Tag archives for: pregnancy,
Fact vs. Fiction: Common Pregnancy Myths Debunked
By Jacquelyne Froeber
January 11, 2019
Categories: Pregnancy
Ever heard the rumor that you can’t exercise while pregnant? Or how about that sex will hurt your unborn baby? If so, you’re not the only one: It turns out there are many myths about what women can and can’t do during pregnancy. We asked Dr. Patrick S. Ramsey, MD, director of maternal transport and outreach at University Health System/UT Health San Antonio, to separate fact from fiction in the common pregnancy myths below. Myth: You can’t travel when you’re expecting. Truth: Don’t put that babymoon on hold: According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), low-risk expectant …Read More >
Tags: health tips, healthy pregnancy, maternal care, pregnancy
How determination made fish oil an FDA-approved medicine for babies
By Sherrie Voss Matthews
December 10, 2018
Categories: News / NICU / Pregnancy
Dr. Cynthia Blanco’s passion to save babies was the key driver in the recent approval of Omegaven, a lifesaving fish oil treatment for babies with gastrointestinal complications. Blanco’s study followed the outcomes of babies treated with fish oil in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital. “Overall, since 2011, we have had more than 50 patients enrolled in our long-term study and their survival without liver transplant increased dramatically ― to better than 90 percent,” she said. Omegaven is a fish oil-based solution that is used to provide nutrition to critically ill patients. It has been used in Canada, …Read More >
Tags: Maternal-Fetal Medicine, NICU, Omegaven, pregnancy
With mosquitoes buzzing again, it’s time to reach for the repellent
By UHS News Team
May 8, 2017
Categories: Children's Health / Infections / News / Pregnancy
You may have noticed the buzz. Mosquito season is back in full swing, and with it the concerns about the threat of Zika infection. Bexar County has recorded one confirmed case of Zika in 2017, adding to the 20 cases it reported last year. All the cases so far are thought to be travel-related, with patients infected in places where the infection is circulating. Unfortunately, one of those places is the Lower Rio Grande Valley, which joined Florida last year as the two U.S. regions with local Zika transmission. Last month, the Texas Department of State Health Services issued new …Read More >
Tags: mosquitoes, pregnancy, prevention
Strengthening mother-baby bonds in the NICU
By UHS News Team
March 2, 2017
Categories: Children's Health / News / NICU / Pregnancy / Research
The bond between mother and newborn is not only powerful, it’s important for the healthy development of the child, research has shown. But when a baby is born too soon or has other medical problems requiring a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit, fear and uncertainty can interfere with the forming of those bonds. “We see moms looking terrified,” Umber Darilek, a registered nurse at University Hospital, told Texas Public Radio reporter Wendy Rigby. “A lot of women don’t know how to approach their babies, especially when there are tubes and lines coming out of all directions.” To try …Read More >
Tags: bonding, newborn, NICU, pregnancy
Advice on Zika protection for moms-to-be
By UHS News Team
July 6, 2016
Categories: Children's Health / Infections / News / Pregnancy
The well-publicized risks of Zika infection in pregnancy have been scary. Even scarier is the speed at which the infection has spread across geographic borders, and the fact that the mosquitoes doing the spreading — Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus — are found in in South Texas. For pregnant women worried about which insect repellent will protect them safely, Dr. Patrick Ramsey, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at UT Medicine San Antonio who practices at University Health System, offers some advice: Stay indoors, get rid of standing water on your property and cover up by wearing light-colored, long-sleeve shirts and long …Read More >
Tags: mosquitoes, pregnancy, Zika
A video chat with baby
By UHS News Team
June 3, 2015
Categories: Children's Health / News / NICU / Pregnancy / Technology
It’s one of the most joyous times in life — the birth of a baby. But sometimes medical reasons can keep mom and baby apart for hours, days or even weeks. That the time when physical and emotional bonds are formed. And while separation can’t always be avoided, University Health System’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is using some popular technology to make it easier on both mother and child. Baby Chat uses iPads and Apple’s FaceTime application to allow the newborns to hear the sound of their mother’s voice, and for moms to see and hear the movement, breathing and …Read More >
Tags: babies, FaceTime, iPad, pregnancy
Helping women with a common fertility problem
By UHS News Team
July 14, 2014
Categories: News / Pregnancy / Research
A breast cancer drug may help women with polycystic ovary syndrome achieve a successful pregnancy better than the standard treatment, new research suggests. Polycystic ovary syndrome is one of the most common causes of infertility, affecting 5 to 10 percent of women of childbearing age. The condition, often linked to diabetes, is caused in part by a hormonal imbalance. In PCOS, the ovaries make high levels of androgens — primarily a male hormone that women also produce, typically in small quantities. The standard treatment has long been a drug called clomiphene citrate, which stimulates ovulation. But its success rate is limited. …Read More >
Tags: diabetes, Fertility, polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnancy, research
Saving precious sight
By UHS News Team
July 7, 2014
Categories: Children's Health / News / NICU / Pregnancy / Research / Technology
It’s among the happiest moments for new parents, when their baby makes eye contact and smiles in recognition. But for very premature babies, a common and potentially blinding eye disease can rob families of that moment. More than half of all infants born 10 or more weeks prematurely have some level of retinopathy of prematurity, or ROP — a disease in which blood vessels in the back of the eye grow abnormally. That can lead to scarring and detachment of the retina. About 5 to 8 percent require treatment, which involves destroying the abnormal blood vessels with lasers or a …Read More >
Tags: babies, NICU, pregnancy, premature, research, telemedicine, vision
Taking aim at birth defects
By UHS News Team
June 26, 2013
Categories: Children's Health / News / Pregnancy / Research / Wellness
Citing the fact that Hispanic babies are more prone to a serious birth defect of the brain and spinal cord, the March of Dimes has called on the FDA to require that corn masa be fortified with folic acid, as it requires for many other grain products. Neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly occur when the protective sheath around the spinal cord fails to close completely. About 3,000 pregnancies each year result in a neural tube defect. Folic acid, a B vitamin found in lentils, leafy greens, citrus fruits and other foods, can reduce the risk of neural …Read More >
Tags: birth defects, folic acid, Hispanics, nutrition, pregnancy
A vital ingredient for baby’s health
By UHS News Team
May 29, 2014
Categories: Children's Health / News / NICU / Pregnancy
Are you getting enough iodine in your diet? A new policy statement by a national physicians’ group says there’s a good chance you aren’t — and that’s worrisome if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. It could be risky for your child. Iodine is an essential element for a baby’s brain to develop normally. And if mom gets too little, it can weaken both her and her child’s defenses against certain environmental pollutants — including some found in some foods and public water supplies. The American Academy of Pediatrics said this week that many pregnant and breastfeeding women should be taking iodine supplements …Read More >
Tags: brain, lactation, nutrition, pregnancy, salt, supplements
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