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Show "V- Medical Marvels That Save Mothers and Babies 1 K- I . A SEVEN-POUN- D BABY GIRL was bom withouta connection between her esophagus (food tube) and her stomach. Rushed to a Chicago hospital, she underwent surgery to correct nature's mistake before she was two hours old! Only a few years ago, her case would have been hopeless. But today she is brimming with health and has the prospect of a long life ahead of her. In Louisville, a baby was born with dread hyaline membrane disease, which takes the lives of 25,000 infants each year by cutting off the supply of oxygen to the lungs (the infant son of President and Mrs. Kennedy succumbed to this ailment in 1963). Doctors immediately administered a newly developed treatment to the Louis- -' ville infant, and in just a few days he had completely recovered. Such incidents dramatize some of the exciting new triumphs now being scored by doctors in the care and treatment of mothers and babies and give us a special cause for optimism during JationaLBabyWeek,Mayl-8- . From hospitals and research centers all across America come heartening reports of remarkable discoveries and improved techniques that are giving new life and new hope to American fami- lies and. most especially to young mothers and fathers. With America's birth rate topping 4,000,000 for the 10th consecutive year, this is important "news. Millions of mothers now can have their babies more safely and easily than ever before in history. In addition, the lives of countless fants, considered doomed only a short while ago, are routinely being saved. What specifically is happening? Here is an medical report on the major new develop up-to-d- ate Family Weekly, April 11, 196S ments in the three most important areas' of y care: pregnancy, childbirth, and the period of infancy. mother-and-bab- ' . Pregnancy Miscarriages: One in every 10 couples who forward with joy to having a child are saddened by the loss of the baby jn the early part of pregnancy r New studies disclose that these family tragedies may now be averted in a growing number of instances. Researchers are discovering that many miscarriages have an emotional rather than a phys- ical cause, that women who habitually lose babies actually are unable to cope with the emotional stresses of their own pregnancies. At Victoria General Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dr. Robert J. Weil reports that 18 women who were unable to carry their babies to full term were unusually tense, nervous individuals. When outlets for their tensions were provided through psychotherapy and counseling, 16 gave birth normally. The mental turmoil, Dr. Weil says, brings about internal chemical changes that interfere with the pregnancy process. AtStLuke's: HospitaLin New York City,181 women who had suffered three or more miscar riages were given special care that emphasized relief from fears and tensions. As a result, 80 percent of the women had successful deliveries. Birth defects: One in 25 babies is born with a serious malformation. Until a few years ago, doctors could do almost nothing to prevent these tragedies. But investigators, delving into the mysteries of birth defects, can suggest a number of precautions that may minimize the possibility of impairments. For example, doctors now recommend extreme care in taking drugs (especially during the crucial first three months), proper nutrition, and avoidance of X rays. look To cut down the use of X rays, doctors have devised a new method of identifying abnormal positions of the fetus. This advancement is called thermography and utilizes a. special infrared camera to take "heat" pictures of the body. The significance of this technique is that no radiation goes through the body, nor is any part touched by the instrument. ; Childbirth A recent survey conducted by the National Inlf of all stitutes of Health revealed that mothers-to-b- e are afraid to have their babies. Yet never in U.S. history has childbirth been so safe and painless. In the past the death rate for childbearing has been slashed from 17 in every 1,000 live births to the present remarkable level of .8 per 1,000, which many doctors consider close to the irreducible minimum. Here are some of the recent advances that are helping to make the birth process easier and less hazardous: Vacuum-cu- p birth: When delivery complications arise, as they do in about one in 13 births, doctors may resort to the use of forceps or perform a Caesarian operation, While proper use of forceps has saved innumerable lives, even the ones all too often injure motherr and child. But a device called a vacuum extractor -promises to spare mothers from difficult and potentially dangerous forceps deliveries. The instrument consists of a vacuum suction cup which literally draws the infant out with almost no risk of injury to mother or baby. The cup, invented by a Swedish doctor, is a godsend for the tough cases, say many doctors. At Providence Hospital in Washington, D.C., for example, 17 staff members have delivered a total of 441 babies safely with the vacuum cup. Less than 1 percent of the mothers had lacerations like those which forceps can cause. one-ha- half-centur- y, . best-design- ed - |