In an ongoing effort to understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Interactive Autism Network is launching another online survey (the Pregnancy and Birth Questionnaire) about the pregnancy and birth experiences of mothers raising children with autism. Researchers will analyze any “potential links between prenatal, pereinatal, or neonatal factors” and autism, such as specific medications, foods, fertility treatments, ultrasounds, pregnancy and birth complications (including illness or infection), and induced labor.
Mariah Carey showed off a new painted belly over the weekend. This time she sported a giant Easter egg belly featuring a blue and a pink heart as a nod to “Dem Babies” as Carey likes to call her twins-to-be. As with her previous butterfly belly art, she posted the photo on Twitter saying “HAPPY EASTER! Ummm.. READY!!!!!!!!!!!! Done and done.”
Carey is due to deliver her twins any day now, so it’s no surprise she’s ready to meet her babies, but we’ll miss her painted bellies.
A new National Institutes of Health study found that progesterone reduced the rate of preterm birth before the 33rd week of pregnancy by 45 percent for one category of at risk women.
The study, published online in Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology today, focused on women who had a short cervix, which is a risk factor for preterm birth. Progesterone is a naturally occurring pregnancy hormone, and a short cervix may be a sign of a progesterone shortage.
Beyond reducing the risk of early delivery, the progesterone treated women’s babies were less likely to develop respiratory distress syndrome, a common breathing complication of preterm infants.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 1 in every 8 babies in the U.S. are born prematurely each year. Preterm infants are at high risk of long term health and developmental problems including learning disabilities, blindness, deafness, cerebal palsy, and early death.
So for women with a short cervix — which can be identified through routine ultrasound screenings — progesterone treatment could be an important way to increase the length of pregnancy, resulting in healthier babies.
Mariah Carey gave her pregnant belly an artsy makeover on Sunday in honor of her 42nd birthday, and she shared her butterfly belly art on Twitter for all to see. She called it an attempt at festiveness and says she is so ready already!
Surprisingly Carey, who is expecting twins in a few weeks with her husband Nick Cannon, still felt like celebrating after her pregnancy scare over the weekend. She went to the hospital thinking the babies were coming early, but it was a false alarm.
In true Carey style, she chose a hand-painted butterfly for her belly art, with the phrase “dem babies.” Since the couple is expecting a boy and a girl, the butterfly’s half blue and half pink design is likely a tribute to her babies-to-be.
Womb transplants may soon become an option for women born without a womb, or those who’ve had their wombs removed due to disease. Animal experiments have been successful and now doctors are ready to try implanting donor wombs into the body’s of wombless women desiring to conceive and carry their own baby, according to an article in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Research.
A womb transplant wouldn’t be easy, or budget-friendly though — a close tissue match must be found (from a mom or sister for example) and immunosuppressant drugs would be required to prevent organ rejection, a c-section is a must because transplanted wombs wouldn’t be able to handle the strain of natural childbirth, women would likely need IVF to become pregnant in the first place, and the womb would need to be removed after one or two pregnancies.
As a medical advancement, the possibility of a womb transplant is impressive, but do we really need to go there? IVF and other fertility treatments can help pregnancy become a reality for many women, and for women who can’t conceive and carry their own child even with those technologies, this may be the only answer — but should there be a point at which we say there simply isn’t an answer? Even with the ability of womb transplant technology, very few women will be able to afford the costly production it requires, and many are still questioning the safety of the procedure.
You know that new moms often experience depression and severe mood swings, but now new research confirms new dads feel the baby blues, too — and it may change how they parent.
Authors of a new study published in the April issue of Pediatrics interviewed more than 1,700 dads of 1-year-olds and found that 7 percent of those dads experienced depression. That said, depressed moms outnumber depressed dads…by a lot. About 80 percent of new moms experience the baby blues, and 10 percent suffer from full-blown postpartum depression (PPD) in the first year.
The interesting aspect of this study is that the University of Michigan researchers found that in some instances, depressed dads treated their kids differently. While all of the dads, regardless of their mood, were equally likely to engage in interactive play, singing, and rhymes with their kids, depressed dads were nearly 4 times as likely to spank their kids and 62 percent less likely to read to their kids. Previous research has shown that depressed moms are more likely to spank their kids, too, but in both cases many other factors may be involved in the increase of spanking.
So, whether you’re feeling the blues yourself, or if you partner is, be sure to talk to your doctor, or even your child’s pediatrician about your feelings. PPD and the baby blues are treatable.
You think you may be pregnant. So when you head to the bathroom to pee on a stick, do you grab your video camera? More and more moms are filming their intimate pregnancy test moments and posting them on YouTube for any stranger that stumbles across their “OMG I’m pregnant” moment to watch.
Just search YouTube for “pregnancy test results” and you’ll find plenty of plus signs and joyful crying for your viewing pleasure. Slate coined these videos the WombTube and selected five of their favorites to share that range from wacky to “why do I want to watch this?” to sweet.
Most of the pregnancy test takers post their videos long before the three-month mark — the time many experts agree is safe to share the news because the risk of miscarriage has declined significantly — and some even broadcast their results live! Many of the women have also been struggling with trying to conceive, and are now vlogging their tests online for all to see, hopefully garnering support.
Sure, breaking the news via your baby’s first ultrasound pic on Facebook is cute, but do you really need to broadcast the personal moment of a pregnancy test to the world?
This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our two winners: Mae A. of North Carolina (boy basket) and Pamela Z. of Illinois (girl basket).
We’re collaborating with GrowsUp.com to celebrate new moms of 2011! GrowsUp.com is giving away two gift baskets full of sweet, well-crafted, and unique goodies.
One basket will be filled with sweet items just for girls, worth over $400, with these items:
Whether you’re pregnant, you just gave birth, or you know a new mom, you have a chance to win one of two baskets for a newborn. Post an answer to the question, “Who is the special baby boy or girl arriving in your life?” in our comments section from now through March 18. We’ll choose two winners in a random drawing. Click here to read the complete contest rules.Goody luck!
In an ongoing effort to understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the Interactive Autism Network is launching another online survey (the Pregnancy and Birth Questionnaire) about the pregnancy and birth experiences of mothers raising children with autism. Researchers will analyze any “potential links between prenatal, pereinatal, or neonatal factors” and autism, such as specific medications, foods, fertility treatments, ultrasounds, pregnancy and birth complications (including illness or infection), and induced labor.
You know that new moms often experience depression and severe mood swings, but now new research confirms new dads feel the baby blues, too — and it may change how they parent.
You think you may be pregnant. So when you head to the bathroom to pee on a stick, do you grab your video camera? More and more moms are filming their intimate pregnancy test moments and posting them on YouTube for any stranger that stumbles across their “OMG I’m pregnant” moment to watch.
One basket will be filled with adorable goodies for boys, worth over $380, with these items: