Deciding what tests you want to have while you’re pregnant can be mind boggling. You can choose no testing at all with the thought that you wouldn’t terminate the pregnancy anyway. Or you can choose blood tests only because they are less invasive. You can also choose to have all …
Continue ReadingWays to keep your pregnancy healthy and green.
From the moment you find out that you are pregnant, your mind is going in 1000 different directions. First and foremost, usually, is how to have a healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery. There are a few things you can do immediately which add to yours as well as your baby’s health.First, drink …
Continue ReadingPregnancy dreams and what they mean….
Remember those vivid dreams of forgetting the baby somewhere? Or that he looks like a furry animal? Dreams are usually a manifestation of lack of sleep and/or stressful situations. During your pregnancy, you may experience some of these unusual dreams. Not to worry, though, according to this article nearly three quarters of all …
Continue ReadingThe Importance of Genetic Testing
Genetic diseases affect an estimated 12 million Americans, yet according to a survey of 1,000 people conducted by the Genetic Disease Foundation (GDF), while two-thirds of those surveyed were willing to and saw the benefits of undergoing genetic testing, close to 80 percent had never talked to their physician about genetic screening – an inconsistency …
Continue ReadingDuke University ‘Ask the Expert’-Umbilical Cord Transplantation
One of the leading experts on blood and marrow transplantation, Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, was the first physician to use umbilical cord blood from unrelated donors to cure cancers and life-threatening genetic disorders and Duke University. In this recent article she answers many questions about cord blood, its benefits and what the future holds for the science …
Continue ReadingDo you need a Doula?
The concept of a doula is not new. A woman supporting another woman through labor is a tradition that goes back many years in all cultures. Some women do not live in close-knit communities where their sisters, mothers, aunts, and friends are there to support them through pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood; these events can be …
Continue ReadingWhat do you think about twiblings???
In a recent New York Times article, an infertile couple decided to have IVF with an egg donor and then have a gestational carrier. There are many ethical and moral questions that arise from this type of pregnancy. And to add a curve to the story they wanted twins so they asked two separate gestational …
Continue ReadingPreterm Labor a Thing of the Past?
It’s a growing consensus in the medical and public health fields: babies need as much womb-time as they can get, and every day counts. In fact, even though 37 weeks is considered full term, groups like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend waiting until 39 weeks to induce labor, barring medical necessity. And …
Continue ReadingBanking On The Benefits Of Cord Blood
During pregnancy, many women are asked whether they plan to bank their baby’s cord blood.This is a personal decision with many options available. This article explains what can be done with your baby’s umbilical cord and potential uses it has.
Continue ReadingOne family’s remarkable Thanksgiving tale of gratitude
What a wonderful Thanksgiving story with an amazing outcome. A 7-year-old boy, Quentin Murray, survived leukemia because his 2-year-old sister Jory’s placenta and umbilical cord stem cells, taken at her birth, were later used as part of a bone marrow transplant for her brother. Umbilical cord preservation and banking is so important, in fact …
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