Chelsea’s chat came through late on a Wednesday afternoon: “Hi, I’m 23 weeks pregnant and have plans to visit my family in a different state this holiday season. My sister just had a baby and is breastfeeding, and my grandparents will also be there, so I want to be as safe as possible with COVID-19 still spreading. What do you think I should do?” With Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa all quickly approaching, questions like this are coming into our chat service more frequently. …
The Baby Blog: travel
Special Edition Baby Blog: What Do All the Colors Mean? Zika, Pregnancy & Travel in a Post-Epidemic World
By Lorrie Harris-Sagaribay, MPH, MotherToBaby North Carolina Back when Zika was first sweeping the western hemisphere, the travel recommendations for pregnant women and couples who were planning pregnancy were clear: avoid any areas that had a risk of Zika infection. It was fairly easy to know where those areas were, as governments and public health organizations around the world worked tirelessly to identify and report cases. World maps showing areas of risk provided clear “yes/no” guidance. …
Guest Blog: Trouble in Paradise
By Men-Jean Lee, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine physician and member of MotherToBaby’s sister society, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine From gender reveal parties to pregnancy photoshoots and prenatal massage, pregnancies are being celebrated in new and sometimes extravagant ways. The travel trend of “babymoons” continues to grow in popularity and most go off without a hitch. Unfortunately, as a maternal-fetal medicine physician in Hawaii, I’ve seen my fair share of trips that do not go …
How I Got the Zika Virus and How You Can Too: Protecting Yourself and Your Family
By Bethany Kotlar, MPH, MotherToBaby Georgia **This information was current as of the time the blog was published. However, information is constantly changing. Please visit Zika Central for the latest information.** As a teratology information specialist, I counsel women and their families on medications, chemicals, herbal remedies, and illnesses that could harm developing babies. So as the Zika Virus, a viral infection that can cause severe birth defects including microcephaly (a condition …
Father’s Day Food for Thought: Zika in a Man’s World
By Patricia Markland Cole, MPH, MotherToBaby Massachusetts **This information was current as of the time the blog was published. However, information is constantly changing. Please visit Zika Central for the latest information.** When it comes to pregnancy, so much of the attention is focused on the woman: her nutrition, her health, her behavior and just about her whole world comes under scrutiny in order to promote a healthy pregnancy; but what about the man? His nutrition, health, and …
