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Monthly Archives: May 2017

Dangers of Smoking in Pregnancy: More than Just Low Birth Weight

“32 week pregnant female, en route to the hospital via ambulance.  She is bleeding heavily with a suspected abruption.  10 minutes out.”  I received the call at about 2am. I arrived at the hospital just before the ambulance. The elevator doors opened and two emergency medical technicians entered the Labor…

Maternal Mortality in the US: Is the Hospital a Dangerous Place?

There has been a lot of talk lately about maternal mortality.  A recent story published in ProPublica and NPR has been circulating social media, highlighting the problems with our labor and delivery system (Martin 2017).  The story is heartbreaking, describing a preventable postpartum death in a young, healthy mother.  While…