About 1 in 4 babies are now born to unmarried couples, a rate that has nearly doubled since 2002, according to a recent report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Pregnancy
Jessica Simpson’s Pregnancy Weight: Why Everyone Has an Opinion
Simpson is being alternately vilified and championed for seemingly gaining more than the recommended 35 lbs. during pregnancy. Since when is a big pregnant woman news?
Mom’s Exposure to Air Pollution Can Increase Kids’ Behavior Problems
Prenatal exposure to pollutants in city air is linked to later anxiety, depression and behavior problems in children.
Requiring Ultrasounds Before Abortion: One Mother’s Personal Tragedy
Carolyn Jones made the wrenching decision to end her pregnancy after learning that her unborn son had severe disabilities. Before she could get an abortion, the law required her to view her baby on ultrasound and hear detailed …
For Moms with Postpartum Depression, the Nation’s First Inpatient Unit
For moms battling depression, a first-of-its-kind psychiatric unit at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers intensive, inpatient care.
Mom as Recording Star: Can Playing Maternal Voice and Heartbeat Sounds Benefit Premies?
A new study suggests that premies may miss mom’s sounds by being born early
How Mom’s Weight Before Pregnancy Can Affect a Baby’s Brain
Even before conception, a mother’s obesity may affect cognitive development in her baby-to-be.
Study Linking Abortion to Mental Health Problems Is Flawed
A psychiatry journal has distanced itself from a controversial and widely cited study it published in 2009 linking abortions with mental health problems in women.
Surrogacy Gone Wild: British Woman Keeps Giving Babies Away
Pregnancy taxes a woman’s body, so you really have to wonder about the motivation behind Jill Hawkins’ desire to keep signing up for surrogate duty.
Why a Mother Would Have Aborted Her Son
In her essay, Emily Rapp freely admits she would have aborted her son, who has Tay-Sachs disease, a disorder she expects will kill him this year. What would Rick Santorum say?
I’ll Take a Sperm Test, to Go: First At-Home Male-Infertility Test Debuts
Why should women bear the brunt of infertility testing? A new at-home sperm-analysis test allows men to assess their babymaking abilities.
Why France Pays for Postpartum Women to “Re-Educate” their Vagina
In France, Social Security funds la rééducation périnéale, up to 20 sessions of physical therapy intended to firm and tone the postnatal pelvic floor. The humiliation is apparently worth it.
Pregnant at Work? Why Your Job Could Be at Risk
Not all employers wish their pregnant employees well: the number of pregnancy-related discrimination charges have jumped by 35% in the past decade