“Engaging in loving, sexual activity has been shown to have positive benefits for both expecting mother and unborn child,” says ob-gyn Kecia Gaither, M.D., maternal fetal medicine specialist at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. “Sex is known to release endorphins and oxytocin—otherwise known as the ‘love hormone’—allowing for relaxation and a sense [...]
When fetal DNA testing for chromosomal disorders was first introduced in 2011, many experts feared that the improved results would be oversold, leading women to take irreversible steps based on a test that, while an improvement over earlier testing, remains far from conclusive. Both the new generation of tests and the old were performed on a [...]
The Truth About C-Sections You are much more likely to deliver a baby via C-section today than even 20 years ago. In fact, the number of times the procedure was performed increased 60 percent from 1996 to 2009. In 2010, the Cesarean delivery rate was a whopping 32.8% of all U.S. births. So we spoke to [...]
According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women. In the United States, it’s expected that by the end of 2014, about 232,670 cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in women and about 40,000 women will pass away from the disease (it’s also important to note that [...]
Every year, we hear so much about breast cancer during the month of October - and it can never hurt to reinforce your knowledge of what’s normal and what isn’t. However, new research and misconceptions mean there’s always something more to learn about this extremely common disease. In order to debrief you on the latest, we [...]
Whether you have a family history of genetic disorders or are an older mom — or even if you're perfectly healthy — prenatal testing (from noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) to chorionic villus sampling (CVS) to amniocentesis) allows you to gain knowledge about your babies' risk factors. We talked to Dr. Kecia Gaither, Director of Maternal Fetal [...]
I have loved the term “diabetical” since the matriarch of Tyler Perry’s Madea movie franchise first coined the phrase. The term masterfully highlights the diabolical nature of the disease, which has now become a worldwide public health crisis. So what is diabetes? According to the CDC, diabetes reflects a condition where the body doesn’t process food properly. Consumed food [...]
Question of the day: This is one that Breezy Mama (not only wonders, but…) receives a lot: Why do I still look pregnant 2 years later? Is that normal? Will my stomach ever flatten again? Fortunately, Dr. Kecia Gaither, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Brooklyn’s Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center, explains why and what [...]
While essential oils can promote healing and ease anxiety, you’re right to approach ‘em with hesitation during pregnancy. "Avoid oils that say 'moving oil' on the label," says Kecia Gaither, M.D., vice chairman and director of maternal fetal medicine at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center. These oils promote circulation—great for most women—but during pregnancy, they [...]
Pregnancy is a stressful time for a woman – and for an expecting father as well. Becoming a father is a time of great change for a man, with added strain pertaining to financial planning and the changing dynamic of the relationship between himself and his partner, says OB/GYN Kecia Gaither, Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine [...]
