Last week, I hosted a charity art auction in the Hamptons to benefit United Cerebral Palsy.  In addition to raising funds, this event helped spread the word about what can be done to prevent birth defects.  As the father of three, I know there is nothing more wonderful than a healthy new baby, but unfortunately, not all babies are born that way.   

The good news is that today, there are things that pregnant moms can do to increase their chances for a normal, healthy little one and that means carrying their baby to term.  Pre-term, low-weight babies (PLWB) who are born before their time are at much higher risk for a wide variety of mild to severe health problems because they have not had time to fully mature.  These include everything from minor developmental and motor disorders to cerebral palsy and other problems, some of which can be fatal. 

Most pregnant women know that smoking, alcohol consumption and drug use are risk factors that science has shown contributes to PLWB.  Recently researchers have cited a new culprit –periodontal disease.   Studies show that pregnant women with this condition (which is the technical name for gum disease) are seven times more likely to have a baby that is born too early.   It is thought that periodontal disease triggers higher levels of certain fluids that actually induce labor.  And some studies show that if a woman’s gum disease worsens during the course of her pregnancy, her risk for a premature baby is even higher.

I recommend to all my patients who are considering getting pregnant that they have a complete periodontal checkup.  During pregnancy, it’s important to step up oral care.  This means seeing your dentist for a comprehensive cleaning once a trimester.  Then at home, using a soft brush and toothpaste that is not alcohol or chemical based, brush and floss after each meal — a minimum of three times a day. Finally, follow what I call the Four Cornerstones for Oral Health.  These are important for everyone but twice as important during pregnancy because moms are maintaining the health of two (or sometimes more!)

1) Stop using any oral care products that contain harmful chemicals or are alcohol and/or detergent based.

2) Eat healthy with an emphasis on natural foods that have alkalizing, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich properties like salmon, blueberries and other fruits and vegetables.

3) Reduce stress, which can negatively impact both the mouth and body.

4) Exercise regularly, which will help improve circulation, strengthen the immune system and reduce stress.

These guidelines are easy to incorporate into your life.  Not only will you be healthier, but when it comes to payoffs, a healthy normal baby is the best there can be.

For more information about oral care products that are not detergent, chemical or alcohol based, go to  rejuvenationdentistry.com.

Her parents were told she was stillborn, but less than a day later, a baby girl born in Bombay was heard making gurgling noises at the cemetary where her family had brought her to be buried.

Is it a miracle? Or is it malpractice? The hospital where the infant was birthed has launched an investigation to see if medical staff erred when they pronounced the baby dead.

Australian surgeons are being credited for saving the leg of an unborn baby by operating on her while her mother was just 22 weeks pregnant, French news agency AFP is reporting.

The hospital told AFP Monday that this may be the earliest in utero surgery of its kind.

Baby Leah was diagnosed with a condition called amniotic band syndrome in which bands of tissue wrap themselves around a developing fetus’ limbs, hands or feet and cut off blood flow. Doctors say the tissue had wrapped around both Leah’s legs.

A hospital spokeswoman told AFP that doctors usually hold off on operating until 28 weeks of pregnancy to better the baby’s chances for survival. However, Leah risked losing both legs if doctors had waited in this case.

A woman whose baby was stuck in the birth canal for 13 hours before doctors finally removed by see section has been awarded $20 million in damages.

The woman’s daughter, now age 10, suffers permanent disabilities from the incident.

During my sixteen years practicing psychiatry I have treated dozens of men experiencing major depression after fathering a child.  These men have come to my office with symptoms like low mood, tearfulness, decreased self-esteem, impaired sleep and decreased concentration.  Some have even struggled with suicidal ideation.  It was enough to make me suggest to my publisher a year or so ago that we consider my writing a book on male postpartum depression.

Now, my clinical experiences have been borne out by a scientific study from the Center for Pediatric Research at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk.  Dr. James Paulson and his colleagues found that about 10 percent of new fathers displayed symptoms of major depression, far more than the three to five percent of men in the general population who suffer with the condition.

For the men I treated, becoming fathers represented far-ranging changes in their views of themselves.  Many felt ill equipped psychologically or economically or both to be valuable to a child.  For some, the birth of a child had made them dwell on their own fractured relationships with their dads.  For others, becoming a father made them feel as though their sex lives would be forever changed or even non-existent, lost in the translation from coupling to parenting.

More study is needed here, but one thing is clear:  It’s time for family physicians, obstetricians and pediatricians to be aware that post-partum depression affects mothers and fathers.  That means that children can be impacted early on in ways not previously understood or even considered.  The bonding necessary between mother and child has its counterpart in father-child bonding.  When depression interferes, the man isn’t the only one who suffers; so, too, does his son or daughter.

Here’s the good news:  Depression, including the postpartum variety, is highly treatable.  The vast majority of patients recover fully.  So lots of growing families can be helped by finding fathers for whom the joys of parenting are obscured by the shadow of a mental illness once thought to afflict only mothers.  

Watch Dr. Ablow discuss this topic on America’s Newsroom.

Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatry correspondent for FOX News Channel. His book, “Living the Truth: Transform Your Life through the Power of Insight and Honesty,” is a New York Times bestseller. Check out Dr. Ablow’s Web site at www.livingthetruth.com.

 When an Ohio woman looked at an ultrasound she expected to see a developing fetus.Instead, she saw what she believes to be an image of Jesus Christ, MyFox Cleveland reported on its Web site.

Click here to read the full story.

What do you think?

An Indian woman and her newborn baby have died after they were refused medical treatment.  Officials say Maya Devi was concidered an “untouchable” in her country. 

The 28-year-old mother gave birth outside the materity wing at Kanpur Medical College in northern Uttar Pradesh state.  Her baby boy died minutes after his birth. 

Devi was put into the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit after she had a heart attack but she died Thursday morning.

The Press Trust of India reports that several doctors, including the hospital’s chief medical superintendent, refused to touch her or give the baby medical care. 

Devi was a Dalit, or “untouchable,” a group at the bottom of the caste social ladder who have long been ostracized and forced into menial professions despite laws banning discrimination.

Many high-class Hindus fear coming into contact with them.

What do you think of this?  Please share your comments below.