Welcome to your world, baby Blue, where even the way you were born is fodder for debate
Pregnancy
Calling Attention to Preterm Birth on World Prematurity Day, Nov. 17
What do artificial intelligence, mathematics and engineering have to do with premature birth? More than you might think, according to the new multidisciplinary preterm research center at Stanford University.
Brooklyn Artist to Give Birth in Public, as Performance Art
Birth is both intensely private and unnervingly public, as nurses and doctors march in and out of a woman’s hospital room, poking, prying, checking. There can be — shhh — poop involved. And, of course, the vagina — which …
Is It a Bad Idea to Run a Marathon While Pregnant?
Few moms would deny that pregnancy, with its 40 long weeks of growing a baby, feels like a marathon. But Amber Miller of Westchester, Ill., gave that simile a literal twist: on Sunday, with a little more than a week to go before …
Pregnancy: Eating Well Cuts the Risk of Birth Defects
Need more of a reason to eat a healthy diet? Pregnant women who load up on fruits, veggies and whole grains have a reduced risk of having babies with neural tube defects, such as spina bifida or cleft lip, according to one of the …
DES Daughters: Banned Pregnancy Drug Linked to Infertility, Prematurity and Cancer
In the late 1960s, a cluster of teen girls and young women showed up at Massachusetts General Hospital and were diagnosed with a rare vaginal cancer, clear cell adenocarcinoma. It’s unusual even when it’s diagnosed in elderly …
Deep Fear of Childbirth Drives Some C-Sections
The mere idea of pushing a fully grown baby into the world the natural way can give even the bravest expectant mother pause. But a small number of women are so terrified of childbirth that it dramatically raises their odds of …
Bristol’s Pregnancy Was No Accident, Levi Johnston Says
It should go without saying that envy over your mother’s pregnancy is never a good reason to get knocked up yourself. But that’s what motivated Bristol Palin, writes her ex-boyfriend, Levi Johnston, in his blithely named memoir, …
Common Painkiller Use May Be Linked to Miscarriage Risk
A new study from the University of Montreal suggests a possible link between the use of nonaspirin painkillers like ibuprofen (Advil) in early pregnancy and a higher risk of miscarriage.
Patience, Mom: More Hospitals Say No to Scheduled Delivery Before 39 Weeks
With a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old at home, Jaclyn McClymonds had at least two good reasons — Joel and Jayla — to want to schedule the delivery of her third child. A charter-school teacher, she was also nervous about juggling …
Baby-Selling Scam Focuses Attention on Surrogacy
Thanks to surrogates, thousands of people have become parents. Each arrangement takes into account a swirl of complex details: whose genetic material will be implanted in the surrogate; how it will be transferred; where the …
Dubious Invention: The ‘Mommy Tummy’ Simulates Pregnancy for Men
Being pregnant is at once the best and worst feeling in the world. You’re giddy with the idea that your body is growing another human being, but your ankles are swollen and your waistline is erupting like Mt. Vesuvius. “If you …
Who’s Your Baby Daddy? New Paternity Test Can Tell at 12 Weeks
My youngest daughter has platinum curls; my husband and I have dark brown locks. When questioned, I routinely tell nosy people, “All I can say for sure is that I know I’m the mom.” It’s a joke: I’m certain that he’s …