Healthy BabyBlog / Health + Nutrition

Baby Blog is site dedicated to providing you with articles and information geared to every stage of your baby’s development. Pregnancy, Newborn, Baby and Toddler.

Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator

When your child has a cold with a runny stuffed nose, it can be frustrating when they can not blow their own nose. Congestion interferes with sleep, feeding and makes for an overall cranky child, and parent too. Nosefrida is a plastic tube with a filter that the parent uses with their own mouths to get the mucous out of their children’s noses.

The study concluded that the nasal aspiration device Nosefrida effectively reduces the accumulation of mucous in the nose, improves feeding and reduces sleeping problems in children suffering from upper respiratory infection.

» nosefrida.com [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]

Babies and the common cold

Do you feel as if you're constantly wiping your baby's nose? You probably are! The common cold strikes most healthy babies at some point — often repeatedly. Most colds last a week or two, but some linger even longer. In the meantime, there's plenty you can do to help your baby beat the common cold.

Your baby's immune system will need time to conquer the cold. Since colds are caused by viruses, antibiotics won't help. If your baby is younger than age 3 months, call the doctor at the first sign of illness. For newborns, a common cold can quickly develop into croup, pneumonia or another serious illness.

When the common cold becomes something more serious

Most colds are simply a nuisance. But it's important to take your baby's signs and symptoms seriously. Again, call the doctor at the first sign of illness if your baby is younger than age 3 months. If your baby is age 3 months or older, call the doctor if he or she:

• Isn't wetting as many diapers as usual
• Has a temperature higher than 103 F for one day
• Has a temperature higher than 100 F for more than three days
• Seems to have ear or sinus pain
• Has yellow eye discharge
• Has a cough for more than one week
• Has thick, green nasal discharge for more than two weeks
• Has any signs or symptoms that worry you

Seek medical help immediately if your baby:

• Refuses to nurse or accept fluids
• Coughs hard enough to cause vomiting or changes in skin color
• Coughs up blood-tinged sputum
• Has difficulty breathing or is bluish around the lips and mouth

The common cold typically spreads through infected respiratory droplets coughed or sneezed into the air. The best defense? Common sense and plenty of soap and water.

• Keep your baby away from anyone who's sick, especially during the first few days of illness. If you have a newborn, don't allow visits from anyone who's sick. If possible, avoid public transportation with your newborn.
• Wash your hands before feeding or caring for your baby. When soap and water aren't available, use hand wipes or gels that contain germ-killing alcohol.
• Clean your baby's toys and pacifiers often.
• Teach everyone in the household to cough or sneeze into a tissue — and then toss it. If you can't reach a tissue in time, cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm.

» mayoclinic.com [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]

Summer conception date affects baby's development

Dr. Winchester and colleagues linked the scores of the students in grades 3 through 10 who took the Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress (ISTEP) examination with the month in which each student had been conceived. The researchers found that ISTEP scores for math and language were distinctly seasonal with the lowest scores received by children who had been conceived in June through August.

Why might children conceived in June through August have the lowest ISTEP scores? "The fetal brain begins developing soon after conception. The pesticides we use to control pests in fields and our homes and the nitrates we use to fertilize crops and even our lawns are at their highest level in the summer," said Dr. Winchester, who also directs Newborn Intensive Care Services at St. Francis Hospital in Indianapolis.

"Exposure to pesticides and nitrates can alter the hormonal milieu of the pregnant mother and the developing fetal brain," said Dr. Winchester. "While our findings do not represent absolute proof that pesticides and nitrates contribute to lower ISTEP scores, they strongly support such a hypothesis."

Babies born in the spring could be less intelligent becuase of the effect of pesticides

A study of more than 1.5 million children clearly showed that those conceived in the summer - when pesticide use is at its highest - are less clever than other youngsters. It is thought that spring babies may fare less well at school because they receive the most exposure to pesticides during the first few months of pregnancy - a critical time for brain development.

» thisislondon.co.uk

Listening to a Fetus's Heartbeat

A device the size of an iPod could give women with high-risk pregnancies a way to monitor the health of the fetus.

Discerning the heartbeat of a baby still in the womb is a bit like making out a murmur in a crowded room. However, researchers at the University of Nottingham have designed a fetal heart monitor that can accurately distinguish a fetus's heart rate from its mother's and from surrounding noises. What's more, they've made the device noninvasive, small, and easy to use in the home. Scientists have also enabled the monitor to transmit heart-rate data to the Internet, where doctors can remotely analyze and watch particularly high-risk pregnancies.

» Technology Review » Monica Healthcare

U.S. infant mortality rate edges down to new low

U.S. infant mortality declined slightly in 2004 to the lowest level on record, but the rate for babies born to black mothers was more than double that of whites, federal health officials said on Wednesday. The infant mortality rate, tracking deaths up to age 1, was 6.78 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2004 compared to 6.84 in 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report.

The report, "Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2004 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set" includes a new analysis tracking preterm birth- related infant deaths. The analysis, first published in the October 2006 edition of Pediatrics, found preterm birth contributes to nearly twice as many infant deaths within the first year of life than previously estimated.

Tooth Decay In US Preschool Kids On The Rise

According to a new report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tooth decay has increased in preschool children while oral health continues to improve among older Americans.

The report says that tooth decay in primary teeth (baby or milk teeth) in children aged between 2 and 5 has gone up from 24 per cent in 1988-1994 to 28 per cent in 1999-2004.

The CDC report does not suggest any reasons for this decline in oral health among the very young, but media reports are speculating that the rise in drinking bottled water as opposed to fluoridated tap water could be partly to blame.

[ PDF ] view full report
» How to Look after Your Teeth (Children's University of Manchester)

For Infant Immunity a Bit of Dirt Called Good

Cleanliness can be overdone, according to investigators here, at least when it comes to exposing the developing immune systems of infants to allergens. The researchers believe they have confirmed the so-called hygiene hypothesis -- that early exposure to allergens prevents the later appearance of allergy.

In a study of nearly 600 infants younger than a year, those exposed to high levels of fungi in the home were significantly less likely to have bouts of recurrent wheezing than those who had lower exposure, reported Yulia Iossifova, Ph.D., of the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues, in Allergy.

» MedPage

UK Study: Sport Is Unrelated To Obesity In Children

The UK government is planning to stop funding a study to understand obesity in children. The study fits children with accelerometers to measure how much energy each child uses in a day by moving. The results are surprising. Those children who do sports at school do not burn more calories than those who don't. Furthermore there is no correlation between body mass index and the number of calories used! The results are very interesting, suggesting that genetics and diet are the main reasons for childhood obesity, not sport. The UK government is trying to increase the amount of sport in schools.

» news.bbc.co.uk

Superbaby is helping to find muscular dystrophy treatments

A baby boy with unusually big muscles — caused by a gene mutation — is helping scientists to discover new muscular dystrophy drugs.

Myostatin was discovered in mice in 1992 in Lee's Johns Hopkins lab. In 1996 he proved its importance by showing that mice without the myostatin-producing gene got twice as big. The next year he discovered that the bulging Belgian Blue cow was a myostatin mutant, the first of eight prized cattle breeds later found to have the mutation. The company he had co-founded, MetaMorphix, is working on manipulating myostatin to beef up livestock. Wyeth picked up the rights to develop a drug for humans. Its experimental antibody drug produced bulked-up mice in 2002, and results of a trial in adults with muscular dystrophy are expected as early as March.

» Forbes

Early Stress in Child Health and Mental Health

Starting out life with a depressed or an abusive parent appears to make a number of issues challenging for children. Infants are dependent on caregivers for help with regulating behavior, physiological state, and emotions. With development, children increasingly take over these functions themselves. When a caregiver is unresponsive (as often happens with a depressed caregiver) or frightening (as often happens with a maltreating caregiver), children may not receive the help they need in taking over these regulatory functions.

There has been strong evidence that these and other early environmental risk factors place children at increased risk for a host of psychological and social problems.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Infant Stress - Child Stress - Depressed Caregiver
» Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

Childhood soy intake was significantly associated with reduced breast cancer risk

They found that women who ate the most soy-based foods (such as tofu, miso, natto) during ages 5-11 reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by 58 percent, compared to women who ate the least amount. The corresponding reductions for adolescent and adult intake were about 25 percent.

"Childhood soy intake was significantly associated with reduced breast cancer risk in our study, suggesting that the timing of soy intake may be especially critical," said the study's lead investigator, Larissa Korde, M.D., MPH, a staff clinician at the NCI's Clinical Genetics Branch, in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Korde worked in collaboration with epidemiologists at the University of Hawaii, the Northern California Cancer Center, and the University of Southern California.

The underlying mechanism is not known. However, Korde said that one hypothesis for the decreased risk associated with childhood intake is that soy isoflavones have estrogenic effects that cause changes in breast tissue, leading to decreased sensitivity to carcinogens. A similar protective effect has been found in studies of overweight girls, perhaps because fat tissue also secretes estrogens, she added.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Breast Cancer Risk - soy isoflavones - soy intake
» American Association for Cancer Research

Breastfeeding and Higher IQ Link Questioned

Breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding may have little to do with better verbal skills during preschool years, according to a new study.

A number of studies have linked breastfeeding with higher childhood IQ scores. These studies connected this finding to certain fatty acids found in breast milk. However, researchers from Duke University in Durham, N.C., report their new study reveals an increased IQ is not solely because of breast milk.

For the study, researchers gave 1,645 3-year-olds and their mothers a vocabulary test. The tests were scored according to their age. Researchers also visited the homes and rated the home environment.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Breast Milk - Breastfeeding
» Pediatrics, November 2006

Controversy over Rachel Weisz 'drinking during pregnancy' comments

Rachel Weisz has provoked a storm of controversy by saying it is acceptable for pregnant women to drink alcohol. The Oscar winner, who gave birth to her first child, Henry Chance, in May, said she thought it was "fine" for expectant mothers to have a glass of wine after the first three months.

A specialist at St George's Hospital Medical School in London said: "If Rachel Weisz has drunk during her pregnancy and the baby is fine, then that's just pure luck".

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Rachel Weisz - Henry Chance - Pregnancy Wine
» Online.ie

Red Meat Intake and Risk of Breast Cancer Among Premenopausal Women

Eating more red meat may be associated with a higher risk for hormone receptor-positive breast cancers in premenopausal women, according to a report in the November 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

"Breast tumors are often characterized by hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptor status," the authors write as background information in the article, meaning that the cancer is classified by whether these hormones can bind to proteins on the surface of the tumor. "Although the incidence rates of hormone receptor-negative tumors have remained relatively constant, the incidence of hormone receptor-positive tumors has been increasing in the United States, especially among middle-aged women." The diets of American women may be linked to this increase, since some foods--including certain components of red meat--can contain hormones or hormone-like compounds that influence tumors through their hormone receptors.

» Search Healthcare-Specific Tags: Breast Cancer - Breast Tumors - Premenopausal
» Internal Medicine

Lupus raises pregnancy death risk: study

Women with the immune disease lupus who become pregnant face a much higher risk of serious complications and even death, U.S. researchers reported on Saturday. Their findings confirm evidence that had suggested pregnancy is dangerous for women with lupus, a chronic illness in which the immune system malfunctions and causes a range of symptoms including achy joints, fever, rash and hair loss.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Lupus - Pregnancy Complications
» Reuters

A Crackdown on Newborns

A new crackdown on Medicaid fraud is forcing states to follow the letter of the law to a harsh and dismal place. Under orders from the Bush administration, they are erecting unnecessary paperwork obstacles that could deny medical care to poor newborns in the crucial first weeks and months of life.

» New York Times

More women are choosing to deliver by Caesarean section U.S. study on risk of deaths in such cases

New science that shows voluntary C-sections are significantly more dangerous than vaginal deliveries has caused a stir among the obstetrics and childbirth community. A recent study of nearly 6 million U.S. newborns found the risk of death for those delivered by elective Caesarean - not required for medical reasons - is likely to be more than double that of a normal vaginal birth. "I don't know if that sounds exactly right," said Dr. Jon Barrett, chief of maternal fetal medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: C-sections - Caesarean - Vaginal Deliveries
» Toronto Star

Patients are increasingly getting vastly different medical opinions about the same problem, and are left wondering what's the best thing for their health.

A randomized controlled trial, in which patients were randomly assigned to receive either the treatment or a placebo, dispelled long-held beliefs. Such trials are the cornerstone of "evidence-based medicine," which has galvanized doctors perhaps more than any other subject.

Critics condemn evidence-based medicine as "cookbook medicine" that devalues the doctor's experience and the patient's preference. Proponents argue that evidence from randomized controlled trials has stanched the flow of private and public dollars for useless or even harmful treatments. More important, they say, the information has saved countless lives.

Both sides agree on one point: Keeping up with the latest evidence is virtually impossible.
Via: USA Today "In medicine, evidence can be confusing"

Breast feeding has little or no effect on intelligence in children.

While breast feeding has many advantages for the child and mother, enhancement of the child's intelligence is unlikely to be among them.

Results The mother's IQ was more highly predictive of breastfeeding status than were her race, education, age, poverty status, smoking, the home environment, or the child's birth weight or birth order. One standard deviation advantage in maternal IQ more than doubled the odds of breast feeding. Before adjustment, breast feeding was associated with an increase of around 4 points in mental ability. Adjustment for maternal intelligence accounted for most of this effect. When fully adjusted for a range of relevant confounders, the effect was small (0.52) and non-significant (95% confidence interval -0.19 to 1.23). The results of the sibling comparisons and meta-analysis corroborated these findings.
Via: British Medical Journal

Pregnant women 'oily fish alert'

Eating too much oily fish during pregnancy may increase the risk of delivering the baby too early, scientists believe.

The researchers told New Scientist magazine the harm is probably caused by high mercury levels in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines. But experts warn it is important for pregnant women, and indeed everyone, to eat enough fish to keep healthy.
Via: BBC Health

Flu shots for babes and toddlers

Flu shots are not just for grown-ups. Little ones are at high risk of complications from the flu. So the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its recommendations about which youngsters should get the annual flu shot. The CDC’s Dr. William Atkinson tells about it:

The CDC says these up-to-five-year-olds should get the shot, which has killed virus. There’s also a nasal vaccine made from live, weakened virus. The CDC says the nasal spray works for healthy people from five years to 49 years of age who are not pregnant. October and November is the best time to get vaccinated. You’re protected that way from the start of the flu season.

[mp3] Flu shots for babes and toddlers

Family Characteristics Have More Influence On Child Development Than Does Experience In Child Care

“Child care clearly matters to children’s development, but family characteristics — and children’s experiences within their families — appear to matter more.”

The study demonstrated that quality, quantity, and type of child care — defined as any care provided on a regular basis by someone other than the child’s mother — are modestly linked to the development of children up to age four-and-a-half. Among the study’s major findings that are described in the booklet:

• Children who received higher quality child care were better able to think, respond, and interact with the world around them—and had somewhat better reading and math skills—than children who received lower quality child care.
• Children who spent 30 or more hours in child care each week showed somewhat more problem behavior in child care and in kindergarten (but not at home) and had more episodes of minor illness than children who spent fewer hours in child care each week
• Children who attended child care centers had somewhat better language and social skills and better pre-academic skills involving letters and numbers, but showed somewhat more problem behavior when they first entered school than did children who experienced other types of child care settings.

[PDF] Download Early Child Care and Youth Development

Feeding cereal too early raises diabetes risk in babies

Babies with a family history of diabetes who were introduced to cereals before or after the recommended age of four to six months had a higher risk of developing a precursor to the disease, researchers said on Tuesday.

Two teams of researchers -- one from the University of Colorado at Denver and the other from the Diabetes Research Institute in Munich, Germany -- produced similar findings in multi-year studies of at-risk children that were both published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

One-third of infant deaths are because of premature births -- a larger percentage than previously thought.

The National Center for Health Statistics released final birth data for 2004 showing that more than 508,000 babies were born prematurely. The report also includes preterm birth rates by state.

"These numbers underscore the need to address premature birth in our country with the same urgency and focus that has been brought to other threats to children's health, including secondhand tobacco smoke and rising rates of obesity," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "The Institute of Medicine report on preterm birth outlined concrete steps we can take to begin to turn the tide and reduce these numbers. We again call on Congress, when they return from recess, to adopt the PREEMIE ACT that will implement many of the IOM's recommendations."

[PDF] Raw Data via: CDC.gov

Lamictal (lamotrigine)

Exposure to medication during the first three months of pregnancy may  increase the changes of a baby being born with cleft lip or cleft  palate. FDA MedWatch

Healthier babies: The America's Children report says the infant mortality rate dropped from 7 percent to 6.8 percent. mp3

America is a lot better on one measure of how our babies are doing – but not on another. We're doing better against infant mortality – not surviving the first year. The America's Children report says the infant mortality rate dropped from 7 percent to 6.8 percent.

The annual federal report says, though, that the rate of low-birthweight babies rose to 8.1 percent from 7.9 percent.

These babies face a higher risk of infant mortality. But the director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Dr. Duane Alexander, says improved medical care helps them survive. He says women can help to prevent low birthweight by such things as getting prenatal medical care. "They can also do other things to lower their risk of low birthweight – avoiding alcohol, avoiding smoking themselves, or secondhand tobacco smoke."

[mp3] Healthier Babies U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / 7 seconds

Binge Drinking Babies

Her little boy suffers from Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). He is one of 6,000 children born every year with physical and mental problems because their mothers drank while they were pregnant.

Shocking research out today reveals that 61 per cent of British women drink alcohol while expecting. And with binge-drinking on the rise, doctors are also predicting an explosion in the number of children born with FAS.

via: Mirror.co.uk

Weight Gain During Pregnancy: Q & A

Putting on a few extra pounds during pregnancy has been thought to be a normal and healthy part of the gestational process. But what happens when a woman gains too much weight, or too little? According to data published this month in Obstetrics & Gynecology, babies of women who gain more than the upper limit of Institute of Medicine (IOM)-recommended guidelines during their pregnancy may be subject to a myriad of adverse conditions immediately following birth.

Translated, this means that a woman at a normal weight based on body mass index (BMI) standards has a cutoff of gaining up to 35 pounds, or she can be at risk for adverse neonatal outcomes. Normal-weight women who gain less than 15 pounds are also found to be at risk.

via: The University of California
via: Research "Gestational Weight Gain and Adverse Neonatal Outcome Among Term Infants"

Study Finds Breastfed Babies Are Less Likely to Become Obese

How to break the cycle of diabetes that often plagues families -- especially those in which the parents are overweight -- is a problem that has troubled researchers and physicians for many years. But a study being published in the October issue of Diabetes Care provides families with one tool that may help: Breastfeeding.

The Harvard School of Public Health based study, of more than 15,000 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 14, found that those who were breastfed during the first year of life were less likely to become obese as they grew older -- regardless of whether their mothers were overweight or had diabetes. This research contradicts a previous study that suggested that children breastfed by mothers with diabetes exhibited poor glucose tolerance and excessive weight gain as they began to grow.

"In contrast to the earlier study, we were able to include mothers in our study who didn't have diabetes, as well as those who did, and our sample size was significantly larger," said lead researcher Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis, PhD, of the University of South Carolina's Arnold School of Public Health. "We found a substantial benefit to breastfeeding for all children, regardless of their mother's weight or health status. For children at higher risk for diabetes or obesity because of their family history, breastfeeding may play a critical role in helping to reduce the risk of excessive weight gain. Obviously, other factors are important as well, such as continued good nutrition and regular physical activity. But breastfeeding can get them started down a healthy track in life."