Every parent knows that having and raising children can be an expensive proposition. Now that summer vacations and camps are coming to an end the back to school supplies are weighing on family budgets. Soon fall sports and other school activities will get rolling. For parents of children with birth
When a doctor realizes that a fetus in distress during childbirth, time is of the essence. Depriving oxygen to the brain during this crucial period can result in catastrophic consequences. In many cases these consequences can be avoided by performing a c-section in a timely manner. A state medical board
Many parents have strong values regarding childbirth, from not wanting anesthesia to foregoing potentially harmful vaccinations. Patients have a right to dictate their medical care in this regard. To that effect, they should make their wishes known in writing well before the potential delivery. If a doctor acts against the
Labor and childbirth contain many risks for both the mother and the newborn infant. Doctors are trained to help mitigate these risks to the greatest degree possible. They have an ever expanding wealth of tools and techniques designed to ensure a healthy result. Unfortunately, when these techniques are misused or
We have been told for years that the more premature the baby, the greater the risk he or she will have long-term health problems. Those babies that are born at less than 2.2 pounds, or “extremely low-birth-weight” babies, used to have a low survival rate. As medical knowledge has grown,
As we have discussed in earlier posts, there is a growing trend toward deliberately delivering infants before they are full term. Now, the March of Dimes has instituted a new campaign to help educate doctors and mothers about the risks of inducing labor prior to 39 weeks. The campaign, known
New research indicates that in the last 12 years the rate of strokes among pregnant women and those who have just given birth has risen by more than 50 percent. Generally when woman give birth they are not in the older age group that most people commonly associate with strokes.
During the last few weeks of pregnancy, doctors sometimes use ultrasounds to attempt to determine the likely birth weight of the baby. In some cases, the doctors determine that the fetus may be considerably larger than expected. This is a condition known as macrosomia. When this is suspected, doctors are
The family of a 31-year-old woman who died shortly after giving birth asserts that a negligent doctor caused the injuries which caused the death of the mother. According to the family the doctor severed her bowel while performing a c-section and then the doctor and the rest of the medical
Many potential birth defects and serious genetic disorders can now be diagnosed relatively soon after conception. In the case of some genetic problems tests may even reveal a serious potential risk simply by testing the potential parents before a pregnancy has even begun. Knowledge of these serious medical issues allows