Baby Doctor Mamas

It wasn’t until 2012 that freezing eggs (not just embryos) was considered routine. Since then women have been given the choice to freeze their eggs to preserve future fertility. It’s a medical procedure that takes planning, time, and hormones to accomplish. We invite special guest speaker Marlene Jia on the show to discuss her experiences with egg freezing. Listen to her tale for a step-by-step of the process, and to gain some insight into if it’s something you’d want to do. As always – these stories aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to share their experience, knowledge and views.

* Mean Age of Mothers is on the Rise: United States, 2000–2014 – CDC.gov* Oocyte Cryopreservation – American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists* Decision Making Processes of Women who Seek Elective Oocyte Cryopreservation – Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, 2018* Mature Oocyte Cryopreservation: A Guideline* Social Egg Freezing: Risk, Benefits and Other Considerations – Canadian Medical Association Journal, 2015

In early April the American Academy of Pediatrics came out with guidelines for moms delivering newborns during this current pandemic. On this show we welcome Dr. Karen Puopolo who helped to create those guidelines. We talk about the creation of these recommendations and how to best follow them. As always – these stories aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to share their experience, knowledge and views.

* Initial Guidance: Management of Infants Born to Mothers with COVID-19 – American Academy of Pediatrics, 2020

Personal Protective Equipment is a personal topic for us. As healthcare workers our jobs and lives have been altered significantly by the novel coronavirus. The need for PPE is real and the rationing of it in healthcare is significant. Listen to the Baby Doctor Mamas talk about how PPE should be used and why healthcare workers need it. As always – these stories aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to share their experience, knowledge and views.

* Personal Protective Equipment – World Health Organization* Personal Protective Equipment – CDC* Sequence of Donning/Removal of PPE – CDC* Guidance for the Selection and Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Healthcare Settings – CDC* Face Mask vs Respirator Comparison by 3M (YouTube)* Shortage of Personal Protective Equipment Endangering Health Workers Worldwide – World Health Organization* A Cluster Randomised Trial of Cloth Masks Compared with Medical Masks in Healthcare Workers – BMJ Open, 2015* Sew Face Masks Philadelphia

Bebes estan aprendiendo algo de nosotros todos los dias, aunque no nos puedan decir. Cuando empiezan a hablar, cuanto de lo que aprendieron como infantes afecta us abilidad de entender y absorber lenguaje? Que si le esta enseñando dos lenguajes a la vez? Esto es una ventaja? Una desventaja? Esta semana hablamos con la Dr. Erika Hoff sobre como criar bebes bilingues. Acuerdense, estas historias no son consejos medicos, solo una oportunidad para que las Baby Doctor Mamas puedan presenter su conocimiento y puntos de vista.

* Bilingual Development in Children of Immigrant Families – Child Development Perspectives, 2017* What Clinicians Need to Know about Bilingual Development – Seminars in Speech and Language* Bilingualism in Young Children: Separating Fact from Fiction – The Hanen Centre* Bilingual Baby: Foreign Language Intervention in Madrid’s Infant Education Centers – Mind, Brain and Education, 2017

COVID-19 is pushing hospitals to their limits and the labor and delivery floors are no exception. But does that mean mothers should entertain hasty home births? Our answer is no. Data on home births in the United States suggests there are risks for infants. Listen in to hear us discuss. Remember, these podcasts aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to present their knowledge and views.

* Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes by Planned Place of Birth Among Women With Low-Risk Pregnancies in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Midwifery, 2018* Planned Home Birth – Best Practice & Research ClinicalObstetrics and Gynaecology, 2017* Critical Appraisal of the Proposed Defenses Forplanned Home Birth – American Journal of Obstetrics&Gynecology, 2019* Effect of Maternal and Pregnancy Risk Factors on Early Neonatal Death in Planned Home Births Delivering at Home – Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology Canada, 2018* Negotiating Patient-Provider Power Dynamics in Distinct Childbirth Settings: Insights from Black American Mothers – Societies, 2019* ADVANCING BIRTH JUSTICE: Community-Based Doula Models as a Standard of Care for Ending Racial Disparities* Some Pregnant Women in New York City Will Have to Deliver Babies Alone – NYTimes, 2020* Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes by Planned Place of Birth Among Women With Low-Risk Pregnancies in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – Midwifery, 2018* Childbirth Settings in the US – The Lancet, 2020

The literature on COVID-19 in pregnancy and pediatrics is growing. Many of the reports being published are case reports looking at trends we are seeing from COVID-19 cases in pregnancy and in infants and children. Despite more scientific publications, our knowledge is still limited and we have a lot to learn. Remember, these podcasts aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to present their knowledge and views.

* MFM Guidance for COVID-19 – American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology – MFM, 2020* What Coronavirus Means for Pregnancy, and Other Things New and Expecting Mothers Should Know – ProPublica.org* Epidemiological Characteristics of 2143 Pediatric Patients With 2019 Coronavirus Disease in China – Pediatrics, 2020* 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – HealthyChildren.org* COVID-19 Clinical Guidance Q & A – American Academy of Pediatrics* Infants Born to Mothers With a New Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Frontiers in Pediatrics, 2020* The Advent of New Life is the Best Hope Given by God – FangFang

A pandemic is upon us. At this point, the scientific community knows very little about COVID-19 among pregnant women and newborns. But what we do know is that we will all experience the effects of COVID-19. What we do NOW influences the spread of this virus. Washing your hands well, covering your cough, social distancing and isolating yourself (especially when ill) – all of this will slow the spread of this virus. We can not contain it, so slowing the spread is our only hope to not overwhelm the healthcare system and decrease deaths in our country. It’s time to be worried though not panicked, and take serious action to protect ourselves and our communities from this very fast spreading bug. Listen in. As always – these podcasts aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to share their experience, knowledge and views.

* Coronavirus Resource Center – Johns Hopkins University* Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – CDC* Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Outbreak – World Health Organization* Understanding Corona Virus

The answer is probably yes. Positional plagiocephaly aka baby’s head being a “funny” shape or flat on one side is pretty common. That said there are other things besides plagiocephaly that affect head shape – so talk to your pediatrician about any heady concerns! And listen to this week’s episode to hear the Baby Doctor Mamas discuss the differences between plagiocephaly and craniosynostosis. Remember, these stories aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to present their knowledge and views.

* Anatomy of the Newborn Skull – Stanford Children’s Health* Facts about Craniosynostosis – CDC.gov* Anatomy, Head and Neck, Fontanelles – StatPearls, 2019* “My child’s head looks funny” Differentiating plagiocephaly from craniosynostosis – AAP News, 2013* New Guidelines Review Evidence on PT, Helmets for Positional Plagiocephaly – AAP, 2016* Baby Helmet Therapy: Parent FAQs – HealthyChildren.org

Joanna, Diana and both their sons experienced postpartum hair loss. While the phenomenon is real, the literature describing it is sparse… kind of like your hair 3 to 4 months after you deliver a baby… Listen to the Baby Doctor Mamas describe this phenomenon. As always – these stories aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to share their experience, knowledge and views.

* The Postpartum Telogen Effluvium Fallacy – Skin Appendage Disorders, 2016* Telogen Effluvium – StatPearls, 2019* Physiologic Changes of Pregnancy: A Review of the Literature – International Journal of Women’s Dermatology, 2017* Does Breastfeeding Cause Postpartum Hair Loss? – KellyMom.com

The practice of vaginal seeding is done during a c-section delivery to provide newborns with bacteria they would have seen during a vaginal birth. How is this practice performed? Is it something that all c-section mothers should think about doing? Dr. Jennifer Lincoln guest stars on the show to tell us about this unique approach to infant health. Remember, these stories aren’t medical advice, but a chance for the Baby Doctor Mamas to present their knowledge and views.

* CDC Cesarean Delivery Rate by State * The Human Microbiome Project – Nature, 2007* The Infant Microbiome Development: Mom Matters – Trends in Molecular Medicine, 2015* Vaginal Seeding – ACOG, 2017* Caesarean Section Delivery and the Risk of Allergic Disorders in Childhood – Clinical & Experimental, 2005* Cesarean Section and Chronic Immune Disorders – Pediatrics, 2015* Early Infancy Microbial and Metabolic Alterations Affect Risk of Childhood Asthma – Science Translation Medicine, 2015* Delivery Mode Shapes the Acquisition and Structure of the Initial Microbiota Across Multiple Body Habitats in Newborns – PNAS, 2010* The First Microbial Environment of Infants Born by C-section: The Operating Room Microbes – Microbiome, 2015* The Mode of Delivery Affects the Diversity and Colonization Pattern of the Gut Microbiota During the First Year of Infants’ Life: A Systematic Review – BMC Gastroenterology, 2016