Mother and Child

Pregnant women often rely on two identities -- a pregnant self and a non-pregnant self -- to help them navigate the profound psychological and physiological effects that pregnancy has on their body image, according to a researcher. "Women use various strategies to maintain a positive body image as they go through the pregnancy process," said David J. Hutson, assistant professor of sociology, Penn State Abington. "One of the strategies that came up multiple times during the interviews is that women maintain two distinct senses of self -- a sense of themselves as not pregnant and a sense of themselves as pregnant." Women who were interviewed in a study considered their pregnant self as temporary and believed that they would re-attain their old self -- or former body weight -- eventually, according to Hutson. "The interviewees differentiated between baby weight versus body weight," said Hutson. "For them, they were not putting on body weight...

A high-fat, high-sugar diet during pregnancy may be linked to symptoms of ADHD in children who show conduct problems early in life, new research indicates. Early onset conduct problems (e.g. lying, fighting) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are the leading causes of child mental health referral in the UK.  These two disorders tend to occur in tandem (more than 40 per cent of children with a diagnosis of conduct disorder also have a diagnosis of ADHD) and can also be traced back to very similar prenatal experiences such as maternal distress or poor nutrition. In this new study of participants from the Bristol-based 'Children of the 90s' cohort, 83 children with early-onset conduct problems were compared with 81 children who had low levels of conduct problems. The researchers assessed how the mothers' nutrition affected epigenetic changes (or DNA methylation) of IGF2, a gene involved in fetal development and the brain development of areas ...

A new study is addressing the urgent need for effective HIV prevention and treatment for the estimated 1.5 million women worldwide with HIV who give birth each year. Lyerly, associate director of the UNC Center for Bioethics and associate professor of social medicine at the UNC School of Medicine, is also an obstetrician/gynecologist who studies ethically complex clinical and policy issues related to women's reproductive health. In the August issue of the AIDS, Lyerly addresses the lack of research of HIV-positive pregnant women and pregnant women who are at risk of contracting HIV, which has "led to a dearth of evidence to guide safe and effective treatment and prevention of HIV in pregnancy," Lyerly wrote. In the research on the HIV-positive pregnant women that has been done, most outcomes focus entirely on the health of the fetus. Pregnant women are excluded from the vast majority of studies, including studies on how to best prevent HIV. This lack of researc...

Women risk having their vitamin D levels fall when they stop using birth control pills or other contraceptives containing estrogen, according to a new study. Vitamin D is a hormone involved in the immune system and managing calcium levels in the blood. Proper calcium levels are necessary for bone health. The body produces vitamin D in a chemical reaction when the skin is exposed to sunlight. A smaller portion of the body's vitamin D supply -- about 10 percent -- comes from food, including fatty fish and milk fortified with the vitamin. Chemical changes to vitamin D are needed to produce the active form. During pregnancy, women produce increased amounts of the active form of vitamin D to support formation of the fetal skeleton. As a result, pregnant women face an increased risk of developing vitamin D deficiency, according to the Endocrine Society's Clinical Practice Guideline on vitamin D deficiency. "Our study found that women who were using contraception...

The short-term risk of developing cardiovascular disease following a first pregnancy is higher for women experiencing placental syndromes and poor pregnancy outcomes, a study reports. The researchers also found a five-fold increase in health care costs for women with placental syndromes who developed cardiovascular disease as soon as three to five years following delivery, compared to those who did not. Their results were recently published online, in advance of print, in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The study, done in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine, was supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. "Pregnancy does not occur in isolation; it's part of a woman's overall health history," said lead author Mary Ashley Cain, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. "Our study further supports the need for improved interconception care to ...

The first known household survey examining the collateral harm to pregnancy services in areas affected by the West African Ebola epidemic suggests a significant slide backwards in child and maternal  health. The study, conducted in Liberia, points to the deep disruptions caused by the Ebola epidemic, even in parts of the country with relatively limited transmission. The 2014-2015 Ebola epidemic killed approximately 11,300 people, but its long term effects on the region's health is expected to be compounded by many factors including the deaths of at least 500 health care workers. In addition, many facilities closed while other preventive and therapeutic services were interrupted. "We also know that the stigma associated with Ebola interfered with people seeking healthcare services, in addition to the perception that people can contract Ebola if they go to health facilities," explains the study's senior author John Kraemer, JD, MPH, assistant professor of health ...

BREASTFEEDING is one of the most effective and cost effective ways to save and improve the lives of children everywhere. It provides lifelong health benefits for infants and their mother.  Breastfeeding exclusively could be demanding but is an exciting experience of motherhood.  But it is not an automatic response because several women are confused about when to start or exactly what to do.  One such woman is 31-year-old Funmi who as a new mother is eager to breastfeed her son, but doesn’t really know how to start. Funmi is not alone.  Although breastfeeding is a natural experience, it has to be practiced and learned. Experts say every new mother almost always has to learn positioning and their baby’s cues, and the baby in turn, has to learn how to suck on the nipple properly.  The best advice that it is best to begin feeding when you and your baby are relaxed, calm, and alert. Your baby does not always announce he or she is hungry by crying. Cryi...

World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) is an annual celebration which is being held every year from 1 to 7 August in more than 120 countries. According to the 26 August data of WBW, 540 events have been held worldwide by more than 79 countries with 488 organizations and 406,620 participants for the World Breastfeeding Week 2010. Meanwhile, a senior medical consultant and head of pediatrician a the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital Dr. West Boma has emphasized the need for mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding at least for the first six months after birth. Dr. West Boma during a chat with correspondent Monica Ogwa said the benefits of breastfeeding are enormous to both the mother and child including the prevention of bread cancer on mothers. The consultant pediatrician also advised mothers to ensure they breastfeed their children till the age of two. She said this will help create a special bond between the mother and the baby. Another Pediatrician Dr. Chinnaya Dimkp...