The University of Vermont Medical Center HealthSource pregnancy blog is your leading source for pregnancy tips and information from industry experts. Read through a collection of pregnancy articles on a variety of subjects such as labor, birth, newborn health and more. The HealthSource pregnancy blog features an array of regular authors and contributors from the medical world including doctors, certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners and other healthcare experts.
Trisomy Awareness Month takes place in March. What is trisomy? Our genes, which are coded for in DNA, contain the information that makes us who we are. In living cells, DNA is packaged into “chunks” called chromosomes. At the moment of conception, we inherit 23 chromosomes from our mother in the egg and 23 from […]
Have you heard of MTHFR testing? You probably will. Here’s the information you need to make an informed decision about it. What is MTHFR? According to the Internet, MTHFR is a gene responsible for everything from fatigue and impotence to vaccination reaction and autism. But, that’s not right. As a pediatric geneticist, I am here […]
Pregnancy and early parenthood are filled with intense changes that can bring both joy and stress. Research shows that mindfulness can boost our moods and reduce anxiety and depression. It can also improve concentration and memory, decrease heart disease and high blood pressure, and strengthen our immune systems. What is the difference between mindfulness and […]
Family history gets a lot of emphasis in the medical world. The idea is that you can identify health risks and try to reduce them, either through changes in behavior or medical intervention. A lot of times, family histories are bland and don’t help much with medical care. But, there are some situations where family […]
September 9 is International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day and parents have been asking me questions about just what fetal alcohol syndrome is and whether or not their children might have it. Let me give birth to some information on this topic. It turns out that alcohol is the leading preventable cause of mental […]
When it comes to stroke, there are many risk factors that are beyond your control, including Being over age 55; Being a female (each year, women have more strokes than men, and stroke kills more women than men. Use of birth control pills, pregnancy, history of preeclampsia/eclampsia or gestational diabetes, oral contraceptive use, and smoking, […]
Preeclampsia is a condition in which a woman develops high blood pressure during the second half of pregnancy. It can be life-threatening for mother and baby and may necessitate early delivery. How is preeclampsia diagnosed and treated? Preeclampsia is diagnosed when a woman with previously normal blood pressure develops high blood pressure. She also begins […]
Music has a powerful effect on our emotions. We often listen to music that reflects what we are feeling. For example, if you feel happy, you’ll likely listen to joyful music, or if you feel sad you might listen to something more soothing and somber. We can also use music to evoke a desired emotion. […]
Join us at the Wings Over Vermont 2016 Air Show, August 13 and 14, 2016 in Burlington. The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital is one of WOV’s 2016 beneficiaries. We have the only Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) serving Vermont and Northern New York, where we provide highly specialized care for more than […]
Waiting for your baby to be born can be one of the most excruciating waiting periods of your life! When you are given a ‘due date,’ just by the very name of it, it feels as if you should have had your baby by or on that date! But, that is not how it works, […]
