Forceps use during delivery has decreased as cesarean deliveries have increased and vacuum suction has become available. Most forceps deliveries today are low forceps deliveries in which forceps are applied when the baby's head is visible or low...
Giving birth is a wonderful time in many women's lives. The common image of a birth is a woman in a hospital bed, hooked up to multiple machines and giving birth vaginally. However, women have more than one option when giving birth. If she does...
According to the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, it's important for a pregnant woman to know her pain relief options before her delivery date arrives. While some women prefer to birth without pain relief, no two women are alike and...
The fruit of the raspberry bush is not the only useful part of the plant. Raspberry leaf tea is a time-honored "women's tonic," that is traditionally used to support women's reproductive health. Raspberry leaf should not be taken during the first...
Labor induction is a tricky business. While there are medical techniques proven to induce labor within a short period of time, many women prefer the idea of a natural induction. However, though it's common to perceive herbal supplements as safe,...
In traditional medicine, medicinal herbs have been used to strengthen the ligaments and muscles in the uterus. Midwives and herbalists may recommend these naturopathic supplements to treat pregnancy complications, certain types of infertility and...
There are many natural supplements commonly recommended by midwives and alternative health care practitioners for use during pregnancy and labor. Some of these are said to help relieve pregnancy symptoms, while others are meant to prepare the body...
Newborns often incur injuries during the birth process. Many times injuries occur as the baby passes through the birth canal, the final step before his appearance in the world. Birth canal injuries often occur in large babies, who may not fit well...
The use of herbs in pregnancy causes a great deal of controversy, with alternative practitioners often supporting their use and traditional medical practitioners advising against them. As many as 63 percent of nurse midwives use red raspberry tea...
Many alternative medical practitioners and midwives use herbs and other supplements as a way to "tone" the uterine wall, which consists largely of muscle. Most of these herbs are used only in late pregnancy, because toning herbs can cause...
Part of caring for a baby includes feeding and helping her to feel safe. A baby needs close contact and touch to promote bonding with her parents. Infant massage and breastfeeding are two ways that give care while instilling feelings of security...
Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, as it allows blood platelet cells to become "sticky" and coagulate together, which prevents internal bleeding and allows external injuries to heal. Some newborns experience vitamin K deficiency bleeding,...
Herbalists have long recommended red raspberry leaf tea to decrease a heavy menstrual flow, strengthen the uterus and increase lactation, but not much scientific evidence exists to confirm these findings. Understanding what studies have been...
Raspberry leaf tea, also referred to as red raspberry leaf or Rubus idaeus, has a long tradition of use during pregnancy. There is controversy, though, over the efficacy and safety of red raspberry leaf tea during pregnancy and labor. Some...
For most women requesting pain relief during labor, epidural anesthesia is the preferred method. With this type of regional anesthesia, the laboring mother is conscious and awake, yet is numb in the lower extremities. This seems like the ideal...
Babies can enter the world in one of several ways. Since babies don't have much say in the matter, the decision for which delivery option is best falls to his mother, or, more often, to his mother's medical practitioner. The type of delivery...
A seizure occurs when brain activity is interrupted and causes physical spasms or unconsciousness. Many people experience a seizure as a result of a temporary condition for no apparent reason and never have another one, report doctors at the...
During pregnancy and breastfeeding, carefully consider everything you eat and drink due to potential side effects for the baby, including any herbs you may be taking. Herbs have acted as natural remedies for a variety of ailments for centuries,...
Birth is a natural process that can occur without interventions in most cases. In the Western world, however, the medicalization of labor and delivery has made the use of drugs to start labor, control labor and manage pain commonplace. These are...
Pregnancy and heart disease can be a dangerous combination. Heart disease causes around 10 percent of maternal deaths during pregnancy, the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library states. While women with heart conditions can have healthy babies,...
Uterine fibroids, or just fibroids, are benign, or not cancerous, tumors of the uterus. According to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, around 25 percent of American women have fibroids. Although not usually dangerous,...
In most hospital deliveries, vitamin K is administered via injection shortly after birth as part of the standard regimen of newborn care. Some parents choose to opt out of this particular intervention for fear that the shot may do harm or because...
A wide variety of conditions can cause symptoms of incontinence, which is an involuntary release of urine. Stress incontinence is the type of incontinence that most closely correlates with exercising, because it can occur during physical activity....
A few weeks before labor begins, a baby will move into the position he will be in for delivery. Mothers may typically feel this as their baby "drops" into their pelvis. The position of a baby during delivery affects the amount of time the mother...
Newborns receive vitamin K shortly after birth to prevent developing potentially fatal bleeding problems. Traditionally, vitamin K is given as a shot, but many new parents seek to protect their newborns from injections and wonder if their babies...
Newborns have delicate skin, so injuries to the skin or diaper rash can cause open sores. Open sores on newborns can also indicate viral infections contracted from their mother at the time of delivery. If your baby has open sores, call her doctor....
The delivery of a baby has been called one of life's most treasured events. In reality, while marking the event of a new life in the world, childbirth can also be painful and can bring the possibility of complications for both mother and baby. The...
Epidurals are the most common type of anesthesia used during labor and delivery. They combine a local anesthetic with narcotics or opiates and are administered into the epidural space of your spinal cord. More than half of all pregnant women...
There are more than 4 million babies born in the United States each year, according to BabyCenter.com. The number of babies born in 2008 was reduced by 2 percent over the previous year's all-time high of more than 4.3 million. When born in...
