Maternal Obesity; A pioneering new study suggests that babies born to obese or overweight women fail to grow properly during breastfeeding. This is possibly due to changes in the levels of certain inflammatory and hormonal molecules; but in breast milk that affect appetite and growth. This could mean that breast milk characteristics change with the weight of…
Prenatal Care; There is no amount, pattern or timing of alcohol use during pregnancy proven safe for a developing fetus. Drinking in pregnancy can have a range of harmful consequences for the child including poor growth; learning and behavioral difficulties, problems with movement and co-ordination, and distinctive facial features; that are collectively known as fetal…
Child Obesity; A systematic review and meta-analysis identified significantly increased odds of child obesity when mothers have obesity before conception, according to a study published in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Nicola Heslehurst of Newcastle University in the UK, and colleagues. There is a global obesity crisis, particularly among women and disadvantaged populations. Early-life intervention…
Preconception Health; researchers, including a group from the University of Southampton; say action for healthier pregnancies and babies means increasing intake of vitamins; being free of smoking and alcohol and keeping to a healthy diet and weight before conception. A team of clinicians and researchers have developed a new way to scrutinize the state of…
“Postpartum depression is a serious condition that, when severe, can be life-threatening,” said FDA’s Dr. Tiffany Farchione. Women may experience thoughts about harming themselves or harming their child. The condition “can also interfere with the maternal-infant bond,” added Farchione; who is acting director of the Division of Psychiatry Products in the agency’s Center for Drug…
Chinese social media openly advertising that Shady middle-men smuggle blood samples of pregnant women; to Hong Kong to skirt the mainland’s ban on gender testing, an AFP investigation has found. The business thrives on a well-organised underground network; but that serves the huge demand for illicit sex-selective abortion in mainland China; due to the limits on…
“Louisiana a place in America which is the most dangerous places to give birth,” said Rebekah Gee, MD, at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. “We are the sickest and one of the three poorest, states in this country,” Gee told, an obstetrician–gynecologist. “In United States, four black…
For many Black, Indigenous and racialize women in Turtle Island (North America) and globally —motherhood is a fight for life. The struggle for our maternal health and motherhood includes daily resistance against anti-Black racism, anti-indigeneity, sexism, classicism and other forms of inter sectional violence. The health of Black pregnant women and mothers; is a key…
Babies born outside of hospital were around three times more likely to die than those born in hospital; according to new research from Israel. “This study matches the findings of larger studies conducted; in the United States and confirmed our hypothesis that childbirth in non-hospital settings; is far more dangerous than in hospitals,” said coauthor…
Pregnant women who faint (syncope) during pregnancy, specially in their first trimester, may have a higher risk of health problems for themselves and their babies according to new research published in Journal of the American Heart Association.Researchers examined 481,930 pregnancies; in Alberta, Canada between 2005 and 2014 for trends in timing; frequency and health complications…
Emotional distress during pregnancy; a time of major transition; was documenting in a substantial number of pregnant women. Parallel literature on the influence of stress; defined as “a negative emotional experience accompanied by biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes”; on the perinatal and long-term maternal and infantile health has quickly grown. Depressive symptoms may be related…
The study find that the assumption that mercury exposure during pregnancy ;is a major cause of autism using evidence from nearly 4500 women who took part in the Children of the 90s study. Therefore Using analysis of blood samples; reported fish consumption and information on autism and autistic traits from one of the largest longitudinal…