After a raft of prenatal check-ups were cancelled because of Covid staff shortages, one mother asked how other mums fared. The replies shocked her
Alison, 38, gave birth to her son in June 2021 at a busy London hospital.
“We had exemplary care during delivery, and the midwives looking after me during my antenatal care were likewise fantastic,” she recalls.
Continue reading...Many products spark fear during this period, but few are off-limits. The main thing is not to start a dramatically different routine
At least 10 times a month, I receive a message on social media from an anxious woman unsure about which products she should ditch while pregnant. This is an inevitable consequence of the boom in active skincare ingredients and its resulting landslide of misinformation, coupled with US pregnancy websites and apps so litigation-averse that they seemingly deem everything but air a hazard to the unborn child.
If you’re newly with-child and keen to rejig your routine, there is not very much that becomes off-limits. As with anything in pregnancy (weightlifting and sushi bingeing, for example), the main thing is not to choose now as the time to start something dramatically new. For instance, if you’re already using a vitamin C serum (considered safe in pregnancy), carry on. But it’s not hugely sensible to introduce a strong one from scratch at a time when your skin may be more sensitive (sunscreens are safe, but if you’re sensitive to synthetic SPF, switch to mineral SPF for a bit).
Continue reading...Women could also be unable to give birth at their local hospital as understaffed maternity units face loss of up to 2,000 midwives
Hospital bosses fear that pregnant women could be denied a home birth or water birth in the event of an exodus of midwives triggered by compulsory Covid vaccination for NHS staff.
There are concerns that mothers-to-be could also be unable to have their baby at their local hospital as already understaffed maternity units in England struggle to cope with the loss of up to 2,000 midwives.
Continue reading...There is always an alternative to a custodial sentence. No court decision should endanger the life of an unborn child
In the past three years, two babies born inside English prisons have died. In September 2019, a woman, now known as Ms A, gave birth alone in her cell at HMP Bronzefield and the baby died. In July 2020, a baby was stillborn at HMP Styal. Prison will never be a safe place for pregnant women, so why are our courts still sending them there?
Geraldine Brown, Maria Garcia de Frutos and I set about trying to answer that question. Our research into pregnancy in English prisons (there are no women’s prisons in Wales), published this week, has convinced me that imprisoning pregnant women is disproportionate, cruel and simply unnecessary.
Rona Epstein is an honorary research fellow at Coventry Law School
Continue reading...Rachel, 38, said she was discouraged from having the Covid vaccine in the early days of the rollout
A mother whose baby was stillborn while she was in hospital with Covid-19 has urged people to get vaccinated to save themselves the “agony” of becoming seriously ill with the virus.
Rachel, 38, from Bilston in Wolverhampton, who did not wish to use her surname, was so unwell she did not realise she had given birth to her son Jaxon, at 24 weeks, in August, and was in a coma and in hospital for three and a half months after contracting the virus.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Studies show high temperatures and air pollution during pregnancy can cause lifelong health effects
The climate crisis is damaging the health of foetuses, babies and infants across the world, six new studies have found.
Scientists discovered increased heat was linked to fast weight gain in babies, which increases the risk of obesity in later life. Higher temperatures were also linked to premature birth, which can have lifelong health effects, and to increased hospital admissions of young children.
Continue reading...The government’s campaign promoting boosters to those who are pregnant is vital, but it should have been done months ago
When you’re pregnant, it’s understandable that you might feel cautious. After all, you’re told to avoid all sorts of things – soft cheeses, alcohol, certain medications – because they could be bad for the baby. You might find it surprising to be recommended a medical treatment that is still quite new.
This partly explains why levels of Covid vaccination during pregnancy still seem to be relatively low. In August 2021, only 22% of those who gave birth had received the Covid vaccine. This leaves them and their babies at risk: between May and October 2021, 96% of those admitted to hospital with Covid symptoms while pregnant were unvaccinated.
Viki Male is a lecturer in reproductive immunology at Imperial College London
Continue reading...Prisons and Probation Ombudsman recommends women be offered pregnancy test at arrival
An inmate gave birth to a stillborn baby in shocking circumstances in a prison toilet without specialist medical assistance or pain relief, an investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) has found.
A prison nurse who did not respond to three emergency calls from a prison officer to come to the woman’s aid when she developed agonising stomach cramps has been referred to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Continue reading...Campaign comes as figures show almost all expectant mothers hospitalised with coronavirus symptoms were unvaccinated
The UK government is warning that almost all pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid symptoms were unvaccinated in one analysis over several months last year, as it kicks off an advertising campaign encouraging expectant mothers to get boosted.
The campaign is calling on pregnant women not to wait to get either their first, second or booster jab. It will highlight the risks of Covid-19 to mothers and babies, with testimonies of pregnant women who have had the vaccine to be broadcast on radio and social media.
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