When California had the highest number of pertussis cases in six decades in 2010, public health officials took notice. Pertussis (whooping cough) is especially dangerous for babies.

While most people have heard of postpartum depression, prenatal depression can also affect about one in five women. Yoga might be one method to deal with these emotions.

Being obese and pregnant can carry a range of risks to the mother during pregnancy, but it also has consequences for her baby, in the short-term and the long-term.

When you're pregnant, you try to avoid putting any unnecessary chemicals into your body. But what if you're an expectant mom with inflammatory bowel disease – is it safe to take your meds?

Deciding whether to take certain mental health medications during pregnancy requires weighing the benefits to the mother against the risks to the baby.

Many studies have established the health benefits of breastfeeding for both babies and mothers. But less attention has been paid to a mother’s emotional experience with breastfeeding.

Women are having babies and growing their families later in life. In terms of one cancer risk, being older is helpful.

Pregnancy is an emotional time. As such, depression is a common problem during and after pregnancy. When pregnant women take depression medications, there can still be risks for their unborn children.

Fetal alcohol syndrome results when babies are exposed to high amounts of alcohol in the womb. It usually involves distinctive facial features - but not always. A recent study has found that children may have problems with brain development or behavioral development as a result of fetal alcohol syndrome even if their outward appearance doesn't show the symptoms of the disorder. Don't drink while pregnant. The study, led by Devon Kuehn, MD, of the Epidemiology Branch of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), was part of a long-term...

Trisomy 13 and 18 are chromosomal disorders, like Down's syndrome. Some parents may feel devastated when they learn their baby has such a disorder, but the reality holds much more optimism.