-
FAQs About Delivery, Breastfeeding and Postpartum Care with Multiple Sclerosis
Read More: FAQs About Delivery, Breastfeeding and Postpartum Care with Multiple SclerosisPregnancy is an exciting time. But if you’re living with multiple sclerosis (MS) you probably have questions about how the chronic disease may impact your birthing plan, treatment plan and plans for breastfeeding. MS can be unpredictable and relapses can have a severe impact on your quality of life. So, it’s important to talk to…
-
Access, Health care, Health disparities, Labor, Labor & delivery, Newborn, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting
Can Living in the U.S. Increase Your Risk of Preterm Birth?
Read More: Can Living in the U.S. Increase Your Risk of Preterm Birth?If you’re a woman giving birth in the United States, you’re more likely to have a preterm delivery than women in most developed nations. If you’re Black or Native American, the chances of experiencing preterm birth are even higher, along with the risk of dying from pregnancy-related causes. In 2021, a little over one in…
-
What’s Behind the US Baby Formula Shortage – and How to Make Sure It Doesn’t Happen Again
Read More: What’s Behind the US Baby Formula Shortage – and How to Make Sure It Doesn’t Happen AgainBy Steven A. Abrams, University of Texas at Austin A baby formula shortage has added to the woes of American parents already confronted with the pressures of raising an infant during a pandemic in a country ranked low for family-friendly policies. Media reports have highlighted the plight of mothers, fathers and caregivers across the U.S.…
-
I Made a Promise to My Son
Read More: I Made a Promise to My SonAs told to Jaimie Seaton When our son Aidan was in pre-K, the teachers wanted to put him in a gifted school. But I felt like he was still a baby, and I wanted him to have a normal childhood and not be overwhelmed with schoolwork, so my husband and I opted to keep him…
-
Newborn Screening Saves Lives: What Parents Need to Know
Read More: Newborn Screening Saves Lives: What Parents Need to KnowElisa Seeger’s son Aidan was 6 1/2 years old when he started having vision problems. Seeger thought her son just needed glasses, but after what she calls a “diagnostic odyssey,” going from one specialist to another, she learned that he had a rare genetic neurological disorder called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). The once active first grader, who…
-
Hypertension Forced Me to Have My Baby Preterm. There Were No Warning Signs.
Read More: Hypertension Forced Me to Have My Baby Preterm. There Were No Warning Signs.As told to Nicole Audrey Spector As a maternal fetal medicine nurse, I’m used to running around from one patient to the next. But on that day in December 2012, the floor was unusually quiet. So I figured, “What the heck? May as well go have my fetal stress test done.” Just shy of 36…
-
Delivery, Diabetes, High blood pressure, Labor, Miscarriage, Newborn, Pregnancy, Premature birth, smoking, Vaccines
Clinically Speaking: Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider About Preterm Birth
Read More: Clinically Speaking: Questions to Ask Your Healthcare Provider About Preterm BirthMedically reviewed by Dr. Zsakeba Henderson A baby is considered premature when born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. While researchers are trying to uncover insights into the causes and prevention of preterm birth, the United States is still facing a crisis, according to Dr. Zsakeba Henderson, deputy chief medical and health officer at the March…
-
Iron Deficiency Anemia Can Cause Serious Problems for Pregnant Moms and Their Babies
Read More: Iron Deficiency Anemia Can Cause Serious Problems for Pregnant Moms and Their BabiesCarrie Jones was in her second trimester when her hemoglobin test came back with a low red blood cell count. “I wasn’t too surprised because my iron was low before I got pregnant — I couldn’t give blood,” she said. Jones is one of millions worldwide diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia (IDA), a common condition…
-
Anxiety, Breastfeeding, Depression, Medication safety, mental health, Newborn, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Prescription drugs, Real women real stories, Self-Care, sleep, Stress
When Postpartum Depression Hit, I Heard Only the Lies My Depression Told Me
Read More: When Postpartum Depression Hit, I Heard Only the Lies My Depression Told MeAs told to Erica Rimlinger After trying to conceive for over a year, my husband and I were thrilled when we learned I was pregnant with my daughter. I was so excited I read about natural ways to support my changing body, hired a doula and prepared for the birth. My pregnancy was a smooth…
-
Access, Health disparities, Labor, Labor & delivery, Newborn, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Racial disparities
Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek out Black Obstetricians
Read More: Trying to Avoid Racist Health Care, Black Women Seek out Black ObstetriciansIn South Florida, when people want to find a Black physician, they often contact Adrienne Hibbert through her website, Black Doctors of South Florida. “There are a lot of Black networks that are behind the scenes,” said Hibbert, who runs her own marketing firm. “I don’t want them to be behind the scenes, so I’m…
-
Anxiety, Breastfeeding, Childcare, Delivery, Infant, Labor, mental health, Midlife pregnancy, Newborn, Parenting, Postpartum, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Stress, Toddler
Pregnant Women’s Brains Show Troubling Signs of Stress – but Feeling Strong Social Support Can Break Those Patterns
Read More: Pregnant Women’s Brains Show Troubling Signs of Stress – but Feeling Strong Social Support Can Break Those PatternsBy Rebecca Brooker, Texas A&M University and Tristin Nyman, Texas A&M University Even before the pandemic, there was plenty for expectant mothers to worry about. Pregnant women must withstand a barrage of arguably well-intentioned, but often hyperbolic, warnings about their health and what’s to come, including concerns about everything from what to eat, to what…
-
Why the FDA Is Warning Pregnant Women Not to Use Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
Read More: Why the FDA Is Warning Pregnant Women Not to Use Over-the-Counter Pain RelieversBy C. Michael White, University of Connecticut The Food and Drug Administation issued a warning on Oct. 15, 2020 to both health care professionals and women about the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) after 20 weeks of pregnancy. This comes after the FDA added its post-marketing surveillance data to the accumulating information appearing in…
-
Anxiety, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Labor & delivery, mental health, Newborn, Pregnancy, Pregnancy & parenting, Stress
Pregnancy During a Pandemic: the Stress of COVID-19 on Pregnant Women and New Mothers Is Showing
Read More: Pregnancy During a Pandemic: the Stress of COVID-19 on Pregnant Women and New Mothers Is ShowingBy Jennifer C. Ablow, University of Oregon and Elinor Sullivan, Oregon Health & Science University Pregnancy is stressful, to say the least, but COVID-19 brings new challenges to parents of newborns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified pregnant women as a vulnerable population. If infected, they are more likely to be hospitalized…
-
Black Women Turn to Midwives to Avoid COVID and ‘Feel Cared For’
Read More: Black Women Turn to Midwives to Avoid COVID and ‘Feel Cared For’By Rachel Scheier, Kaiser Health News From the moment she learned she was pregnant late last year, TaNefer Camara knew she didn’t want to have her baby in a hospital bed. Already a mother of three and a part-time lactation consultant at Highland Hospital in Oakland, Camara knew a bit about childbirth. She wanted to…
-
Breastfeeding, Fourth trimester, Health disparities, Infant, Newborn, Postpartum, Pregnancy & parenting
Closing the Racial Gap in Breastfeeding
Read More: Closing the Racial Gap in BreastfeedingLike nearly every new mother, Sanpri Purdy-Porter was exhausted after giving birth. Breastfeeding while recovering from a Cesarean section was difficult, and the North Carolina physical therapist didn’t get the help she needed to nurse successfully. “With my first child I definitely lacked support and knowledge for breastfeeding,” said Purdy-Porter, who is Black. “I was…
