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Category: Pregnancy

Dangers of Smoking in Pregnancy: More than Just Low Birth Weight

“32 week pregnant female, en route to the hospital via ambulance.  She is bleeding heavily with a suspected abruption.  10 minutes out.”  I received the call at about 2am. I arrived at the hospital just before the ambulance. The elevator doors opened and two emergency medical technicians entered the Labor…

Maternal Mortality in the US: Is the Hospital a Dangerous Place?

There has been a lot of talk lately about maternal mortality.  A recent story published in ProPublica and NPR has been circulating social media, highlighting the problems with our labor and delivery system (Martin 2017).  The story is heartbreaking, describing a preventable postpartum death in a young, healthy mother.  While…

Surviving the Baby Shower Registry

I walked into Babies R Us on a sunny Saturday afternoon.  Full of excitement, I grabbed my scanner, ready to have some fun.  I had a blast doing my wedding registry 5 years ago!  We started at bedding.  I saw fitted sheets, regular sheets, pads that went under and over…

ACOG’s Statement on Minimal Birth Intervention: Harmful or Helpful?

I have mixed feelings about the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s recent Committee Opinion, Approaches to Limit Intervention During Birth.  Now, don’t’ get me wrong; I agree with many of the statements.  Routine amniotomy (water breaking) is not needed.  Women don’t always need continuous fluids running…

Why the Mucus Plug is Bulls%#$: A Public Service Announcement

​Yes, I hate the mucus plug.  If you ask any obstetrician or labor nurse, they probably will tell you they hate it too.  Specifically, we hate how every book on pregnancy and labor mentions this entity and somehow correlates it to the onset of labor.  These books, blogs, and other…