Friday Wrap-up: Parenting and Pregnancy News

'My First Hardcore Song' by 8 yr old Juliet OFFICIAL [YouTube]

Home Births Grow More Popular In U.S. [NPR]

Lindsay Sloane Welcomes Daughter Maxwell Lue [People]

Babies understand gravity and other properties of physics [NYDailyNews]

Early sign of autism may be found in babies' gaze [LATimes]

Erica Atkins-Campbell Welcomes Baby No. 3: Zaya Monique [CelebrityBabyScoop]

The Stroller Burn Workout [babyzone]

Diaper bag that's also a nursing pillow? Genius. [babycenter]

Homeless dad's message of hope: 'Never give up' [Today]

Baby No. 2 on the Way for Jay DeMarcus [People]

Danish Princess Gives Birth to a Daughter [ABCNews]

2012 Olympics Organizers Discriminating Against New Mothers?

If you have tickets to an event at the 2012 Olympics in London you won't be able to bring your newborn along, unless you happen to have an extra ticket. Even though the majority of tickets were purchased 15 months in advance, organizers are telling parents with babies that they need to buy an extra ticket, even if the baby will be seated on their laps. Many ticket holders are furious and the move is being cited as discriminatory against new mothers.

Babies who will enjoy the games from a parent's lap will need a ticket for a seat in the arena, even if the seat is nowhere near where the parents are sitting. For those who bought their tickets before becoming parents, the policy has put them in a situation where breastfeeding mothers are excluded from the events unless they can find and afford a spare ticket. The situations has raised red flags for the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which stated:

"A business must not do something which has a worse impact on you and on other people who share a particular protected characteristic, such as gender, than it has on people who do not share that characteristic. Unless the business can show that what they have done is objectively justified, this will be what is called indirect discrimination. It could be argued that women are more likely to have child caring responsibilities and thus this policy might have more of an impact for women, but as stated above the business might be able to justify this potential discrimination."

A spokesman for organizers of the 2012 Games said they are reviewing the policy.

Do you think parents of newborns are being discriminated against?


London 2012 Olympics: Sex Discrimination Case Emerges For Banned Mothers And Babies [HuffPo]

Photo Credit: Graham Hogg

Children's Immune System at Risk from Common Chemicals

In case you weren't paranoid enough about common household items exposing your child to harmful chemicals, a new report will only add to that fear. A new study has found that perflourinated compounds (PFCs) can reduce the functioning of a child's immune system, consequently making vaccines less effective. PFCs are ubiquitous in the American household - they are found in rain gear, grease-resistant food packaging (such as microwave popcorn bags and pizza boxes), non-stick cookware, shampoo, dental floss, stain-resistant carpeting and many other common items.

Despite numerous studies on the health effects of exposure to PFCs, this study is the first to show a detrimental health effect in humans (previous studies have only been able to demonstrate ill health effects in animals). Danish researchers found that children with the highest levels of the compounds in their bloodstream had less infection-fighting antibodies and exhibited the weakest reaction to vaccines. Prenatal exposure was also implicated in the study - children of mothers with high levels of PFCs during pregnancy were more likely to have less antibodies at the age of five.

Philippe Grandjean, lead author of the study, conveyed a deep sense of alarm at the results. He says that a weakened immune system in young children can produce effects that last a lifetime and a weakened response to vaccines is evidence of an emerging public health threat. He likened the lower levels of antibodies his team discovered to levels found in patients undergoing radiation and other cancer treatments.

PFCs are cumulative in the body, water resistant, grease resistant, and toxic. Their use is restricted by the Environmental Protection Agency, but they are still widely used for processing in many industries. They are easily transferred through the placenta and breast milk. The study authors are advising parents to avoid buying products containing the compounds in order to send a message to companies that PFC-free items are important to consumers.

Do you look to avoid PFCs when making a purchase?

Common Chemicals in Products May Harm Children’s Immune System [Bloomberg]

Long-Chain Perfluorinated Chemicals Action Plan [EPA]

Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs) [WTC]

Photo Credit: Jim Grandy

Best of the Web: Parenting and Pregnancy News

Mom Gives Birth In Car, Dad Films The Whole Thing (VIDEO) [HuffPo]

Aaron Johnson, Sam Taylor-Wood Welcome Daughter Romy Hero [People]

Delivery room rap: New dad freestyles to the fetal monitor [Today]

The Return Of Wet Nursing [AOL]

The Year of the Dragon May Spur a Baby Boom in Asia [Time]

Parents Who Hid Child's Gender for Five Years Now Face Backlash [Time]

Can You Find the Hidden Mothers in These Old Photographs? [Gizmodo]

The Top Nine Videos Of Babies Farting And/Or Laughing With Kittens [Gawker]

Angelina Hits the Farmers Market With Shiloh, Pax, and Knox [PopSugar]

Drew Brees Expecting Third Child

Saints Quarterback Drew Brees and his wife Brittany are expecting their third child! The famous football player tweeted on January 20th: "Thanks for the well wishes to Brittany and Baby #3. She is 2 1/2 months. Training camp baby. Bowen wants a lil bro, Baylen a lil sis"

The newest addition will join big brothers Baylen Robert (3) and Bowen Christopher (15 months) and it looks like no matter what, one of the boys will get the sibling he wants!

Congratulations to the happy family!

Were you rooting for the Saints to get into the Super Bowl?

Baby No. 3 On the Way for Drew Brees [People]

drewbrees [Twitter]

Photo credit: US Navy

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler are Expecting!

Photo credit: jingdianmeinv1

Former star of The Hills, Kristin Cavallari (25) and Chicage Bears quarterback, Jay Cutler (28), are expecting their first child together. They released a statement to People: "We are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first child together. It's an amazing time in our life and we can't wait to meet the new addition to our growing family."

The couple has had their ups and downs - they first started dating in the fall of 2010, were engaged in April 2011 and the engagement was reportedly called off by Cutler in July 2011. They became engaged again in November of 2011. Despite the publicity that once surrounded their broken engagement, Jay Cutler took to Twitter this week to dispel break-up rumors:

"Thanks for all the tweets. We couldn't be more excited. We don't usually comment on our relationship but for the record I never broke up with Kristin. Its unfortunate some people are saying hurtful things during such a joyous moment in our life."

Cavallari tweeted this week: "Thanks for all the sweet messages! We are so excited for this little bun in the oven."

Lots of luck to the happy couple!

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler Are Expecting! [People]

kristincav [Twitter]

jaycutler6 [Twitter]

Umbilical Cord Blood: Cure for Diabetes?

Scientists from the University of Illinois at Chicago may be onto a cure for Type 1 diabetes using umbilical cord blood. Dr. Yong Zhao and his team were able to "kickstart" the pancreas, reducing the need for injected insulin in diabetics. Stem cells from umbilical cord blood appeared to "re-educate" the T-cells, which help to counteract damaged cells in the body. The treatment was successful in reducing the need for insulin by 38% over a period of 12 weeks.

The authors wrote: "This trial provides powerful evidence that exposing a patient's lymphocytes to [cord blood stem cells] can achieve the two essential outcomes required to cure T1D: reversal of autoimmunity and regeneration of islet beta cells. Importantly, the trial provides additional support for the mechanisms of [cord blood stem cells]-mediated immune response and demonstrates these mechanisms are apparent and lasting in patients."

The study is published in BMC medicine.

Does anyone in your family have Type 1 Diabetes?

NEW HOPE OF CURE FOR DIABETES [ExpressUK]

Stem Cells May Help in Type 1 Diabetes [medpageToday]

Fetal Development - Week Five (Video)

This week, your baby is no bigger than the tip of a pen, but its little heart begins to beat and its blood vessels complete a circuit, making the circulatory system the very first functioning organ system. An ultrasound may be able to detect the movement of your baby's little beating heart, although it will still be a few more weeks before it's loud enough for you to hear.

[PregnancyWeekly]

Friday Wrap-up: Parenting and Pregnancy News

Jennifer Garner Dishes on Pregnancy on Leno [NBC]

9 Things I Learned In The Parent Encouragement Program [Deadspin]

What kind of childhood stress should parents actually be stressing about? [Slate]

Chris Hemsworth, Elsa Pataky Expecting First Child [People]

Rock-Climbing Pregnant Woman Is Extremely Awesome [Jezebel]

NY woman's 2 babies grew in her 2 uteruses [WSJ]

Colorado mom struck by lightning last summer gives birth to healthy girl [WashPo]

Meet Lawnmower Mom, the Pushy Parent of 2012 [lilsugar]

Breastfed babies show more challenging temperaments, study finds [guardianUK]

Have a great weekend!

Naps Important for Toddler's Cognition, Emotions

Photo credit: crimfants'

Have you ever spent the day with a toddler who's missed her nap? If you have, then this news shouldn't surprise you, but a new study confirms what many of us have seen first hand. Sleep is very important for rapidly growing little ones and missing a nap can significantly effect their ability to solve problems and their emotional reactions to events.

Monique LeBourgeois, leader of the study out of the University of Colorado Boulder, says: "The goal of our study was to understand how losing sleep affects the way young kids respond emotionally to their world. This is important because toddlerhood is a sensitive period for developing strategies to cope with emotions and a time children naturally lose some sleep as they begin giving up their daytime naps." The team of researchers put toddlers between the ages of two and three years old on 12-hour sleep schedules for five days before testing, to ensure their circadian rhythms were in balance. Then the toddlers were introduced to challenging puzzles on a day when they had their normal nap and on another day when they went without one. Toddlers who napped were more likely to express confusion - a healthy and complex emotion - and ask for help when they were unable to solve a puzzle. This reaction is evidence of cognitive engagement with the world. The toddlers without a nap had less positive reactions if they were able to solve a puzzle and much more negative reactions if they were unable to solve a puzzle.

LeBourgeois says of the results: "Many young children today are not getting enough sleep, and for toddlers, daytime naps are one way of making sure their ‘sleep tanks' are set to full each day. This study shows insufficient sleep in the form of missing a nap taxes the way toddlers express different feelings, and, over time, may shape their developing emotional brains and put them at risk for lifelong, mood-related problems." Sleep deprivation has repeatedly been shown to have a negative effect on cognitive functioning and emotional well-being in adults, so it should hardly come as a surprise that this is true of toddlers as well. Nevertheless, it's a good reminder to make sure toddlers are getting enough sleep each day.

Have you tried phasing out naps with your toddler?

Nap-deprived tots may be missing out on more than sleep, says new CU-led study [CU]

End of First Trimester is Worst Time to Drink Alcohol

freefoto.com

It's generally considered common knowledge that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) but little is known about how much alcohol and at which point during a woman's pregnancy the damage is done. Results of a long-term study have recently helped to pinpoint some of the details behind the disorder.

Over 900 women were recruited between 1975 and 2005 by researchers when they called a helpline in California to find out more about harmful substances during pregnancy. They were asked about how much alcohol they consumed at several points throughout their pregnancy and then their babies were examined for signs of FAS after birth. Doctors who examined the babies were unaware of which of the babies' mothers had drank. The conclusion of the research was that for each additional drink imbibed daily during pregnancy, there was an increased chance of the baby having a misshaped head, malformed lips or eyes. These symptoms also suggest neurological disorders.

The point at which women drank during their pregnancies had an influence as well. Women who drank at the end of the first trimester were more likely to have babies with symptoms of FAS and the risk increased for each extra drink they consumed a day. Each extra drink equated to a 25% increased risk of a malformed lip, a 12% increase in a smaller-than-normal head, and a 16% increase in low birth weight. In contrast, each extra drink consumed during the third trimester only correlated with a smaller length at birth.

Although the study sheds some light on a time when the fetus is more vulnerable to the influence of alcohol, still so much of how alcohol effects the fetus is unknown. It's unclear how some women who binge drink will have babies with no evident problems, while other babies will develop FAS. However, researchers attribute differences in body fat, diet, environment and genetics. Due to the individualized chances of developing FAS, it's still advisable that pregnant women avoid alcohol consumption altogether.

Do you indulge in the occasional glass of wine?


Alcohol Risk to Fetus Is Highest at End of 1st Trimester [MyHealthDailyNews]

Best of the Web: Parenting and Pregnancy News

N.J. woman gives birth on commuter train [USAToday]

Learn How to Make the Elephant Sound Now, Before It's Too Late [Jezebel]

Lindsay Davenport Welcomes a Daughter [People]

The Obamas As Parents [HuffPo]

Books to Help Talk to Tots About a New Baby [lilsugar]

Jessica Capshaw Expecting Third Child [CelebrityBabyScoop]

Baby No. 5 On the Way for Kelsey Grammer [People]

How Does a Millionaire Discipline His Kids? [Parenting]

Family Fun on the Cheap [RealSimple]

Kastor, After Pregnancy, Sees Trials as New Start [NYTimes]

Babies are Lip-Readers

Babies learn language in many ways. Scientists have discovered that babies are good at listening for grammatical trends to decipher meaning, assigning physical properties to new sounds, detecting emotions in a person's voice and so much more. Now researchers have discovered a different skill used for language acquisition by babies: lip reading.

When you hear your baby babbling about "baba," "shooshoo," and "whoa, whoa, whoa," it seems clear that they're trying to work out the sounds of words, but they might be trying to replicate the shape of a person's lips too. Scientists have discovered that during the transition between gibberish and actually pronouncing their first words that babies are intently watching the lips of those who are talking to them and trying to mimic the movements used to make the same sounds. David Lewkowicz, head researcher of the Florida Atlantic University research team that made the discovery, says: "The baby in order to imitate you has to figure out how to shape their lips to make that particular sound they’re hearing." The transition period typically occurs at approximately six months of age and by about one year, babies begin looking people in the eyes more often as they speak. However, babies who hear a new language at this age will return to staring at a person's lip as they speak.

The discovery was made by introducing babies of varying ages to different languages and seeing where their visual attention was drawn. While watching someone speak English, the four-month-olds mostly looked into the speaker's eyes, the six-month-olds looked about equally as often into the person's eyes as at their lips and the eight-month-olds mostly gazed at the person's lips. The 12-month-olds gazed in the speaker's eyes more often. Once the speaker spoke Spanish, the 12-month-olds turned their gaze back towards the lips.

The findings shed a lot of light on language development and could provide some clues for babies with developmental disorders, such as autism. Overall, the research clearly illustrates the importance of face-to-face time with young infants.

Do you notice your baby looking at your lips while you speak?


HEALTHBEAT: Babies don’t just listen, they try lip-reading while turning babble into words [WashPo]

Giving is the Most Natural Thing in the World

I try to get our son, age 4, to share his toys, etc. with his younger sister or the kids at school, but everything is always, "No! Mine!" with him. I feel like I am swimming upstream, pushing against his nature. Then I think about the world and sometimes I wonder, are people just plain selfish?


You're right, some days you read the newspaper and have to shake your head in dismay and sorrow. Your question is poignant, touching, and profound: Are humans naturally more inclined to be domineering and selfish, or to be cooperative and giving?

How we answer this question leads right to how we raise our children (and conduct ourselves with others, write laws, establish governments, and so on). If our answer leans toward the domineering view, then it follows that people - including children - need substantial controls (both external and internalized) to get them to act right. On the other hand, if the answer leans toward the cooperative view, then most people should be able to do alright with a lot of freedom to find their own way toward civilized behavior.

Of course, people are different. Some are very aggressive and exploitive of others, while some are very peaceful and generous. And wherever he or she is along that spectrum, almost everyone has the capacity to be both selfishly grabby and selflessly open-handed - just like preschoolers!

Further, much research about parenting keeps painting the same picture: the best-odds strategy for most children is to raise them with:

HIGH love, nurturance, acceptance, attunement, sensitivity, responsiveness, affection, interest

HIGH communication of moral values and support for being resilient, resourceful, diligent, ambitious

MODERATE parental authority, including an insistence that parents are the ultimate boss, clear standards, and potent rewards and penalties

In short, we firmly believe that parents must claim their authority, be morally self-confident, and take responsibility for the moral instruction of their children.

That said, we also believe that the great weight of evidence is on the side of the view that the tendencies to be cooperative and giving are much more central and stronger in most people than tendencies to be domineering and selfish. And to anyone who worries and cares about the world we are bequeathing to our children, this has got to be good news.

Read more at ParentingWeekly

Fetal Development - Week Four (Video)

Your baby is entering the embryonic period, during which the brain, spinal cord, heart and other organs will form.
The spinal cord is one of the first structures to develop when a sheet of cells on the back of the embryo folds in the middle to form a tube, which will become the spinal cord full of nerves. At one end, the tube enlarges to form the brain's major sections.
The amniotic fluid also begins to accumulate and in the weeks and months ahead this fluid will cushion your precious baby. The placenta, chorionic villi, and the umbilical cord - which delivers nourishment and oxygen to your baby - are already on the job. By the end of the first month, your baby will be about 1/10 of an inch long (smaller than a grain of rice) and its heart, no larger than a poppy seed, will have begun beating.

Which week are you in?

My Baby - Week by Week Pregnancy [PregnancyWeekly]