Going through the process of childbirth is never easy, even under the best circumstances. Even with all the progress that has been made in helping make childbirth safer over the years, there are still many things that can potentially go wrong and put both the mother and the child in jeopardy. And when things go

As soon as a baby is born, doctors will routinely examine the baby to evaluate its health. This exam should include screening the infant for signs of potential neonatal encephalitis. Neonatal encephalitis is any condition in which a newborn baby’s nervous system is impaired and unable to operate normally. When babies have neonatal encephalitis, it

Infections are a very common occurrence in life. Most people develop one type of infection or another over the course of their lives and very often, they clear up with simple antibiotics and don’t result in any serious, long-term health effects. During pregnancy, many types of infections can also be treated easily, but in some

For a wide variety of reasons, many women are now having children at older ages than they had in the past. While many people prefer to wait to have children until they are more established in life before having kids and are more emotionally prepared for the challenges of parenthood, a big downside to having

In recent decades, births of twins have become an increasingly common occurrence. According to the CDC, births of twins have grown 78% since 1980, with 123,536 twin births occurring in 2018 in the United States. For many expectant parents, finding out they’re expecting twins can be the most exciting news they ever hear in their

When the time comes to welcome a child into the world, new parents want to be holding their new baby as quickly as possible. But going through labor isn’t always a quick and easy process. Expectant mothers commonly wonder about how long labor is supposed to take, but every mother’s experience can be different. For

When parents find out a child has been injured around the time of birth, one of the first things they’ll want to know is what can be done in terms of treatment. Is there anything that can be done to help improve their child’s quality of life? Will they need surgery? Or would medication or

Birth is a very difficult process, both for the mother and the baby. This is true whether a delivery is quick and free of complications or is prolonged and difficult. When new parents see their baby for the first time, one thing they often don’t expect is to see their child covered in bruises. During

When babies are born, there’s a chance they may develop some type of medical condition in the time shortly following birth. The good news is that some of these conditions are minor issues that will either clear up on their own over time or can be treated easily without any serious long-term effects on the

Even though hospital births are by far the most common place for expectant mothers to give birth, they’re not the only option. Every year, about 1.6% of all births in the United States are home births and about 0.5% occur in freestanding birthing centers. Women who choose to give birth outside of a hospital have