For breastfeeding people living in rural areas, it is often difficult to find appropriate breastfeeding and lactation resources as they can be few and far between. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), infants in rural areas are less likely to ever breastfeed than infants living in urban areas.Emma, a new mother to a baby boy, lives in a rural area where the nearest town with a healthcare facility is over an hour away. Even by phone, it was difficult to reach her …
The Baby Blog
About Our Baby Blog
Every person wants to know what’s best for their baby, especially when it comes to knowing how to minimize exposure risks. Our relatable stories are packed with practical information from our rotating staff of MotherToBaby expert bloggers. Whatever topic you’re looking for, our blogs will provide you a great foundation to learn more.
Zika, Pregnancy, and Travel in a Post-Epidemic World
One of the most common Zika-related questions we get at MotherToBaby is, “What is the risk of Zika if I travel to Country X?” Or, a variation of the same: “We just got back from Country X. Do we really need to wait 3 months before we try to get pregnant?”Back when the Zika epidemic was sweeping the western hemisphere, answering these travel-related questions was fairly straightforward. It was easier to know where there was a risk for Zika infection as governments and public health organizations …
Managing Mom’s Anxiety during Pregnancy
“I’m worried. I can’t sleep. It’s anxiety.” The message came through from Natalie a few minutes after I had logged onto our live chat service at MotherToBaby.org. “I’m 14 weeks pregnant and concerned about taking a SSRI” she continued. As a Teratogen Information Specialist, I answer questions about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding on a daily basis, and I was happy to chat with Natalie about this topic. Natalie had just returned from a visit to her OB/GYN’s office where she was …
Asking Questions That Count When Considering Adoption
By Kirstie Perrotta, MPH, MotherToBaby California Cara and her husband Mark were contacting MotherToBaby for the first time. “Our adoption counselor just called - we have been matched with a potential birth mom this morning and she’s due next Friday!” Cara blurted out excitedly. “The counselor said you would be able to tell us about the baby’s exposure to heroin and Klonopin. I don’t know how much she used, or when she stopped. We need to make a decision today.” As a Teratogen Information …
A Guiding Light for New Moms: Nurse Family Partnership
“I am so overwhelmed with all information available online nowadays about pregnancy and having a baby, I don’t know how to know what is best for me and my pregnancy!” shared Michelle, who was 15 weeks into her first pregnancy. Not only has the first trimester been full of morning sickness, but she has been obsessed with reading all the latest advice regarding healthy pregnancies and newborn care. This led Michelle to reach out to MotherToBaby’s confidential and free text service asking about …
