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Oliver Hudson, 33, star of Rules of Engagement, and his wife, Erinn Bartlett, 36, are expecting their second child, according to People magazine. The baby will join big brother Wilder Brooks, 2.

(10-06-09)

Bryon Allen, host of Comics Unleashed, and his wife, Jennifer Lucas, are expecting their second child, according to People magazine. The baby will join big sister Chloe Ava, 13 months.

(10-06-09)

Padma Lakshmi, 39, hot off Top Chef, is pregnant with her first child after battling endometriosis for years, according to People magazine. Lakshmi is the co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America. Lakshmi has not identified the baby's father.

(10-06-09)

Being exposed to an H1N1 strain of influenza while in utero increases the risk of having cardiovascular disease later in life, according to a study in the Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Researchers examined more than 100,000 people born during or near the 1918 influenza pandemic in the United States. They found that men born in the first months of 1919 (women who were in their second or third trimester during the outbreak) had a 23 percent greater risk of having heart disease after the age of 60 compared to the overall population. Women with the same circumstances were not found to have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

Read about swine flu and pregnancy here.

(10-06-09)

Lamaze International has awarded 11 individuals and organizations for their role in the advancement of natural, safe and healthy birth practices. The awards were presented at the Lamaze International 2009 Annual Conference. Awards were given in acknowledgement of outstanding maternity care; exemplary professional childbirth education; community outreach and advocacy; commitment to healthy birth practices and positive outcomes; and dedicated service to Lamaze International and its mission. Criteria for each individual award are available online at www.lamaze.org.

These are the 2009 Lamaze International Award Winners:

Katharine E. Rawlins, CD (DONA), PCD (DONA), was presented the Safe and Healthy Birth Advocate Award in recognition of her promotion of safe and healthy birth and its contribution to childbearing women and their families.

Debby Amis, RN, BSN, CD (DONA), LCCE, FACCE, was presented the Elisabeth Bing award in appreciation of her continued efforts to train and mentor new Lamaze childbirth educators.

Dr. Jacques Moritz was presented the Irwin Chabon Award on behalf of his work as a health care provider, empowering the women in his community by promoting safe and healthy birth.

Jacqueline Levine, BA, CLC, CD (DONA), LCCE, FACCE, was presented the Outreach Award in appreciation of her outreach and commitment to support and educate women in underprivileged communities to have natural, safe and healthy birth.

Dr. Rixa Freeze was presented the Safe and Healthy Birth Media Award in recognition and appreciation of her engagement of new media and reaching childbearing women with critical messages about safe and healthy birth practices.

St. Johns Mercy Medical Center was presented the Research Award in honor of their contribution to childbirth education through their research on the impact of Lamaze class content on the decision to have an elective labor induction.

Jeanne Green, CD (DONA), LCCE, FACCE, was presented the Service Award in appreciation of her dedicated service as Chair of the Lamaze International Education Council.

Allison Walsh, IBCLC, LCCE, FACCE, and Maria Brooks CD (DONA), LCCE, were presented Board Recognition Awards for their dedicated service as members of the Lamaze International Board of Directors.

Teri Shilling, MS, CD (DONA), IBCLC, LCCE, FACCE, was presented the Lamaze International Award in recognition of her significant contribution to expanding the reach of Lamaze childbirth education around the world.

Barbara Hughes, CNM, MS, MBA, FACNM, LCCE, FACCE, was presented the President's Award in recognition of her commitment to expectant families by opening, developing and expanding three separate midwifery practices in the Denver metro area and giving thousands of women access to a midwifery model of care.

(10-06-09)

In honor of National Infertility Awareness Month taking place throughout October, Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI) is striving to build awareness of the growing issue that affects 7.3 million men and women in the United States, representing 15 percent of couples in their prime reproductive years.

Dr. Angie Beltsos, fertility expert and medical director of the Fertility Centers of Illinois, shares these tips on boosting fertility:

Preconception Diet: Eat organic, fresh, nutrient-filled whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains as much as possible. Drink plenty of water every day and avoid smoking, caffeine, alcohol, fried foods and saturated fats.

Exercise: Regular exercise is a must, but stick with low-impact options such as walking, swimming and yoga. High intensity activities can place excessive metabolic stress on the body.

Healthy BMI: Your weight can affect your ability to get pregnant and being too much above and below your BMI can be harmful. Experts consider a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 29 to be ideal.

Manage Stress: Infertility and treatment often creates stress, which may impact chances or conception. Try to reduce stress by allowing yourself time to relax or try relaxation techniques to help calm your mind and body. There have been more clinical studies supporting the benefits of holistic techniques such as acupuncture, massage and yoga.

Age: Be aware that fertility declines with increasing age and problems accelerate for women past the age of 35. Consider trying to start your family earlier, or if necessary, seek infertility help sooner so that causes can be evaluated and treated properly.

Explore All Options: Since infertility has multiple causes, treatment options also vary. It is important to fully understand the cause of your fertility troubles, in order to effectively identify the best option for you and your partner.

(10-06-09)

The first swine flu vaccinations will start to arrive this week in some parts of the country. Around 600,000 doses of FluMist, a vaccine that is squirted into the nose, will be distributed between 21 states and four larger cities, with more following later in the week. The larger shipments of the vaccine (around 40 million) will start shipping the second week of October.

This year, most people will need two different shots for influenza; one for the "normal" flu and one for H1N1, or the swine flu. Children under the age of 10 will need two doses of H1N1.

Learn more by reading Swine Flu and Pregnancy: How Does the Influenza H1N1 Strain Affect Mom-to-be? and Swine Flu and Babies: Symptoms, Prevention and Treatment for the Swine Flu. (10-06-09)

Stock up on birthday candles! A majority of babies born in this century will live to see their 100th birthday, according to an article in the journal Lancet. The researchers say that people in rich, developed countries are living about three decades longer than before.

(10-06-09)

Women in the national Women, Infants and Children program (WIC) can now buy vegetables, fruits, whole grains and breads, and other proteins like canned beans, with their vouchers. Until now, the vouchers could only be used for cereals, dried beans, peanut butter, milk, cheese, eggs and juice. The new regulations does reduce the amount of cheese, milk and eggs that can be purchased, and requires the participant to buy 1 percent or fat-free milk if they have a child over 2 years of age. WIC is a program for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and moms with children up to age 5 considered low income.

(10-06-09)

A National Institutes of Health network study has provided the first conclusive evidence that treating pregnant women who have even the mildest form of gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of common birth complications among infants, as well as blood pressure disorders among mothers.

Treatment of severe gestational diabetes is known to benefit mothers and infants. Although treatment is routinely prescribed for all women with gestational diabetes, before the current study, there was no evidence to show whether treating the mild form of the condition benefited, or posed risks for, mothers or their infants.

The researchers found that, compared to the women's untreated counterparts, women treated for mild gestational diabetes had smaller, leaner babies less likely to be overweight or abnormally large, and less likely to experience shoulder dystocia, an emergency condition in which the baby's shoulder becomes lodged inside the mother's body during birth. Treated mothers were also less likely to undergo Cesarean delivery, to develop high blood pressure during pregnancy or to develop preeclampsia, a life-threatening complication of pregnancy that can lead to maternal seizures and death.

"Whether to treat mild gestational diabetes has never been entirely clear," says study co-author Catherine Y. Spong, chief of the Pregnancy and Perinatology Branch at the NICHD. "The study results show conclusively that both mothers and infants do better when gestational diabetes is controlled."

Gestational diabetes occurs when pregnant women who did not have any signs or symptoms of diabetes before they were pregnant develop high blood sugar levels. The condition affects from one to 14 percent of all U.S. pregnancies. Gestational diabetes is not well understood, but is thought to occur when hormones produced during pregnancy interfere with the body's ability to use insulin to absorb sugar from the blood.

In most cases, treatment for gestational diabetes consists of lowering blood sugar levels through proper diet and exercise. If diet and exercise alone fail to lower blood sugar levels, women may be treated with drugs that increase the body's ability to use insulin, or may be prescribed insulin itself.

The current study is the first to test whether treatment for mild gestational diabetes is beneficial. The researchers defined mild gestational diabetes as having normal blood sugar levels after fasting but abnormally high levels in at least two readings over the course of three hours after an oral glucose tolerance test, in which women consume a sugary drink. Severe diabetes was defined as high blood sugar levels even after fasting.

To conduct the study, the researchers enrolled 958 women with mild gestational diabetes. Roughly half were treated for their diabetes and half were not, receiving only standard pregnancy care.

Compared to women who did not receive treatment, those who did were:

half as likely to have an unusually large baby.

half as likely to experience shoulder dystocia during childbirth.

four-fifths as likely to give birth by Cesarean section.

three-fifths as likely to develop high blood pressure or preeclampsia.

The study was conducted by researchers in the Maternal Fetal Medicine Units Network of the NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human (NICHD) and appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine.

(10-06-09)