Discovery Health's BABY WEEK Delivers the World Premiere Docu-Series NICU and Six All-New Specials this July

--BABY WEEK Kicks Off on Monday, July 12, at 9 PM (ET/PT) With New Premieres Airing Nightly Through Friday, July 16--

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Jun 14, 2010, 10:00 ET

SILVER SPRING, Md., June 14 /PRNewswire/ -- This July, Discovery Health delivers viewers from the summer repeat doldrums with an infusion of world-premiere programming from its signature event, BABY WEEK. This latest edition showcases the riveting, real-life drama of babies born under extraordinary circumstances through six captivating specials and the network's next breakthrough series, NICU. From Monday, July 12, through Friday, July 16, baby-themed programming will air each night in primetime, with premiere programs beginning at 9 PM (ET/PT).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081114/NEF006LOGO )

BABY WEEK welcomes the arrival of NICU, an original 10-episode docu-drama series that goes behind the scenes of top national neonatal intensive care units, showing the day-to-day care required to sustain the smallest of lives. Premiering Thursday, July 15, at 10 PM (ET/PT), NICU follows real families as they experience the rollercoaster of emotions that come with having a premature baby. The series also features doctors and nurses from leading hospitals in Baltimore, San Diego and Cleveland, as they work around the clock to ensure the survival of their tiny patients. Subsequent premiere episodes of NICU will air weekly throughout the summer on Thursdays at 10 PM (ET/PT).

BABY WEEK also features six of the buzzworthy, gripping and occasionally bizarre one-hour specials that originally made the event so popular with viewers. STRANGE PREGNANCIES details the most extraordinary and unheard-of delivery stories ever highlighted on television—including a woman with two separate uteri experiencing concurrent pregnancies. Later in the week, BORN ON A BAD DAY profiles women giving birth under the worst possible circumstances—from hostage situations to natural disasters. All six BABY WEEK specials need to be seen to be believed.

The following is a full rundown of all-new premiere programs (in chronological order by premiere date):

STRANGE PREGNANCIES

NEW SPECIAL: Premieres Monday, July 12, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

Every woman experiences pregnancy differently—but for these women, their pregnancies are unusual and downright bizarre. This hour-long special focuses on three extraordinary pregnancies, from a woman with two functioning uteri, to a woman facing a rare and risky form of ectopic pregnancy, to a 56-year-old woman bearing triplets—for her daughter!

A BABY TO SAVE OUR SON

NEW SPECIAL: Premieres Monday, July 12, at 10 PM (ET/PT)

Is it ethical to use one child to save the life of another? Three-year-old Charlie has a rare genetic blood disorder—and without a bone marrow transplant, he could die before his seventh birthday. This hour-long special follows Charlie's journey and the difficult decisions his parents face in order to save their son's life.

BIG BABIES (wt)

NEW SPECIAL: Premieres Tuesday, July 13, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

This hour-long special follows the journeys of four obese, pregnant women as they struggle through the final weeks of pregnancy with supersized babies. Showing the world through their eyes—along with the prejudices and challenges they face—BIG BABIES (wt) also records the crucial first months of their overweight infants' lives and considers what the future holds for our supersized infants.

TOO MANY BABIES? THE FIRST 16 MONTHS (wt)

NEW SPECIAL: Premieres Wednesday, July 14, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

Last spring, America fell in love with the Jones family and their five unexpected "blessings." Now, as they prepare for the next stage in their whirlwind lives, TOO MANY BABIES? THE FIRST 16 MONTHS (wt) will show the Joneses in a whole new light. This hour-long special brings viewers behind the scenes in the quintuplets' first year with never-before-seen footage and catches up with all that's current in their ever-changing world.

BORN ON A BAD DAY

NEW SPECIAL: Premieres Thursday, July 15, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

BORN ON A BAD DAY presents the true and remarkable tales of moms giving birth during natural disasters and other precarious situations. From a woman who delivers a baby during a hostage situation in the maternity ward, to a mom who delivers by flashlight during a tornado, viewers will be amazed by these incredible tales—and by the babies who survived them.

THE 10 MOST UNBELIEVABLE BIRTHS

NEW SPECIAL: Premieres Friday, July 16, at 9 PM (ET/PT)

This hour-long special celebrates the most dramatic pregnancy and delivery stories ever told on Discovery Health. The dynamic real-life obstetricians from the network's hit series DELIVER ME, Drs. Alane Park, Yvonne Bohn and Allison Hill, lead us through an hour filled with harrowing and heartwarming tales of human reproduction. The 10 shocking stories include a young woman who didn't realize she was pregnant until she delivered, a transgendered couple who accidentally conceived against all odds and the extraordinarily rare birth of double identical twins.

Online at DiscoveryHealth.com, visitors will have access to an array of expert-driven articles and exclusive video content showcasing the amazing stories of extraordinary births and the frenetic pace of daily life in NICU. The site will also feature the return of DiscoveryHealth.com's popular Cutest Baby Face-Off contest, in addition to a variety of fun quizzes, including the Ultimate Celebrity Baby Name Game, Baby Naming Trends and a Baby Shower Quiz.

Production Credits:

NICU is produced for Discovery Health by LMNO Productions. For Discovery Health, Lynn Sadofsky is executive producer, and for LMNO Productions, Eric Schotz and Kathy Williamson are executive producers. STRANGE PREGNANCIES is produced for Discovery Health by LMNO Productions. For Discovery Health, Alon Orstein is executive producer, and for LMNO Productions, Eric Schotz and Ruth Rivin are executive producers. A BABY TO SAVE OUR SON is produced by BBC Productions. BIG BABIES is produced by Scarlet Television. TOO MANY BABIES? THE FIRST 16 MONTHS is produced for Discovery Health by Megalomedia. For Discovery Health, Alon Orstein is executive producer, and for Megalomedia, Jonathan Nowzaradan is executive producer. BORN ON A BAD DAY is produced for Discovery Health by Mike Mathis Productions. For Discovery Health, James Kowats is executive producer, and for Mike Mathis Productions, Mike Mathis and Brian Puterman are executive producers and Tammy Wood is co-executive producer. THE 10 MOST UNBELIEVABLE BIRTHS is produced for Discovery Health by Discovery Studios. For Discovery Health, Alon Orstein is executive producer, and for Discovery Studios, Rob Burke is executive producer.

About Discovery Health:

Discovery Health Media includes the Discovery Health and FitTV television networks and online assets including www.discoveryhealth.com, as well as its Continuing Medical Education (CME) business and Discovery's first stand-alone VOD service, Discovery Health On-Call. Discovery Health Media is part of Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), the world's number one nonfiction media company, reaching more than 1.5 billion cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through 100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

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SOURCE Discovery Health