Prenatal Pediatrics News

A new study finds that children who are exposed to the Zika virus while in the womb, but who are not subsequently diagnosed with Zika-related birth defects and congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), may still display differences in some aspects of cognitive development, mood and mobility compared to unexposed children.

In a new article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, researchers conclude that the COVID-19 vaccine not only protects pregnant women but may also be lifesaving for their unborn children.

Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., was ranked No. 5 nationally in the U.S. News & World Report 2022-23 Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings.

The annual "Top Doctors" list from Northern Virginia Magazine features 104 Children’s National Hospital care providers across 26 specialties. 

Pregnant women should get vaccinated to minimize the detrimental health effects COVID-19 has on the placenta, the fetus and the newborn, states Roberta L. DeBiasi, M.D., M.S., division chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Children’s National Hospital in an editorial published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.

Zika virus continues to have a major impact on the lives of babies born after exposure, even those who were born with little outward signs of impact. That makes it extremely important to continue following Zika-exposed infants long term, even if they haven’t been born with severe abnormalities.

U.S. News & World Report ranked Children’s National a top 10 children’s hospital for its Best Children’s Hospitals annual rankings for 2020-21, with a #1 ranking in newborn care for the fourth straight year. Learn more about our specialty care rankings.

When pregnant women experience elevated anxiety, stress or depression, these prenatal stressors can alter the structure of the developing fetal brain and disrupt its biochemistry - even if these women have uncomplicated pregnancies and high socioeconomic status, according to Children’s National Hospital research published online Jan. 29, 2020, in JAMA Network Open.

The annual "Top Doctors" list from Northern Virginia Magazine features 76 Children’s National Hospital care providers across 25 specialties. 

Knowing that your unborn fetus has congenital heart disease causes such pronounced maternal stress, anxiety and depression that these women’s fetuses end up with impaired development in key brain regions before they are born, according to research published online Jan. 13, 2020, in JAMA Pediatrics.