Many women and families spend their early reproductive years thinking and planning when to have children, so when they have trouble getting pregnant, it can be both unexpected and upsetting. Infertility can take many forms, but for those with uterine factor infertility, a new potential avenue for having a child is available through the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Nearly 32 years ago, Jeana Nesmith Russell was beginning her dream career as a nurse in one of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s hospital units while pursuing her graduate degree. Little did she know that her life was about to change forever.

Child vehicular heatstroke, also known as Hot Car Death, can be prevented if you know the facts and rules.

UAB Medicine clinicians take pride in the excellent care they provide for patients and families. In 2020, employees Kacy and Daniel Tucker got an up-close view of that care – this time from the patient side. An organ transplant surgery and the premature birth of their child at the same time are not what the Tuckers would have planned, but the family now reports good outcomes for both experiences.

The most enduring art often honors bravery, especially when the subjects who inspired it beat the odds. The Peony Project is one such tribute, a collection of 50 unique flower paintings that represent the 50 Alabama moms who sought treatment during the first year of a unique UAB Medicine program that helps women overcome addiction during pregnancy.

This week is National Infertility Awareness Week, and UAB Medicine is home to a program bringing new hope to those struggling with infertility: the Uterus Transplant Program.

In April 2021, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Regional Neonatal Intensive Care Unit team celebrated as Curtis Means was discharged after 275 days in the hospital. Six months later, Curtis and his team held another celebration as he was officially named the world’s most premature infant to survive by Guinness World Records. 

Fetal loss is emotionally traumatic. To make matters worse, women who have a miscarriage or stillbirth also must deal with the stress of procedures necessary to remove the deceased fetus. So the UAB Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) developed a music therapy program to comfort mothers in this situation.

Each Mother’s Day we honor and celebrate the maternal figures in our lives and the positive impact they make. It’s also a good time to recognize that many new and expectant mothers may feel overwhelmed by the challenges motherhood brings. Janeen Arbuckle, MD, PhD, of UAB Medicine Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, provides advice that may be helpful for women and their partners as they navigate this exciting phase of life.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham and UAB Medicine have established the first uterus transplant program in the Southeast and the fourth such program in the United States.

For many couples, welcoming a healthy baby into their family is easy: They simply let nature take its course. For others, the journey is more difficult, and a healthy baby enters their lives only through the couple’s persistence and taking advantage of the latest scientific advances.

UAB Medicine once again achieved the highly prestigious international Baby-Friendly designation from Baby-Friendly USA, the accrediting body for the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) in the United States.