Great Expectations

Diet Sodas: The Bad News

2010-09-02T09:07:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I drank Coke Zero throughout my pregnancy, and I still drink way too much of it. But here's some motivation to switch to club soda:

"

Despite safety assurances from the FDA, the sweeteners found in diet sodas have been blamed for a wide variety of health concerns ranging from headaches, allergies and digestive problems to cancer and neurological disorders. A large, national study completed in 2007 showed that people who drank one or more servings of diet soda daily had raised blood glucose levels and a 67% greater chance of developing diabetes than those who did not drink them. A study presented in 2008 found an association between drinking diet soda and impaired kidney function. Of the 3,000 in the study, including 730 with diabetes, those who drank at least 2 diet sodas a day experienced twice the rate of kidney damage. Two recent, large studies have shown that drinking more or more diet sodas daily was associated with a 35% greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome -- the combination of high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid (cholesterol and triglyceride) levels, insulin resistance and excess abdominal fat.

Reported by Mary Franz, MS, RD, LD, research dietician, the Department of Nutrition, Harvard University, in "Diet Soft Drinks, How Safe are They?" Diabetes Self-Management, March/April, 2010, p. 8-13.

All About Baby Movement

2010-02-03T12:35:00.001-08:00

We get lots of questions from moms on HappyHealthyPregnancy.com about when they can expect to feel their babies' movement the first time. It's usually around the 20th week of pregnancy, although experienced moms usually detect it sooner. Heavyweight moms and those whose babies have implanted themselves on the front of their uterus (uteri?) may take longer to feel their babies' kicks, since the motions have to be sensed through both the uterus lining and the abdominal wall. The word "kicking" is actually a misnomer. Babies are very active during pregnancy, and what moms are actually detecting are flails, wiggles, twitches, arches and thrashes -- spontaneous movements -- since the baby is living in such tight quarters that he can't fully stretch out his legs. Baby "body torque" actually starts as early as 6 weeks of pregnancy the instant they get their primitive muscles and wiring. After that, they spend a huge amount of time moving. Once their fingers are fully formed, they make fists, and even suck their thumbs! About 2/3rds of baby hand movements before birth are directed toward their mothers' bodies, their umbilical cords, feeling the uterine wall, and their own faces and bodies. No wonder being swaddled after birth is calming and reminds them of being back "home"!

More on the Breastfeeding Controversy

2010-01-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

So there's now more evidence that breastfeeding isn't, as the headline says, "as beneficial as once thought." It's starting to sound like the benefits of breastfeeding may have more to do with hormonal factors than with the milk itself.
Makes me wonder if the reported reduction in breast and uterine cancers associated with breastfeeding is also related to something else, like lifestyle or hormones.

Spanking is good for kids?

2010-01-08T05:51:00.000-08:00

... you might be lead to believe that, should you have caught this story in an Australian newspaper (who knew the Aussies were such big smackers?).

I was called by the Ed Norris show to comment on this story, and when I began to look into the facts it turns out that the reporter, Cheryl Critchley, completely misrepresented what the study said. "Reports" the Herald Tribune,

The Christian Calvin College in Michigan quizzed 2600 teens and found the 75 per cent who were smacked at ages 2-6 performed better on measures such as academic and volunteer work, college aspirations, hope and confidence than those who weren't.

In reality, everything in the above paragraph is false, other than the college being in Michigan. The study was of 187 teens, not 2600. The kids were not "quizzed" but self-reported on seven questions, including if they had ever "attacked anyone," been "depressed" and if they felt they had a "close relationship with God." Teens who had been hit did not perform "better," in truth there was no significant difference in how they responded. Below is the PowerPoint that the researcher, Marji Gunnoe, sent me.

For the record, numerous studies have found associations between negative consequences and hitting kids, from lowered IQ's to higher rates of criminal behavior and sexual deviance. But note than an association is not the same as cause-and-effect, which is pretty much impossible to establish if you're using real humans as subjects.
The bottom line (har!) if you're looking for scientific support for the benefits of spanking: it doesn't exist. But if you're looking for evidence that certain people are trying to turn spanking into a political issue, there's ample evidence for that!

Breastfeeding over-rated?

2010-01-08T05:45:00.000-08:00

"The Case Against Breastfeeding" from The Atlantic is a lot of food for thought (har!). I do think that the pros of breastfeeding have been overstated, especially by interest groups like La Leche League, and though the research I've read about childhood obesity and breastfeeding has all sounded pretty conclusive, it is hard to create a perfect study when you're using real-life human infants as subjects. In America, formula-feeding, poverty and education are all so closely correlated, it's nearly impossible to isolate the effects of each.

Q of the Day: 5-month-old refuses bottle

2009-12-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

My baby doesn't like the bottle. I want to pump and give her the bottle since she is 5 months old and teething right now. Do you have any suggestions?

If you’ve been exclusively breastfeeding for the first five months, it might take your daughter a few days to get the hang of the whole bottle thing, because babies need to use different mouth motions to get milk from a bottle. Here are some tips: first, plan to introduce the bottle a little bit earlier than your baby’s usual feeding time, so she’s hungry but not so ravenous that she’ll get frustrated and frantic if she can’t get the hang of the bottle right away. Then, have someone else offer her the bottle for the first few feedings, preferably when you’re out of the house. Babies can smell mom’s milk from 20 feet away, and that can distract and confuse them. So hand your baby and a bottle of pumped milk to your partner or a sitter, and run an errand or take a walk! If your baby still rejects the bottle after a few tries, try experimenting with different nipple styles and shapes—your baby may prefer latex over silicone, or have an easier time with an orthodontic shape.

It's True-- Pregnancy Changes Taste!

2009-10-27T07:50:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy really does make women more sensitive to certain flavors and odors. One really interesting study asked a group of women-- some not pregnant and others in different stages of pregnancy-- to rate the intensity and their preferences of salty, sweet, citric and bitter flavors. While the women who weren’t pregnant varied a lot in how intense they thought the various flavors were and how much they liked them, pregnant women in the first trimester were united in ranking the bitter and salty flavors as more intense and less appealing. And, the farther along the pregnant women were, the more they liked the salty and citric flavors, and the less intense they found the bitter flavor.

Researchers theorized that pickiness peaks in the first trimester to help protect the fetus from poisons at the most sensitive stage of development, then preferences change to encourage a balanced diet closer to delivery. Pretty interesting!

Crackers worse than caramels?

2009-10-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Researching toddler tooth care today!
According to the AAPD, crackers are actually worse for children’s teeth than caramels! The starches in crackers are just as harmful to teeth as the sugars in caramels, but the sugars in caramels actually dissolve more quickly.
Also surprised to learn that the bacteria that cause tooth decay can be spread by sharing utensils.

Bed-sharing by accident

2009-10-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Our new book, Baby Sleep is going off to print as I type, and in the meantime, this year's AAP convention is kicking off in DC.

As we wrote the section on bed-sharing, we really agonized over what stance to take. Bed-sharing can be very dangerous, and babies can and do die when parents roll over on them-- as shown in this horrible story from Wales the other day. A lot of the deaths that in the past had been attributed to SIDS were most likely accidental rollovers while bed-sharing.

On the other hand, bed-sharing is on the rise.
Here's the stat from Widener U in PA:

Ninety-four women were enrolled ... 70 were interviewed at 1 month and 54 at 3 months. At enrollment none of the 94 mothers were planning on sharing their bed with their infant. At 1 month 47% reported sharing their bed with their infant the prior month and 17% at 3 months.

I know we did the right thing by presenting all of the pros and cons of bed-sharing, and explicit safety information. The most dangerous scenario of all is what's going on here: parents who don't plan to, but end up bed-sharing out of exhaustion, without making the bed safe for baby.

ps. "SUIDS" is the new "SIDS" - Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Syndrome.

Breastfeeding and Flab: Good News, Bad News

2009-09-24T05:57:00.001-07:00

First the bad news: even though breastfeeding burns a lot of calories-- 200 - 500 a day-- it does not appear to help moms lose weight any faster, or to keep it off.
The good news: Breastfeeding does help keep children from becoming obese. One study found that formula-fed babies have triple the risk of being obese at age six.
Breastfeeding does have lots of other benefits for moms, though, including lower rates of osteoporosis and breast cancer.

Snack Ads Make Kids Eat More

2009-07-31T12:29:00.001-07:00

Another reason you shouldn't watch TV while you eat!

Sad Dad, Sad Baby

2009-07-03T12:29:00.001-07:00

We've known there was a link between maternal depression and colic, and now researchers have found a link between depressed dads and excessive crying in newborns.
Is the link genetic, or are depressed and stressed parents are less responsive, making babies cry more to get their needs met?

BPA news gets worse

2009-06-29T12:43:00.000-07:00

Bisphenol A has been suspected of being harmful to humans since the 1930s, and the news just keeps getting worse. In addition to impairing fertility, exposure has also been found to alter fetal DNA. Yikes!

GoodNites says...

2009-06-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

Make the Most of Bedtime by Focusing on Special Moments With Your Child

The Weird World of Twitter

2009-06-12T11:02:00.000-07:00

Weirdest Tweets Ever: "CircInfo", sending out daily pro-circumcision tweets about how circumcision is "Normal, traditional, All American" and will make your baby "healthy and happy"
Who writes it? Who reads it?
Bizarre!

Not Rockfish!!

2009-06-04T12:12:00.001-07:00

Pregnant women are advised to avoid eating Atlantic rockfish, aka Striped Bass, due to the risk of contamination with PCBs.

Bugaboo stroller recall!

2009-06-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

The swanky Dutch stroller retails for $530, but the price tag doesn't make it immune to recalls!

Pregnancy Weight Gain Guidelines

2009-05-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, revised pregnancy weight gain guidelines!

The Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council today released a report recommending new guidelines for weight gain during pregnancy. The report updates guidelines that were last set in 1990 and takes into account changing US demographics, particularly the increase in the numbers of women of childbearing age who are overweight and obese.

The new guidelines are available on the Institute of Medicine's Web site.

"The earlier guidelines recommended weight gain that would be optimal for the baby. These new guidelines take into account the well-being of the mother as well. This is a fundamental and important change," Kathleen M. Rasmussen, ScD, professor of nutrition at Cornell University and chair of the guidelines committee, said at a press briefing where the new recommendations were announced.

The 2009 guidelines also differ from those issued 2 decades ago in 2 other ways. They are based on World Health Organization cutoff points for body mass index (BMI) categories, unlike the earlier guidelines, which were based on weight categories taken from the Metropolitan Life Insurance tables. They also recommend a more narrow range of weight gain for obese women.

The recommended weight gain for each category of prepregnancy BMI is as follows:

• Underweight (< 18.5 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 28 to 40 pounds

• Normal weight (18.5 - 24.9 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 25 to 35 pounds

• Overweight (25.0 - 29.9 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 15 to 25 pounds

• Obese (≥ 30.0 kg/m2); total weight gain range: 11 to 20 pounds

Sandy & Marcie Jones Materials Links

2009-05-23T13:34:00.000-07:00

The pregnancy planner on Toys-R-Us

An article by Sandy Jones, published by JPMA

A New Jersey reviewer of GEPreg: "Pregnancy Books that Won't Scare You"

Slideshare.com presentation on childbirth education

Offered as a freebie to pregnant enrollees in the U of Montana healthcare system

Two Blogs Worth Following

2009-05-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Skeptical OB

Mainstream Parenting

Pregnancy Blog

2009-05-20T08:07:00.001-07:00

With Mayo clinic CNM Mary Murry covers a wide range of interesting pregnancy-related topics

Smoking and IQ

2009-05-04T08:02:00.000-07:00

Note to self for pregnancy book updates: I believe we said maternal smoking lowers a child's IQ by three points, but later studies seem to show it's more than that-- this one says 6.8.

This site, whyquit.com, also has lots of "good" information about the effects of smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Headline of the day!

2009-04-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

"Babies born to women who suffered morning sickness may be smarter"

Benefits for Breast-Feeding Moms

2009-04-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

A NYT story reports that a new study has found dramatic breast-feeding benefits for moms:
"Women who had breast-fed for more than a year in their entire lifetimes were almost 10 percent less likely than those who had never breast-fed to have had a heart attack or a stroke in their postmenopausal years. They were also less likely to have diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

The study found that even those postmenopausal women who had breast-fed for just one month had lower rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol"

Wow!

Save for Pregnancy/Sleep Book Update

2009-04-16T06:50:00.000-07:00

German researchers have found that fetal dreaming develops before rapid eye movements of sleep (in fetal sheep, anyway!)

Madison Still Rules!

2009-04-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

The SSA has released the top baby names of '07 by state. In my home state of MD, Madison has stayed the top moniker for girls, and Michael is the top pick for boys.
"Madison" has always been such a naming oddity. Traditional names always fall in and out of favor, but Madison seemed to come out of nowhere, straight to the #1 spot.
Will it hang on another year?

Is this for real?

2009-04-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Walgreens is selling a kit to predict a baby's gender!
How would that even be possible?

Mommy Wars

2009-04-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

When we wrote the first Great Expectations book in 2004, out-of-wedlock births represented about 35 percent of the total. Three years later, births to unmarried moms have hit an all-time high in the U.S., representing 40% of all births or about 2.2 million babies a year.

Speaking of motherhood, Dr. Laura has a new book in praise of Stay-at-Home moms and was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Love her or hate her, she always has something interesting to say!

Fertility Tests vs. Ovulation Prediction

2009-04-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

The NYT wrote about First Response's new fertility test, notable because we get a whole lot of fertility questions on HBN.com. As I've learned from Pee on a Stick, ovulation prediction kits tests detect lutenizing hormone (LH), which surges before ovulation and also helps maintain early pregnancy. The problem with a test that detects LH is that the test will show you as ovulating if you're pregnant. Fertility tests that detect FSH will avoid this problem. I'll definitely have to learn more about how they work!

Developmental Delays in "Late Preterm" Infants

2009-04-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

A new study shows that babies born even a few weeks too soon can suffer developmental delays. Proof that the longer a baby can spend in a nice, dark womb buiding those brain-cell connections, the better!

Pee on a Stick

2009-04-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

I am learning so much about Ovulation Prediction Kits this morning!
Seriously, this site, Pee on a Stick, answers every question anyone could ever have about OPKs in explicit and intimate detail.

New Product Alert

2009-04-05T13:13:00.000-07:00

A home fertility test for women, from the makers of First Response. Wonder if will actually help women get pregnant faster?

Also interesting from the NYT: In India, motherhood is powerful!

BOBB Midwife: Too Fearless?

2009-03-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

New York Magazine has an article on Cara Muhlhahn, the midwife featured in Ricki Lake's "The Business of Being Born." The reader comments are also worth a look.

Have you seen this high chair?

2009-03-24T17:26:00.000-07:00

Sold at Target. Says the CPSC, "The seat can fall backwards from high chair frame if the booster seat release is unlatched while the child is in the product. Also, the seat back can detach if not fully snapped in place, posing a fall hazard and risk of serious injury to young children."
Yikes!

Nursery Design Sites

2009-03-24T09:10:00.000-07:00

We love how baby rooms have gotten more fashion-forward lately. It's as if designers suddenly woke up and realized that pregnancy doesn't cause you to lose your sense of taste! Here are some sites that focus on room design for babies and children:

OhDeeOh - don't miss the home tours
Fawn and Forest - "a leading retailer of the worlds finest modern baby and eco friendly children's products"
Coochicoos - "Designs for modern parenting"
Shelterrific's "Living With Kids" category

Sperm Counts!

2009-03-10T17:19:00.000-07:00

NYT: "The children of older fathers scored lower than the offspring of younger fathers on I.Q. tests and a range of other cognitive measures at 8 months old, 4 years old and 7 years old, according to a study released Monday."
Other studies have found that children of older dads are statistically more likely to suffer from autism and schizophrenia.

Also interesting on the dad front: a guy's genes may favor producing more girls than boys (or vice versa).

UTI + Pregnancy = Bad News

2009-02-19T09:55:00.001-08:00

Conventional wisdom was that urinary tract infections in pregnancy were no big deal, as long as they were treated promptly. But a study published last December shows that UTIs may not be so harmless.

"Patients with UTI had significantly higher rates of intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR), pre-eclampsia, caesarean deliveries (CD) and pre-term deliveries (either before 34 weeks or 37 weeks of gestation)."

On a related note: WebMD's "pelvis Queen" says thongs may not cause UTIs after all.

'Blond, Freckles -- Hold the Colic'

2009-02-12T10:32:00.000-08:00

Reports the Wall Street Journal, "A Los Angeles clinic says it will soon help couples select both gender and physical traits in a baby when they undergo a form of fertility treatment."

Caution: Children May be Hazardous to Marraige

2009-02-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

In "Till Children Do Us Part," Op-Ed contributor Stephanie Coontz concludes, "shortchanging such adult-oriented activities for the sake of the children is not good for a marriage"

Crack Babies

2009-01-27T15:51:00.001-08:00

The NYT calls it "The Epidemic that Wasn't"

Eating Cereal Causes Boys?

2009-01-27T08:07:00.001-08:00

The Wall Street Journal explains why observational studies can lead to misleading conclusions.
... But when it comes to human pregnancy, most of the time, observational studies are all there are. We all know clinical studies are better, but it's not ethical to use human pregnant woman and infants to study anything risky, like the safety of medications. So researchers have to basically follow what pregnant women do and then see what happens later, or study babies with health problems and try to figure out what their parents might have done.
That's better than no research at all, but it can lead to a lot of misguided conclusions.

Domestic Baby Formula Scare!

2008-12-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

After declaring melamine unsafe, the FDA has apparently reversed its stance now that the chemical has been found in baby formula in the U.S., saying that some melamine is okay. And, after initially not naming brand names in the scandal, now they do:

Good Start Supreme Infant Formula with iron, made by Nestle ... Trace amounts of cyanuric acid were found in Infant Formula Powder, Enfamil LIPIL with Iron, from Mead Johnson Nutritionals, a subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb.

New Scare about Antidepressants and Pregnancy

2008-11-24T12:31:00.000-08:00

Fluoxetine (Prozac) is the most-commonly prescribed antidepressant for pregnant women, though it's not considered completely harmless, especially in the third trimester, it's long been considered safest by many women's health care providers because it's been on the market the longest.

Now, a new study has found that "women who took the antidepressant fluoxetine during the first three months of pregnancy gave birth to four times as many babies with heart problems as women who did not and the levels were three times higher in women taking paroxetine" [Paxil(r)].

We wonder if this will lead to a change in how depression is treated in pregnant women.

Flaxseed oil and prematurity

2008-11-06T09:47:00.000-08:00

"A study has found that the risks of a premature birth quadruple if flaxseed oil is consumed in the last two trimesters of pregnancy."
This is important news, a lot of women consume flaxseed oil as a way to get more DHA, which is thought to help a baby's brain and eye development.

Moderate drinking ok?!

2008-10-31T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here's a shocker from the BBC: a University College London study found that two drinks a week during pregnancy does not increase a child's risk of "behavioural" problems or cognitive defects.

Go Ahead, Sleep with your Kids

2008-08-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

an excellent article on co-sleeping from Slate magazine

New Moms and PTSD

2008-08-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Post-traumatic stress disorder from birth trauma is getting more attention; a survey found that African-American women, those without private health insurance and women with unplanned pregnancies were more likely to have PTSD symptoms.

Pregnancy News Resource

2008-08-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Eating soy can harm men's fertility?
C-sections cause asthma?
all kinds of fascinating headlines at the Association of Reproductive Health Care Professionals' feed of pregnancy headlines.

Want a Baby Girl? Hang out by the Plastics Plant!

2008-07-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Study: Women exposed to high levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls - a group of banned environmental pollutants) are less likely to give birth to male children.

TV Disrupts Development

2008-07-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

... new research shows that even when the television is background noise, it may be disruptive to a child’s normal development.

Insult to Injury

2008-06-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

The Nyt reports that some insurance companies are rejecting women's applications for health coverage based on a previous Caesarean.

Diabetes and Baby Formula Link

2008-04-17T13:54:00.001-07:00

Several studies of infant feeding show a causal relationship between time of introduction of formula containing cow protein and risk of onset of type-1 diabetes mellitus.

Another Reason to Eat Your Vegetables

2008-04-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Experts speaking at the Association for the Study of Obesity annual meeting presented evidence that flavors fetuses are exposed to in the womb and in the early years of life could determine if children will choose healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables later on.

Active Fetus, Active Toddler?

2008-04-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

Does your baby's kicking inside predict his or her activity after birth? Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development studied the relationship between baby activity after birth and baby kicking during pregnancy. While there seemed to be only a slight link between highly active babies during pregnancy and later irritability and the acquisition of baby body skills, baby boys' activity during 36 weeks of pregnancy helped to predict boys who would be highly active at one year of age. On the other hand, highly active girls at 36 weeks were more likely to be calmer and more passive at age one. Surprisingly, highly active babies during pregnancy were more likely to be tolerant of having their activity restrained or limited when they reached one and two than less active babies during pregnancy.

A pre-eclampsia virus?

2008-04-07T07:27:00.000-07:00

An Australian study reports a possible link between pre-eclampsia and a virus.

Pregnant Moms Work More, Sue More

2008-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Not really news to anyone pregnant with a job, but the NYT/Census Bureau reports that women are working longer into pregnancy and returning to work faster than they did four decades ago.
Here's another link.

Meanwhile, the WSJ reports that pregnancy-discrimination lawsuits are on the rise.

Heparin Horrors

2008-03-01T13:14:00.001-08:00

When a women in labor goes to the hospital, it's routine for her to be given a heparin lock, or heplock: this is a needle in the hand with heparin in it to keep blood from coagulating, and the open line makes it more convenient for nurses to hook up an IV.
Turns out heparin is made from Chinese pig intestines, and so far 21 people have died from some kind of as-yet-unidentified issue with the Baxter International brand.

There's actually no reason, beyond the convenience of the labor and delivery staff, to have a heplock or an IV, unless you have an epidural, a c-section or are severely dehydrated.

Munire crib recall

2008-03-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

The CPSC has announced a voluntary recall of Munire brand cribs: the Majestic Curved Top and Flat Top, Essex, Brighton/Sussex and Captiva models.

More Fish Oil News

2008-02-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

Fish oil and the fatty acids in it are the new trendy ingredient in prenatal supplements and baby formula. Eggs and yogurt are now coming with DHA (wonder what they're feeding those chickens?). But the fish oil news isn't all necessarily good: in addition to possibly causing prolonged bleeding after birth and babies with extra-large heads, it also appears to extend the length of gestation by several days.
It's probably a good idea to cut out the fish oil in the third trimester, then take supplements after the baby's born so baby will get a supply from your breastmilk.

'.... is aeronautical-grade aluminum really necessary?'

2008-02-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

Every wonder how those high-end strollers do in a real life?
New York Magazine's Faye Penn helpfully test-drives nine high-end brands in real-life city conditions.

More Lead Worries

2008-02-25T13:21:00.000-08:00

More lead has been found in baby products: this time, pacifiers and a breast pump!

Lead Linked to Obesity?

2008-02-22T12:12:00.000-08:00

"Scientists know exposure to low levels of lead can result in learning disabilities, hearing loss, language impairments and vision loss, but a newly discovered side effect may be adult-onset obesity in men, according to a University of Houston professor."

Good News, Bad News

2008-02-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

Good News About VBACs: "A woman who has had one successful vaginal birth after cesarean delivery is even more likely to succeed during subsequent trials of vaginal birth, new research suggests."

Maternal stress and schizophrenia link: "A recent article in the Archives of General Psychiatry reports that women who undergo an extremely stressful event during the first three months of pregnancy have an increased risk of having children who develop schizophrenia."

In spite of ample evidence that home births are safer than the hospital for uncomplicated deliveries, the ACOG opines that "choosing to deliver a baby at home is to place the process of giving birth over the goal of having a healthy baby" and blames the current state of women's health for the high c-section rate.

Parents' Journal Podcast

2008-01-31T23:41:00.000-08:00

Here I am talking about baby sleep with Bobbi Connor (parents' lack of sleep, actually)!

Safety Tips

2008-01-31T22:20:00.000-08:00

A mom who accidentally left her son in the car has good advice for new parents: keep your purse in the back seat, so you'll always check back there before you leave the car. Also, position the car seat on the passenger side (or the middle) so it's easy to check if the baby's there.

New Caffeine Study

2008-01-24T23:28:00.001-08:00

A new study has found that ingestion of more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day doubles the risk of miscarriage. Yikes!
Caffeine intake also increases the risk of anemia, apparently.
Too bad!

"Pregnancy Brain" a Real Condition!

2008-01-21T09:58:00.001-08:00

"A meta-analysis of the 14 studies that have been conducted over the past 17 years comparing pregnant and/or postpartum women with healthy matched controls on behavioral measures of memory was conducted. The results indicate that pregnant women are significantly impaired on some, but not all, measures of memory, and, specifically, memory measures that place relatively high demands on executive cognitive control may be selectively disrupted. The same specific deficits associated with pregnancy are also observed postpartum."

What is “executive cognitive control?” Self-critical abilities, being able to forsee the consequences of actions or verbalizations, being able to think ahead and to anticipate future needs and requirements.

2007-11-28T16:56:00.001-08:00

NYT: Pregnant women today are exposed to twice as much radiation as they were a decade ago.

Recalled Cribs

2007-11-18T14:19:00.001-08:00

FYI, parents-to-be-- the brand name of the largest crib recall in history, the "Chinese strangler," is Simplicity.

November 13 is prematurity awareness day

2007-11-13T05:05:00.000-08:00

Sad statistic: babies born even a few weeks early are six times more likely to die in the first week of life.

Exercise and Pregnancy

2007-11-09T08:45:00.001-08:00

Studies have shown that exercise is good for pregnant women and their fetuses, too. But how much, how intense, and until when? This NYTimes article notes that women often get advice that's out-of-date, vague, or just plain random.

Study: overweight mom = hyperactive child

2007-11-06T12:24:00.000-08:00

A Scandinavian study has found that if a woman is overweight when she becomes pregnant, the probability is much greater that her child will evince ADHD-like symptoms when he/she reaches school age.
But why? Theories include the higher instance of complications in overweight pregnant women, stress hormones stored in body fat, or a genetic connection.

New Study of C-Section Risk

2007-11-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

Another reason to avoid an elective c-section: A study in the British Medical Journal found that women who had caesarean deliveries had twice the risk of severe illnesses and complications or death compared to women who had vaginal deliveries.

Scary Unisom News

2007-09-17T17:59:00.000-07:00

Knowing I had to get up unusually early in the morning, I considered taking an over-the-counter sleep aid and thought I'd Google it to see if it was okay. I didn't expect this scary news: doxylamine succinate, the active ingredient in some forms of Unisom, has been linked to limb and organ defects, especially if taken during the first 7 weeks, which is before mant women even know they're pregnant. What the piece doesn't say is how much of the drug pregnant women were exposed to.
Just what pregnant women need, one more thing to freak out about!

How Bad is Soda?

2007-09-13T07:26:00.000-07:00

A question I've gotten more than once is, "how much soda are pregnant women 'allowed' to drink?"
The caffiene and sugar have always been the main concern-- pregnant women are supposed to keep caffiene intake below 200 milligrams a day (which is about 4 sodas total), and avoid empty calories (and soda has about 200 of them a can).
But here's a new reason to freak out: this story, "Caution: Some soft drinks may seriously harm your health" from the Independent UK is enough to terrify any soda-loving-citizen, pregnant or not.
It alleges that a preservative in soda can actually change your DNA! Scary stuff!
For what it's worth, some blogging scientists ("Longevity Science" and "Angry Toxicologist" reject the story as being a bunch of hype.
Still... we'll just have a glass of water thanks!

This just in...

2007-08-02T12:22:00.000-07:00

Among the many interesting items in this NY Times article: men are more likely than women to have sex for "social status and reputation enhancement." Not in the top 10 for either gender: making a baby.

Everybody's Abnormal!

2007-02-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

A study published last month that tracked women's menstrual histories and caracterized their periods as stable or erratic found that out of over 600 women, 72% had erratic periods, and only 28% had regular periods. The researchers concluded that although obstetricians (and the like) have traditionally thought of "normal" menstrual periods as being regular and stable, the distribution of women in this study appear to prove that erratic perios are actually more "normal." And the researchers say that a "paradigm shift" is needed in how doctors regular periods as "normal," while irregular periods are seen as "abnormal."

Believe it or not!

2007-01-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

In New Orleans, a woman gave birth to a baby who, as an embryo, was rescued from hurricaine Katrina in a flat-bottomed boat. Wild!

Motherhood Held Hostage?

2006-12-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

A German woman thinks her country's maternity-leave system forces women out of the workplace.

And on the other end of the spectrum... New York Magazine's guide to outsourcing all parenting!

On Miscarriage

2006-07-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

Washington Post article: Miscarriage is much more common than most people think, and even women who have had three miscarraiges have a 70 percent chance of carrying a healthy baby to term.

A little stress is good for you?!

2006-06-27T06:07:00.000-07:00

Believe it or not, a study by reserachers at Hopkins and NIH appears to show that mothers with higher levels of stress have children who are slightly more advanced at age 2 than thair peers! The author of the study theorizes that it may have to do with the hormone cortisol, which promotes organ growth. A second theory is that stressed moms may push their children more.

Don't Scoop that Cat Poop!

2006-06-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

We get a lot of questions about cat safety and pregnancy, believe it or not. Our conventional advice has been, if your cat goes outside, don't clean the cat's litter box, or if you must, wear gloves. But now, after reading this article about the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, I just wouldn't let the cat go outside at all. And still get someone else to change the catbox!

Less Stress Imrpoves Fertility

2006-06-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

CBS: If you're neurotic, psychotherapy can help improve your odds of conceiving.

Web Find

2006-06-14T18:44:00.000-07:00

The Celebrity Baby Blog!
Hey, look, Zahara's walking!

Prematurity = Hyperactivity

2006-06-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

A Danish Study has found that children born between 34 and 36 weeks have a 70% higher risk of growing up to be hyperactive.

An Urban Legend Debunked

2006-06-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

Reports the NYT, sex does not jump-start labor. In fact, it may slow it down:

The study, in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, followed 93 women in their third trimesters, all of whom answered questions about their sexual activity and underwent cervical examinations at regular doctor's visits. Those who reported having sex in their final weeks of pregnancy — about half — delivered on average at 39.9 weeks, compared with 39.3 weeks among those who had abstained.

No tuna for pregnant women?

2006-06-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Consumer Reports magazine recommends a tuna-free diet for pregnant women.

Insensitive parents, chubby children

2006-06-06T05:34:00.000-07:00

Does Parenting Style Up Kids' Weight?

Study: Authoritarian Parents May Be More Likely to Have Overweight Kids
By Miranda Hitti
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Monday, June 05, 2006

June 5, 2006 -- Researchers are looking into whether parentingparenting style affects kids' weight.

The June issue of the journal Pediatrics includes a study on the topic, done by Kyung Rhee, MD, of Boston University's pediatrics department, and colleagues.

They found that young children who received love and clear limits from their parents were less likely to be overweight in first grade than those whose parents had exhibited permissive, authoritarian, or neglectful parenting styles at the study's start.

Obesity
Obesity is a serious problem for American children. The CDC estimates 17% of U.S. children aged 2 to 17 were overweight in 2003-2004.

In their study, Rhee's team followed 872 children and their mothers. The researchers assessed parenting style when the kids were about 4 and 1/2 years old, then checked the kids' weight two years later.

They found that children of the mothers judged to be authoritarian were over four times more likely to be overweight at that point than children whose mothers set firm limits but also showed warmth and sensitivity to the child.

The link between obesity and parenting style doesn't mean parenting style determined the kids' weight. Many other issues -- including cultural influences -- need to be studied, the researchers note.

About the Study

All the moms were healthy, at least 18 years old, and could understand English. Most were living with a spouse or partner, but their spouses and partners didn't participate in the study.

More than eight in 10 of the kids were white. About half were boys.

When the children were about 4 and 1/2 years old, researchers videotaped them (with permission) interacting with their moms performing several tasks in a lab. The mothers also completed a survey about their expectations for their child's self-control.

Survey questions included:

How often do you expect your child to sit or play quietly (or refrain from interrupting) while adults are having a conversation?
How often do you expect your child to go to bed without a hassle?
How often do you expect your child to be on "best behavior" when you are in public?
How often do you expect your child to wait his or her turn without fussing?

Four Parenting Styles

The researchers focused on four parenting styles:

Authoritative: Parent shows high demands for the child's self-control but also shows the child a lot of warmth and sensitivity.
Authoritarian: Parent shows high demands for the child's self-control, but low levels of warmth and sensitivity.
Permissive: Parent shows low demands for the child's self-control and lots of warmth and sensitivity.
Neglectful: Parent shows low demands for the child's self-control and little warmth and sensitivity to the child.

Based on the survey and videotapes, the researchers classified 298 moms as authoritarian, 179 as authoritative, 132 as permissive, and 263 as neglectful.

Parenting Style, Kids' Weight

Two years after the videotapes were made, when the kids were in first grade, the researchers checked data on the kids' height and weight. They found that 11% of the first-graders were overweight, based on a BMI (body mass index) in the 95th percentile or higher for their age and gender.

Obesity
Obesity was then correlated to parenting style. The breakdown of overweight children, based on the researchers' observations of parenting styles two years earlier, were:

Authoritarian: 17.1 %
Neglectful: 9.9%
Permissive: 9.8%
Authoritative: 3.9%

Researchers made adjustments for factors such as income level, marital status, gender, and child behavioral problems.

Not Blaming the Parents

The study doesn't give a reason for the results and it doesn't blame parents for their kid's extra pounds. The results also don't prove parenting style was solely responsible for the kids' weight.

Rhee's team doesn't claim that a child's weight reveals parenting style. Overweight kids -- and children of normal weight -- can come from any background.

"It is clear that biological or genetic factors are involved in the risk for some children to become overweight," the researchers write. Researchers didn't have access to the parents' BMI.

Culture May Count

Culture may play a role in parenting style, Rhee and colleagues note. But with few minorities in their study, researchers weren't able to probe such influences.

It will take more work to learn how parenting styles -- including cultural norms and specific parenting behaviors -- affect child behavioral patterns regarding eating and activity levels, the researchers note.

A better understanding of those effects "may help to guide the development of more-comprehensive and more-effective prevention and treatment programs for overweight children," they write.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

SOURCES: Rhee, K. Pediatrics, June 2006; vol 117: pp 2047-2054. CDC: "Prevalence of Overweight Among Children and Adolescents: United States, 2003-2004." News release, American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sperm Counts

2006-06-06T05:03:00.000-07:00

This just in from the New York Times: older dads may raise the risk for certain birth defects.

Births: Final Data for 2003

2006-06-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

The following stats about procedures during birth are from the 2003 National Hospital Discharge Survey published last fall by the Centers for Disease Control. Basically, what these figures help to show is that when it comes to reaching moms immediately after pregnancy with information, it's important to recognize that effects may be muted since many are in pain and undergoing serious, slow recovery.

Total percent of moms having cesarean sections: 27.5%. Total number of moms undergoing cesarean sections: 1.1 million. Percent of moms having a c-section for the first time: 19%.
Total number of obstetrical procedures performed on birthing mothers: 6.7 million.
Repairs for lacerations during birth: 1.2 million.
Number of artificial rupture of membranes: 884,000 (breaking of the bag of waters during labor.)
Number of episiotomies: 716,000 (cutting to widen the birth canal -- often leading to stitches and a painful, long recovery).
Rate of vaginal births after previous Cesarean: 11 per 100 births.

Moms and money

2006-04-21T05:22:00.000-07:00

From Lucid Marketing, a company specializing in marketing to moms:

MONEY: What's Happening At Home?
Marketers often consider income as a factor in determining whom to target in a household with sales and marketing messages -- individual income should no longer be a primary factor.

In recent research revealed by lucid marketing, 79 percent of moms earn less money than their husbands, but moms control money management.

Some of the study's significant findings include:

BILL PAYING
Moms are very active in bill paying, with 76 percent involved in this responsibility. 46 percent are solely responsible for paying household bills, versus 24 percent of dads.
RESEARCH INVESTEMENTS
When researching investment changes, 78 percent of moms are participating. 34 percent do the majority of the research, versus 22 percent of dads.
MANAGING INVESTMENTS
For financial investments such as college savings, and retirement planning, 67 percent of moms participate and 21 percent are solely responsible. 32 percent of dads are solely responsible.

From the U.S. Census Bureau

2006-04-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

One in six first births to women 15 to 29 years old in 1930-34 were conceived before marriage compared to one in two births in 1990-94. During 1990-94, 41 percent of first births were born out-of-wedlock, 12 percent were conceived before women's first marriage and the remainder were conceived post maritally. Significant differences were found in the proportion of first births either premaritally born or conceived between white women (45 percent) and black women (86 percent). Hispanic women had an intermediate proportion of first births either premaritally born or conceived (54 percent). During 1990-94, 10 percent of black women who had a premaritally conceived birth were married by the time of child's birth compared to 27 percent in the 1930s. For white women, these percentages were 29 percent in the 1930's and 61 percent in years 1990- 94.

Women 15 to 19 Years Old

During 1990-94, about 85 percent of all first births to white women were either premarital or premaritally conceived compared with 25 percent during 1930-34. About 15 percent of all first births occurred postmaritally during 1990-94 with 75 percent during 1930-34.

About 98 percent of all first births to black women were premarital or premaritally conceived compared with 48 percent during 1930-34. Less than 2 percent of post maritally conceived first births occurred during 1990-94 compared with 52 percent during 1930-34.

For Hispanic women during 1990-94, about 81 percent of first births were premarital or conceived premaritally and 19 percent of births were conceived postmaritally.

C-sections

2006-03-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

A survey from Seattle found that the most common explanation for a c-section in medical records was "elective" or "maternal request."

The Silent Struggle

2006-03-16T04:55:00.000-08:00

This New York Times article talks about the theory of pregnancy that has a mom and baby struggling over nutrients.

Death in a baggie: Parents change buying habits

2006-03-12T09:11:00.000-08:00

Wax paper and coated containers are all the rage in preschools as parents become increasingly worried about hidden dangers in plastics (login: marsae, pword: ethan6).

A Wrongful Birth?

2006-03-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

In this New York Times story by Elizabeth Weil, a mom of a severely handicapped child is suing her former doctors for "wrongful birth."

Pregnant mom tip: Your obstetrician or midwife should measure your uterus at every visit. Your "bump" will grow about 1 cm. a week!

Is Home Birth Safe?

2006-03-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

An in-depth Swedish study of the attitudes of five home birthing couples recently appeared in Midwifery. The three main reasons couples chose home birth over a hospital birth were the desire for a natural, uninterrupted birth, the desire to have control over the birthing process, and trusting the midwife couples had chosen to help them with birth. Even though the couples were concerned about potential risks of birthing at home, they were willing to shoulder the consequences of their decision and wanted to avoid the risk of being deprived of that decision-making power in a hospital. The overriding theme was the couples’ fundamental trust in the ability of a woman to give birth, and their feeling that it would be easier to relax and go with the forces of birth in an environment where they felt safe. Two excellent Web sites for learning more about home birth are the British site, www.homebirth.org, that lists numerous birthing studies, and in the U.S, , gentlebirth.org. A midwife locator is offered by the American College of Nurse-Midwives at their site.

Hold Your Breath and Push?

2006-03-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

The typical medical practice of coaching women to hold their breaths while pushing to the count of 10 is now coming into question, called the Valsalva maneuver, or "purple pushing." A study of 320 birthing women reported in the January, 2006, issue of Journal of the American Obstetrics and Gynecology conducted by researchers at the University of Texas’ Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, found that although coaching birthing women about when and how long to push served to shorten the pushing stage of labor by about 13 minutes, it conveyed no other benefits to mothers or babies over simply allowing women to follow their own pushing urges. The researchers concluded that although coached pushing was associated with a slightly shorter second stage for labor, it conferred “no other advantages.”

Don't Worry: Stress Can Cause Miscarriage

2006-03-10T04:59:00.000-08:00

Stress in pregnancy may disrupt normal hormone functioning and could cause miscarriages. Cortisol levels rise when women have low energy, infections, injuries and severe conflicts, and cortisol is thought to lower progesterone, a hormone essential to maintaining pregnancy. One study to be released in an upcoming issue of Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences found that elevated cortisol levels, a biochemical indicator of stress, was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage very early in pregnancy. Of the 12 women in the study who had normal or low cortisol levels during the first few weeks of pregnancy, only 4 suffered miscarriages. But 9 out of the 10 pregnancies in which pregnant women’s cortisol concentrations rose above normal levels, miscarriage occurred. The researchers note that it is unclear whether the rise in cortisol levels was caused by outside stress, or the result of internal hormonal imbalances.

Yale: Pregnant Women Should Avoid Chemlawn®

2006-03-10T04:58:00.000-08:00

Pregnant mice are being used to test the effects of methoxychlor, a pesticide that has recently been banned by Yale University School of Medicine researchers who are finding that it causes hormone changes that affect the lining of the uterus of mice. The pesticide is in the family of chemicals called "endocrine disrupters" that could lead to a generation of infertile offspring. It’s believed the pesticide may have a similar effect on humans. Other endocrine disrupters include alkylphenol ethoxylates and atrazine. Safe levels of such compounds are unknown, but studies from the past 20 years show that relatively low exposure has the potential of harming fetuses at vulnerable times, such as around conception and during fetal growth. Using organic produce, washing vegetables and fruits them thoroughly, and peeling them may help to reduce, but not eliminate, pesticide exposure. Nix lawn services that spray lawns with pest and weed killers that could get tracked into the house, too. Click here for more information on endocrine disrupters and nontoxic pesticide options.