childbirth

Giving Birth Outside A Hospital Is A Little Riskier For The Baby

6:29pm December 30, 2015

by Rob Stein

A big study finds the risk that the baby will die soon after delivery is twice as high if the delivery was planned for home or a birthing center versus the hospital, but such deaths are very rare.

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Zubaida Ibrahim Fagge plays Halima, a 13-year-old who suffers from fistula, in the movie Dry.

A Nigerian Actress Had An Unlikely Dream: Make A Movie About Fistula

12:40pm December 30, 2015

by Glendora Meikle

Fistula, an injury that can result from childbirth, causes incontinence. Health groups supported the idea of a film, but nobody wanted to back it. That didn't stop Stephanie Linus from making Dry.

Many fewer baby girls are born in India and China than the odds would predict.

Where The Girls Are (And Aren't): #15Girls

5:44pm October 20, 2015

by John Poole

Most of the world's girls still face discrimination at nearly every point in their lives — in some cases, even before they are born.

Only about a third of U.S. hospitals offer women breast-feeding help after they leave the hospital, according to report released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hospitals Still Don't Give Moms Enough Support For Breast-Feeding

1:39pm October 08, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Although an increasing number of U.S. hospitals and other birthing centers now encourage women to breast-feed and teach them how, other common practices by staff can hinder moms from sticking with it.

Microbial diversity could be a factor in premature births.

Health & Safety

Microbe Mix May Play Role In Preterm Birth Risk

9:15am September 14, 2015

by Rob Stein

A small study found that women with diverse microorganisms in their birth canals were more likely to give birth before their babies reached full term than women with less microbial variety.

Preemies' Survival Rates Improve, But Many Challenges Remain

7:51am September 09, 2015

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Extremely premature babies, those born between 22 and 28 weeks of gestation, are more likely to survive now than they were 20 years ago. But the very youngest still have serious health problems.

I'm An Obstetrician And I Failed At Breast-Feeding

9:20am August 17, 2015

by Maliha Sayla

She knew that breast is best. So when she couldn't breast-feed her children, she felt she had failed as a mother and a doctor. Until a wise pediatrician gave her permission to stop.

Should More Women Give Birth Outside The Hospital?

12:48pm July 13, 2015

by Dianna Douglas

The British medical system says healthy women with normal pregnancies should give birth at home or in a midwife-led facility. But 99 percent of babies in the U.S. are born in hospitals.

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Melissa Mathis holds a container of freeze-dried placenta capsules.

Texas Defends A Woman's Right To Take Her Placenta Home

1:36am July 11, 2015

by Carrie Feibel

Texas now explicitly allows the placenta to be taken home after giving birth in a hospital. It came about at the urging of people who feel consuming dried and encapsulated placenta helps new mothers.

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If you're getting insurance through a parent's plan, don't presume the hospital bill for childbirth will be covered.

Insurance Still Doesn't Cover Childbirth For Some Young Women

11:55am June 17, 2015

by Michelle Andrews

Insurance coverage for maternity care is deemed essential under the Affordable Care Act. But adult children on a parent's plan still may be on the hook for the cost of childbirth. And it's not cheap.