For Wilson resident Ashley Long, it was a wonderful surprise: seeing not one but two heartbeats during a routine prenatal ultrasound. “They told us about the twins at our nine-week appointment in October. We were super shocked, excited and scared,” Long says. That early ultrasound was at Arbor ObGyn in Raleigh; for her more in-depth,…
There’s more than one way to give birth to a baby. There is vaginal delivery, of course, and then there are cesarean sections, or C-sections, which account for nearly one-third of U.S. births. This surgical delivery of a baby from the mother’s uterus is a common and safe procedure, but it comes with more risks…
If you’re pregnant as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads rapidly worldwide, you may be worried about what this pandemic means for you and your baby. Brian Brimmage, MD, an obstetrician who delivers babies at UNC REX Healthcare, answers common questions and offers advice on how moms-to-be can take care of themselves and their babies. What…
If you’re thinking about starting a family or are newly pregnant, you have an exciting journey ahead of you. One of the most important people on that voyage will be the health care provider who takes care of you during pregnancy. Most women in the United States choose to have their babies delivered by an…
Sometimes vaginitis—or vaginal inflammation—can be so mild you may not think anything out of the norm is happening. Other times, vaginitis is accompanied by pain and discomfort, which may point to a yeast infection or bacterial vaginosis. The problem? Both issues share common symptoms, which can make it hard to distinguish which one you are…
From Serena Williams to Chris Bosh, it’s a big story when a famous athlete develops a blood clot. It seems almost counterintuitive that someone so fit and young would face this medical issue. “Blood clots can be scary,” says Stephan Moll, MD, a hematologist and professor in the UNC School of Medicine. “But people hear…
Picking up your child from school or day care, you notice he looks pretty flushed. It looks like he ran a marathon, maybe even fell on his face. What happened? He feels warm, so you head to the doctor. A quick exam later, it turns out that the flushed face is a rash from fifth…
One in 700 babies are born each year with a cleft lip and palate, which means a baby’s lip and mouth do not form properly during pregnancy, creating a “cleft.” A cleft lip happens if the tissue that makes up the lip doesn’t completely join before birth. A cleft palate occurs if the tissue that…
Children's Health, Otolaryngology/ Head and Neck Surgery, Pediatric Medicine, Plastic Surgery, UNC Children's, UNC Stories
We’ve all been there. One minute you’re asleep, and the next you’re jarred awake by severe stomach cramps and nausea. As you stumble to the bathroom, you recall the odd-tasting potato salad you had at your neighbor’s barbecue, and it hits you—you have food poisoning. Food poisoning, or more accurately foodborne illness, affects 48 million…
Getting to know your menstrual cycle can help you learn about what’s happening inside your body. There’s more to it than your period, and those additional aspects can provide a wealth of knowledge when it comes to health patterns, possible illnesses and your fertility. We spoke about all things cyclical with Rachel Urrutia, MD, an…
More than 30 million Americans have diabetes, but there are many misconceptions about what it does to the body, who can get it and how it’s treated. We talked to UNC Health Care experts to create this explainer. The Disease “Diabetes in all its forms is essentially excess sugar in the bloodstream,” says Deepa Kirk,…
A woman missing her period is often a sign that she’s pregnant. But for women who aren’t pregnant and keep skipping periods or have irregular cycles, the reason might be polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS, which affects 1 in 10 women, is a reproductive hormonal imbalance that affects ovulation. Normally, a woman releases an egg…
