Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Anesthesia not harmful for babies during birth process

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that children exposed to anesthesia during Cesarean section are not at any higher risk for learning disabilities later in life than children not delivered by C-section. These findings are reported in the current issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

28 Jul 2009

Adding a drug called neostigmine to epidural analgesia reduces dose needed during labor

Adding a drug called neostigmine to epidural analgesia during labor can reduce the amount of anesthetic drug required, while avoiding potential complications caused by morphine-like "opioid" drugs, according to a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

27 Jul 2009

USA Today examines Afghan health sector successes, need for further improvements

When considering an overhaul of "the failure-plagued Afghanistan reconstruction program," U.S. development officials are looking to Afghanistan's health sector, "where more than $1 billion in international aid since 2002 has produced measurable results," USA Today reports.

16 Jul 2009

Expert suggests women should grin and bear the pain of childbirth

An expert in midwifery who has suggested that women should grin and bear the pain of childbirth has come in for a fair amount of flak.

15 Jul 2009

U.N. calls for investing in women to ensure economic recovery, reduce 'health gap'

To mark World Population Day on July 11, U.N. officials are calling for investment in women and girls during the global financial crisis as a way to promote economic recovery and tackle poverty and inequality, afrol News reports.

15 Jul 2009

Local anaesthetic during a Caesarean section reduces need for painkillers post-op

Giving a local anaesthetic during a Caesarean section helps manage pain after the operation and can reduce consumption of painkillers, according to Cochrane Researchers. The researchers recommend local anaesthetics as part of integrated pain management strategies for Caesarean section operations, provided that consideration is given to the cost.

7 Jul 2009

Pilot study removes standard hospital bed as focal point of labor

A University of Toronto pilot study that re-conceptualized the hospital labour room by removing the standard, clinical bed and adding relaxation-promoting equipment had a 28 per cent drop in infusions of artificial oxcytocin, a powerful drug used to advance slow labours.

6 Jul 2009

Federal Minister for Health to launch Australia’s first national maternity surveillance system

Australia is one of the safest places to give birth, yet women continue to suffer serious illness as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. A new national initiative led by the University of New South Wales (UNSW) aims to improve the understanding of rare and severe conditions in pregnancy.

23 Jun 2009

U.N. Human Rights Council adopts 'landmark' maternal mortality resolution

The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted a "landmark resolution" acknowledging that "preventable maternal mortality and morbidity" is a human rights issue and that national and international efforts to protect women worldwide should be scaled up, the Hudson Valley Press Online reports. More than 70 U.N. member states cosponsored the resolution, led by Colombia and New Zealand (Hudson Valley Press Online, 6/18).

21 Jun 2009

Reproductive health bill could reduce maternal mortality in Philippines

The number of Filipino "women who die yearly due to childbirth and pregnancy complications has doubled in the last four years," and a reproductive health bill opposed by some lawmakers and stalled in Congress could address this rise in maternal mortality, health groups say, ABS-CBN News reports.

21 Jun 2009

U.N. Secretary-General, WHO Director-General appeal for continued investment in global health

Despite the current global economic crisis, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called for a continued international commitment to investing in health, Xinhua/People's Daily reports.

17 Jun 2009

Opinion: Governments must take 'concrete action' to reduce maternal mortality, morbidity

With the U.N. Human Rights Council's June session coming up, governments have a "chance to prove that they value women's lives by taking concrete action" to recognize "preventable maternal death as a violation of women's rights," Mary Robinson and Alicia Yamin, advisory council members of the International Initiative on Maternal Mortality and Human Rights, write in a Boston Globe opinion piece.

4 Jun 2009

Women with heavy periods may have an undiagnosed bleeding disorder

According to researchers in the United States many women suffer from bleeding disorders, but are unaware they have one because doctors are not looking for the condition.

3 Jun 2009

Bleeding disorders going undiagnosed; new guidelines to help

Nearly one percent of the population suffers from bleeding disorders, yet many women don't know they have one because doctors aren't looking for the condition, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

2 Jun 2009

Worldwide increase in assisted reproduction

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is responsible for an estimated 219,000 to 246,000 babies born each year worldwide according to an international study. The study also finds that the number of ART procedures is growing steadily: in just two years (from 2000 to 2002) ART activity increased by more than 25%.

27 May 2009

Pregnant women should steer clear of advice to "eat for two"

Alison Stuebe, M.D., assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, reviewed data for more than 1,300 women and found that those who consumed extra calories, as well as fried foods and dairy products, were more likely to gain more than is recommended during pregnancy - that's 35 pounds or more for a woman with a normal body mass index, or BMI.

22 May 2009

Los Angeles Times examines increase in Caesarean births, related rise in risk, cost

Caesarean sections -- which are performed in 31% of births, up from 4.5% in 1965 -- often are considered an unnecessary risk and "an example of how the intensive and expensive U.S. brand of medicine has failed to deliver better results and may, in fact, be doing more harm than good," the Los Angeles Times reports.

19 May 2009

Probiotics may help fight obesity post pregnancy

One year after giving birth, women were less likely to have the most dangerous kind of obesity if they had been given probiotics from the first trimester of pregnancy, found new research that suggests manipulating the balance of bacteria in the gut may help fight obesity.

7 May 2009

Why do so many births end up as Caesareans?

30% of births end up in caesareans. This is demonstrated by a research project led by researchers from the Public Health Agency of Barcelona (PHAB), which relates two of the influencing factors in this practice: social class and the maternity service utilized (public or private). Researchers advise prudence in interpreting these results.

30 Apr 2009

Australian researchers win bumper grant from Bill Gates for HIV research

Australian researchers have won themselves a bumper grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to examine the best way of using drugs to treat HIV.

27 Apr 2009

Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Anesthesia not harmful for babies during birth process

Adding a drug called neostigmine to epidural analgesia reduces dose needed during labor

USA Today examines Afghan health sector successes, need for further improvements

Expert suggests women should grin and bear the pain of childbirth

U.N. calls for investing in women to ensure economic recovery, reduce 'health gap'

Local anaesthetic during a Caesarean section reduces need for painkillers post-op

Pilot study removes standard hospital bed as focal point of labor

Federal Minister for Health to launch Australia’s first national maternity surveillance system

U.N. Human Rights Council adopts 'landmark' maternal mortality resolution

Reproductive health bill could reduce maternal mortality in Philippines

U.N. Secretary-General, WHO Director-General appeal for continued investment in global health

Opinion: Governments must take 'concrete action' to reduce maternal mortality, morbidity

Women with heavy periods may have an undiagnosed bleeding disorder

Bleeding disorders going undiagnosed; new guidelines to help

Worldwide increase in assisted reproduction

Pregnant women should steer clear of advice to "eat for two"

Los Angeles Times examines increase in Caesarean births, related rise in risk, cost

Probiotics may help fight obesity post pregnancy

Why do so many births end up as Caesareans?

Australian researchers win bumper grant from Bill Gates for HIV research

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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