Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Scientists gauge pain in premature babies

Scientists at UCL (University College London) have measured responses to pain in the brains of premature babies and have shown that they are likely to experience ‘true’ pain rather than simply displaying reflex reactions.

6 Apr 2006

Nigeria approves misoprostol for use in hospitals and clinics

An old drug will gain a new use in Nigeria when misoprostol will be distributed for prevention and control of post-partum hemorrhage, the life-threatening bleeding after childbirth that commonly occurs in developing countries.

3 Apr 2006

African conference to look at preventing postpartum hemorrhage deaths

A meeting in Uganda in early April will address ways to prevent deaths from postpartum hemorrhage, a leading contributor to Africa's maternal death rate, the highest in the world.

27 Mar 2006

Risks of cesarean delivery are under reported, benefits overstated

Unnecessary cesarean delivery constitutes a threat to the future health of mothers and babies who undergo major surgery, according to experts who spoke at a media briefing hosted by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), in Washington, D.C. today.

20 Mar 2006

Troubling increase in repeat cesarean delivery

A survey conducted to determine the basis for the increased number of repeat cesarean births in the United States found that nearly 10 percent of women had undocumented reasons for the surgery.

8 Mar 2006

New neoprene suit helps save the lives of women suffering from obstetrical hemorrhaging due to childbirth

A simple, low-tech garment has the potential to prevent a major cause of death among women who give birth in many Third World countries, according to a new study by maternal health researchers.

1 Mar 2006

Persistent fatigue immediately following birth may be the best predictor of postpartum depression

Persistent fatigue immediately following birth may be the best signal to determine whether a woman will develop postpartum depression, a new study suggests.

21 Feb 2006

Babies of obese mothers have higher risk of some birth defects

Compared to normal-weight women, overweight and obese women suffer more pregnancy complications and their babies have more medical problems at birth, according to a position paper of the Public Affairs Committee of the Teratology Society.

5 Feb 2006

Anxious fathers make caesareans more painful for mothers

Fathers who are anxious during a caesarean operation may increase the pain experienced by the mother after the delivery of their baby, according to new research published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.

25 Jan 2006

Perineal massage helps childbirth

Low-tech, at-home preparation in the last month before childbirth could help pregnant mothers avoid one of the more common surgeries performed on women in the United States, a new review suggests.

25 Jan 2006

Education campaign on umbilical cord and placental blood donation

The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs, M.D., J.D. has launched an educational campaign to inform expectant mothers of the life-saving value of newborn umbilical cord and placental blood.

23 Jan 2006

Increased attention should be paid to incontinence

It's a topic that is discussed so infrequently - for reasons that are easy to understand - that it may seem it isn't much of a problem. But new research shows that fecal incontinence is prevalent among U.S. women, especially those in older age groups

18 Jan 2006

Risk of puerperal psychosis highest after birth of first baby

The risk of bipolar affective puerperal psychosis - a severe mental illness following childbirth - is highest after the birth of a first baby, a new study has confirmed.

10 Jan 2006

Iron-biofortified rice improves the iron stores of nonanemic Filipino women

For the past decade, plant breeders have been trying to boost the vitamin and mineral content of rice and other staples through traditional plant breeding and genetic engineering. But the foods have never been tested to see if they actually improve the health of the people who eat them.

5 Dec 2005

Twins, triplets have greater chance of birth defects

Twins, triplets and other multiples have a nearly 50 percent greater chance of being born with birth defects, and boys tend to be more at risk than girls, according to two population-based studies conducted at the University of Florida.

5 Dec 2005

Childbirth not linked to urinary incontinence

Postmenopausal women who have given birth vaginally do not appear to suffer from urinary incontinence at higher rates than their sisters who have never given birth, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study published in the December Obstetrics and Gynecology journal.

2 Dec 2005

Epidural versus non-epidural or no analgesia in labour

Women who receive epidurals during labor report less pain than those who choose opiates or natural childbirth, according to a systematic review of evidence.

28 Nov 2005

4D ecography for the diagnosis of prenatal cardiopathy

One of the most recent novelties in ecographic studies has been the application of a fourth dimension, i.e. movement added to three-dimensional reconstruction. According to Dr. Alcázar, "the development of the STIC system, carrying out the spatio-temporal correlation of images, adds movement to 3D ecography.

13 Oct 2005

Misoprostol could play an important part in reducing complications of delivery in developing countries

A relatively cheap and easy to use drug could save the lives of thousands of women in the developing world, according to a study in this week's British Medical Journal.

3 Oct 2005

Discovered of gene mutations associated with hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy

In a significant advance toward understanding a perplexing and painful neurological disorder, an international team of researchers has discovered gene mutations associated with an inherited chronic pain and weakness syndrome known as hereditary neuralgic amyotrophy (also called HNA).

27 Sep 2005