Articles

To reduce the risk of sudden death, babies should sleep in the same room as their parents but in their own crib or bassinet for the first year of life, U.S. doctors said Monday. The new policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics still says babies should sleep on their backs, on a clean surface free of toys and blankets, a guideline that has been in place since the 1990s and has reduced sudden infant deaths by about 50 percent. More...

The benefits of breastfeeding a baby, if you’re able to, are vast and well-known. For one, it’s believed to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by up to 70 per cent. More...

As most cases of vitamin B12 deficiency or folate deficiency can be easily and effectively treated, complications are rare. However, complications can occasionally develop, particularly if you've been deficient in either vitamin for some time. Anaemia complications. All types of anaemia, regardless of the cause, can lead to heart and lung complications as the heart struggles to pump oxygen to the vital organs. More...

If you are pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant, this guide is for you! Having a baby can be a wonderful experience, but it can also be a time of uncertainty. Many women have questions and concerns as they face all the changes that pregnancy brings. But with advice coming from everyone, it's tough to know who to listen to. That's why having accurate information is so important! More...

Pregnancy raises a woman's risk of having a stroke - and it is worse for younger mothers-to-be, a new study claims. Women aged between 12 and 34 are more likely to have a pregnancy-associated stroke than anyone else, according to a study by Columbia University. Perhaps surprisingly, older pregnant women - aged over 45 - have the lowest risk. The findings contradict the received wisdom that older pregnancies carry more health risks.  More...

After experiencing severe abdominal pain, Stephanie Jaegers rushed to the hospital thinking she had kidney stones. But to her surprise, she gave birth instead. “The doctors were discussing kidney stones and pain and said order a CT scan,” the Georgia mom told Inside Edition. “But then he examined my stomach when I was having ‘cramps’ and changed his mind and did an ultra sound instead.” More...

A U.S. study is the first to find that putting on too much weight during pregnancy leads to greater body fat and extra pounds that are not lost even seven years after giving birth. That is the surprising and rather harsh conclusion of a study by researchers from Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health in New York. The researchers based their study on data from 302 African-American and Dominican mothers who enrolled in Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health Mothers and Newborns Study, undertaken in Northern Manhattan and the South Bronx between 1998 and 2013. More...

This is a story about two people sharing one body. Maybe even three people. Or four. Back in the late 19th century, a German scientist named Georg Schmorl made a remarkable discovery: Cells from a baby can hide out in a mother's body, after birth. More than a hundred years later, scientists are just beginning to figure out what these cells are doing. And their findings may have implications for how cancer and autoimmune diseases affect women. More...

People born in the summer are more likely to be healthy than those who arrive during other times of the year, new research suggests. The phenomenon could be caused by mothers getting more sun in pregnancy - and passing on higher quantities of vitamin D to their unborn infant. A study of almost half a million British adults found babies born in June, July, and August were heavier at birth and taller as adults.  More...

Expectant mothers in their first trimester should avoid certain cosmetics, cleaning agents and medicines, to protect the developing fetal brain from chemicals that can trigger autism, suggest health researchers from York University in Canada. More...

During week 13 of your pregnancy, your baby's organ systems continue to mature and develop. As with other earlier weeks, week 13 is no exception when it comes to rapid growth and huge developmental strides. In addition to fetal growth and development, your placenta is growing and now weighs approximately 1 oz. You can expect to have a 1-2 lb placenta when the baby is born More...

Seven-thousand gynecologists and obstetricians from across the globe have gathered in Vancouver to strategize on measures to improve maternal and reproductive health worldwide. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics is releasing a report on Tuesday at its triennial congress saying "more work needs to be done." More...