Pregnancy & Birth
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Epsom Salts and Cerebral Palsy
Dr. Greene's thoughts on cerebral palsy... Before we talk about Epsom salt baths, here's the news: giving pregnant women an IV infusion of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) cut the risk of their preterm…
Exercising for Two
Exercise is a green approach to health care. Yes, a green pregnancy means making the most of what you take into your body, through what you eat, drink, and breathe, and also absorb through your skin, …
As Powerful as Insulin
Dr. Greene on something that's as powerful as insulin during pregnancy... The hormonal shifts of pregnancy are a challenge for maintaining healthy blood glucose levels. Up to 1 in 8 women will develop…
What Research Says About Caffeine During Pregnancy
Two teams of researchers recently weighed in on the safety of ingesting caffeine during pregnancy, and they came to two very different conclusions. The first study, which appeared in the January 2008 …
Part Two – Can You Be Vegetarian or Vegan while Pregnant?
2. Calcium is also very important during pregnancy and nursing (and for moms, in the months just after nursing, to replenish the calcium in their own bones). If you're a vegetarian or vegan, add rich …
Can You Be Vegetarian or Vegan while Pregnant?
Being a vegetarian or a vegan can be an option for a pregnant woman, if you make informed choices. Here are four things to keep in mind: (more…)…
Why Green During Pregnancy
Dr. Greene on the importance of being green during pregnancy... As a pediatrician, I knew that the link between environmental dangers and the many cases of chronic illness in my patients was important…
Breastfeeding and Epidurals
I think that all women who have had epidurals deserve breastfeeding support during their babies' first week of life. Of course, a lactation consultant can be a great idea for any new mother, but recen…
Eating for Two: A Guide to Mother’s Nutrition during Pregnancy
During pregnancy, every ounce of baby?s growing body after that very first single cell has come from her mother?s own body. The brain, the heart, the muscles are all built from nutrients that were onc…
ADHD and the Environment
Can exposing the developing brain to environmental toxins lead to ADHD? An upcoming study in the NIH journal Environmental Health Perspectives examined the effects of two substances known to affect th…
Pregnancy, Diet, Asthma, and Eczema
What Mom eats during pregnancy appears able to help protect her kindergarten-aged child from asthma and eczema. A little over ten years ago, researchers at the University of Aberdeen proposed that the…
Conscious Preconception
The "trimester" before pregnancy is an important window of opportunity for a baby's health, whether this is a first pregnancy or a later one. And during pregnancy, the weeks between when conception ha…
Fathers for Organic – Part 5 of 7: A Father’s Protection
Most children today don't grow up on a farm. Does choosing organic food make a difference for children growing up in America's suburbs? Researchers at the Department of Environmental Health in the Sch…
Does what I eat during pregnancy change my baby’s food preferences?
What Is There for the Baby to Smell? The amniotic fluid is like a living bowl of salty soup. The cells in the baby's nose can detect the ingredients in that soup and send messages about them to the br…
Born Polluted
A July 2005 study by the Environmental Working Group tested newborns for the largest number of chemicals ever. The analysis found an average of 200 industrial chemicals, pollutants, and pesticides alr…
Cord Blood Banking
Cord Blood I love being able to help my children give gifts. For Mother's Day and for my wife's birthday, it's a treat for me to get a sense of what the kids want to give, and to provide what they nee…
Born at Home
For some parents, the idea of planning to have their baby born at home feels natural and normal; for others, especially in high-tech countries, the idea of a home birth may feel frightening and unnece…
Smoking, Pregnant Monkeys, and Vitamin C
All pregnant women, not just women who smoke, should hear the news about vitamin C and nicotine. About 450,000 babies are born each year in the United States to women who smoke (this is about 1 in 8 b…
Breathing for Two
Dr. Greene's take on breathing for two... What happens when women with asthma get pregnant? Does their asthma get better or worse? Should they use more asthma medicines when pregnant? Or less? How doe…
Medications during Pregnancy
Almost half of the pregnant women in the in the United States receive prescriptions from their doctors for medications that the FDA has determined have no evidence to suggest safety during pregnancy, …