Hospital Care for a Premature Infant

Premature infants are born before the 37th week gestation. The earlier an infant is born, the greater the chance special care will be required before the infant is discharged from the hospital. ... read more »

How Marijuana, Cannabis and CBD Affect Fertility and Pregnancy

See what the major medical organizations advise. ... read more »

Pregnancy Complications And How To Prevent Them

During regular check-ups doctors check for proper fetal growth and development, but they are also looking for symptoms that may be associated with the 10 most common pregnancy complications. ... read more »

Smoking and Pregnancy

Smoking can cause more than low birth weight. Pregnant mothers who smoke are at an increased risk of miscarriage and premature birth. ... read more »

Do Snoring Moms Have Smaller Babies?

Snoring is a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea, a breathing problem that occurs during sleep and causes lowered levels of oxygen in the blood. This lowering of blood oxygen levels can affect the health of a developing baby. ... read more »

Binge Drinking is a Threat to Young Girls and Women

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive consumption of alcohol accounted for 23,000 deaths each year between 2001 and 2005. ... read more »

Effects of Drinking Alcohol Before and During Pregnancy

What effect can drinking alcohol before and during pregnancy have? ... read more »

Optimum Oral Hygiene Vital to Healthy Pregnancy

Optimum oral hygiene during pregnancy is vital to the health of the mother and the baby she carries. ... read more »

Depression and Anxiety May Cause Low Birth Weight

According to a study completed in Bangladesh, women who suffer from depression and anxiety during pregnancy are more apt to give birth to a lower birth weight baby. ... read more »

No Alcohol Consumption Is Safe During Pregnancy

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a condition that affects the growing fetus when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol during pregnancy. ... read more »

Fasting During Ramadan Linked to Lower Birth Weight

According to a new study published in the American Journal of Human Biology, the observance of Ramadan in the Muslim faith has a negative effect on the fetus that could cause medical issues later in life. ... read more »

Single Umbilical Artery

There are usually three vessels in the umbilical cord: two arteries and one vein. Having one, rather than two, arteries (Single umbilical artery = SUA or two-vessel cord) is the most common malformation of the umbilical cord . ... read more »

Periodontal Gum Disease

How does periodontal gum disease affect pregnancy? ... read more »

Is it Okay to Diet During Pregnancy?

For some women, the worries about pregnancy weight may cause her to diet. It is unsafe to diet in pregnancy, though weight loss is not dangerous in some cases, as was once thought. ... read more »

Flame Retardant Clothing May Cause Low Birth Weight

Researchers at the University of California have found a link between chemicals used to reduce fire risk on household items and lower birth weights. ... read more »

Birth Weight May Predict Autism Risk

According to researchers from Manchester University, extreme birth weights (small and large) may be a risk factor for autism. ... read more »

Pandemic Flu May Increase Risk of Death During Pregnancy

A case of severe pandemic flu may increase the risk of death during pregnancy, according to a new study. According to the Centers for Disease Control, of the nearly 350 women who suffered from severe pandemic flu in 2009, 75 died. ... read more »

One Stillborn Pregnancy May Lead to Another

If a pregnancy ends with a stillbirth, the woman is more likely to suffer another stillbirth in the future, according to new research published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. ... read more »

Special Follow-Up Care for Low Birth Weight Infants

Being born low birth weight is often associated with prematurity. If your infant was born full term with no complications, but weighed less than 5.5 pounds, the term low birth weight may be used, but special care considerations and programs will not apply, in most cases. ... read more »

Hospital Care of Small for Gestational Age Infants

Small for gestational age is a medical term used to describe the weightand gestational age of an infant. Just because an infant is small forgestational age doesn't mean extra care is needed or that the infantwill have long-term medical issues. ... read more »

Father's Diabetes May Cause Low Birth Weight

  Babies with a low birth weight are likely to have a father with late-onset diabetes, according to new research. Published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, this is one of the first studies to use information from the large, long-term study, UK Biobank.  ... read more »

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP)

Retinopathy of prematurity, called ROP in the medical community, affects premature infants and newborns. The disease can be mild or severe. When first diagnosed in the 1940s, the condition was called retrolental fibroplasia. ... read more »

Neonatal Complications: What is Very Low Birth Weight?

A subset of the low birth weight group includes infants born weighing less than 1,500 grams or 3.3 lbs. Infants born weighing less than 3.3 lbs are considered very low birth weight. ... read more »

Celiac Disease Antibodies Affect Birth Weight

According to a new study published in the journal Gastroenterology, the level of this antibody could predict fetal and birth weight issues. Elevations in anti-tTG were associated with low fetal weight and low birth weight. ... read more »

Effect of Maternal Smoking on Birth Weight

According to a study published in the journal PLoS One, maternal smoking reduces birth weight, supporting current research. Researchers from Lund University tested the effect of maternal smoking using sibling analysis. ... read more »

Prognostic Factors for Low Birth Weight Repetition

Information collected by the Pelotas Birth Cohort was used in a recent study published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. The study reported prognostic factors doctors can look for in patients with prior low birth weight pregnancies. ... read more »

Pregnancy Disorders and Retinopathy Risk in Newborns

Researchers from the Floating Hospital for Children recently published a study in the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine on the possible connection between pregnancy disorders and retinopathy in extremely low birth weight newborns. ... read more »

Feeding Your Low Birth Weight Infant

Low birth weight is defined as an infant weighing less than 2,500 grams or about 5.5 pounds. Low birth weight infants can be born at any time during gestation so not all cases involve premature delivery. ... read more »

Home Care of Small for Gestational Age Infants

When parents give birth to a small for gestational age (SGA)  infant it can be a scary experience. That tiny little bundle of joy may need additional care in the hospital before being released and some of that care may extend months or years into the future, but extra care is not always needed. ... read more »

Effect of Smoking on Respiratory Function in Pregnancy

Smoking can increase risk of lung cancer in men and women, but researchers from George Mason University in Virginia focused on the impact of smoking on maternal respiratory function and fetal health in a study published in Southern Medical Journal. ... read more »

Infant Mortality Rates Affected by Advanced Medical Care

One of the leading causes of neonatal and infant mortality is prematurity and/or low birth weight. Advances in medical care mean fewer deaths, but more reports of live births, resulting in a leveling off of mortality rates. ... read more »

Topical Corticosteroids and Pregnancy Outcomes

  Researchers recently completed a study based on the population of the United Kingdom in an effort to find out whether topical corticosteroid use by pregnant women increased risk of negative pregnancy outcomes.  ... read more »

Low Birth Weight Babies: Hospital and Home Care

Infants born weighing less than 2,500 grams (5.5 pounds) are considered low birth weight. Some low birth weight infants are born premature while others are born on-time, but weigh less than average. ... read more »

Follow-Up Care for Babies With Macrosomia

Patients who've given birth to an infant with macrosomia may think the medical concerns are over once discharged from the hospital, but that's not the case. Immediately after birth, the infant and mother are screened for diabetes. ... read more »

Can Discrimination Cause Lower Birth Weight?

Researchers, scientists and doctors have established a solid link between depression and lower birth weight. A new study by researchers at Yale University claims discrimination can also cause low birth weight. ... read more »

What is a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)?

NICU is the abbreviation for the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital. Infants born premature or in need of advanced medical care may be admitted to the NICU for observation and treatment. ... read more »

Exposure to Malaria Increases Risk of Miscarriage

About 125 million pregnant women are at risk of contracting malaria each year. Malaria infection during pregnancy can cause anemia, parasitic fetal infection, low birth weight, premature delivery and death of the mother. ... read more »

Smoking Ban Helps Reduce Risk of Pregnancy Complications

A report published in the Journal of Women's Health proves that banning smoking can have a positive impact on pregnancy. The result was a significant reduction in early birth risk. ... read more »

Health Risks Associated with Living in Low-Income Rural Areas

Fighting stress during pregnancy poses health risks to the pregnant woman and fetus, according to clinical research. New research suggests low-income rural areas face an even deeper problem when it comes to stress and prenatal care. ... read more »

Bariatric Surgery Risk: Preterm and Low Birth Weight Babies

Women who have had bariatric surgery have higher risks for early delivery during pregnancy and having babies who were small for their gestational age, according to a new study published in BMJ. ... read more »

Restorative Proctocolectomy Impairs Fertility

Restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) may have adverse side effects on fertility and pregnancy, according to a study published in the journal Colorectal Disease. ... read more »

Behavioral Assessment in VLBW Infants

The Infant Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Program (IBAIP) supports cognitive and physical development of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. ... read more »

Hospital Care for Low Birth Weight Infants

If during the ultrasound an infant is deemed smaller than they should be for gestational age, special attention may be paid to infant size for the duration of the pregnancy. ... read more »

The Impact of Mom's Voice on Low Birth Weight Babies

Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are typically born prematurely. If the fetus remained in utero for the duration of pregnancy, weight gain would have increased during the last few weeks. ... read more »

Low Birth Weight Baby Girls May Face Future Fertility Woes

The findings of a Swedish study of infertility indicate a linkbetween a woman's size and weight at birth and an increased risk forfertility difficulties once she's of childbearing age. ... read more »

Exposing Man to Arsenic through Rice

One of the most poisonous substances is arsenic; hence, it was a public health concern when a team of scientists published about consuming toxic levels of the element by eating rice. ... read more »

The Benefits of DHA During Pregnancy

The first five years of a 10-year double-blind study from the University of Kansas are complete and researchers are reporting a positive benefit of taking DHA during pregnancy. ... read more »

Caffeine Linked to Low Birth Weight

A recent study published in BMC Medicine claims caffeine passes through the placenta to the fetus, but the fetus is not prepared to handle the caffeine so it remains active. This can cause health concerns, including low birth weight. ... read more »

Preventing Infant Malarial Deaths

According to a team of researchers in the tropics, infant deaths associated with malaria may be preventable. When a pregnant woman contracts malaria, blood vessels to the placenta do not develop correctly and cannot provide adequate blood flow to the fetus. ... read more »

NICU Infection Rates Attributed to Reduced Nursing Staff

The nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) are the primary care providers. They work with newborns that need special care and advanced medical attention. Specialized care can mean a heavier burden is placed on the nursing staff. ... read more »

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