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 …
The Baby Blog: Uncategorized
The Day the World Went Dark: A Personal Account of Miscarriage, Abortion and Ectopic Pregnancy
by Sarah Obican, MD, MotherToBaby PresidentThough I wish I didn’t remember the day well, I do. I was a maternal fetal medicine fellow in NYC and I was sitting with my two beautiful co-fellows. When I say my co-fellows were beautiful, I mean that inside and out. We were an odd pairing of three musketeers. Young, bright, professional women, training to take care of women with high-risk pregnancies… and all three of us were pregnant. It was completely unplanned and highly unusual for all three of …
Pregnancy and Protests: Tear Gas, Pepper Spray & Other Worries
As a teratogen information specialist, I provide the most up-to-date information about exposures during pregnancy, breastfeeding, before pregnancy or in cases of adoption. Over the years, I have been asked questions about hair dye, heroin, and lots of things in between. I never thought I would be getting questions from multiple people about tear gas and pepper spray exposure during pregnancy. But here we are.Protests happening in many cities in the United States right now are resulting in some …
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 …
From Bliss, To Barely Breathing: Finding The Light Again After Infant Loss
By Ginger Nichols, Certified Genetic Counselor at MotherToBaby Connecticut Oprima aquí para el Baby Blog en español Twelve years ago I was still blissfully 24 weeks pregnant, unaware that in a couple days I would be admitted to the hospital for two hellishly long weeks of bed rest listening to the constant beeps of the fetal heart rate monitor; feeling alone and terrified for the health of my unborn baby. My son, Lincoln, was delivered at 26 weeks, weighing only one pound. He was in the NICU …