Health & Baby News & Features
- Giving Birth the Old Way
Variations of natural childbirth are popular these days. Most of us know someone who gave birth at home, or without any drugs, or in water, or assisted by a midwife.
- Pregnant Moms Getting Fishy Advice
Expectant women should eat plenty of fish. Or should they? Sure, we know to steer clear of mercury-laden swordfish. But what about that can of tuna?
- Chiropractic During Pregnancy
As the general population seeks alternative healthcare options in greater numbers, so are pregnant women.
- Double the Joy, Double the Jitters
If having one baby creates an emotional rollercoaster of joy, anticipation, and fear, then having twins quite literally doubles those feelings.
- Here's to Pickles and Ice Cream
Pregnant women tend to crave unusual foods and food combinations.
- Family-Sized New Year's Resolutions
When the new year begins, why not make a resolution to eat better as a family? You can keep good nutrition in mind as well as spend more quality time together at the table. And if you can make more of your meals a family event, experts say you may also be rewarded with some parenting benefits as well.
- Supersized Kids, Diminishing Health.
In a Bit More Than a Decade, the Number of Overweight Children Has Doubled in Many Racial Groups
- When Your Child Has a Headache
Toddlers -- even babies -- can suffer from painful migraine headaches, but often can't tell their parents they're hurting.
- Treating Childhood Hearing Loss
Growing up with impaired hearing can have devastating effects on a child's ability to speak and use language. But newly-available devices and treatments can prevent the worst of these complications -- if parents remain alert to warning signs and act quickly.
- Who's Watching Our Teens?
Keeping your teen safe and sound when schools out, and you're still at work. From paying jobs to community service, babysitting co-ops and regular call schedules, WebMD tells you how to keep your teenager in line and out of trouble.
- Preparing for Parenthood With Yoga.
Yoga is something that can be practiced during any phase of life, even pregnancy. Furthermore, proponents of the ancient practice say yoga during pregnancy can actually help the woman prepare for childbirth and parenthood by getting her (and dad!) into mental, physical, and spiritual shape -- gently.
- What Makes Kids Intelligent?
Raising an intelligent child depends on their ability to process information, which promotes learning, understanding, reasoning and problem-solving.
- How to Have a Smarter Child
Heredity, has a lot to do with how smart your child will turn out, but the environment in which he or she develops is an important factor.
- Your Baby Wants Body Art
Some call it self-expression, some say disfigurement, but the issues are larger than just style or rebellion: People with tattoos are nine times more likely to be infected with hepatitis C.
- Back to Basics for Moms-to-Be
Having a baby can be a big pain in the back, either before or after delivery.
- School of Hard Knocks
An astounding 97% of students report hearing homophobic remarks at school, from peers and teachers alike. But words aren't the worst of it, according to a new report. Gay kids -- and those rumored to be -- suffer daily physical and emotional abuse at school. For some, suicide is the only way out.
- Kindness Is Contagious
A leading 'positive psychologist' is working to prove that kindness is catching. Witnessing good deeds physically inspires the viewer to model that behavior, he says, a finding that can -- and should -- be applied to childrearing and education.
- What Would You Do to Have a Baby?
A matter of time before the first human clone appears -- for better or for worse -- leaving the rest of humanity to deal with the ramifications.
- Traveling for Two: Advice for Pregnant Vacationers
Seat Belts and Air Bags Can Save Your Fetus' Life.
- Spying on Your kids
Nannycams. Electronic kid trackers. Tattletale software. Parents today have a wealth of high-tech ways to keep tabs on their kids. But do these devices promote safety and peace of mind -- or distrust and anxiety?
- Parenting the Picky Eater
When you have a child who hardly eats, it seems everyone has an opinion. We asked the experts to help us sort the good advice from the bad.
- Turning Tragedy Into a Cause
Her life was turned upside down by her son's death. Now she's spearheading a campaign to protect other children from cars.
- Banking on Umbilical Cord Blood
Developing more ways to use stem cells to treat disease, more parents are opting to save their newborns' umbilical cord blood as a sort of a 'biological insurance policy.'
- Giving Baby a Chance, Before Birth
Fetal surgery for spina bifida is experimental, but doctors and parents hold out hope.
- Kids and Petting Zoos
A visit to the petting zoo and your kids may leave with E. coli.
- Pregnancy 101: Things Mom Never Told You
You know about the stretch marks and the morning sickness, but there are many other pregnancy symtpoms. Find out what to expect during pregnancy.
- Can Dad's Diet Make a Healthier Baby?
Fathers-to-be and pregnant women are urged to get more folic acid.
- Look Who's Talking in Sign Language
Sign language has been used for years to communicate with deaf children, but the practice is becoming popular in playgroups nationwide among babies who can hear.
- The Pain of Post-Divorce Parenting
Are children of divorce doomed to be unhappy? Here are some tips for raising happy, stable kids after the split.
- Switched at Conception
Advances in treating infertility have allowed thousands of couples to have children. But for hundreds who went to one clinic, the dream became a nightmare.
- One Last Summer
Palliative care for children with cancer often gets overlooked. It's one of the hardest things for doctors and parents to discuss.
- Birthing Ghosts
A childhood brush with sexual abuse dampens the joy of pregnancy for many women.
- Getting Ready for Baby
Thinking abour getting pregnant? If so, there's a lot you can do beforehand to help you have a healthy baby.
- Preterm Labor and Birth
Signs and Symptoms
- Childbirth Complications
A pregnancy that has progressed without any apparent hitch can still give way to complications during delivery.
- Preparing the Welcoming Committee
Bringing the New Baby Home
- Cutting to the Point on Circumcision
Parents in the United States have routinely circumcised their sons since the 1940s. But that trend is shifting.
- Pregnancy's Emotional Roller Coaster
Women often experience a range of emotions during pregnancy, even if they and their partners are excited about the baby and planned it from the get-go.
- A User's Guide to Prenatal Tests
Common Procedures
- Fetus to Mom: You're Stressing Me Out!
Stress in the womb may affect a child's development and temperment.
- It's a Guy Thing
Labor Room Advice for Men
- Staying Fit While Pregnant
Guidelines for Safe Exercise
- Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia: Causes and Treatments
Pre-eclampsia, sometimes called toxemia of pregnancy, may develop into the more severe eclampsia, which is pre-eclampsia together with seizure.
- Quickening, Sex and Other Pregnancy Things
Q: I have a girlfriend who is three months pregnant (12 weeks) and she says she can feel the baby move. Is this possible?
- What's It Like in the Womb?
Thanks to ultrasound and other high-tech tools allowing a peek inside the womb, scientists have discovered a virtual sensory playground in which your baby is living.
- Doing Battle With Morning Sickness
Nothing can blast the euphoria of discovering you're pregnant faster than morning sickness.
- What Dads Expect When They're Expecting
What dads can expect when mom is expecting.
- Taking Care of Your Body
There's nothing like a fetus to keep you honest. No matter how much health sense you might choose to ignore when the consequences are only yours, it's a different ballgame with a baby on the way.
- Father's Positive, Mother's Negative: What's That Do to Baby?
It's always a good idea for any couple to think ahead and prepare for pregnancy. When facing the potential for Rh disease, it's even more important.
- A User's Guide to Prenatal Tests
A Guide to Basic Tests