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We're obsessed with television. As employees of America's number one health site, we often find ourselves questioning the medicine behind our favorite medical TV shows. Do the docs on ER and House really know their stuff? And just how common is that rare disease on last night's Grey's Anatomy?

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WebMD Health News

Thursday, November 09, 2006

The Nip/Tuck Pregnancy Plan
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So how does an ex-pornstar turned Scientologist prepare for the birth of her first child? That's the dilemma facing Nip/Tuck's Kimber now that she's married to Matt and pregnant with his baby. Naturally, she needs the help of hotshot plastic surgeons McNamara/Troy.

First, she wants her breast implants removed so that she'll be able to breastfeed her baby. Since more women, particularly young women, are getting breast augmentation, breastfeeding is a growing concern for women with implants. However, implants do not automatically mean a woman won't be able to nurse her child, as Kimber seemed to imply. Many women with breast implants successfully breastfeed their babies, though certain methods of breast augmentation may decrease the chances of this success. According to WebMD's Guide to Plastic Surgery, if a woman intends to breastfeed, she should let her plastic surgeon know.

Next, Kimber treats her morning sickness with something called "touch assist," a massage-like procedure used by Scientologists to heal illnesses. I can't vouch for the medical validity of this procedure, but I can tell you how doctors recommend treating morning sickness. Taking ginger or vitamin B6 are two common means to effectively curb nausea and vomiting.

Finally, she'll discuss with her spiritual advisor the process of "silent birth," the birth method reportedly preferred by Scientologists. I'm not surprised silent birth is making its debut in a television drama, and I'm certainly not surprised it's appearing on an already wacky show like Nip/Tuck. Silent birth shot to fame earlier this year when Scientologists Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes announced that they would be having a silent birth. WebMD looked for medical evidence supporting silent birth, but we couldn't find any. "It may be in the Scientology literature, but it's not in the scientific literature," one doctor told us. On the other hand, doctors do agree that if a silent birth is something the parents want, their wishes should be respected, and there don't appear to be any serious risks. For more about the medical validity behind silent birth, go here.

Related Topics: What's Wrong With Silence and Birth?

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Posted by: Chris_WebMD at 11/09/2006 11:17:00 PM

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