Tag: Pregnancy

Unexpected Side Effects of Ultrasound Gel

In 2017, Emalee Morem was 40 weeks pregnant with her first child. At the urging of her providers, she had an extra ultrasound, just to make sure the baby was OK. After the scan, Morem and her husband went out for lunch. But sitting in the sunshine on the patio at the restaurant in Minneapolis,…


Insomnia in Pregnancy Is Common but It’s Not Normal

Many pregnant women find themselves waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom (for the third time) or struggling to find a comfortable sleep position. Mildly disrupted sleep is common and bothersome but should not be confused with the much more serious problem of insomnia—which impacts more than 20 percent of…


Study Finds Both Smoking and Drinking Raise Risk of Late Stillbirth

Women who both smoke and drink after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy have nearly three times the risk for late stillbirth, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published online on Aug. 23. Researchers in the Prenatal Alcohol in SIDS and Stillbirth (PASS) Network found that smoking…


New Mom Hails Pregnancy for Saving Her Life After Cancer Diagnosis at 31 Weeks Pregnant

A new mom says that her baby saved her life after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at 31 weeks pregnant. Claire Hilton-Ellison, 30, from Liverpool, England, says she regularly examined her breasts during her pregnancy, which led her to spot a “pea size” lump in her right breast. She gave birth to a healthy baby…


Miscarriage: What I Wish I Had Known

Women throughout the world are experiencing infertility issues, including miscarriage. Research published in The New England Journal of Medicine estimates 30 percent of pregnancies result in miscarriage, making it the most common adverse outcome of pregnancy. In fact, miscarriage rates are rising at an alarming rate, approximately 1 percent per year according to research published…


Over 1lb Preemie With Feet Half the Size of Her Mom’s Forefinger Defies Survival Odds

A baby girl born at just 23 weeks’ gestation was so small that her tiny foot was half the size as her mom’s forefinger, and her entire leg fitted into her sock. Mom Mirva Rontti, 28, a primary school teacher from Rovaniemi, Finland, was in a classroom when her contractions began. She was rushed to…


‘I Could See the Little Legs, Arms’: Woman in Poverty Shares Trauma of Taking Abortion Pills, Vows to God ‘Never Again’

Growing up in poverty, in an abusive family in Guatemala, Dalia wasn’t ready for a relationship when she met the father of her children. After emigrating to California, she first saw Ernesto Iniguez, who lived next door to her apartment, when she was in high school. Dalia thought he was “so handsome,” and they fell…


Poverty-Stricken Latino Woman Shares Trauma of Taking Abortion Pills, Vows to God ‘Never Again’

Growing up in poverty, in an abusive family in Guatemala, Dalia wasn’t ready for a relationship when she met the father of her children. After emigrating to California, she first saw Ernesto Iniguez, who lived next door to her apartment, when she was in high school. Dalia thought he was “so handsome,” and they fell…


Mom Delivers ‘Super Twins’ on the Same Day Despite Being Conceived 3 Weeks Apart

An extremely rare phenomenon caused a mother to fall pregnant again, having already conceived a baby boy. The “twins,” who were conceived three weeks apart, caused a stir among doctors before their birth via Caesarean section in September 2020. “I didn’t even know it was possible to conceive again while pregnant,” Rebecca Roberts, 39, told the…


Study Cites Childhood Tumor Risk for Pesticide Exposure During Pregnancy

LOS ANGELES—Pesticide exposure during pregnancy might lead to the development of central nervous system tumors during childhood, according to a study involving researchers from the University of California–Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The increased risk of these tumors, estimated as much as twice to 2.5 times higher for some…