Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene kills mothers and newborns

WaterAid and the London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine today join the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNFPA, SHARE Research Consortium and other organisations in a call to protect the lives of new mothers and their babies, by improving access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene in healthcare facilities and homes.

14 Dec 2014

Smaller blood transfusions during surgeries better for patients with heart disease

Patients with heart disease who receive transfusions during surgeries do just as well with smaller amounts of blood and face no greater risk of dying from other diseases than patients who received more blood, according to a new Rutgers study.

11 Dec 2014

Reductions in government healthcare spending in the EU linked to increased maternal mortality rates

Reductions in government healthcare spending in the European Union are associated with increased maternal mortality rates, suggests a new paper published today (10 December) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. However, if skilled birth attendants are in place, the association disappears, highlighting the potential importance of maternal care, finds the research.

10 Dec 2014

New study details weight loss patterns of breastfed newborns

Using weights obtained from over 100,000 Northern California babies, a new study is the first to detail the weight loss patterns of exclusively breastfed newborns. The results show that some breastfed babies lose weight faster and for a longer period than was previously recognized.

2 Dec 2014

Opioid abuse in pregnant women increases 127% in 14 years

The number of pregnant women who abuse or are dependent on opioids (narcotics) jumped 127 percent in 14 years, leading to an increased risk of maternal death and stillbirth among other serious problems, according to a review of more than 57 million American women admitted for delivery.

19 Nov 2014

Hispanics hospitalized less than other ethnic groups, study finds

For nearly three decades, researchers have pondered the Hispanic Mortality Paradox -- why Hispanics in the U.S. tend to outlive non-Hispanic whites by several years, despite having, in general, lower income and educational attainment levels that are associated with shorter lives.

17 Nov 2014

Preterm birth becomes world's number one killer of young children

For the first time in history, the complications of preterm birth outrank all other causes as the world's number one killer of young children.

17 Nov 2014

Epileptic mothers in the dark about pregnancy risk?

A new study has highlighted the need for more research into the safety of using anti-epileptic drugs during pregnancy.

30 Oct 2014

'Mentor Mothers' program improves perinatal health outcomes in South Africa

The incidence of HIV infection in South Africa tops that of any nation in the world, with some 6 million of the country's nearly 50 million residents infected. Sadly, young women — and particularly young pregnant women — suffer some of the highest rates of HIV infection. More than one-fourth of pregnant South African women are infected with the virus; in some communities, the infection rates are even higher.

30 Oct 2014

Epidural and spinal anesthesia safe for relieving pain during childbirth

Women seeking pain relief during childbirth should be comforted to know that epidural and spinal anesthesia are extremely safe, suggests a study of more than 80,000 women that reviewed anesthesia complications during obstetrical care.

16 Oct 2014

Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels experience more pain during labor

Pregnant women with low vitamin D levels experience an increased amount of pain during labor, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2014 annual meeting. Vitamin D deficiency has long been associated with depression and pain, but this is the first study to demonstrate its association with increased consumption of pain medication during childbirth.

15 Oct 2014

Researchers compare effects of early and late epidurals given during labour

When a woman is in labour, the appropriate time to give an epidural during childbirth is when she asks for it, a new study suggests.

9 Oct 2014

NanoBio to highlight prophylactic NE HSV-2 vaccine candidate at The Keystone Symposia Conference

NanoBio Corporation today announced that the company will present data at The Keystone Symposia Conference, The Modes of Action of Vaccine Adjuvants, in Seattle on October 12, 2014.

9 Oct 2014

New version of Belmont Rapid Infuser to be introduced at ASA 2014

Belmont Instrument Corporation, the widely recognized provider of blood and fluid infusers, will be introducing the new version of The Belmont Rapid Infuser, the RI-2 at the American Society of Anesthesiologists Meeting this week in New Orleans, LA.

8 Oct 2014

International organizations join forces to develop inhaled form of oxytocin for postpartum hemorrhage

An international group of public and private organizations is collaborating to accelerate development of an innovative heat-stable and low-cost inhaled form of oxytocin to manage postpartum hemorrhage in resource-poor settings.

26 Sep 2014

Epidurals and reduced postpartum depression: an interview with Dr. Zakowski

The “maternity blues”, which resolve within 10 days of giving birth, occurs in up to 80% of new moms. A major depressive episode, by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria, is defined as having at least a 2-week period of persistent depressed mood ...

23 Sep 2014

Longer looks: Lithium in the water; controlling cancer; recovering from brain injury

There are many kinds of cancer, but treatments have typically combatted them in one way only: by attempting to destroy the cancerous cells. Surgery aims to remove the entire growth from the body; chemotherapy drugs are toxic to the cancer cells; radiation generates toxic molecules that break up the cancer cells' DNA and proteins, causing their demise.

19 Sep 2014