I recently saw video of an interview I'd done a couple years ago, when I was ginormously pregnant. Next to Annie Lennox, I was nine months along, with body parts bloated beyond recognition and heading in directions they normally don't.
Sierra Leone and Liberia have some of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 15-24 year olds accounting for 40% of such deaths) and two years ago, agencies IPPF and FORWARD listened to hundreds of African voices talking about sexual and reproductive health and rights.
GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum challenges the prenatal testing policy found in the 2010 health care legislation.
In most of the country, employers can force pregnant workers out of the workplace when their pregnancy interferes with their normal job duties.
Young children are far more likely to experience attention and hyperactivity problems if their mother develops diabetes during pregnancy and they are born into a poor or lower-middle-class household, a new study suggests.
Robin Lim, a woman who has helped poor Indonesian women have a healthy pregnancy and birth, is 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.
Science writer Annie Murphy Paul discusses new research that shows how much we learn in the womb.
When does learning begin? As I explain in the talk I gave at TED, learning starts much earlier than many of us would have imagined: in the womb.
Elizabeth Cohen reports on the government's ruling on the morning-after pill for young teens.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' directive overruling the Food and Drug Administration's decision to make emergency contraception available over the counter for all women, including girls under 17, was not only unprecedented, it was substantively without merit.
For the first time ever, a majority of working women received paid maternity leave, according to a new study. But the U.S. still has a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the industrialized world.
Pregnancy has been no inconvenience for Jessica Simpson so far. In fact, she loves it.
If a measure of a successful society is its ability to prevent infant deaths, then there is an ugly truth in the United States today that public health officials know but the public largely does not: Too many of our babies are dying, and they don't have to.
Actress Kristin Davis introduces Top 10 CNN Hero Robin Lim, who helps poor women in Indonesia have healthy pregnancies.
In Niger, a woman gives birth to an average of nearly eight children. Countries like Uganda, Mali and Somalia are close behind, with an average of six to seven children per woman.
Robin Lim is helping thousands of low-income women in Indonesia have a healthy pregnancy and birth.
The Spice Girl says she was laughing as she gave birth to her daughter
Instead of contractions, they're called surges. And don't call it labor, it's birthing. When the discomfort of childbirth kicks in, it's pressure -- not pain.
Contraceptives, sterilization and reproductive education should be covered by health insurance plans with no cost to patients under the health care reform law, a new report recommends.
• Was she buying maternity clothes? Mom-to-be Rebecca Gayheart stepped out and went shopping at Madison boutique's Melrose Avenue location in L.A. The friendly actress chatted with employees about her pregnancy and swooped up some summer must-haves, including an L Space swimsuit and Sunahara dress.
Women who gain weight after giving birth for the first time dramatically increase their risk of developing pregnancy-related diabetes during their second pregnancy, a new study suggests.
When she found the lump in her breast, Jessica Denton had known she was pregnant with her first child for just a few days.
In 2010, a study found women with no family history of breast cancer do not benefit from mammograms at an early age.
MTV's "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom" have been called one of the best public service campaigns to prevent teen pregnancy. However, some critics have criticized the shows for "glamorizing" teen pregnancy.
"I feel empowered," says The Game star, who is expecting a baby boy on July 3
Children whose mothers are exposed to high amounts of certain pesticides while pregnant appear to have lower IQs than their peers when they reach school age, according to three government-funded studies released today.
"We always knew we wanted a big family," Spelling tells PEOPLE. "Four [children] keeps popping into my head"
When people find out I'm a dietitian, they often ask me what not to eat. I often find myself trying to gracefully redirect the topic. Although it's true Americans eat too much of various types of food, a fixation on risk and avoidance seems to have eclipsed efforts to eat wholesome, delicious foods.
Right before Christmas 2002, Tara Hallman was told her 20-week-old fetus had spina bifida, a common birth defect of the spine.
"I was just hoping … I could show up somewhere with a big belly," she says
After years of tabloid photos of celebrities buying coffee, going to the gym and occasionally flashing the camera as they step out of cars, there's not a whole lot that is private in Hollywood anymore -- including childbirth.
As if deciding how to handle an unplanned pregnancy wasn't stressful enough, several studies in recent years have suggested that young women who have an abortion may be at increased risk of mental health problems afterward.
On Thursday, December 2, as Aneka sat at home nine months pregnant, the phone rang.
Women who take fish-oil supplements during pregnancy are just as likely to experience postpartum depression as those who don't, and their babies' minds don't appear to develop more quickly, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The actress, who is five months pregnant, flashes a sneak peek at London's Heathrow Airport
Husband John Travolta "and I are completely ready. My daughter is very excited too," says the actress
The number of women dying in pregnancy and childbirth has dropped by a third in the past two decades, according to a report out Wednesday from four world bodies including Unicef and the World Health Organization.
"Teen Mom" is not only a spin-off, but the show is also spinning off its own success.
I just found out that I'm pregnant. I've heard that hot tubs aren't good during pregnancy, but what about steam rooms and saunas? I also like to do hot yoga.
We talk with the cast of this season's edition of "Dancing with the Stars".
Bristol Palin remains the nation's most famous teen mother. From her GOP convention outing in 2008 to the formal announcement that she will be a glittery hoofer on the popular TV show "Dancing with the Stars," Bristol remains a pop culture tour de force.
When women have a miscarriage, one of the first questions they often ask is how long they should wait before getting pregnant again. A new study suggests that the sooner they start trying, the better.
I just found out that I'm four weeks pregnant. Is it safe to continue highlighting my hair? Is there anything I should avoid while I'm pregnant?
A French woman who admitted to giving birth to and then smothering eight babies over a 17-year period is "falling apart," according to her attorney.
French prosecutors said Thursday they charged a woman with murder after she admitted giving birth to and smothering eight babies over a 17-year period in northern France.
Forever 21, a clothing chain that attracts many under-21 customers with its inexpensive, trendy fashions, is being questioned about its motives in choosing a select group of states to carry its recently launched maternity line.
Trendy fashion store Forever 21 is drawing controversy with its new maternity clothes. KGUN reports.
As recently as 10 years ago, doctors advised women with bipolar disorder not to have children. While that thinking is now dated, bipolar women often face tough decisions about how to handle their medication during pregnancy.
A little-noticed provision in the sprawling health care reform law enacted in March could greatly expand access to contraception by requiring insurance companies to cover it without any out-of-pocket costs.
The singer, who is expecting twins, says feeling nausea is reassuring that her pregnancy is progressing
The shock and stress felt by pregnant women after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, may have contributed to an increase in miscarriages of male fetuses in the United States, according to a study released Monday.
Matthew and his wife were excited about the birth of their daughter in January 2008, and the proud father took a month off of work to spend time with his spouse and child.
Chris Loo shares an iReport of her experience with postpartum depression.
Nine years ago, Chris Loo thought about putting her newborn daughter, Becky, in a basket on the steps of a church down the street from her home, and leaving her there.
Sweating, sore and somewhat humiliated, Christina Jones ran and pushed the stroller with her screaming baby Claudia past Lane Bryant.
Pregnant women could -- and probably should -- consume 10 times more vitamin D than experts currently recommend, according to a new study.
Ask anyone who's tried it: Sustaining a marriage or long-term relationship is hard. More than 40 percent of first marriages and nearly 70 percent of first live-in relationships fail to reach the 15-year mark, statistics show.
What kinds of exercises are safest to do while pregnant? How much is too much, especially early in the pregnancy vs. later on?
A new report shows that half of all women who die during pregnancy could be saved. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports.
Deaths from pregnancy and childbirth in the United States have doubled in the past 20 years, a development that a human rights group called "scandalous and disgraceful" Friday.
I was six months pregnant when a smiling stranger on a bus asked where I was delivering. Within minutes, this woman was sharing intimate details of her own birthing experience -- the water breaking, the contractions that failed to get closer together, and the way her doctor deftly sewed up the four-inch incision from her Caesarean section. "I'm telling you, this guy was good," she said. "Next time, I'm just scheduling my C-section. None of this pushing stuff."
My mom died nine months ago, and two days later, I gave birth to my daughter (she was full term, actually late, and completely healthy). I have been struggling with depression and all sorts of other medical problems since my mom passed. I cannot seem to get past crying over my mom. I cried all the time. We were very close, and losing her has been very hard. At the time, my husband was in Iraq, so I was dealing with a newborn by myself, as well as the loss of my best friend, my mom.
Shortly before last Mother's Day, 28-year-old Lauren Meehan-Machos broke down in front of her startled husband. "This is more than I can handle," she sobbed.
An inside look at Serenity Place, a center for pregnant women and mothers addicted to drugs.
Some are girlish 22-year-olds; others are women approaching 40. They come from South Carolina's rural counties and its booming cities. They are loud and muted, lively and vacant, hopeful and desperate.
Some are girlish 22-year-olds; others are women approaching 40. They come from South Carolina's rural counties and its booming cities. They are loud and muted, lively and vacant, hopeful and desperate.
More than one in 10 women develops depression during pregnancy. Now, a new study suggests that women who are treated with antidepressants are more likely to give birth early or to have newborns that need to spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit.
Next week, the long-awaited H1N1 vaccine is expected to arrive. At least three of the four vaccine makers have begun shipping their products to undisclosed distribution centers.
The swine flu vaccine is almost here. The question now is, will you get one? CNN's Elizabeth Cohen gets answers.
Women who develop a mild case of gestational diabetes during pregnancy tend to have fewer complications and healthier babies if the diabetes is treated, according to the first large-scale randomized trial in the U.S. to address whether such treatment leads to health benefits for mother and child.
Meet a pregnant woman who signed up to test the new swine flu vaccine. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports.
For the past several months, Amy Wolf has been glued to the television, intently watching for information on how best to prepare for H1N1 flu.
"This never gets old," says father-of-18 Jim Bob Duggar, whose wife Michelle is due in the spring
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of Tonitown, Arkansas, who have 18 children and one grandchild on the way, are expecting a new addition to their household -- baby No. 19 will arrive in the spring.
You might think childbirth would be a topic too personal, too beautiful or way too graphic to write about on Twitter.
When Holly Betten, 28, came home from the hospital after a rough delivery, she had one day to adjust to her new life as a mom before her husband went back to working 12-hour days as a computer-software architect.
Pregnant women infected with the H1N1 virus are more likely to be hospitalized from it and perhaps even more likely to die from it, according to a federal study released Wednesday.
After my wife had given birth to our second child, my editor at BabyTalk called me with an assignment: See what it's like to be pregnant by wearing an "empathy belly" -- a sort of pregnancy suit for men (expectant dads try them on briefly during childbirth class) -- for one day.
After a difficult pregnancy with life-threatening complications, the actress has a healthy son named Holden
Pregnant women in Peru are dying at scandalous rates, according to the author of an Amnesty International report into maternal mortality in the South American country.
Pregnant women in Peru are dying at scandalous rates, according to the author of an Amnesty International report into maternal mortality in the South American country.
Hank Baskett says, "I've seen more baby television shows since she got pregnant than I have in my entire life"
She says there's "something wonderful" about pregnancy, but is ready to be done with it
Diana Adam, 35, and her husband wanted to have a second child this year. The timing just seemed right. She had a job as a software engineer at a big market research company near San Francisco, California, and it had good benefits -- including paid maternity leave. He was looking for a faculty position after finishing his Ph.D. in sociology but had a steady job as a lecturer at a state university. Their first child, a boy, was three.
After two pregnancies, she ditches the cupcakes and turns up her workouts to get into the best shape of her life
Teen pregnancy rates in the U.S. are highest among Latinas. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports
Decades-old time off given women for pregnancy leave cannot be counted when deciding pension eligibility, the Supreme Court decided Monday.
Decades-old time off given women for pregnancy leave cannot be counted when deciding pension eligibility, the Supreme Court decided Monday.
The SNL star is having another child with director Paul Thomas Anderson
A pregnant British woman jailed in Laos was denied access to a British lawyer who flew out to meet her, a human rights group said Tuesday.
The View co-host says she's so busy she's "lucky to have a prenatal pill by the end of day"
The soulful singer becomes a mom for the first time to son Jett Hamilton Roberts
Had she been born a generation earlier, Kim Hoffman might have had a shotgun wedding. As it turned out, she and Steve Miller took the time to plan their dream nuptials -- outdoors, on an organic farm, and with their 10-month-old daughter in tow.
Twins? Triplets? Octuplets? Sounds like a lot of stress to handle more than one baby at once.
The average cost of medical care for a premature or low birth-weight baby for its first year of life is about $49,000, according to a new report from the March of Dimes Foundation.
New book reveals Palin thought that not disclosing her condition would prevent unwanted attention
Did Octuplets' mother do it for the fame and fortune? CNN's Randi Kaye reports.
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