admin – Page 8 – Baby Care Journals

Breast Milk’s Composition Changes Throughout the Day:

February 27, 2014 admin

Day Milk vs. Night Milk

The composition of human milk has been understood in great detail only in the last few decades. And even today, scientists continue to discover new components in breast milk. It has many: a handful of proteins, a handful of fats, and hundreds of carbohydrates or sugars — most of which are not digested by the infant but serve to feed the hundreds of beneficial bacteria species in the mother’s milk that are colonizing the newborn’s gut.

Breast milk also has minerals, vitamins, hormones and enzymes; these nourish the baby and regulate thousands of metabolic processes, including digestion.

Is It Okay to Give a Baby Under One Year Old Cow’s Milk?

February 19, 2014February 19, 2014 admin

Cow’s milk is the single most complete food on Earth — no other food has as many nutrients. So, it is understandable if a mother might be eager to start her baby on cow’s milk as soon as possible.

However, doctors advise against giving cow’s milk to an infant before he or she has turned one year of age. There are several reasons for this.

It is cow’s milk’s very nutritiousness — the sugars, fats, proteins and minerals in it (calcium, phosphorus and potassium, to name the three most prominent) — that make it difficult for young babies to digest, since their digestive systems are still maturing. Read More

U.S. Government Calls on All Pregnant Women to Be Screened for Gestational Diabetes

February 13, 2014 admin

New federal recommendations in the United States are for all pregnant women to be screened for gestational diabetes at 24 weeks of pregnancy, even when they have no symptoms of the condition.

The new guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, are now the same as those of other medical organizations, including the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Can Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Moms?

February 6, 2014 admin

A Chinese study has found that breastfeeding may be linked to lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis in women who nursed their infants.

The study reviewed data from more than 7,300 women aged 50 and older from China, who filled out questionnaires asking about their health and lifestyles, including whether they had breastfed their children. Most of the women had at least one child, and more than 95 percent of moms had breastfed for at least one month.

Hospitalization during Pregnancy Raises Risk for Dangerous Blood Clots

January 22, 2014 admin

Women who are hospitalized during pregnancy for reasons other than to give birth have a much greater risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) during and after their hospital stay, according to a new study. Clot risk was also higher in the 28 days following discharge from the hospital. The risk was especially high for women hospitalized for three or more days, women older than 35, and in the third trimester of pregnancy.

The study, published recently on bmj.com, found that hospitalized women in the above groups had 17.5 times the risk of developing the potentially deadly clots, compared to women who were not hospitalized.

Oxygen Shortage at Birth Is Usually the Result of Human Error

January 13, 2014 admin

Mistakes by medical staff are usually to blame in cases where a baby suffers a lack of oxygen at birth, according to a new study from Norway.

Birth asphyxiation, or hypoxia, happens when a baby does not get enough oxygen before, during or right after birth. Oxygen deprivaton can result in brain damage, mental disabilities, cerebral palsy, epilepsy or even death to the infant.

Preventing Food Allergies in Infants by Introducing Solid Foods While Still Breastfeeding

January 10, 2014 admin

The importance of breastfeeding and of introducing solid foods later for preventing food allergies in children has become clearer to health professionals in recent years. Now, a new British study has found that waiting until at least 17 weeks of age to introduce solid foods helps infants avoid food allergies later on. That same study found that babies were more likely to be immune to food allergies if they were also being breastfed when solids were introduced at 17 weeks or later.

Overlapping the start of solid foods with breastfeeding seems to teach the baby’s immune system that solid foods are safe; or it could be that the mother’s breast milk provides the right types and numbers of cells and organisms that will strengthen the baby’s immunity, thereby preventing the infant’s body from developing allergies to different foods.

Is Baby Eating Enough?

December 23, 2013December 23, 2013 admin

How to Know if Your Newborn Is Eating Enough

As a new mom, it’s very natural to worry about all aspects of your newborn’s health, and feedings are no exception.

How can you tell if your baby is getting enough milk? There are a number of clues that can answer this question, beginning with the cues that your little one gives you.

Brisk Walking Can Help a Pregnant Woman Quit Smoking

December 20, 2013 admin

A study from Canada reports that a 20-minute brisk walk can help curb a pregnant woman’s nicotine cravings by 30 percent. Substance cravings may increase during pregnancy, due to a woman’s increasing and fluctuating hormones, so, exercise can be a useful tool for an expectant mom to decrease nicotine cravings.

Cigarette smoke has been established through many studies to contribute to bad pregnancy outcomes and long-term problems for the child. Risks of smoking during pregnancy include premature birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, some birth defects, respiratory problems in the child, and placental abruption, where the placenta detaches from the uterus, which can lead to fetal distress or fetal death.