admin – Page 20 – Baby Care Journals

The Best Exercises to Do After Having a Baby and How Long Should You Wait?

July 23, 2013 admin

Giving birth means your body has just gone through a major physically traumatic event.

You want to wait at least two months or longer, before you start doing any abdomen-tightening exercises. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists advises that it’s okay to start with light, low-impact aerobic activity such as walking and stretching exercises, within days of giving birth, if you had a normal pregnancy and vaginal delivery. Start slowly, and as you feel more up to it, increase the length of your exercise routine or its frequency.

Low Pre-Natal Iodine Harms a Child’s Future Brain Development

June 21, 2013 admin

Mild to moderate iodine deficiency during pregnancy can result in a child developing a lower IQ and diminished reading ability and comprehension later.

The findings are from a study by the University of Surrey in England, and they were published online in late May, 2013 in the medical journal The Lancet.

Babies’ Cells Found in Mothers’ Brains!

June 17, 2013 admin

Scientists have known for years that during pregnancy, cells from the developing fetus can wind up in the mother’s bloodstream. But a newer study shows that fetal cells can also travel to specific organs, such as the heart, lungs, skin … and even the brain, where they can become integrated among the mother’s neuronal cells permanently.

This process is known as “microchimerism.” (The name comes from Greek mythology, in which Chimera was a creature that was part serpent, part lion and part goat.) Microchimeric cells were first noticed in humans when cells containing the male Y chromosome were found in the blood of mothers after a pregnancy (these foreign cells can live in the mother’s bloodstream for years after a pregnancy).

Picking Up and Carrying a Crying Baby Lowers Infant’s Heart Rate Immediately!

June 11, 2013June 11, 2013 admin

A study in Japan has shown that a crying baby’s heart rate drops very quickly if the infant is picked up and carried by a familiar caregiver. Just holding the baby won’t do; the infant has to be picked up and carried.

Lead researcher and neurobiologist Dr. Kumi Kuroda, of the Riken Brain Science Institute, theorized that this is the same response that we see in other mammals, including puppies, kittens and lion cubs, all of which relax and go limp when picked up and carried with their mothers’ mouths.

Infant Asthma

June 6, 2013 admin

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asthma is the most common chronic condition affecting children in the United States. In 2009, an estimated 10.2 million U.S. children — almost 10 percent of Americans under 18 years of age — have been diagnosed with asthma.

And it is increasing at an alarming rate; up 75 percent from 1980. A rise in asthma cases among infants and toddlers accounts for a large part of the overall increase. One of the difficulties of diagnosing asthma in this group is that it is difficult to safely measure lung function at that age.

Eating a Healthy Diet Is Important Even Before You Get Pregnant!

June 5, 2013 admin

Moms-to-be understand the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet during pregnancy. But it is also important to insure that you’re getting appropriate levels of food and nutrients before your baby is even conceived.

Choking Hazards for Infants and How to Prevent Infant Suffocation

May 2, 2013 admin

Statistics from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the leading cause of injury death for infants under 1 year old is suffocation, accounting for three-quarters of all infant injury deaths — thousands every year. Many of these senseless deaths could have been avoided by taking appropriate cautionary measures.

Below are objects in and outside the home, with which parents need to use precautions, to avoid choking hazards.

Communicating with Your Newborn

April 26, 2013 admin

From the day that a baby is born, her cries are virtually the only way she has, to communicate her needs to you. Through cries, she lets you know whether she is hungry, she needs a new diaper, she is sleepy, she needs to be held … or she is overwhelmed by all the activity around her and needs some space and quiet!

After a little while, you’ll be able to distinguish her different cries and be able to respond to them accordingly.

Recent Guidelines Discourage C-Sections Due to Risks for Mother and Baby

April 23, 2013 admin

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists published new guidelines that strongly discourage cesarean sections unless they are medically indicated, on grounds that they can lead to complications for the mother as well as the newborn. The report was published in the organization’s March, 2013 edition of its journal, Obstetrics & Gynecology, and appears online on ACOG’s website.

The group states that vaginal deliveries should be the norm, and that every attempt should be made to avoid early cesarean deliveries. The recommendations are an attempt to reduce the skyrocketing rate of cesarean sections, by limiting “maternal-request” C-sections and early deliveries for presumed big babies.

Many Babies Are Fed Solid Foods Too Soon, CDC Study Finds

April 12, 2013 admin

A study published in late March, 2013 in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics found that a majority of babies in the United States may be getting introduced to solid foods much too early, often leading to a variety of chronic illnesses.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed 1,334 new moms nationwide; they found that almost 93 percent had introduced solid foods to their infants before the babies were six months old, 40 percent had introduced solids before four months, and 9 percent had done so before four weeks of age.