Prematurity awareness day

There is a lot of stress and anxiety involved in carrying and birthing a baby but the end result is supposed to fill you with excitement and joy. When a baby is born prematurely, the stress is doubled or tripled due to the possibility that your child may not live long enough to see the outside of the hospital, or even that he or she may live but not be able to see at all. Babies are precious gifts and with November being Prematurity Awareness Month, the March of Dimes is working overtime to make sure that all babies get the best care they deserve in order to ensure a long, happy and healthy life…no matter how early they are born. In September 2009, a news article spread around the world about a London hospital refusing care to a baby born too early for hospital attention. A woman named Sarah Capewell was admitted into the hospital only to have a chaplain at her bedside before giving birth to discuss funeral arrangements. Aside from being in bad taste, she also claims that after her baby was out of the womb at 21 weeks and 5 days, he had a steady heartbeat and active limbs and doctors would still not intervene with medical support. The hospital told her they were unable to act on behalf of the child and told her to spend his last moments holding him. After her baby boy died hours later, the woman did some research and found out that in 2006 a little girl in Florida was born at 21 weeks and 6 days and has recently turned into a healthy two-year-old. Share and Enjoy:

The cries of a newborn may reflect parents’ language

We all know how exciting it is to hear our baby’s first words, but they could come a little sooner than we think. The cries of an infant, as young as three days old, already show similarity to the language their parents speak, according to the new study that compared the cries of German-born and French-born children. Kathleen Wermke, Ph.D., who is a medical anthropologist at the University of Wurzburg in Wurzburg, Germany, and one of the researchers of the new study, said that it is already well known by experts that parental voices, especially the mother’s, are perceived in utero and memorized, as are other sounds, such as a simple musical melody. So, what has this new study added? “The surrounding language seems to affect infants’ sound production much earlier than researchers thought,” says Wermke. The new research suggests that well before babies begin to coo, babble, or say “Mama” or “Dada,” they have already picked up on the pattern of their native language which comes out through their cries. Share and Enjoy:

New testosterone injections work as male contraceptive

Pregnancy is a big step in life for any couple. Until now, there have only been a few ways to prevent pregnancy and most of them are centered around the female. Now, there is a new monthly injection of testosterone that works as a contraceptive in men, allowing the responsibility of birth control to be shared among the sexes. For years, scientists have been looking for a contraceptive to be the male equivalent to the Pill. The trials that were conducted in the 1990s found that weekly injections of testosterone reduced the sperm counts for 98 percent of the men, and the effects disappeared when the injections were stopped. However, the researchers thought that the weekly injections would be considered too unpopular and troublesome with men to be a very useful method of contraception. Share and Enjoy:

Damaged sperm may be improved through frequency of sex

Couples with fertility problems receive varying recommendations for conceiving depending on their doctor’s opinions. The medical community has long debated whether refraining from sex for several days would improve the chance of pregnancy for couples hoping to conceive. Some doctors are now recommending the best way to have a baby is to have more sex. Research presented by Dr. David Greening of Sydney IVF, an Australian center for infertility and in vitro fertilization, indicates that increasing sexual activity may be the right approach. Dr. Greening studied 118 men with above-average sperm DNA damage. The participants were told to ejaculate every day for seven days, and the damage to their sperm count fell to 26 percent down from 34 percent. Other studies have indicated that better sperm quality results in higher pregnancy rates. Share and Enjoy:

FDA approves “Morning After” pill for 17-year-old girls

The FDA has complied with a federal court order issued on March 23, 2009, by allowing Plan B drug maker, Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc, now part of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited, ... Share and Enjoy:

Minors may soon have easy access to “Morning After Pill”

Plan B is a form of emergency contraception (EC) that is commonly called the “morning after pill.” The drug contains a high dose of a hormone called levonorgestrel, a form ... Share and Enjoy:

Pregnancies & sexually transmitted diseases on the rise among teens

More teenagers and young adults are having sex, sparking an increase in teen births in both 2006 and 2007, and putting an end to more than a decade of significant ... Share and Enjoy:

Miscarriage Treatment Won’t Harm Future Fertility

by – Robert Preidt FRIDAY, Oct. 9 (HealthDay News) — The current treatments for women who’ve had an early miscarriage don’t affect their long-term fertility, , shows. About 15 percent of pregnancies ... Share and Enjoy:

Mother’s Use of Antidepressant May Carry Risks for Newborn

by – Jeff Muise WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) – Newborns who have been exposed in utero to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) taken by their mothers are at higher risk ... Share and Enjoy:

Before You Become Pregnant

by – Diana Kohnle (HealthDay News) – If you’re thinking about starting a family, it’s a good idea to practice healthy habits before you become pregnant. The American College of Obstetricians and ... Share and Enjoy: