Help following birth

In the U.S., there’s bragging rights for the moms who get up and kick around a soccer ball in the hours after birth. Whether or not it’s a good idea, we are a nation somewhat in denial about the physicality of birth (see also: 6-week maternity leave as luxury).

For centuries, Chinese women underwent “confinement” after the birth of a child. During that month, the postpartum mother took to her bed while her own mother and female relatives cooked and cleaned for her, and generally tried to keep a “bad wind” from entering the body. Bathing, teeth-brushing, eating cold food or even crying were strictly off-limits. Even allowing strangers into the home was too risky. Continue reading »

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In what has got to be the cutest scientific experiment you’ll read about today, researchers at the University of Florida have found that when newborn babies are getting their daily 16 to 18 hours of shuteye, they are not as zoned out as they appear to be.  In fact, under the right circumstances, they could actually be learning. Continue reading »

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We all know that as a whole, Americans are getting fatter.  According to a 2004 report from the Centers for Disease Control, the average Body Mass Index (BMI) among American adults increased from 25 in 1960 to 28 in 2002.  Let me translate that into numbers you can relate to:  In 2002, women aged 20-29 were found to weigh an average of almost 30 pounds more than women of the same age did back in 1960. Continue reading »

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Doctors in western Sweden have announced they will no longer perform circumcisions on newborn baby boys.

Their decision to suspend routine circumcisions isn’t another of Sweden’s enviably holier-than-the-rest laws regarding parents and babies (I’m thinking maternity leaves, breastfeeding rates, etc.). Rather, it’s a matter of resources. Watch out, this will also be fodder for those in the U.S. who oppose universal health care. Continue reading »

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There are lots of things we consider when planning our families.  Our pre-pregnancy checklists include things like making sure we have enough money socked away, enough space in our homes and, of course, a willingness to give up sleep and social activities for the foreseeable future.  But what about checking our calendars? According to a new study, prospective parents might want to consider the time of year baby will be born when deciding to conceive.  Continue reading »

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In 2001, a government study found that if only half of all mothers breastfed their babies for the first six months of their lives, $3.6 billion could be saved each year. The savings weren’t calculated based on how much infant formula would not be needed, but on health care costs related to illnesses breast milk may help prevent.

Today, an updated study takes those calculations a step further and reveals not only how much money could be saved by breastfeeding, but how many lives as well.  Continue reading »

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It sounds like a Simpson’s episode.  Remember when Homer’s brother developed a device that translated Maggie’s cries?  Homer might have needed a little extra help, but do real live human parents?

Japanese engineers hope so.  They’ve developed a statistical computer program that analyzes the frequency and volume of a child’s cry.  When tested against a group of babies that suffer a painful genetic disorder, the program was 100 percent accurate in discerning between normal cries and “pain” cries.

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