poor care of themselves despite spending hours daily caring for others. Now I’m in a new position, with a new patient perspective — when office visits and acting as a “good patient” are no longer about me…. Read more
by Mary A. Burns, M.D., FACOG, FPMRS In medicine, there are quite a few conditions women encounter that they may find too embarrassing to bring up to their doctor. Low libido, bladder leakages, fear of STDs are just a few to name. However, for the 14 million women who encounter accidental bowel leakage, I think… Read more
Those that have, you know what I mean. For those that haven’t, please let me explain. You are comfortable and you have no sensation to urinate, but as soon as you arrive home and place the key in the front door or turn the doorknob you develop an overwhelming sudden urge to urinate. Often you will even start to… Read more
One of the most common challenges that our society and our patients face is maintaining a healthy weight. Obesity is both a national epidemic and a personal struggle for many patients and for me. In my patient population and personal life, certain choices are consistently associated with success in weight loss and weight maintenance. These… Read more
One of the most common complaints among my patients is that of poor sleep. From difficulty falling asleep to middle of the night awakening to restlessness with poor sleep quality–the complaints keep coming! Whether you are an expectant mother struggling to sleep, or a new mom trying to get much-needed rest, there are several things… Read more