Dr. Jen Gunter
prematurity
In praise of Kangaroo Care for premature babies
Today is Kangaroo Care awareness day. Kangaroo care (KC) is the practice of skin-to-skin contact with a premature baby and parent. In low and middle-income countries, where there are fewer medical resources, Kangaroo Care has been shown to reduce mortality among premature babies and shorten the length of hospital stay. Kangaroo Care is also very … Continue reading
The physical dangers for mothers who deliver prematurely
Mothers who deliver prematurely face serious health risks that are often neglected when we talk about prematurity. Today, in honor of Savita Halappanavar’s death from sepsis that was a direct result of her previable premature delivery, I would like to let the world in on the physical perils faced by mothers who deliver prematurely. Many … Continue reading
Vaginal delivery is safe for premature babies who aren’t breech
Finding out your baby is going to be premature is one of the most stressful things for parents-to-be. In addition to all the fears about the effects of prematurity, many parents also worry about the method of delivery. How can a tiny, fragile premature baby manage to make it through the birth canal without injury? … Continue reading
The medical caste system of America
I am the mother of three boys, but the parent of two. My three children were born extremely prematurely, but it was just too much for my first son. My surviving boys, Oliver and Victor, weighed 1 lb 11 oz and 1 lb 13 oz respectively. Because being born at 26 weeks (14 weeks early) … Continue reading
When the doctor has PTSD
PTSD is a normal response to an abnormal situation. A horrible, terrible, situation. It affects 76% of mothers who have/had babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. It affects me. I’d like to say affected, but it is a scar and like all scars it fades, but never completely goes away. Injuries cause scars. And … Continue reading
What world pneumonia day means to me
I am not a fan of awareness months. The campaigns go on too long and frankly, the pinking of October (or greening, or whatever color has captivated Madison avenue) leaves me feeling like diseases are part of a company’s portfolio. I also don’t appreciate being harassed every time I swipe my credit card at Safeway … Continue reading
The Duggar’s Russian roulette with prematurity
Michelle Duggar is pregnant again. Number 20. Perhaps ratings were slumping for their “reality” show? I use the term reality loosely, because a family with 19 children is not reality for anyone. While TLC likes to call themselves the ‘Family, Home, Style, Cooking network,” (you know, crock pots and crafts), TLC is really code for … Continue reading
Preterm birth linked with increased death later in life: the study that breaks my heart:
It’s not enough that premature birth (a delivery before 37 weeks), which affects 12% of all American newborns, is the leading cause if infant death. It’s also not enough that premature delivery is the leading cause of disability among children. No, a new study has to come out telling us that adults who were born … Continue reading
When you lose a baby from a multiple pregnancy…
I entered the hospital pregnant with three babies at 22 weeks and after months in the neonatal care unit, brought two home. It is very difficult for other people to understand your grief when you lose a baby from a multiple pregnancy. Family, friends, and even physicians think that the pain is somehow softened by … Continue reading
The hypocrisy of banning drop down cribs and not cigarettes
Here’s the bottom line. Smoking kills babies. A study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine in 2010 tells us just how lethal. This is an excellent study. The researchers looked at the US linked Birth/Infant Data Set, a record of all births in the US (they used the 2002 data set), excluding multiple … Continue reading
