Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Childhood obesity risk may be increased by caesarean section delivery

Caesarean section delivery may double the risk of subsequent childhood obesity, finds research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

24 May 2012

Invest in proven ways to curb maternal mortality, morbidity

Christy Turlington Burns, maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, notes in this GlobalPost "Global Pulse" opinion piece that "99 percent of women who die during or after childbirth live in the developing world," and women and girls ages 19 and younger are at a higher risk of maternal mortality and morbidity.

23 May 2012

Maternal deaths drop by nearly half worldwide over 20 years; Greater progress still needed, U.N. reports

"The number of women dying of pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications has almost halved in 20 years, according to new estimates released [on Wednesday] by the United Nations, which stressed that greater progress is still needed in significantly reducing maternal deaths," the U.N. News Centre reports.

18 May 2012

WHO releases World Health Statistics 2012 with first-time data on blood pressure, diabetes

The WHO on Wednesday released its World Health Statistics 2012 report, which "for the first time includes a look at blood pressure and glucose levels, two of the risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease," according to the Associated Press/Washington Post.

17 May 2012

Education the most important factor in reducing maternal deaths

A scientific analysis of 50 years of maternal mortality data from Chile has found that the most important factor in reducing maternal mortality is the educational level of women. "

11 May 2012

Checking for specific genetic variants can help identify women at high risk of PND

Researchers at Warwick Medical School have discovered a way of identifying which women are most at risk of postnatal depression (PND) by checking for specific genetic variants.

10 May 2012

Best and worst mothers worldwide

Right in time for Mother’s day comes a report on the best and worst mothers worldwide. U.S. moms have moved up six places - from 31st to 25th - in the 13th annual Save The Children State of the World's Mothers report. That puts the U.S. right between Belarus and the Czech Republic. Norway is No. 1, just ahead of Iceland and Sweden.

10 May 2012

New study to measure effectiveness of Vitamin B12 in preventing gestational diabetes

New MRC-funded research underway to measure effectiveness of Vitamin B12 supplement in preventing gestational diabetes in mothers and obestity in later life.

9 May 2012

Cigna encourages new mothers to get screened for prenatal and postpartum depression

A mother's emotional health is as important as her physical health during pregnancy and after delivery. That's why, during May, Maternal Depression Awareness Month, Cigna (NYSE: CI) is encouraging soon-to-be and new mothers to get screened and understand the symptoms of prenatal and postpartum depression.

8 May 2012

UNFPA, International Confederation of Midwives recognize International Day of the Midwife

In a joint statement, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin and Agneta Bridges, secretary-general of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), recognize the International Day of the Midwife on May 5.

5 May 2012

Presence of fetal cells is a double-edged sword for women

For the first time, scientists have found what could be a causative link between the concentration of circulating Y-chromosome fetal cells in women who gave birth to children of either sex and their risk of later developing breast cancer and colon cancer.

4 May 2012

15 million preterm babies born each year: WHO global report

According to a new report released this Wednesday, nearly 15 million premature babies are born every year - more than 1 in 10 of the world's births. This is considered by experts an obstetric epidemic. 1.1 million of these fragile new born babies die as a result, and even those who survive can suffer lifelong disabilities. Further most of these babies are born in Africa and Asia the report adds.

3 May 2012

U.S. government celebrates 'remarkable' country-level success in improving maternal health

In this post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," Chris Thomas, a health and development officer at USAID, reports on an event held on Capitol Hill on Tuesday during which "the U.S. Government celebrated remarkable country-level success in saving the lives of women during pregnancy and childbirth."

2 May 2012

Amadeus Consulting develops Android version of iBirth

Amadeus Consulting, a custom software development company, recently developed iBirth for Android a mobile application for Lula B, LLC. Created by two mothers in Boulder, Colorado, Lula B wanted an app to help women through the childbirth process to ensure they have the information available for a safe, healthy, and empowering pregnancy.

2 May 2012

Uncomfortably high rates of maternal deaths during childbirth raise concerns: Study

According to latest figures more than a 100 mothers have died in childbirth in London in the last five years. This is twice the rate in the rest of the country. There were 11 deaths in 2005-6, compared with 29 in 2010-11. Births in London have soared by 27 per cent in the last decade from 106,000 in 2001 to 134,000 in 2011, but numbers of midwives and doctors have not kept pace.

30 Apr 2012

Lack of awareness, cultural beliefs, transport challenges leading to high number of maternal deaths in Ethiopia, officials say

"A lack of awareness of the importance of skilled hospital deliveries in Ethiopia, cultural beliefs, and transport challenges in rural areas are causing a high number of deaths during childbirth," officials say, according to IRIN.

27 Apr 2012

Doctor claims to have found the elusive G spot

In an article published Wednesday by the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the semi-retired Florida gynecologist declared that he had found it. For his study he conducted a postmortem examination of an 83-year-old woman in Warsaw Medical University's Department of Forensic Medicine. Unlike the United States, which strictly regulates the research use of cadavers, Poland allows the dissection of human remains soon after death, when fine distinctions in tissue remain easy to see.

26 Apr 2012

USAID's Shah urges cooperation to improve child health, survival

"Seeing a child die from pneumonia, diarrhea or a mosquito bite is simply unimaginable to most parents. But that is the sad reality for many families each day," USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah writes in a Huffington Post Blog opinion piece, noting, "Last year over seven million children under five died of largely preventable causes."

24 Apr 2012

Having a baby low on the list of priorities for most Australian women: Survey

Reports show that now only four per cent of women aged 18-44 want a baby. Around seven in 10 women say they want kids at some stage. Women want to feel financially secure before settling down says the report. The survey, which was conducted by Galaxy Research between March 30 and April 2, was commissioned by the ovulation and pregnancy test company Clearblue.

23 Apr 2012

Efforts to improve maternal health in Uganda moving forward

This post on RH Reality Check examines a Ugandan court case "alleging that the Ugandan government failed to protect the ... constitutional rights to life and health [of several women] by allowing them to die in ill-equipped and poorly managed public hospitals, or failing to provide them with basic maternal care."

12 Apr 2012

Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

Childhood obesity risk may be increased by caesarean section delivery

Invest in proven ways to curb maternal mortality, morbidity

Maternal deaths drop by nearly half worldwide over 20 years; Greater progress still needed, U.N. reports

WHO releases World Health Statistics 2012 with first-time data on blood pressure, diabetes

Education the most important factor in reducing maternal deaths

Checking for specific genetic variants can help identify women at high risk of PND

Best and worst mothers worldwide

New study to measure effectiveness of Vitamin B12 in preventing gestational diabetes

Cigna encourages new mothers to get screened for prenatal and postpartum depression

UNFPA, International Confederation of Midwives recognize International Day of the Midwife

Presence of fetal cells is a double-edged sword for women

15 million preterm babies born each year: WHO global report

U.S. government celebrates 'remarkable' country-level success in improving maternal health

Amadeus Consulting develops Android version of iBirth

Uncomfortably high rates of maternal deaths during childbirth raise concerns: Study

Lack of awareness, cultural beliefs, transport challenges leading to high number of maternal deaths in Ethiopia, officials say

Doctor claims to have found the elusive G spot

USAID's Shah urges cooperation to improve child health, survival

Having a baby low on the list of priorities for most Australian women: Survey

Efforts to improve maternal health in Uganda moving forward

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Childbirth News and Research

Latest Childbirth News and Research

CellVoyant's AI-Powered Vision for the Future of Cell Therapy

Scalable, Smart, and Accessible: The Future of Lab Automation

Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures: A Conversation with WHO’s Dr. Allotey

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