Childbirth

Safety, Not “Sharing,” Must Guide Visitor Policies for Cesarean Surgery

Giving birth is one of life’s most exciting events – one that many women want to experience with family members and capture on video. But the desire to share the delivery with others has resulted, in some cases, in a crowded delivery room of supportive (and occasionally fainting) observers.

Breeched Birth: Caesarean Section or Vaginal Delivery?

Natural Childbirth

What is a Transverse Baby?

Anal Sphincter Injury During Childbirth

Active management of the third stage of labor

Heel Prick Test / Guthrie Test

Lithotomy Positioning

Evidence for Having a Water Birth

Water Birth Safety

What Happens When your Waters Break?

Assisted Birth: Forceps or Vacuum Delivery

See more featured articles »

Benefits and Risks of Forceps (Ventouse) Delivery

What do Contractions Feel Like?

Signs Labor Has Begun

Complications of the third stage of labor

Making a Birth Plan

How to Relieve Pain During Labor

The External Cephalic Version Process

Latest Childbirth News and Research

UTHealth physician-scientist receives AHA’s $1 million Merit Award for stroke research

Louise D. McCullough, MD, PhD, a physician-scientist at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston is a recipient of the American Heart Association's prestigious $1 million Merit Award to investigate whether the maternal microbiome influences stroke risk in offspring.

19 Feb 2020

A broken heart for Valentine’s Day turns to healing

A broken heart for Valentine's Day sounds like the plot of a romantic comedy. But for Rebekah Holl, a literal broken heart was her reality on Feb. 14, 2019.

16 Feb 2020

OB-GYNs recommend low-dose aspirin for all patients to prevent preeclampsia

Lowering the risk of developing a life-threatening condition while pregnant is as simple as taking low-dose aspirin every day, according to OB-GYNs at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

13 Feb 2020

Understanding stress-induced bladder dysfunction in children

We know that stress can have a profound impact on health. But it's rare to discover a health issue that is caused directly by stress.

13 Feb 2020

New clinical trial to examine the safety of dapivirine vaginal ring and PrEP in pregnant women

The first clinical trial specifically designed to test the safety of the monthly dapivirine vaginal ring in pregnant women has begun in southern and eastern Africa.

10 Feb 2020

All women need to be educated about postpartum hypertension

After childbirth, it is not uncommon for women to experience high blood pressure. If not treated, it can have serious consequences, including stroke and, in some cases, death. It is unclear what causes high blood pressure after childbirth, or who may develop it.

6 Feb 2020

Pregnancy-related public health programs effective at reducing maternal mortality rates

Maternal mortality rates in the United States exceed those of other developed countries, with some considerable racial disparities.

5 Feb 2020

First in-depth analysis of primate ovarian aging at single-cell resolution

Due to the modern tendency to postpone childbirth until later in life, a growing number of women are experiencing issues with infertility.

30 Jan 2020

Antenatal depression on the rise in low and middle-income countries, study shows

Women in low and medium-income countries struggle with many health issues in pregnancy and childbirth, but little attention is given to antenatal depression - which is on the rise in many developing countries, new PLOS ONE paper shows.

21 Jan 2020

Superdrug launches new initiative to encourage expectant parents to quit smoking

Superdrug is the first high street retailer to support the NHS drive to encourage expectant parents to quit smoking by increasing accessibility to smoking cessation products and advice.

10 Jan 2020

Timing is key: preventing infant SHIV infection by PEP

Researchers tested methods to prevent development of SHIV, an infection similar to HIV, in infant macaque monkeys.

9 Jan 2020

Childbirth education classes may help pregnant women have successful vaginal deliveries

Participating in childbirth classes may help women have normal vaginal deliveries, according to a study published in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.

8 Jan 2020

Medicaid expansion improves postpartum coverage and use of outpatient care

Study comparing Utah and Colorado finds Medicaid expansion helped prevent new mothers from losing coverage to the "postpartum coverage cliff," with implications for reducing maternal mortality.

7 Jan 2020

Study reveals the staggering cost of childbirth

One of the most expensive parts of having a baby may involve the birth itself, a new Michigan Medicine study suggests.

6 Jan 2020

Uterine balloon tamponade is almost 86% effective in preventing maternal mortality from hemorrhaging

According to the World Health Organization's latest statistics, from 2017, more than 800 women around the world die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth -- the vast majority of them in resource-poor areas.

6 Jan 2020

Coping with loss of hospital, rural town realizes: We don’t need a hospital

Dr. Max Self grabbed a sanitary wipe and cleaned off the small flashlight in his hands. More than 20 years as a family doctor in rural Fort Scott, Kan., has taught him a few tricks: "I've got my flashlight. See? Look, you want to hold it?"

26 Dec 2019

Pilot study to explore vaginal birth-induced pelvic floor injury and recovery

If a new mother sustains an injury to her levator ani muscle--the main muscle supporting the pelvic floor--during vaginal childbirth, that woman is at risk of developing a pelvic floor disorder. Such an injury can have a substantial impact on a woman's quality of life.

22 Dec 2019

Yang and Sanders use maternal mortality stats to talk about race

In an exchange about racial inequality at December's Democratic presidential primary debate, businessman Andrew Yang highlighted jaw-droppingly different health outcomes between black and white women, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders picked up that thread.

20 Dec 2019

Almost one in two Americans will be obese by 2030

A shocking new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health reveals that by 2030, just a decade away, almost half of all Americans will be suffering from obesity – making this the biggest epidemic ever in history. And that’s not all – half of these obese individuals will be severely obese, or, to put it in simple terms, they will be over their expected weight by more than 100 pounds.

19 Dec 2019