Perinatal Care
The care that we offer in first 100 days after a baby is born is just as important as the care we provide during pregnancy - National Perinatal Association

image by: New York State Perinatal Association
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 is developing…
Resources
New Recommendations for Postpartum Care Are Long Overdue
Here’s how women have been getting by in the mean time.
Can Technology Save U.K. Perinatal Care?
In the U.K., there were 696,271 live births in England and Wales in 2016. One-in-five of these births caused a mother to suffer a mental health issue.
Depression During and After Pregnancy Can Be Prevented, National Panel Says. Here’s How.
The task force of experts recommended at-risk women seek certain types of counseling, and it cited two specific programs that have been particularly effective.
A Mother’s Zip Code Could Signal Whether Her Baby Will Be Born Too Early
Every year, more than 400,000 women in America have babies who are preterm, low birthweight, or who die before their first birthday.
BBC Inside Out London Investigates New Perinatal Healthcare Service
Becoming pregnant and having a baby is painted as one of the most joyful experiences a human can have. For those who experience it however, it can be a difficult time. With the birth of her first child, Enzo, presenter and life coach Anna Williamson suffered severe anxiety and ill mental health. Presenting BBC Inside Out London, Anna is eight-weeks away from the birth of her second child and is in a much better place mentally thanks to a new service she’s accessed.
Delivering better maternal mental health care: a diagnosis
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.
New Ways to Monitor Pregnancy in Real Time
It is the least understood human organ with the shortest lifespan: the placenta.
What Was Going Wrong With My Pregnancy?
As a mother-to-be discovered in her distress, much of prenatal medicine is still a mystery.
Why doctors are so bad at predicting pregnancy due dates
Only 4 percent of women give birth on their due date. These researchers want to fix that.
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...

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