Underage marriage outlawed, but Muslim leaders support it
Times (UK) Nov 28, 08 10:44 AM CST
(Newser)
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In northern Nigeria, almost half the girls are married by age 15, and a law outlawing child marriage faces serious resistance from Muslim leaders, the Times of London reports. "We have no choice," says one teen who was brutally raped by her husband. As a result, fistula—a hole torn between the vagina and bladder or rectum during childbirth—and maternal death are common.
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Doctors may detect disease but struggle for details
Wall Street Journal Oct 25, 08 7:18 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Advances in prenatal screening have given parents-to-be a clearer window into the health of their unborn children—and the dramatic increase in information can lead to wrenching choices. Tests are now able to detect many genetic disorders—but they are not always reliable, or able to predict specific outcomes, the Wall Street Journal reports. That can lead to awful dilemmas for parents deciding whether to continue a pregnancy.
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Report is critical of high-tech methods, urges natural ones
USA Today Oct 8, 08 11:46 AM CDT
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Spending on childbirth—the country's No. 1 reason for hospitalization—is on the rise, and much of it is due to unnecessary tests and procedures, USA Today reports. A new study critical of the system found that $2.5 billion is spent annually on needless high-tech C-sections, which cost more than twice as much as a normal birth. "Everybody recognizes that our health care system's in trouble," says the study's co-author. "But when it comes to maternity care, no one talks about it."
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Baby born on flight from Hong Kong to Australia named for ocean and air
Associated Press Aug 28, 08 2:13 PM CDT
(Newser)
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An Indian newborn can claim his birthplace is miles in the sky after his mother gave birth during a flight from Hong Kong to Australia yesterday, the AP reports. Four doctors helped deliver the premature 6-pound boy. Mom—who was flying for the first time ever to reunite with her hubby—and baby were admitted safely into a hospital after the plane was diverted.
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Model girlfriend gave birth last night to first child for herself, actor
People Jul 8, 08 11:27 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Matthew McConaughey's model girlfriend Camila Alves gave birth to a son last night, his rep tells People. No name has been reported for the 7-pound, 4-ounce boy. "Oh, it's going to be fun!" the actor's brother Rooster told the mag. "He'll make a really good dad because he's got a lot of patience. I'm excited for him. It's about time."
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To produce male heir, scrounges to afford IVF procedure
Sun (UK) Jul 7, 08 9:16 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A 70-year-old Indian grandmother of five has become the world’s oldest mom after giving birth to twins, the Sun reports. Omkari Panwar and her husband, a retired farmer, mortgaged their land, sold off their buffaloes, and took out loans to finance IVF treatment so they could produce a male heir.
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Jolie's pre-planned admittance to avoid immediate birth
Associated Press Jul 1, 08 12:04 PM CDT
(AP)
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Angelina Jolie has gone into a hospital in the south of France where she expects to give birth to twins. A spokeswoman for the Lenval Hospital in Nice says Brad Pitt's better half is fine and that the actress' admittance to the hospital's maternity wing had been planned for some time.
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Actress, 27, gave birth Saturday to Honor Marie Warren
People Jun 9, 08 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Jessica Alba gave birth to a daughter, Honor Marie Warren, on Saturday in Los Angeles, People reports. It’s the 27-year-old’s first child with husband Cash Warren, 31, who won over the actress when he was the director’s assistant on the set of Fantastic Four. "She seemed relaxed," says a source, "and ready to welcome home her baby."
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Risks, costs skyrocket for premature infants, new research notes
Los Angeles Times May 29, 08 11:56 AM CDT
(Newser)
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The number of US babies born before reaching normal gestation jumped by a third from 1996 to 2004, the Los Angeles Times reports, with Cesarean sections accounting for much of the rise. With health risks and high costs associated with premature babies, the trend presents "a serious problem," the March of Dimes Foundation's medical director warns.
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A-Rod 'real wimpy' when it comes to medical situations
Associated Press May 7, 08 8:50 AM CDT
(Newser)
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A close-up look at childbirth when his first daughter was on the way knocked slugger Alex Rodriguez out cold, AP reports. "One nurse had a cloth on his head. The other nurse had the blood pressure cuff on his arm, and I'm there, in the middle of labor," wife Cynthia told YESterdays in an interview airing tonight.
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Gender influenced by diet, researchers find
Guardian (UK) Apr 23, 08 7:27 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Women who want to conceive boys should eat potassium-rich bananas as part of a high calorie, high protein diet, according to the latest British research into influencing gender at conception. Scientists found that 56% of mothers on a high calorie diet conceived boys, compared with 45% of those on a low calorie diet, reports the Guardian .
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Gene material in sperm may be hurt by heavy drinking, smoking: study
Daily Telegraph (UK) Feb 19, 08 2:50 AM CST
(Newser)
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Men who smoke or drink heavily may transmit genetic abnormalities through their damaged sperm, leading to child health complications, miscarriages or stillbirth, researchers have found. The effects of environmental toxins on paternal health—long held to be far less important than that of mothers—may play a crucial role in explaining birth defects, a researcher told a conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston.
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Western couples 'renting' wombs of Indian women
Associated Press Dec 31, 07 6:54 AM CST
(Newser)
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A town in India, where more than 50 women are currently pregnant with the children of Western couples, has hatched a booming industry in commercial surrogacy, dubbed "wombs for rent." The women in Anand have been impregnated with the sperm and eggs of US, British and other couples unable to conceive—and are paid more than many of them earn in 15 years. They live together and are monitored at the clinic during their pregnancies, which have produced 40 babies to date.
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Peanut allergies in young children
doubled in 5 years
Newsweek Oct 28, 07 8:24 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Behind the fear of life-threatening peanut allergies stand astounding statistics: between 1997 and 2002, peanut allergies doubled in children under the age of 5. Other childhood food allergies are also skyrocketing, with allergists seeing more children with multiple sensitivities that seem to be lingering longer than they did in the past, Newsweek reports. Intriguing theories abound as scientists scramble to find answers.
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Guardian (UK) Oct 13, 07 3:11 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Despite two decades of efforts, more than half a million women die each year while pregnant or from complications after childbirth, the Guardian reported. While overall abortion rates have dropped and contraceptive use has increased, Africa and parts of Asia are bucking those trends. Some experts blame the Bush administration, whose HIV/AIDS prevention policies in those regions promote abstinence over birth control.
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Placenta thought to help regulate volatile hormones
USA Today Jul 22, 07 8:05 AM CDT
(Newser)
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People think it's weird, and there's no research to prove it works, but new mothers who've suffered from postpartum depression swear by it. The placenta that nourished the baby is injested by the new mom—dried and put into gelatin capsules, or just plain cooked and eaten. The placenta is thought to contain nutrients that act as a natural preventative for postpartum depression.
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