Monthly Archives: January 2011 - Part 4

Opinion: Whatâs wrong with letting Mother Nature take her course?

By Abby Burton Induction of labor rates in the United States are increasing. This increase is driven by pregnant women and their families and by obstetric providers. Women have many reasons for wanting an induction of labor. Some are anxious and excited to meet the new family member; some are extremely uncomfortable as their girth and weight increase; some have such busy lives that theyd love to be able to schedule the birth as they would schedule a dinner party; some fear the process of labor and want it behind them.Some providers also encourage a scheduled induction of labor. A…

Opinion: Reducing late preterm births good medicine, public policy

By William W. Hay, Jr., MD In 2003, 12.3 percent of births in the United States were preterm (less than 38 completed weeks of gestation). This represents a 31 percent increase in the preterm birth rate since 1981. As of 2010, the U.S. preterm birth rate has not declined significantly. The largest contribution to the increase in preterm births is from births between 34 and 38 completed weeks of gestation (term is after 38 weeks), known as late preterm births. Late preterm births have been increasing over at least the past two decades to a much greater extent than earlier…

Healthy population key to healthy babies

By Diane Carman Healthy babies come from healthy moms. So, in a groundbreaking change, the nations leading advocates for infants are focusing on the overall health of potential parents. For the first time, we have begun to move toward thinking about the health of people, said Scott Matthews, spokesman for the Colorado Chapter of the March of Dimes. How healthy are teenagers and women of child-bearing age? How can we work toward healthy citizens? Its not good enough to wait until women are pregnant to begin focusing on their health, Matthews said. Fifty percent of pregnancies are unplanned, so we…

Elective induced labor risky, costly

By Diane Carman The March of Dimes has a news flash for women everywhere: pregnancy is more than a nine-month commitment. Actually, its closer to 10. And if you want a healthy baby, there are no loopholes. As a society weve really focused on nine months of pregnancy, said Scott Matthews, director of program services for the Colorado Chapter of the March of Dimes. Surveys have found that women view pregnancy as 36 weeks long. But full term is 40 weeks, and research has shown that significant fetal respiratory and brain development occurs in those last four weeks. In the…

Optimizing Care and Outcome for Late-Preterm (Near-Term) Infants:A Summary of the WorkshopSponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

By Tonse N.K. Raju, MDRosemary D. Higgins, MDAnn R. Stark, MDKenneth J. Leveno, MD Read the full article here

Depression + diabetes = higher heart risks for women

Women who suffer from both depression and diabetes have a increased risk of dying from heart disease, as well as having a higher chance of dying over a six-year period, according to a new study out this week. A CNN report.