When you are getting ready to give birth you are fully focused on everything you have to look forward to after your child enters the world. There will be so much to do once you get through the birthing process and bring your sweet bundle of joy home. Few parents are prepared for how it [...]
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is the technical, medical term for a type of brain damage resulting from an interruption in the flow of oxygenated blood to the brain. Newborns are particularly affected by this condition when they have experienced oxygen deprivation (or birth asphyxia) close to or at the time of birth. Therapeutic hypothermia is currently [...]
Brain trauma is one of the most devastating diagnoses a doctor can give to the parents of a newborn child. Conditions like cerebral palsy, Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, umbilical cord issues: these are the conditions that nightmares are made of. Even “mild” brain trauma is serious, and can lead to difficulties for the rest of the [...]
The immediate answer to this question is no; COVID-19 cannot cause birth injuries directly. However, there are circumstances that could arise due to COVID-19 that could lead to neonatal injuries for the baby. Over the past few months, studies have been conducted to determine if pregnant women, women who gave birth during the pandemic, and [...]
A soon-to-be-mother thinks about what the birth of her child will be like throughout her entire pregnancy. No matter how many stories she hears or videos she watches, she knows it’s one of those things that you have to experience to really know how it’s going to work. Babies just aren’t predictable. Still, she knows [...]
Preeclampsia is a life-threatening condition that develops during a woman’s pregnancy. If the condition is left untreated or undiagnosed, preeclampsia may lead to eclampsia, condition causing seizures. Both preeclampsia and eclampsia are very serious health conditions for the mother. Other than the safe delivery of the baby, there is no medical cure for preeclampsia or [...]
Babies in the womb receive all of their nutrients and oxygen from the blood of the mother through the umbilical cord. However, if this crucial connection becomes compromised, the infant can suffer serious health complications, including a deprivation of oxygen and a disruption of proper growth. These issues can lead to additional birth injuries for [...]
A major USA TODAY study found that hospitals are performing much too may episiotomies despite nationwide guidelines that call for the procedure to only be used in the case of emergencies. Since 2006, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has advised performing the procedure sparingly. “Mothers who receive episiotomies – an incision at the [...]
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a form of perinatal asphyxia, which is caused by systemic hypoxemia and/or reduced cerebral blood flow, according to Medscape.com. HIE is the cause of 840,000, or 23%, of all neonatal deaths worldwide. When labor is prolonged, the baby spends too much time in the birth canal with restricted blood flow and raised [...]
A bombshell article recently published in USA TODAY uncovered surprising information about the maternal mortality rate in the United States. Writer Alison Young researched four years for the piece “Hospitals know how to protect mothers. They just aren’t doing it,” which revealed the startling news that the U.S. is now the most dangerous place in [...]
