SIDS :: Steps to reduce risk for SIDS in infants
Though SIDS cannot be prevented, parents of infants are encouraged by pediatricians and popular parenting books to take several precautions in order to reduce the likelihood of SIDS or cot death.
Birth
Baby Care :: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Program Reduces Premature Infants’ Length of Stay
An educational intervention program for parents of infants born prematurely that is implemented early in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) can reduce parental stress, depression and anxiety, enhance parent-infant interactions, and reduce hospital length of stay, according to a study led by Dr. Bernadette Melnyk, Dean and Distinguished Foundation Professor in Nursing at Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation, Phoenix.
Stroke :: Two-Week Regimen Helps Stroke Survivors Regain Arm Control
In the largest, most comprehensive study of its kind to date, researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) showed clinical improvements out to one year when stroke survivors who had lost function in one arm were given a unique, two-week rehabilitation regimen.
Baby Care :: Defective serotonin pathways in the brainstem may increase infants’ vulnerability – SIDS
New autopsy data provide the strongest evidence yet that sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is not a “mystery” disease but has a concrete biological basis. In the November 1 issue of JAMA, researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston document abnormalities in the brainstem — a part of the brain that regulates breathing, blood pressure, body heat, and arousal — in babies who died from SIDS. The term cot death is often used in the United Kingdom, and crib death in North America.
Pregnancy :: Moderate exercise during pregnancy is safe
A new study suggests that moderate exercise during pregnancy is safe even for women with chronic illness. Black women are twice as likely to have premature or low birth weight infants compared with white women, but the reasons why are not clear, Dr. Suezanne T. Orr of East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina and her colleagues note.
Health :: Racial discrimination a key factor in African-American health disparities
The experience of racial discrimination may be a key factor in explaining why African Americans have higher rates of obesity and suffer at higher rates from such diseases as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders, according to UCLA researchers. Repeated responses to such discrimination — which include elevated blood pressure and heart rate — can cause enormous stress on a person’s mental and physical health, according to research scheduled to be published in Volume 58 of the Annual Review of Psychology.
Pregnancy :: Philips triplets monitoring with its Avalon fetal monitors
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) announced the availability of triplets monitoring functionality for its industry-leading line of obstetrical care fetal and maternal monitors, Avalon FM20 antepartum and Avalon FM30 intrapartum. Philips is the first company to introduce a fetal monitor that enables non-invasive triplets monitoring with a single device.
Contraception :: IUC is a preferred contraceptive of female
Intrauterine contraception (IUC) is very effective, with a failure rate of less than one percent (similar to that of sterilization), which is one reason why many female ob/gyns choose this method of birth control for themselves. In fact, research shows that female ob/gyns are nine times more likely to choose an IUC for themselves compared with women in general. Misinformation and misperceptions about the IUC may have contributed to its limited use among women in the U.S. to date.
Pregnancy :: Conjoined twins delivered at Vancouver
Felicia Simms of Vernon, B.C., had the girls by caesarean section Wednesday. Doctors in Vancouver have completed the caesarean section delivery of conjoined twin girls to a young mother. The 65-minute delivery was carried out by a team of 16 doctors and nurses at B.C. Children’s Hospital, with the babies’ time of birth set at 12:05 p.m. PT.
Fertility :: Motherhood, parenting easier for older women
Women who give birth in their 50s are just as able to cope with motherhood as younger women, according to a study by fertility specialists. Surveys of older women having fertility treatment showed they found parenting no more stressful or physically demanding than women in their 30s and 40s, and theyshowed no signs of poorer mental health possibly brought on by feelings of isolation.