Babies are truly amazing! It’s fascinating to document their development inside a mother’s womb. It’s heart stopping to watch them being delivered and enter the world after nine months. And it’s wonderful to watch them grow up and fill our hearts with joy and laughter. To celebrate this marvelous creation, Discovery Health is showcasing a whole week full of astounding baby stories. This July, Discovery Health delivers viewers an infusion of world-premiere programming from its signature event, BABY WEEK.  This latest edition showcases the riveting, real-life drama of babies born under extraordinary circumstances through six captivating specials and the network’s next breakthrough series, NICU.  From Monday, July 12, through Friday, July 16, baby-themed programming will air each night in primetime, with premiere programs beginning at 9 PM (ET/PT).

BABY WEEK welcomes the arrival of NICU, an original 10-episode docu-drama series that goes behind the scenes of top national neonatal intensive care units, showing the day-to-day care required to sustain the smallest of lives.  Premiering Thursday, July 15, at 10 PM (ET/PT), NICU follows real families as they experience the rollercoaster of emotions that come with having a premature baby.  The series also features doctors and nurses from leading hospitals in Baltimore, San Diego andCleveland, as they work around the clock to ensure the survival of their tiny patients.  Subsequent premiere episodes of NICUwill air weekly throughout the summer on Thursdays at 10 PM (ET/PT).

BABY WEEK also features six of the buzzworthy, gripping and occasionally bizarre one-hour specials that originally made the event so popular with viewers.  STRANGE PREGNANCIES details the most extraordinary and unheard-of delivery stories ever highlighted on television—including a woman with two separate uteri experiencing concurrent pregnancies.  Later in the week,BORN ON A BAD DAY profiles women giving birth under the worst possible circumstances—from hostage situations to natural disasters.  All six BABY WEEK specials need to be seen to be believed.

The following is a full rundown of all-new premiere programs:

• STRANGE PREGNANCIES

Every woman experiences pregnancy differently—but for these women, their pregnancies are unusual and downright bizarre.  This hour-long special focuses on three extraordinary pregnancies, from a woman with two functioning uteri, to a woman facing a rare and risky form of ectopic pregnancy, to a 56-year-old woman bearing triplets—for her daughter!

• A BABY TO SAVE OUR SON

Is it ethical to use one child to save the life of another?  Three-year-old Charlie has a rare genetic blood disorder—and without a bone marrow transplant, he could die before his seventh birthday.  This hour-long special follows Charlie’s journey and the difficult decisions his parents face in order to save their son’s life.

• BIG BABIES

This hour-long special follows the journeys of four obese, pregnant women as they struggle through the final weeks of pregnancy with supersized babies.  Showing the world through their eyes—along with the prejudices and challenges they face—BIG BABIES also records the crucial first months of their overweight infants’ lives and considers what the future holds for our supersized infants.

• TOO MANY BABIES? THE FIRST 16 MONTHS

Last spring, America fell in love with the Jones family and their five unexpected “blessings.”  Now, as they prepare for the next stage in their whirlwind lives, TOO MANY BABIES? THE FIRST 16 MONTHS will show the Joneses in a whole new light.  This hour-long special brings viewers behind the scenes in the quintuplets’ first year with never-before-seen footage and catches up with all that’s current in their ever-changing world.

• BORN ON A BAD DAY

BORN ON A BAD DAY presents the true and remarkable tales of moms giving birth during natural disasters and other precarious situations.  From a woman who delivers a baby during a hostage situation in the maternity ward, to a mom who delivers by flashlight during a tornado, viewers will be amazed by these incredible tales—and by the babies who survived them.

• THE 10 MOST UNBELIEVABLE BIRTHS

This hour-long special celebrates the most dramatic pregnancy and delivery stories ever told on Discovery Health.  The dynamic real-life obstetricians from the network’s hit series DELIVER ME, Drs. Alane Park, Yvonne Bohn and Allison Hill, lead us through an hour filled with harrowing and heartwarming tales of human reproduction.  The 10 shocking stories include a young woman who didn’t realize she was pregnant until she delivered, a transgendered couple who accidentally conceived against all odds and the extraordinarily rare birth of double identical twins.

Related articles:

• Baby Week on Discovery Channel (beliefnet.com)
• Kate Plus 8 at Discovery Cove (atomiurl.com)

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You always want the best for your baby. You may obsess about your baby’s health because moms want to ensure that their baby grows up happy and healthy and, it seems, all moms know about well-baby visits at the pediatrician’s office.  However, one well-baby visit that is not as well known is a baby’s first trip to the eye doctor.

Studies indicate one in every 10 children is at risk from undiagnosed eye and vision problems. Unfortunately, many children at risk for eye and vision problems are not being identified at an early age when many of those problems might be prevented or more easily corrected.  And since babies are not born with clear vision, they need to learn to see over a period of time.  A complete eye assessment for babies between six and 12 months of age can determine healthy visual development.

One public health program managed by The AOA Foundation, InfantSEE®, is designed to ensure eye and vision care becomes an integral part of an infant’s wellness care.  Optometrists who participate in this program provide a one-time, comprehensive eye assessment for babies in their first year of life. These eye and vision assessments are provided at no cost to all families, regardless of a family’s ability to pay or access to insurance coverage.

“As a mother and an optometrist, I understand the true value these assessments provide to an infant’s overall development,” said Dr. Valerie Kattouf.  ”Even though your baby doesn’t know the letters on a wall chart, an eye doctor can perform non-verbal testing to assess visual acuity, detect nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, and evaluate his eye teaming and alignment.”

InfantSEE® assessments complement the well-baby exams received from a pediatrician or family physician.  Optometrists have the training to identify areas of risk that are critical to vision development and the skills to identify conditions that might not be detected in a routine pediatric wellness exam. With this new program, mothers can help protect the baby’s windows to the world by scheduling an assessment before their first birthday.

Related articles:

• 5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Eyes (dirjournal.com)
• 1 reviews of Newbornbabyneeds (rateitall.com)

For first time mommies, taking care of their newborn child is a mixture of happiness and frustration. Now the frustration part can be eradicated with the launch of a new DVD created by pediatricians with over 50 years of combined experience for mothers as a guide for mothers on how to take care of their new born child. Newborn Care 101, LLC, www.newborncare101.com, announces the release of the company’s first DVD and guide, Newborn Care 101 – What Parents Need to Know. This DVD covers the most frequently asked questions by new parents to a pediatrician, from the end of pregnancy through the newborn period.

The DVD includes how to choose the right hospital and pediatrician, a newborn care class with a live audience, a baby’s first examination and all the common symptoms a newborn may have from head to toe. “This DVD covers a pediatrician’s view of what is important for expectant and new parents,” says Dr. Michael Schoenwetter, a pediatrician with over 15 years experience and the creator of Newborn Care 101, LLC. He is a board certified pediatrician practicing in the Los Angeles area and a father of two young children. He is the resident pediatrician for Brooke Burke’s website, www.ModernMom.com, and is featured in the Newborn Care 101 DVD. Dr. Mike states, “These are the questions new parents ask me every day in the office and in the hospital. By answering their most frequently asked questions, parents will be able to relax and actually enjoy the wonderful experience of having a newborn.”
The accompanying newborn care guide, written by author and pediatrician, Dr. Loraine Stern, highlights normal newborn characteristics and explains when to call a pediatrician.

Dr. Loraine Stern is a board certified pediatrician who has authored and edited several books. She has been writing for Pampers and Proctor and Gamble’s Website for the last 15 years, and she wrote for Women’s Day Magazine for over 20 years. She is the author of the newborn care reference guide that accompanies the Newborn Care 101 DVD.

Expectant mothers are likely to be thrilled with the idea of having the information they need in one DVD and getting to watch this DVD with their husbands. According to them watching this DVD is like getting advice from their own pediatrician. Dr. Schoenwetter is very knowledgeable and he speaks in terms that are easy to understand. Mothers are left with a feeling of confidence in their ability to care for their baby after watching this DVD.

A portion of the proceeds from the DVD sales are donated to the American Academy of Pediatrics – Friends of Children Fund.

Related articles:

• Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality (parenting-success.com)
• Getting Through the First 60 Days as a New Parent Just Got Easier (prweb.com)