Moms – Page 3 – 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.

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.

Male Babies Are in Greater Danger Inside the Womb

November 26, 2013 admin

Recently published results of a global study examining pre-term births reveal that male babies face greater risks while growing inside the womb, at birth and after birth.

The study, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, examined more than 15 million babies born prematurely worldwide. It found that boys have a 14 percent greater chance of being born prematurely than girls; preterm boys also have a higher risk of disability and death than preterm girls.

Can a Pregnant Woman’s Oral Health Affect her Unborn Baby?

October 30, 2013November 22, 2013 admin

Good oral health is an important part of our general health. But researchers have found that an expectant mother’s oral health also has the potential to affect her unborn infant’s health. Bacteria from the mother’s mouth can get into the mother’s blood, from where it reaches the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby, and the baby can then swallow the bacteria.

Studies have shown that these oral bacteria can increase the risk of a premature birth or a low-birth-weight baby, start contractions prematurely, or cause the baby to get an infection — either as a newborn, or while the infant is still inside the uterus.

Why It’s Best to Wait Until Your Due Date to Give Birth (Barring Medical Reasons to the Contrary)

October 1, 2013 admin

The wonders of modern science afford us conveniences that we humans never before had. But sometimes, things can get carried away. Take, for example “elective deliveries” — the term used when mothers-to-be pick the date when their babies will be born, as the actual due date draws near.

Studies indicate that the number of elective deliveries in the United States rose significantly between 1994 and the mid 2000’s. Many moms feel that they’re ready to birth their babies once they’ve gone past the 36th week of pregnancy. This may be partly due to the common error of thinking that four weeks equals a month, so that nine months, the proper time of gestation, should be at about 36 weeks. But that calculation overlooks the fact that a month is not 28 days long, but either 30 or 31 (unless it’s February) — which means that the proper gestation time is actually about 40 weeks.

What Are Good Exercises to Do Before Getting Pregnant?

August 19, 2013 admin

Not long after giving birth, many modern moms get busy getting their figures back through regular exercising; after all, new moms tend to have excess abdominal fat and stretched-out skin. Both of these improve or go away with regular exercising.

But what about before birth? Is there any benefit to pre-pregnancy exercising, in preparing the body for pregnancy and subsequent delivery?

Overweight Women Have Higher Chance of Giving Birth Prematurely, New Study Shows

August 16, 2013 admin

A study from Sweden indicates that overweight or obese women have a greater risk of giving birth prematurely in singleton births, and the risk increases in proportion to the amount of excess weight.

The study, published in the June, 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, examined one and a half million deliveries in Sweden.

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.