Maternity News Headlines from 2006

New study finds amniocentisis safer for pregnant women than previously thought (US) (if that's the case, then that's a fantastic result - now, let's have some good long-term research done into the effects of Forceps, Ventouse, Induction, Caesarean Section, Ultrasound, ARM etc etc - fat chance!).

Meningococcal vaccine trial (Australia)

Oral contraceptives increase risk of breast cancer in some women meta-analysis finds (US)

ACT angry at National's claim over meningococcal vaccine's 'adverse' effects (New Zealand) - FYI ACT & National are political parties.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 27 October 2006

UK:

Brief life of premature babies may go unmarked

Home Births fall due to midwives shortage

Drs who don't wash hands kill more people than drink-drivers

Twins more likely to have early menopause

Incontinence care plan launched

Folic acid helps fertility in women

Parents 'must learn obesity risk' in antenatal classes

Flu jabs for all pregnant women

Strange cure for beating baby blues

Folic acid 'hinders malaria drug'

All babies in England to be screened for sickle cell

Older mothers 'just as capable'

Scrap routine scans say Scottish Midwives

International :

Hypnosis & acupuncture may ease labour pains (Australia)

Infertile couples' children 3 times more likely to be autistic (US)

Couples trying for baby take up to 2 years to realise they may have fertility problem (Australia)

Mum who breastfed wrong baby in hospital mix-up billed for $100 blood test (Australia)

IVF experts advise limits on embryo transfers (US)

Muslims challenged by Gynaecologists (France)

Older eggs pass on fertility risk (US)

Polycystic ovary syndrome more prevalent in overweight women (Spain)

New fertility guidelines limit number of embryo transfers (US)

Pregnant smokers pass on health risks to their daughters (Australia)

Blue eyes - a clue to paternity (Norway)

American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine supports FDA's decision to deny over-the-counter sales of hand-held dopplers (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 20 October 2006

UK:

IVF Drs ordered to reduce multiple births

Abortion does not increase breast cancer risk

Why I gave birth on live TV

Advert targets Mums-to-be

International :

'Wealthy White' caesareans worry midwives (New Zealand)

Women with toxoplasmosis more likely to have sons (Czechoslovakia)

Mother's stress may soow baby's growth in the womb (US)

Drug induced labour increases complication risk (Canada)

Little difference in outcomes for regional or general anaesthesia in C-Section (US)

How women deal with stress may effect IVF outcome (US)

Organic bakers fight forced addition of folic acid (New Zealand)

New Dads are prone to blues (Australia)

Fertility at a 10 year high (Australia)

Childhood cancer survivors may have low birth weight children (US)

Metformin in early pregnancy many be safe for foetus (Canada)

Japanese woman gives birth to her daugter's baby (Japan)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 13 October 2006

UK:

Malaria drug safe in pregnancy

Plea to women banking cord blood

New Mum dies from superbug 2 weeks after having her baby & being diagnosed with indigestion

Pregnant women 'oily fish alert'

'Bio-panic' sees twice as many single women try for IVF babies

Baby killer that Drs don't talk about

IVF: why a leading fertility experts thinks women are being put at risk

Baby born by caesarean during Five's live show

International :

Number of abortions drops for second year in a row (New Zealand)

Teen pregnancy linked to wealth (New Zealand)

Age not the only factor in determing risk of Down's Syndrome (Germany)

Women infected with dormant toxoplasmosis more likely to have boys (Czech Republic)

Babies can sometimes be injured during a caesarean section (US) (No! Really?)

US Government launches autism study (US) (but will it go far enough?)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 6 October 2006

UK:

Misoprostol could prevent maternal deaths in developing countries (or 'let's experiment on the poor')

Actress Fay Ripley talks about other women's insensitivity to her baby bump

Pregnant teenagers smoke to reduce the size of their babies

Midwife move to cut smoking rates

Breast milk 'does not boost IQ'

Live TV birth branded 'intrusive'

Health tourists abuse NHS for IVF births

My pregnancy from hell (TV presenter Alice Beer)

Drs grapple with abortion debate + 3D scans 'dangerously misleading'

International :

Stressed staff & poort hygiene implicated in baby deaths (New Zealand)

Preeclampsia linked to lower risk of cancer (US)

Daycare tots under age of 2 most apt to catch colds (Denmark) (someone's actually paid for this study?)

US fails to meet folate targets (US)

Poverty doesn't explain racial gap in birthweight (US)

Premature births blamed for a third of infant deaths (US)

Underweight babies at risk of physical & mental problems as teenagers (US)

Baby boom stretches health resources (New Zealand)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 29 September 2006

UK:

New Mums tested to spot antisocial trend

Policeman helps deliver baby boy

Woman gives birth after 18 years of breast cancer

Parents win stillborn twin case

Health centre births key to reducing maternal deaths + Call for global action over continued huge burden of maternal deaths in poor countries

New mum married just 7 hours after giving birth

Confidence returning to MMR jabs

IBS linked to low birth weight

The NHS Childbirth Crisis (Daily Mail)

Baby survives tumour op in womb

Natural births at risk from NHS cuts

1 in 10 expectant mothers suffers from depression

International :

Gaining weight between pregnancies could lead to complications + 'Lingering pregnancy fat' danger (US)

More couples screening embryos for gender (US)

Smoking during pregnancy can effect baby's immune system (Australia)

Fractures during pregnancy linked to poor outcomes (US)

Brain dead mother taken off life-support day after daughter's birth (US)

Study confirms taller women are more likely to have twins (US)

Hospital costs driven by heart problems & pregnancy (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 22 September 2006

UK:

Notorious maternity unit praised

Many caesareans are 'unnecessary' - brace yourself before you read this. Although the headline may make you leap with joy initially, the article may prompt you to throw something across the room (an obstetrician perhaps?).

Researchers reveal how air pollutant helps pregnant women with hypertension

How worthy is Research? (article in The Times about Medical Research being prone to bias & deeply flawed)

Down's Syndrome: she wasn't the daughter I wanted (article in The Independent)

Couples face ban on IVF twins as intensive care units are being 'swamped'

Mother left in pool of blood after childbirth thanks to midwife shortage

Pregnancy test cuts risk to baby

International :

Melbourne maternity wards extra busy this month (Australia)

Low birth weight tied to high BP in adulthood (US)

Pregnancy & lactation may effect maternal behaviour & coping skills (New Zealand)

Wart virus reduces tes-tube baby success (US)

Foetal ultrasound warning (Australia)

Pre-eclampsia & foetal developmental problems may be linked to low levels of hormone (US)

Women who improve their health before pregnancy have better chance of healthy babies (no shit) (US)

Overweight Mums less able to stick with breastfeeding (Australia)

Dairy for teen Mums may help build infants' bones (US)

Grisly find draws attention to illegal female foetus killings (India)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 15 September 2006

UK:

Affluent boroughs show sharpest rise in teenage pregnancy

Can chemicals in our home cause birth defects?

Women's family choices have impact on their health in later life + Childless women risk poorer health in later life

The athlete in me doesn't like pregnancy (Paula Radcliffe)

Babies in womb exposed to 'gender-bender' chemicals

MRSA cases in young children & babies doubles in a year

International :

Excessive weight gain during pregnancy bad for baby (US)

Birth outcomes OK in Mums with anorexic history (Sweden)

Labour may not harm your sex life (Netherlands)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 8 September 2006

UK:

Women in their 30s urged to freeze their eggs

Babies more than twice as likely to die as a result of elective caesarean

Chubby toddlers don't shed 'puppy fat'

New research could help women facing high risk of stillbirth

Early baby trapped in France by legal loophole

First womb transplant 'within two years'

Well-educated more open to the idea of 'designing' babies than the poorly educated finds study

Older fathers raise autism risk

International :

Adult alcohol abuse linked to exposure in the womb (Australia)

Crisis averted as Japan's Princess gives birth to a boy (Japan)

Carbon monoxide may help prevent damaging effects of pre-eclampsia (Canada)

Protective breathing reflex not present in newborns (US)

Ultrasound helps drugs get into cells study finds (US) - not directly linked to pregnancy & birth, but it makes me think that if ultrasound can do that, what else is it capable of?

Pregnancy risky after heart defect repair (US)

Mum's vitamin E intake during pregnancy may lower risk of child developing asthma (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 1 September 2006

UK:

Mothers rate McDonald's as the worst for breastfeeding

Mothers recalled over blood tests

1 in 5 pregnant women 'unprepared'

Equal fertility treatment wanted for lesbians & single women

Big fall in number of cot deaths for England & Wales

Call for fertility ban for obese

International :

Obesity in men linked to infertility (US)

Study finds risk of CVS same as Amniocentisis (US)

Caesarean birth triples maternal death risk (France)

Bakers oppose 'softened' folic acid additive plan (New Zealand)

Malpractice concerns may deter Florida medical students from entering Obstsrics & Gynaecology (US)

For low-risk women risk of death may be higher for babies born by C-Section (US)

Panel backs drug to curb premature births (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 25 August 2006

Stories a little bit thin on the ground this week - think everyone's still on holiday

UK:

Babies suffer because of their mother's obesity

Watchdog slams maternity unit after 10 women die

Pregnancy alert over asprin

Scientists find genetic links to cot death

International :

Researchers discover genetics markers to help predict risk of preterm birth (US)

Genetic variant is associated with higher rate of premature delivery in African-American women (US)

Oral contraceptives curb bleeding after C-section (US)

Asprin may ward off recurrent miscarriage (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

SORRY THERE WAS NO NEWS WEEK ENDING 11 AUGUST - BEEN EXTREMELY BUSY!

If I come across old stories from a few weeks ago, I'll include them as well this week to make up for the fact I've been away for so long.

Week Ending Friday 18 August 2006

UK:

Woman's IVF death is rare say Drs

Mother of all insults - Camilla Cavendish rebuffs the claims that older Mums are putting a strain on the NHS

Babies are suffering because of their mothers' obesity

Middle aged Mums put huge strain on NHS

Blood test to tell you it's now or never for a baby

A cuddle for newborns 'fights infections'

International :

Domestic violence linked to early infant death (US)

Incontinence more widespread in new Mums than previously thought (Australia)

An attractive Uterus is the key to drawing an embryo into the womb (Australia)

New Mums keep puffing (Australia)

Newborn babies love skin (Australia)

Marijuana use causes early pregnancy failure (US)

Epilepsy drug poses high risk for foetal death & birth defects (US)

Research shows no direct associations between anxiety symptoms & adverse pregnancy outcomes (US)

Two-thirds of pregnant women with depression aren't receiving treatment (US)

Common anti-depressants similarly safe for treating post-partum depression (US)

Best to let baby control early eating of solids (US)

No benefit for delivering twins early (US)

Pre-pregnancy care cuts risks for diabetics (US)

Diabetes in pregnancy not a health motivator (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 21 July 2006

UK:

'Breast is best' bias is blamed for hundreds of dehydrated babies

Third of GPs on new contracts drop child jabs

Morning after pill for sale in advance

Four in five pregnant women are forced to stand on public transport

Breastfeeding 'kills baby's pain'

International :

Teenage girls see having babies as a career option (New Zealand)

Sex close to due date may cause spontaneous labour (Malaysia)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 14 July 2006

UK:

Women who have caesareans 'less likely to bond' (Michel Odent)

Baby sex selection 'to be banned'

Crisis in neonatal care 'deepens'

Record number of patients complain about Drs

World's first test tube baby is pregnant

International :

Diet & exercise OK for breastfeeding women (US)

Preterm births are up but fewer babies die (US)

Normal delivery can be OK after multiple caesareans (US)

Older Dads have sicklier babies (US)

Anti-herpes drug reduces need for caesareans in infected women (US)

Nearly two-thirds of babies receive recommended newborn screening tests (US)

Fewer teens having babies but more living in poverty (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 30 June 2006

UK:

Paid parental leave 'a nightmare'

Mother to have 'designer twins' after screening for fatal gene

Down's Syndrome screening to be available to all in Plymouth

Funding to ease Mum's trauma is unlikely to emerge

200 babies tested over TB fear

Drs issue plea over MMR

Womb environment makes men gay

Twin Nation: the multiple birth boom

Babies of younger mothers have twice the chance of their babies living to 100

Adding prebiotics to baby's formula feed may cut the risk of eczema

International :

Baby milk warning (Australia)

Child too active? Blame its DNA (Australia)

Violence from male partners associated with serious health threats to pregnant women & newborns (US)

Study finds Dr's judgment as important as guideline for caesarean sections (US)

Parents who smoke may raise childhood leukaemia risk (US)

The 'curse' on giving birth to a girl in India (India)

New tool tracks brain development in babies (US)

Maternal smoking linked with severe tic disorder (US)

Health expert claims hormones are not to blame for PMT & PND (Australia)

Key to diagnosis of autism may lie in the placenta (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 23 June 2006

UK:

Men should avoid the delivery room

2 Babies 'didn't have to die'

Those NICE proposals have certainly caused a stir this week:

Home births pose greater risk - The Times

Women should have labour choice - BBC

Home Births a risk to babies - Daily Mail - what do you expect?

Women should be given more birth choices - Reuters

Free fertility treatment would combat ageing population

Thousands lie to IVF clinics in order to have a baby

Boy babies boost midcarriage risk

Egg freezing boosts baby chances

IVF 'good for British economy'

Ministers agree to MMR autism enquiry

Warning over epidurals as 3 women die following blunders

Embryo test offers hope for parents

How miscarriage can hit very hard (BBC)

Call for more help for older Mums' fertility

International :

Lack of sex blamed for low fertility rate (Australia reporting on Japan)

The risky business of having a baby - why interventions are on the rise (Australia)

Low birth weight kids prone to gain fat early (Spain)

Pre-scan warnings would have caused extra distress say women with problem fetuses (Ireland)

3 million babies born using assisted reproductive techniques (Prague)

Nutrition a major factor in rise in twin pregnancies (Prague)

Chromosomal abnormalities in sperm higher after vasectomy reversal (Prague)

Education improves understanding of risks of having twins (Prague)

Cervical cancer surgery allows for pregnancy (US)

Therapy can help stress-related infertility (US)

3 million babies born after fertility treatment (Prague)

Warning to Mums over baby bonus (Australia)

Childbirth without pain (Australia)

Delayed umbilical cord clamping boosts iron in newborns (US)

Antibiotic vaginosis may delay preterm delivery (US)

Reduce multiple IVF births, experts urge (Prague)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 16 June 2006

UK:

Pregnant mothers warned over Vitamin E risk to baby

In the dock: the man who caused the MMR scare

Bowel surgery risks women's fertility

The cancer treatmant that means women can still have children

Babies should get fish oils in the womb

The stem cell bank that gives hope to sick children

One of Britain's smallest babies about to leave hospital

Warning over cord blood banking

International :

Mums stack up 40 extra hours a week (Australia)

Graduates make better Mums (Australia)

Research: Labor-Associated Gene Expression in the Human Uterine Fundus, Lower Segment, and Cervix - Preterm labor, failure to progress, and postpartum hemorrhage are the common causes of maternal and neonatal mortality or morbidity. All result from defects in the complex mechanisms controlling labor, which coordinate changes in the uterine fundus, lower segment, and cervix. We aimed to assess labor-associated gene expression profiles in these functionally distinct areas of the human uterus by using microarrays. (US + UK)

Fat cows deliver wee boys (New Zealand)

Family cat unlikely to give babies asthma (New Zealand)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 9 June 2006

UK:

Giving birth left me in a wheelchair

Overweight mothers a health risk

Couples urged to consider the risks of IVF

A third more babies left in fulltime care

Mother of triplets refused to abort girls

ADHD Linked to premature birth

International :

Tests for Down's Syndrome put unborn babies at risk (New Zealand)

Dead baby born at roadside after hospital turned parents away (Australia)

Blood pressure drugs pregnancy risk (Australia)

Mothers at risk packed off to town (Australia)

Pregnant women still lighting up (Australia)

Therapy for childbirth fears may up c-section rate (US)

Delaying cereals doesn't curb allergy to wheat (US)

Green light for abortion pill (Australia)

Older sperm becomes more defective (US)

Pregnant women should avoid canned tuna (US)

Aborted for clefts palates & club feet at 20 weeks (Australia)

Researchers identify protein associated with severe pre-eclampsia (US)

Newborn screening can cause unnecessary parental distress (US)

_______________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 2 June 2006

UK:

Watchdog issues IVF clinic guide

Home visits could aid baby jabs

Down's Syndrome: Breaking the news to parents

Giving your baby a dummy hinders breastfeeding

Study finds it's better to comfort crying babies

Single IVF embryo 'just as good'

US Scientists back autism link to MMR

Mother dies after epidural was put in her arm

Hospital was so scary I gave birth at home

Abortion pill use doubles in 12 months

NHS Hospitals are getting dirtier

Babies with club feet are aborted

International :

Australian birth rate up 2.4% (Australia)

New Mums get back into sex (Australia)

Female Genital Mutilation heightens childbirth risk (WHO)

Hospital loses baby's body (Australia)

Study challenges myth that sexual activity late in pregnancy hastens birth (US)

Repeat c-sections raise risks of complications (US) (no sh*t)

Japan's fertility rate hits an all time low (Japan)

US has second worst newborn death rate (US) - filed 10 may but I missed it

Midwives delivering more babies (US)

Some stress during pregnancy may be good for baby (US)

Need for extensive pregnancy benefits to be questioned (US)

Eating disorders linked to post baby blues (US)

Mum's high BP linked to greater pre-term survival (US)

Red hair not linked to endometriosis (US)

________________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 26 May 2006

UK Nationals:

IVF link to placenta disorder

Epidurals are for wimps

Caesareans higher risk for mothers & babies

Payout after baby delivery death

More than 11,000 parents have paid to freeze child's stem cells

Little boy doctors wanted to abort at 35 weeks for Down's Syndrome

Coroner issues baby death warning

International :

Just 2 drinks a week may lower unborn child's IQ (US)

Study questions need for iron in pregnancy (US)

Hypnosis may boost IVF success (US)

Mum gives birth to baby 3 years after going through menopause (Australia)

Odd drink in pregnancy OK (Australia)

The high cost of IVF (New Zealand)

Vegan diet lowers chance of having twins (US)

________________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 19 May 2006

UK Nationals:

Why I still believe in home births - Mother & Midwife would still choose to give birth at home even though her last labour ended in a prolapsed cord & the death of her baby.

More babies for early-30s women

'Big Brother' informs baby talk

Mothers demanding breastfeeding law

First baby in Britain designed cancer-free

Shocking failures & delays in treatment of post natal depression

Study finds catalogue of failings at Britian's IVF clinics

Health Secretary says it's time to 'challenge the assumption that births should take place in hospitals'

Home V Hospital - where would rather give birth?

UK Regionals:

Infant deaths hit an all-time low (Manchester)

Midwives to perform risky forceps births (Aberdeen)

Torbay 'One of the best' for midwifery (Devon)

International :

Rickets still a risk for kids with milk allergy (US)

Babies born in poor condition at risk of epilepsy (US)

Caffeine helps prem babies' breathing (US)

Breastfeeding curbs obesity in at-risk kids (US)

Stress maybe good for the unborn (US)

Drs warn against encouraging home births (New Zealand)

Diabetic women not geting birth control advice (US)

Full year of treatment helps infants born with toxoplasmosis (US)

Mothers seeking 'super sperm donor 401' get a special gift (US)

Dieting women who get pregnant put their babies' health at risk, says expert (New Zealand)

Give birth at home - Britain to urge mothers-to-be (New Zealand) - thought it was interesting to gain another country's perspective on this story

Carcinogens from parents' tobacco smoke found in their babies' urine (US)

Inducing labour carries risks according to new research (US)

Labour can be longer for obese pregnant women (US)

Advice for overweight Mums: lose weight before next pregnancy or risk bigger babies (US)

Work conditions raise risk of having a smal baby (US)

________________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 12 May 2006

Breast or bottle? Study in Australia traces history of feeding babies & finds as far back as the 1920s experts saw bottle feeding as old fashioned (Australia)

No agreement in role of abortion pill in fatal infections (US)

Femara appears safe as fertility agent (US)

MSP wants birth control added to methodone to prevent addicts getting pregnant (UK)

Boy charged over 11-year-old's pregnancy (UK)

Midwife peril for Mums (UK)

Drs urge women to have morning after pill on hand for emergencies (US)

Cancer risk women may have embryo screening (UK)

Big cuts to Gloucestershire's NHS services will effect maternity provision (UK)

Parents ignoring cot death advice (UK)

Drug reactions must be reported (UK) - not necessarily maternity related, but I only recently found out about the yellow card system by chance & after my son suffered a very high temperature due to his MMR, I shall be filling out a yellow card asap. For more info go to the yellow card website: www.yellowcard.gov.uk & the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency's website: www.MHRA.gov.uk or you can call freephone 0808 100 3352 (thanks to AIMS for all that info).

Simple measures could stop 2 million baby deaths a year (UK)

US to assess infections in 'abortion pill' Mifeprex (US)

Lesbians get fertility treatment (UK)

Bid to save couple's IVF embryos (UK)

Watchdog backs more embryo checks (UK)

More babies born to women over 50 (UK)

________________________________________________________________________________

Week Ending Friday 5 May 2006

Nasal Flu vaccine beats jabs for young children (US)

California may ban private ultrasound machines (US)

Mothers small at birth tend to have small babies (US)

Bile buid-up in pregnancy may harm babies' lungs (US)