Can Virtual Reality Help Women Cope With Childbirth?

Clinical trials in Los Angeles plan to explore how virtual reality can be used to deal with acute pain through coaching and distraction. Photograph: Tracey Nearmy/AAP

Clinical trials are using a VR headset to help manage pain during labor

rin Martucci had been enjoying the beach vista and gazing at a flock of birds overhead when something shook her view. The voice of Ralph Anderson, her gynecologist, broke through the sound of the waterfall next to her.

“We’re ready to push!” he said, gently taking Martucci’s virtual reality headset off and bringing her back to a hospital room at Orange Regional Medical Center in Middletown, New York. Martucci, 40, looked around at her husband and mother, their voices swirling excitedly around her: “She’s crowning! She’s ready!”

“I was like, ‘Wait, what are you doing?’. I thought I needed the goggles to push!,” Martucci says. She had been so engrossed in her virtual beachside hideaway, she hadn’t realised that her baby’s head was starting to show. It was time to take off the goggles.

Martucci is believed to be the first woman to use virtual reality (VR) for pain management during labor. With more women moving away from scheduled C-sections – which accounted for 32% of US births in 2015 – VR might offer another drug-free pain option during birth.

“I was on a beach, and there was a fire going,” Martucci recalls. “Wherever you moved, the scene moved with you. If I looked up, I saw the galaxy and the sun setting. On the right, there was a waterfall and a lot of movement with birds,” Martucci says. From time to time, a woman with an English accent peppered Martucci’s virtual world with guidance.

“You wanted to listen to her,” she says. “I remember her focusing on the breathing and your body tensing and relaxing, and tensing and relaxing. She kept saying ‘Focus on the birds,’” says Martucci. “It was really very calming. She would teach me how to breathe and be really in touch with your body.”

‘It made me feel I’m OK here’

Martucci had declined an epidural earlier in the day when she started to think her labor contractions were becoming too painful to manage on her own, but she was open to Anderson’s suggestion to try a pre-programmed VR headset.

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The iPhone 8 is nine months away, but we’re already expecting it to have OLED and wireless charging. Watch the video to find out why.

A Frog That Freezes and Thaws, Plus More Ways Animals Cope With Cold

Wild creatures don't have the luxury of curling up under the covers—here's how they make it through winter.

When cold weather arrives, the Arctic fox grows into its winter coat—lighter fur that helps it blend into the snow. PHOTOGRAPH BY TOM MURPHY, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE

Our winter survival skills often involve staying indoors with plenty of blankets, cocoa, and mindless TV at the ready.

But wild animals don't have that luxury—they have to tough it out in the cold. That made Weird Animal Question of the Week wonder: “What are some cool ways animals stay safe and warm in winter?” (See some incredible pictures of winter wildlife.)

Security News This Week: Russian Hackers Are Targeting Germany Now, Too

GETTY IMAGES/EYEEM

GERMANY’S INTELLIGENCE AGENCY accused Russia of deploying cyberattacks against the country, including the spread of propaganda and attempts to destabilize the government. And why not? As we’ve noted before, if the US election taught Putin anything it’s that hacking really can make an impact.

That’s all the more reason to fully investigate Russia’s disruptive role in our election, which this week President Obama, two members of Congress, and prominent GOP Senator Lindsey Graham all did. Of course, as with Obama’s comprehensive cybersecurity plan, anything actionable will likely fall to the Trump administration. And elsewhere in potentially hostile foreign powers, we took a look at incredibly detailed 3-D renders of North Korea’s secretive space command center.

Also this week, secure chat app Wickr introduced an encrypted, self-destructive Slack alternative, while IBM Watson for Cybersecurity took off the training wheels, and is now fighting cybercrime for actual companies. And if we have to leave you with just one piece of advice, let it be this: Don’t trust third-party stores for Android apps. Ever. Just don’t.

And there’s more. Each Saturday we round up the news stories that we didn’t break or cover in depth but that still deserve your attention. As always, click on the headlines to read the full story in each link posted. And stay safe out there.

Confronting Racist Objects

Millions of racist objects sit in the homes of everyday Americans. We asked for your experiences with these objects and received hundreds of responses. Some of you told us about your family heirlooms. Some described antique finds, and many of you simply wanted to know what should be done with racist objects. What is their place today, when racial tensions and racial attacks are on the rise? Here are some of your stories about reconciling, reclaiming and reinterpreting racist objects.