Environmental contaminants take on new meaning when you’re pregnant.

Be sure to read What to Inspect When You’re Inspecting by Grist writer, Amy Linn. Her top ten list will rival that of late night television host David Letterman.

According to Linn, “The cause for alarm is real: pregnancy is the most critical time for establishing your baby’s well being. It’s also the time when you’re vulnerable to the alphabet stew of harmful chemicals in the world, which are increasingly making their way into women’s bodies, wombs, and breast milk.”

But there is good news: Simple measures like eating organic, nutrient-rich foods before and during pregnancy…

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What feels better than lying skin-to-skin with your new baby?

A recent systematic review of 30 studies involving nearly 2000 participants concluded that skin-to-skin contact in the early postnatal period has lots of benefits not even counting how good it feels!

The review found that babies kept skin-to-skin experienced more interaction with their moms, stayed warmer, and cried less. They were also more likely to be breastfed and to do so over a longer period of time. Late preterm babies also had better cardio-respiratory stability.

The findings dispute contemporary western practices of separating moms and babies after the birth, dressing babies,…

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We all know the problems endemic to prenatal care today: short visits, impersonal interactions, failure to understand a woman’s pregnancy within the context of her life, and a hierarchical model of the doctor/patient relationship.

A recent multi-center randomized controlled trial lends support to providing an alternative model of prenatal care for the same cost. Known as the Centering Pregnancy model of group prenatal care, it’s an approach based on individual responsibility and group discussion.

Here’s how the study worked: After an initial one-to-one visit, participating women attended 10 prenatal sessions with about 7 other pregnant women due at the same time. They each…

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Despite overall declines in infant mortality, the rate for black infants is more than double that of white infants—13.5 deaths per 1,000 births for blacks compared to 5.7 deaths per 1,000 births for whites. Moreover, black women are twice as likely to give birth prematurely and nearly four times as likely to die during pregnancy.

The Institute of Medicine in a 2006 report on preterm birth concluded that differences in socioeconomic condition, maternal behaviors, stress, infection, and genetics cannot fully account for the racial/ethnic disparities.

More recently the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, with funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the UCLA School…

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The jury is in! According to the July 2007, Research to Practice Series published by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breastfed babies are less likely to become overweight kids.

“…breastfeeding is associated with a reduced odds of pediatric overweight; it also appears to have an inverse dose-response association with overweight (longer duration, less chance of overweight). While more research is needed, exclusive breastfeeding appears to have a stronger effect than combined breast and formula feeding, and the inverse association between breastfeeding and overweight appears…

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Parenting a picky eater? Then you won’t want to miss the article by New York Times columnist, Kim Severson—Picky Eaters? They Get It From You!

Parents who worry that their children will never eat anything but glazed donuts, cheese pizza, and diet Coke, will find the results of a new study comforting. Researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins, age 8 to 11 years, and found that children’s unwillingness to try new foods is actually inherited.

Now parents worldwide can now breath a sigh of relief—apparently it’s not their fault!

The article offers a variety of strategies for managing food aversions, including…

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PRESS RELEASE
October 18, 2007

Apparently it’s a done deal. Evenflo Company, Inc. has entered into an agreement to acquire Ameda Breastfeeding Products from Hollister Incorporated of Libertyville, IL. The deal is expected to close in January, 2008 pending completion of contractual requirements.

The acquisition of Ameda represents a defining moment in Evenflo’s ongoing strategy to deliver products and services that are “Best for Baby” and moms. Extensive scientific research worldwide shows that breastfeeding is the preferred feeding method for newborns and infants. With the addition of Ameda, a leading maker of hospital grade breast pumps and accessories, Evenflo is elevating its commitment to breastfeeding.

“Evenflo…

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The first case of AIDS was reported 25 years ago. Today, nearly 40 million people are living with HIV—half of them women. It is estimated that breastfeeding accounts for up to half of all human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in infants and carries an estimated transmission risk of about 15% when continued into the second year of life.

In countries where replacement feeding is safely available, culturally acceptable, and affordable, HIV-infected women are encouraged not to breastfeed. In many parts of the world, because breastfeeding provides protection against other causes of infant mortality, approaches that sustain breastfeeding but reduce mother-to-child transmission…

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It’s the law!

Senate Bill 22 was officially signed by Governor Schwarzenegger, demonstrating his commitment to improving the health of California’s families. The bill contains three key provisions representing important first steps toward building a support system that will help mothers achieve their breastfeeding goals. The provisions include:

• Allowing federal or private monies to be used to expand WIC’s peer counselor program
• Improving Medi-Cal access to breast pumps and other breastfeeding assistance
• Encouraging additional training at hospitals with low breastfeedingrates so more women of all incomes are breastfeeding the first 48 hours after birth

Hopefully, the California legislation will serve as a model for legislation…

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Major producers of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines announced today that they were voluntarily withdrawing their products from the market for fear that they could be misused by parents. The voluntary withdrawal affects only products labeled for use in infants and children under 2 years of age.

The action comes two weeks after reviewers within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged the agency to consider an outright ban of over-the-counter cough and cold products for children under the age of 6 years—a move previously recommended by the industry’s own trade association, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA).

A Non-prescription Drugs Advisory Committee will…

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On Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 2:00 p.m. ET, a discussion with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) will be webcast live during the Health Care 2008: Presidential Candidate Forum.

Numerous polls indicate clearly that Americans believe health care reform and the uninsured are the nation’s most important domestic challenges. Several Presidential candidates already have released health care reform proposals or principles, or are planning to do so. However, to date, candidate debates and other venues have not been conducive to in-depth discussion about the candidates’ visions for health care reform.

The Health Care 2008: Presidential Candidate Forums will allow each Presidential candidate…

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News Update
By Carol MacGowan
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

When the Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding goals were first established in 2000, the only available data source for target setting and monitoring progress was the Ross Laboratories Mothers Survey (RLMS). The targets for initiation, 6 and 12 month duration
(75%, 50%, and 25%, respectively) were carried over from Healthy
People 2000.http://abbottnutrition.com/aboutRoss/mediaResources.asp

Recognizing the need for nationally representative data, the CDC added
breastfeeding questions to the annual National Immunization Survey
(NIS) in 2001, including questions on initiation, duration of any
breastfeeding, and exclusive breastfeeding. We are pleased to
announce that the NIS now replaces the RLMS as the data source for
monitoring…

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