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The article presents information on reports published by the American Academy of Pediatrics discussing antenatal counseling at the borderline of viability (22-24 weeks gestation) in 2002 and 2009.

The article discusses research being done on antenatal education and postnatal support strategies for improving rates of exclusive breast feeding in Singapore. It references a study by I. I. Su et al in the 2007 issue of the "British Medical Journal." The study compares women who received pre-natal education and those who received post-natal support. The researchers conclude that there was no significant difference in the rate of exclusive breast-feeding at two weeks between the groups of women.

The article offers world news briefs related to prenatal care in 2007. A new policy controlling the timing of elective cesarean sections in New South Wales, Australia, was issued in April. Some rural cities in Japan have adopted a system that examines pregnant women using real-time data transmitted to a physician's cellular phone. The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has released new evidence that breastfeeding decreases the risk of having many short-term and chronic diseases.

The article discusses the rationale for the prediction of spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). The use of predictors of sPTB permits the identification of a group of women at the highest risk for whom an intervention may be tested and for whom intervention is most critically needed. Maternal blood is drawn routinely at several points in time during prenatal care, and thus, a serum biomarker could be incorporated into the usual provision of care. Using maternal serum for biomarkers of PTB also facilitates central processing and analysis.

The article focuses on the celebration of the Oxford, England-based National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) which held a meeting to debate the next 25 years of perinatal epidemiology. Distinguished international speakers presented diverse and challenging topics. The future for perinatal epidemiology, and for research organizations such as the NPEU, will build on understanding that effective research about global health emphasizes the social, environmental, and economic contexts in which health, disease and healthcare interventions are embedded. A

This article focuses on research papers on family therapy selection. The first paper is titled "Interventions in Perinatal Family Care: A Participatory Study," by J. Gougreau and F. Duhamel. Drawing on the views of eight physicians and four couples, this research explored which interventions were likely to be helpful in preparing pregnant couples for parenting. Overall, interventions aimed to increase levels of exchange between spouses. The second paper is titled "A Parental Perspective on Living With a Chronically Ill Child: A Qualitative Study," by C. Saliford & L.R.M. Hallberg.

Discusses a study which investigated the collaborative care in pregnancy for low-risk pregnant women. Comparison of maternal and neonatal complication rates among those who received collaborative care to traditional care in pregnancy; Information on the fetal heart rates of both groups; Health condition of infants born to women in the two groups.

Discusses the abstract of the article "Maternal Satisfaction with Labour Analgesia in This Millennium," by Pirjo Ranta submitted at the 27th Congress of The Scandinavian Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine.

The author discusses the participation of public and patient in stillbirth research and research ethics. The authors are critical on the significant of well-being of public/patient collaboration in sensitive research that might recall bad memories. Also examined is the major role of public/patient expert to support and assist representative of a patient panel for maternity research.

Background For safety reasons an in-hospital birth center was replaced by a modified form of birth center care with the same medical guidelines and equipment as in standard care. The aim of this study was to investigate women's and men's satisfaction with modified care compared with standard care. Methods Women in both groups gave birth from July 2007 to July 2008. The same medical low-risk criteria during pregnancy applied to both groups. Of those invited to the study, 547 (82.7%) women in modified birth center care and 445 (66.7%) men returned a questionnaire posted 2 months after the birth, and 786 (71.6%) women and 639 (58.2%) men in standard care. Odds ratios ( ORs) for being satisfied were calculated with 95 percent confidence intervals ( CIs) and adjusted for possible confounders. We also explored the effects of different components of care on overall satisfaction. Results Adjusted ORs for being satisfied overall were approximately doubled in the modified birth center group compared with the standard care group: antenatal care- OR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.6-2.7) in women and OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.5-2.8) in men; intrapartum care- OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.7-2.9) in women and OR: 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3-2.4) in men; and postpartum care- OR: 1.7 in women (95% CI: 1.4-2.2) and OR: 2.1 (95% CI: 1.6-2.8) in men. Important explanations of these differences included perception of the midwife as being more supportive, the presence of a calmer environment and atmosphere (intrapartum), and the option for fathers to stay overnight (postpartum). Conclusion In-hospital birth center with medical equipment on site increased overall satisfaction with all episodes of care compared with standard care. ( BIRTH 39:2 June 2012) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A calendar of events for the prenatal care industry from February to March 2010 is presented including the Mid-Atlantic Conference on Birth and Primal Health Research on February 26-28, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Annual Conference 2010 on March 6-10, and the Repeated Certification Program on March 6-10.

An abstract of the article "Biometry of the eyeball in prenatal period," by M. Pietryga and colleagues, is presented.

Discusses research on the factors that reduce low birthweight among women in Colorado. Reference to a study by S. A. Ricketts et al, published in a 2005 issue of the "American Journal of Public Health"; Information on the study procedures and participants; Analysis of the research findings.

Objective To collect information on maternal health status from pregnant women in refugee camps in Mazar-I Sharif, and women coming to antenatal clinics in Char Bolak district. Methods Cross-section study using questionnaire. Importance According to the census done by United Nation, maternal mortality rate in this country is 1700 per one hundred thousand birth and infant mortality rate, 165 per one thousand births, which ranks one of the worst figures in the world. However, there have been few reports on the regional data of health status of women in northern Afghanistan. In order to obtain information on maternal mortality and morbidity, MeRU has been doing surveys for pregnant women in northern Afghanistan. According to our preliminary study, in rural area it was revealed that more than 98% of the women deliver at home, and 92% of the deliveries were not attended by qualified medical personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses results of a study comparing two methods of providing information about prenatal screening to women in England. Computer touch screen system versus leaflets; Percent of women who read information from leaflets versus computer touch screens.