High-risk pregnancies account for about six percent to eight percent of pregnancies. Though the reasons for a pregnancy to be high risk can vary, one constant is that you and your baby will need specialized care. “Women considered high risk may be referred to a maternal and fetal medicine specialist or perinatalogist,” said W. Vance…
Intent on another natural childbirth, Tina Zeller had a lot to look forward to with the birth of her second child. She and her husband, Drew, couldn’t wait for their new baby boy to join an older sister. Tina delivered her first child in June 2016 at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital under the care…
Good news for babies in Kentucky: More mothers in the commonwealth are giving their children valuable nutrients through breastfeeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2018 Breastfeeding Report Card. Data reported was from 2015. The latest data show that 73.9 percent of Kentucky mothers have breastfed at some point, an increase from…
A recent debate about feeding infants solid food before 6 months of age has become a point of conversation among new mothers. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, mothers should exclusively breastfeed for the first four to six months, however a recent study has questioned whether starting solid food earlier leads to better sleep….
When planning for a baby, expectant parents have many things to consider. Choosing a name, finding a car seat and getting on the right daycare waiting list suddenly become priorities. But there are other options to consider leading up to a happy, healthy childbirth. Have you ever considered partnering with a nurse midwife for your…
Effective July 1, 2018, all Kentucky women who are pregnant will be tested for hepatitis C (hep C) during their first prenatal visit with a health provider. The screening is now a law after Kentucky lawmakers passed Senate Bill 250 in April 2018. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams. Norton Healthcare has…
Millennials are delaying milestones such as getting married and starting a family, and it’s reflected in U.S. birth rates — more women are giving birth at age 35 and older. The mean age for the birth of a first child is at an all-time high of 26.6 years old, according to data from the Centers for…
The crushing physical pain. The anguish of infertility. The grief of losing a uterus — and with it, the dream of carrying a baby. Lena Dunham, writer and actress for HBO’s “Girls,” chronicled her experience with severe endometriosis for Vogue magazine earlier this year. Endometriosis isn’t talked about much. Yet, it’s all too common — about one…
Finding out you’re pregnant is an exciting time. It comes with a lot of decisions. What kind of care do you want for your pregnancy and birth? And for all of the unknowns, what kind of care do you need? Need an OB/GYN or midwife? Find a provider Norton Healthcare offers a lot of options…
Pre-eclampsia, a potentially fatal pregnancy condition characterized by high blood pressure, is 60 percent more common in black women than white women, according to the Healthcare Cost Utilization Project (HCUP). Left untreated, pre-eclampsia can lead to complications — even death — for mother and baby. “Black women are more likely to develop pre-eclampsia and to…
When you’re expecting a baby, you have lots of decisions to make. Do you want to see a doctor or a midwife? Do you want to use nitrous oxide? What about a labor tub? And, of course, how will delivery day go? Knowing who can and will be in the delivery room can help you…
New information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) brings some not-so-good news about the number of women smoking while pregnant. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, one out of 14 women who gave birth in 2016 smoked cigarettes while pregnant. The prevalence of smoking during pregnancy varies by state….
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