Home births are making a comeback.

It used to be the only way to give birth but now it’s a choice being made by many.

The increase in home births isn’t occurring among all women. The trend appears to be being driven primarily by older white women, according to the report. Home births increased 36 percent among white women between 2004 and 2009, the report found.

The report didn’t examine the reasons for the increase. But some experts said that it may be partly a reaction to the sharp increase in caesarean section deliveries in recent years. Some women may hope to avoid a C-section, and other medical procedures that often occur in hospital deliveries.

Many women are looking for a more natural, unmedicated experience where they can control their experience.

Science may soon be able to predict more accurately how long a woman will remain fertile.

A survey of healthy women carried out at the University of St. Andrews and by experts from both the University of Edinburgh and University of Glasgow, all in the U.K., has revealed the normal range of levels of a hormone considered vital to a woman’s fertility.

The survey showed the normal range of levels of the anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) in relation to age. This hormone reflects the activity of the ovaries during a woman’s lifetime and gives an estimate of her remaining egg supply.

The study looked at 3,200 samples from healthy girls and women to find out the average levels of AMH. The findings will now allow fertility experts to tell how a women’s AMH level compares with the average for her age.

A new test can now determine a baby’s sex in utero as early as seven weeks into gestation.

Is determining a baby’s sex crucial?

Or does this simply leave opportunity for unnecessary consideration?

“What you have to consider is the ethics of this,” said Dr. Mary Rosser, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York.

“If parents are using it to determine gender and then terminate the pregnancy based on that, that could be a problem,” she told Reuters Health. “Remember, gender is not a disease.”

What are the foods I should avoid during pregnancy?

Raw Meat,Deli Meat,Fish with Mercury, Smoked Seafood, Fish Exposed to Industrial Pollutants, Raw Shellfish, Raw Eggs, Soft Cheeses, Unpasteurized Milk, Pate, Caffeine, Alcohol, Unwashed Vegetables

Any pregnancy, even the happiest one, can have sudden unforeseen complications.

Nutrition in pregnancy-a no-brainer, right?

Who would think it was so controversial?

Disagreement over a healthy diet during pregnancy continues to rage, with one side saying that what a woman eats will have no effect on her pregnancy and the other saying it has an enormous impact.

Many pregnant women are deficient in important nutrients. Iron is one of such commonest nutrient lacking in expecting mothers. Iron deficiency lead to anaemia (lack of haemoglobin in blood) which is a risk factor for pre-term delivery, subsequent low birth weight baby pushing mother and babies prone to various infections.

The recommended requirement is 30 mg of iron daily which is not usually met by diet alone during pregnancy. So, oral iron tablet is commonly recommended. It should be taken on an empty stomach. When more than 30 mg of iron is given to treat anaemia, it is suggested to also take approximately 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper, since iron interferes with absorption and utilisation of these materials.

According to some studies, caffeine decreases the availability of certain nutrients, such as calcium, zinc and iron. Current recommendations, therefore, include limiting the consumption of caffeinated products.

For women who exercise daily some mothers choose to continue their exercise routine well into their pregnancy, sometimes even up to their delivery.

It is the opinion of many that it is generally considered safe to continue with exercises like jogging, power-walking, working out at a moderate pace, lifting light weights, aerobic exercise or practicing yoga as these activities can be healthy not just for the mother but for the unborn baby as well.

Babies born to women who exercised during pregnancy were found to have healthier hearts.

Always consult with your physician when planning to embark upon an exercise regime.

“It’s exciting research,” Dr. May said, though it is also preliminary and incomplete. Just how a pregnant woman’s jogging or power-walking remakes her unborn child’s heart remains unknown, she said. Mother and fetus have, after all, completely separate cardiac systems and blood circulations. But certain hormones released during exercise do cross the placenta, Dr. May said, and could be stimulating changes in the developing fetus’s heart.