Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy increases postpartum depression risk for at least three years, study finds
Women exposed to higher levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) or inhalable particulate matter (PM10) during the second trimester of pregnancy face an almost fourfold increased risk of postpartum depression, compared to women exposed to lower levels of those air pollutants.
The 8 best prenatal vitamins, according to a certified dietitian and nutritionists
Prenatal vitamins can help ease expectant mothers’ minds and help ensure she is getting the nutrients needed. Research shows that taking these over-the-counter supplements is a best practice for your own health and the health of your baby.
Pregnancy complications can lead to mothers’ lifelong risk of cardiovascular disease
Pregnant women who develop a common complication called pre-eclampsia are twice as likely to develop heart problems later in life. Now a University of Alberta postdoctoral fellow is working to understand why and to develop prevention strategies.
A Psychologist Explains The Scary Link Between Pregnancy And Psychosis
Pregnancy is a life-changing experience for most women, radically affecting both their bodies and minds. During this time, mothers face a bombardment of rapid and extreme physical changes, coupled with immense hormonal transformations.
Pregnancy and Your Heart: 6 Things to Know
Many expectant parents are aware of the dramatic physical changes that happen during pregnancy, but did you know that the heart also undergoes changes during this time? That’s why heart health should be a priority for people who are pregnant or who want to be, says Dr. Inna V. Landres, an obstetrician and gynecologist and director of the Obstetric Cardiology Program at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medicine.
Protecting Maternal Physical and Mental Health
January 23, 2024, will mark the 8th Annual Maternal Health Awareness Day—the one day a year we come together to raise awareness about the country’s maternal morbidity crisis and how we can improve physical and mental health outcomes for mothers.
Toward a healthier pregnancy: Overcoming barriers to prenatal exercise
A limited understanding of what constitutes safe prenatal exercise among expectant mothers contributes to the low percentage of individuals meeting these exercise guidelines. Additionally, many health-care professionals do not routinely advise their pregnant patients on the subject, despite a wealth of research supporting the positive impact of exercise on maternal and fetal health.
Eat Healthy During Pregnancy: Quick Tips
When you’re pregnant, you need more of certain nutrients — like protein, iron, folic acid, iodine, and choline. It’s also important to get enough calcium, vitamin D, potassium, and fiber. Making smart food choices can help you have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. Here are some ideas to help you eat healthy during pregnancy.
COVID during pregnancy may alter brain development
Boys born to mothers who got COVID-19 while pregnant appear nearly twice as likely as other boys to be diagnosed with subtle delays in brain development. That’s the conclusion of a study of more than 18,000 children born at eight hospitals in Eastern Massachusetts. Nearly 900 of the children were born to mothers who had COVID during their pregnancy.
Being, Doing, and Having all work together to support a healthy pregnancy
Even though some progress has been made in educating women about the need to have a healthy lifestyle during pregnancy, the fact is that the results are meager in terms of actual improvements in pregnancy outcomes or later health outcomes. This could be because better knowledge about a cause-effect relationship is not the same as better awareness, the latter including an emotional and volitional change that may lead to altered health behavior, unlike the merely cognitive gains associated with the former approach.
Province invests in maternity care, expands UBC midwifery program
The expansion at UBC adds 20 new seats to the program, bringing the total annual intake to 48. This includes 12 new seats in the bachelor of midwifery program, bringing the total annual intake from 20 to 32, and eight new seats in the Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program (IEMBP), bringing the annual intake from eight to 16. The IEMBP is an eight-to-10-month program that allows internationally educated midwives to become registered to practise in B.C. and is the only program of its kind in Canada.
5 Trends Impacting Maternal and Infant Health in 2023
The rising risks that dominate the maternal and infant health landscape are tied to an intricate mix of factors, ranging from political and regulatory shifts to economic pressures to healthcare workforce shortages, systemic bias leading to a loss of trust among communities of color, and unhealthy lifestyle habits exacerbated by the pandemic. But against the backdrop of rising risks, the year ahead holds potential bright spots.