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The White House issues its first-ever proclamation on Black maternal health

The White House issues its first-ever proclamation on Black maternal health

Elizabeth Howell of the Perelman School of Medicine said that severe maternal morbidity, in which women experience severe complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, impacts more than 50,000 U.S. women each year. “Similar to maternal mortality, Black and brown women have elevated rates of maternal morbidity,” she said.

Doulas help families meet breastfeeding goals
Close up head shot of a smiling young person wearing a black V-neck shirt.

Stephanie N. Acquaye, from Woodbury, Minnesota, is a Bachelor of Nursing Science candidate at the School of Nursing. She is also a Hillman Scholar and will continue in the Penn Nursing Ph.D. program upon completion of her bachelor’s degree. (Image: Courtesy Stephanie Acquaye)

Doulas help families meet breastfeeding goals

Research from the School of Nursing shows that these support professionals can be another tool to improve outcomes for newborns and parents.

Michele W. Berger

I sang through labor to manage the pain

I sang through labor to manage the pain

Veena Graff of the Perelman School of Medicine weighed in on how singing may be able to aid the birth process. “Mechanistically, the act of singing helps with breathing and is a great distraction method, which in turn can relax a woman while experiencing labor pains,” she said.

Pregnant mothers’ antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 transfer to their fetuses
Pregnant person sits on a seat on public transit wearing a face mask.

Pregnant mothers’ antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 transfer to their fetuses

Antibodies to coronavirus in pregnant women cross the placenta efficiently, and are found at similar concentrations in their newborns, according to a large study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine.

Melissa Moody

Toward more optimal birth outcomes
Newborn baby with finger in its mouth swaddled in a blanket.

Toward more optimal birth outcomes

A new study from Penn Nursing is the first to assess hospital vaginal birth rates rather than cesarean rates, which can further quality improvement initiatives that focus on encouraging vaginal birth rather than on decreasing the cesarean birth rate.

From Penn Nursing News

I’m a pregnant doctor. Should I get the COVID vaccine?

I’m a pregnant doctor. Should I get the COVID vaccine?

Michal Elovitz of the Perelman School of Medicine said it’s possible that an mRNA-based vaccine could potentially cause harm to a developing fetus, but that there’s not enough data to know for sure. “To avoid having pregnant people guess, we should be advocating for more preclinical and clinical research focused on pregnant patients,” she said.