Friday Wrap Up: Parenting and Pregnancy News

Tom Hanks is a Grandfather [CelebrityBabyScoop]

Shaken Baby Syndrome Faces New Questions in Court [NyTimes]

Ziggy Marley Welcomes Son Abraham Selassie [People]

Mariah Carey Expecting a Boy and a Girl [LATimes]

Lead Exposure during Pregnancy Raises Blood Pressure [EmaxHealth]

Sex during Pregnancy is Safe and Normal [EmaxHealth]

David Blaine Rides a Snowplow to Welcome Baby

David Blaine was like most people in New York this week - unable to get around due to the heavy snowstorm that hit a third of the United States -  but when his fiancé went into labor, staying home wasn't an option.

The French model Alizee Guinochet went into labor late Wednesday night, just as the snowstorm hit. Blaine, 37, tried to find a cab but there were no cars on the roads and no amount of pleading with car companies would get them to drive. Finally, Blaine flagged down a private company plow driver who graciously drove the couple to the hospital.

The couple gave birth to a healthy baby girl and a rep. reports that: “Mom and baby are doing fine.”

Congratulations to the lucky couple!

Magician Blaine, fiancé, ride snow plow to hospital for birth of baby girl [Fox News] 

Value of Bed Rest during Pregnancy Questioned

About 95 percent of obstetricians report prescribing bed rest for patients at risk of preterm labor due to high blood pressure, vaginal bleeding or a multiple pregnancy. For women who need to work to support their family, being labeled a high-risk pregnancy and prescribed bedrest can be devastating news.

The prescription of bedrest doesn’t seem to rely on much scientific evidence and many experts doubt the benefits of immobility. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists states: “bed rest, hydration and pelvic rest does not appear to improve the rate of preterm birth and should not be routinely recommended.”

In many cases, doctors prescribe bed rest due to limited options, and because it doesn’t require clearing with insurance companies and reduces liability to the doctor should a patient go into preterm labor.

Women on bed rest are severely limited. They are unable to drive a car, have sex, cook meals, walk up stairs or stand in the shower. Going to work and taking care of children becomes impossible.

Proponents of bed rest insist that the practice prevents preterm birth by limiting stress, decreasing pressure on the cervix, increasing blood flow to the uterus and diminishing uterine activity. In addition, many women feel certain that lying down helped to stifle contractions.

A major snag in the debate, though, is that most women who go into preterm labor do not have any prior indicators.

In addition to the affect on a woman’s lifestyle, downsides to bed rest are numerous; most notably, the lengthened recovery time after giving birth. Women on bed rest lose muscle and bone mass and have an increased risk of injury. The psychological effects of being labeled high-risk and suddenly being unable to tend to important day-to-day tasks are considerable.

Despite the debate over the use of bed rest, it may still be helpful for complications such as an incompetent cervix, according to some medical professionals.

Have you been put on bedrest?

Value of Bed Rest for Pregnant Women Questioned [LATimes]

Best of the Web: Parenting and Pregnancy Links

Have airline seats become too small to accommodate a standard car seat? [MSNBC]

10 Reasons Play Makes a Baby Smarter [CNN]

Tips for Adapting to Life with Newborn Multiples [Ezine Articles]

8 Ways to Help a Friend Deal with Postpartum Depression [All Women Stalk]

ACOG Issues Opinion on Homebirth [About.com]

The Cheapest Way Possible to Have a Baby [Kansas City Star]

Christina Applegate Welcomes a Daughter

Christina Applegate has welcomed a daughter with her fiancé musician, Martyn LeNoble. Sadie Grace LeNoble was born on January 27^th in Los Angele. "Mother and daughter are doing great," her rep said in a statement.

Applegate (39) and LeNoble (41) were engaged last Valentine’s Day and announced their pregnancy in July 2010. They have been together for about three years and this is their first child.

Applegate told PEOPLE in August: “I’ll probably be a little bit hippie and a little bit Type A. I’ll take from what my mother did, which was way hippie and like, ‘Do what you wanna do,’ and bring some things that I know from watching my friends raise their kids. An amalgamation of sorts.”

Congratulations to the happy couple!

What do you think of the name Sadie Grace?

Christina Applegate Welcomes Daughter Sadie Grace [People]

5 Symptoms of a Multiples Pregnancy

Three out every 100 pregnant women carry twins, and the rarity of triplets or more multiples is even higher. Many women will find themselves wondering whether they're carrying multiples early in their pregnancy. And while the only way to truly know is through an ultrasound, there are a few early hints that might help you to identify a multiples pregnancy.

1. Early Morning Sickness. Usually, morning sickness doesn’t set in until about the sixth week but women pregnant with multiples tend to report it earlier


2. Feeling Completely Uncomfortable. A pregnancy with multiples is all the normal pregnancy symptoms multiplied by the number of babies expected. Experienced mothers might notice a difference in the amount of nausea, fatigue, and swollen legs.


3.  Early Detection. With a multiple pregnancy, the levels of HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) that indicate a pregnancy on common pregnancy tests will be higher, enabling the test to detect your pregnancy earlier. Usually tests during the first few weeks will reveal a thin or faint line, but a multiple pregnancy will show a much clearer result.


4.  Bigger Bellies. This one is kind of obvious, but for first time moms who typically don’t show as quickly, this symptom can be a big indicator.


5.  Early Fetal Movement. Most women don’t feel movement until somewhere between their 16th and 24^th week of pregnancy, but women expecting multiples might feel movement earlier.

Have you noticed a difference in your pregnancies with multiples?

The First Signs of Having Multiples [Free Press Release]

Artificial Pancreas Could Save Lives during Pregnancy

Researchers have discovered that using an artificial pancreas during pregnancy could save the lives of mothers with Type 1 diabetes and improve their baby's health. The study was presented by The American Diabetes Association. In the study, an artificial pancreas was found capable of leveling blood sugar levels in pregnant women suffering from Type 1 diabetes.

During pregnancy, the regulation of blood sugar levels through insulin shots becomes complicated, as the target blood sugar level becomes much narrower. When healthy blood sugar levels aren't maintained, the mother and baby are both at risk for complications. "Half of all babies born to mothers with Type 1 diabetes are overweight or obese at birth because of too much sugar in the blood,” Dr. Helen Murphy, from Cambridge University told the BBC. It’s reported that during pregnancy, women with Type 1 diabetes spend 10 hours a day outside the safe range for blood sugar levels.

The study, completed at the Medical Research Laboratories at Cambridge University, tested artificial pancreases in 10 pregnant diabetic women. A sensor monitored blood sugar levels and reported them to a computer, which triggered the artificial pancreas to adjust insulin levels accordingly.

The researchers reported successful regulation of blood sugar levels in the subjects and hope to repeat the study on a larger scale to back up their findings.

Have you struggled with diabetes during your pregnancy?

Artificial pancreas could save lives during pregnancy [BBC News]

Closed-Loop Insulin Delivery During Pregnancy Complicated by Type 1 Diabetes [Diabetes Care]