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HWN Suggests

Why doctors are so bad at predicting pregnancy due dates

A pregnant friend of mine is due to give birth on Saturday, but as she told me this week, she really has no idea if the baby will come on time, or two weeks from now.

Only 4 percent of women give birth on their estimated delivery date. That’s because of the natural variation in how long it takes a baby to grow and because of our limited ability to predict due dates.

Medicine, it turns out, is surprisingly bad at measuring the precise age of a fetus or how far along a woman is into her pregnancy.

Having concrete information about a baby’s “gestational age” wouldn’t just help moms plan their pregnancies. It would also help doctors better determine whether a fetus…

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Although specialist perinatal mental health teams are vital, the mental health of mothers should not be the concern of psychiatric services alone. All health care professionals who come into contact with women in the perinatal period should address both their mental and physical health. Although 85% of women reported that they were asked about their mental health, some felt that through pregnancy and the postpartum only their physical symptoms were assessed and treated.

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Resources

National Perinatal Task Force

The National Perinatal Task Force is a grassroots movement to start and grow Perinatal Safe Spots (PSS) in every ‘Materno-toxic Area’ in the USA, in order to eliminate racial and class disparities in birth outcomes, and to create equity and power in maternal child health care.

PeriStats

PeriStats is developed by the March of Dimes Perinatal Data Center and provides access to maternal and infant health data for the United States and by state or region, including more than 60,000 graphs, maps, and tables.

Centre for Perinatal Psychology

The Centre for Perinatal Psychology is committed to strengthening relationships and facilitating joyful and confident parenting during the perinatal period.

National Perinatal Association

NPA brings together people who are interested in perinatal care to share to listen and learn from each other. Our diverse membership is comprised of healthcare providers, parents & caregivers, educators, and service providers - all driven by their desire to support and advocate for babies and families at risk across the country.

Mothers over 40

Mothers over 40 is an inspirational, encouraging and positive global resource for older mums...