Naturalpath

I had the opportunity to watch the film, "The Business of Being Born," and my mind was opened up to a whole new possibility of giving birth. I have a close friend who is studying Midwifery and in the past I was always excited about what she was out to do, but watching this video really solidified for me the benefits of having a home birth. Midwives can make what to me is a scary experience, giving birth, into a safe and amazing spiritual journey. The video does an amazing job of following different women in their pregnancy and giving birth at home and in the hospital, while showing the history and reality of what goes on in a hospital setting. Although the video is biased towards home birth, in the end I was grateful for the way that it really shocked me and inspired me to research more on the topic of giving birth. Also, hearing about the hospital side of the issue from my sister in medical school, she is convinced that it is necessary to face the rates of cesarean births in the U.S. today and question why they are so high, how this is affecting the babies and mothers, and what other options are out there. I definitely highly highly recommend watching the video to all women of any age. (I am not even close to thinking about having a baby, yet I feel like I greatly benefitted from seeing this film!) Check out the preview: http://thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

Healthnotes Newswire (December 6, 2007)—One in six couples experiences infertility at some point during their reproductive years. A new study has found that eating a healthy diet, being physically active, and maintaining normal weight can help ensure normal ovulation and therefore improve fertility.

Healthnotes Newswire (August 30, 2007)—Women may lower their risk of developing a serious pregnancy-related complication called preeclampsia by taking calcium supplements.

Preeclampsia, a condition that can develop during the second half of pregnancy, is characterized by high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and swelling of the extremities that doesn’t go away. Regular prenatal care can help detect the condition so that it may be treated early to avoid adverse effects on mother and baby.

Healthnotes Newswire (August 9, 2007)—Nearly 10,000 children under age 15 are diagnosed with cancer every year in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. But a new study published in Clinical Pharmacology&Therapeutics suggests that taking multivitamins containing folic acid during pregnancy may help prevent the most common childhood cancers including leukemia (cancer of the blood stream and/or bone marrow), brain tumors, and neuroblastoma (tumors that grow in the nervous system).

Healthnotes Newswire (May 3, 2007)—Asthma rates in the northeastern part of the United States are the highest in the nation—and vitamin D deficiency may be one reason, new research shows.

The body can make vitamin D, but only when skin is exposed to sunlight. Pregnant women who live in areas where sunlight is scarce are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, and their children may suffer for this lack later on.

Regarding the effect of maternal diet in pregnancy on the risk of childhood asthma, Carlos A. Camargo, MD, DrPH, associate professor of Medicine & Epidemiology at the Harvard Medical School, and lead author of the new study said, “A few years ago we noted similarities between risk factors for vitamin D deficiency and risk factors for asthma. Vitamin D has many effects on the immune system, so we hypothesized that higher maternal vitamin D intakes might be protective against the development of childhood asthma.”

Healthnotes Newswire (April 19, 2007)—Women who eat more low-fat dairy products are at higher risk for infertility problems, according to researchers from Harvard University.

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults eat two to three servings of low-fat dairy products each day. A new study in Human Reproduction questions this advice.

As part of the Nurses’ Health Study II, 18,555 women of childbearing age shared information about their attempts to become pregnant and any fertility problems that they encountered. Over an eight-year period, the women completed questionnaires about their dietary habits, including how much and what types of dairy products they ate.

Healthnotes Newswire (April 19, 2007)—Many pregnant women don’t get enough vitamin D, which could put their babies at risk for rickets and other health problems, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition.

Rickets, a softening and weakening of the bones from too little vitamin D, was thought to be a thing of the past, but in recent years it’s been making a comeback. By aiding in calcium absorption, vitamin D helps the skeleton form properly and helps maintain healthy bones throughout life.

Healthnotes Newswire (March 29, 2007)—Women whose diets are low in vitamin B12 around the time of conception are at higher risk of having babies with congenital heart defects, according to a new study. Worldwide, 1 million children are born with congenital heart defects each year, contributing to infant death and illness. The new research suggests that many of these cases are preventable.

“The mother serves as the environment of the child as the embryo forms,” said Régine Steegers-Theunissen, MD, PhD, of the Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam in the Netherlands and the study’s project leader. “Both genetic and environmental factors, such as nutrition and lifestyle, play important roles in the prevention or development of congenital heart defects.”