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European heights have been increasing while Americans have not

"We surmise that the health systems and high degree of social security in Europe provide better conditions for growth than the American health system, despite the fact that the system costs twice as much," said study co-author John Komlos from the University of Munich in a statement. "There are also indications that American diets are deficient in several areas."

From the Colonial times until roughly the 1970s, Americans were the tallest people in the world. But then, growth stagnated while Europeans spent the second half of the 20th century growing like weeds. Now, the average Dutchman is six centimeters taller than the average American -- "almost an exact reversal of the relationship in the middle of the 19th century," Komlos says.

» spiegel.de [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]

Toddler nearly dies from smallpox vaccine given to soldier dad

A 2-year-old boy spent seven weeks in the hospital and nearly died from a viral infection he got from the smallpox vaccination his father received before shipping out to Iraq, according to a government report and the doctors who treated him.

The boy, who lives in Indiana and has recovered, became ill in early March, two weeks after his father’s deployment was delayed and he was allowed to make a trip home. Over the next few weeks, the boy suffered kidney failure and lost most of his skin to the disease, eczema vaccinatum.

» nytimes.com [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]

When to have a child, if ever: The impact in later life

How does having children or not having them affect a woman's happiness in later life? A new study examining nearly 6,000 women provides an unexpected answer —it's not so much whether you have children as when you have them.

But even more important than when you become a mother is whether you have anyone else to love in your life. "Whether a woman has had children or not isn’t likely to affect her psychological well-being in later life," said University of Michigan sociologist Amy Pienta. "What is more important is whether or not she has a husband, a significant other or close social relationships in her life as she ages."

[ mp3 ] listen or download » umich.edu [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]

Plus:
Time, money, and who does the laundry
The ISR Panel Study of Income Dynamics studies how U.S. men, women and children spend their time
[ mp3 ] listen or download [ PDF ] view document

Mommy Chairs look like they were drawn by children

Mommy's Chairs are designer chairs that appear to have been drawn by a five-year-old with a poor grasp of perspective. Made of bent steel rods in uncertain, shaky lines, they come in four sizes, with a breathtaking pricetag of £250.

» wheredidyoubuythat.com [ Contribute: submit link / submit article / submit company ]

Most 2 year olds watch 1.5 hours of TV despite warnings

Approximately 40 percent of three-month old children and about 90 percent of children age 24 months and under regularly watch television, DVDs or videos, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

"The public health implications of early television and video viewing are potentially large. There are both theoretical and empirical reasons to believe that the effects of media exposure on children’s development are more likely to be adverse before the age of about 30 months than afterward," the authors note. Recent studies suggest that what children younger than two years watch and whether they watch it alone or with a parent may be important for their vocabulary development.

Frederick J. Zimmerman, Ph.D., of the University of Washington, Seattle, and colleagues, conducted a telephone survey of 1,009 parents of children age 2 to 24 months. The study analyzed four television and DVD content categories: children’s educational, children’s non-educational, baby DVDs/videos and grown-up television (such as talk shows or sports programming). Average daily viewing, reasons parents gave for their child’s viewing, who was present during viewing and socio-demographic factors were reported.

» American Medical Association

Breast-feeding and preventing obesity

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Health and Human Services promote breastfeeding as a strategy for reducing childhood overweight. We evaluated the relation between infant feeding and the development of overweight and obesity throughout life course.

Results: The duration of breastfeeding, including exclusive breastfeeding, was not related to being overweight or obese during adult life. Women who were exclusively breastfed for more than 6 months had a risk of 0.94 of becoming obese as adults compared with women who were not breastfed. Exclusive breastfeeding for more than 6 months was associated with leaner body shape at age 5 for the highest vs the lowest category of body shape) compared to women who were not breastfed or breastfed for less than 1 week, but this association did not persist during adolescence or adulthood.

Conclusions: We did not find that having been breastfed was associated with women's likelihood of becoming overweight or obese throughout life course. Although breastfeeding promotes the health of mother and child, it is unlikely to play an important role in controlling the obesity epidemic.

» Journal of Obesity / [ PDF ] view report

UK: Home test that reveals an unborn baby's sex at six weeks

Goverment fears the £189 kit will create a massive leap in abortions if would-be parents are not having the gender they want.

Michaela Aston, spokeswoman for the charity LIFE, said: “This test is very dangerous. It could lead to babies being aborted simply for being the ‘wrong’ sex.” And Julia Millington, of the Prolife Alliance, said: “There is a real risk that some people would choose to abort babies of a certain gender.”

» thesun.co.uk

Porn shown to children on Comcast/Disney Channel

(AP) Children here got more than they bargained for when they tuned in to "Handy Manny" on the Disney Channel this week - hard-core pornography. Cable giant Comcast is investigating how the porn was broadcast during the popular cartoon, which is about a bilingual handyman, Manny Garcia, and his talking tools.

Comcast spokesman Fred DeAndrea said last night that the programming error had occurred at around 9.30am on Tuesday.

Can Motherhood and Womanhood Co-Exist?

For many women, an important rite of passage for womanhood is becoming a mother. However all too often, after the baby is born, the focus quickly shifts and the routines that were once rituals are buried in the bottom of the family laundry basket. A whopping 84 percent admit they've let their appearance slide since becoming a mom and that taking care of their appearance has become more of a wish than a reality. The majority (66 percent) say guilt is one of the barriers to self care.

The Report reveals about one third of moms believe that being a mother and being a woman actually conflict. Furthermore, one in four moms (23 percent) can't remember the last time they did something that made them feel like a woman -- while 42 percent report it was more than a month ago. More evidence that moms' needs are low on the list:

• Although 67 percent of moms would rather get their pre-baby body back than their pre-baby sex life, exercise opportunities are tough to come by. After shopping for themselves, exercise is the second most desired activity to pursue during coveted "me" time
• 66 percent admit they sometimes don't have enough time to take a shower or bath
• Some 80 percent have gone weeks or months without a haircut (even though they felt they needed one)

» Suave Press Release

The X chromosome: The supermom that's inside of us all

As May dawns and the mothers among us excitedly anticipate the clever e-cards that we soon will be linking to and the overpriced brunches that we will somehow end up paying for, the following job description may ring a familiar note:

Must be exceptionally stable yet ridiculously responsive to the needs of those around you; must be willing to trail after your loved ones, cleaning up their messes and compensating for their deficiencies and selfishness; must work twice as hard as everybody else; must accept blame for a long list of the world's illnesses; must have a knack for shaping young minds while in no way neglecting the less glamorous tissues below; must have a high tolerance for babble and repetition; and must agree, when asked, to shut up, fade into the background and pretend you don't exist.

As it happens, the above précis refers not only to the noble profession of motherhood to which we all owe our lives and guilt complexes. It is also a decent character sketch of the chromosome that allows a human or any other mammal to become a mother in the first place: the X chromosome.

» International Herald Tribune

Wal-Mart voluntarily recalling Baby Connection bibs

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. pulled sets of baby bibs Wednesday from its stores nationwide after the bibs tested positive for high levels of lead, a store official said. The bibs, sold under the Baby Connection brand name, came in packs of two to seven bibs, with embroidered prints or images of Sesame Street characters. Some were sold as long ago as 2004. The bibs were made by Hamco Inc. exclusively for the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer.

Those who purchased the bibs in Illinois can return them at their local Wal-Mart for a full refund or can receive a free replacement by calling (877) 373-3812 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central time.

Ireland / Girl has right to travel to UK for abortion

The State does not have any power to stop a teenage girl traveling to the UK for an abortion, the High Court was told yesterday by counsel for the Attorney General. The 17-year-old, who is four months pregnant, is challenging the Health Service Executive's (HSE) decision to prevent her from terminating her pregnancy abroad.

The teenager, who can only be identified as "Miss D" and is from the Leinster region, has been in the care of the HSE since February of this year. She was told last week that her baby was suffering from anencephaly, a condition where a major part of the brain is missing. The newborn baby will not survive outside the womb for more than a few days.

Mr Justice Liam McKechnie yesterday granted the girl leave to bring a legal action to prevent the HSE restraining her leaving the country for an abortion. The case is being rushed through the courts and it will be heard in full tomorrow.

» ireland.com

A Bit of Dirt Called Good for Infant Immunity

Cleanliness can be overdone, according to investigators here, at least when it comes to exposing the developing immune systems of infants to allergens.

The researchers believe they have confirmed the so-called hygiene hypothesis -- that early exposure to allergens prevents the later appearance of allergy.

» MedPage

Baby and cobra face off in video

Cute little cobra faces off against vicious human child, as grown-ups off camera guffaw to the hijinx. Who will win in the epic battle of infant vs. poisonous reptile?

» youtube.com

Golden Pig Year' Baby-Boom: Year of Golden Pig - Chinese star sign

Occurs once every 60 years, and 2007 just happens to be one of them. The golden pig baby is suppose to be very good luck. This is causing a rise in pregnancy in China.

"I found there are many pregnant women this year," said local resident Jiang Yan. "I know friends, co-workers and other people working in my office building that are all going to have kids. Some of them did tell me they want to give birth to a 'golden pig baby' for the good luck."

The lunar calendar gives each year one of 12 zodiac signs with years rotating through the five elements - gold, wood, water, fire and earth.

Children born when the Year of the Pig coincides with the element of gold, occurring once every 60 years, are said to be blessed.

However, the expected baby boom is causing headaches for doctors.

"Pregnant women will be given a number first every morning and wait for a check-up," said a doctor from Changning District Maternity and Child Health Hospital, adding that every day the hospital had welcomed 20 newly pregnant women coming for their first check.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Baby-Boom - Family Planning
» Shanghai Daily

Podcast: The holidays are a time of joy, family, and faith-and also a time of major stress!

Feeling more frazzled than festive? When you hear kids talk about how much Christmas traditions mean to them, you'll realize that all the effort you make this time of year really pays off!

[mp3] Download / Parents Mag

Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise

Parents, policymakers, business leaders, and the general public increasingly recognize the importance of the first few years in the life of a child for promoting healthy physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. Nonetheless, many children face deficiencies between ages 0 and 5 that can impede their ability to develop to their fullest potential.

Their findings indicate that a body of sound research exists that can guide resource allocation decisions. This evidence base sheds light on the types of programs that have been demonstrated to be effective, the features associated with effective programs, and the potential for returns to society that exceed the resources invested in program delivery.

[PDF] Free Download Full Document, Pages: 200

[PDF] Free Download Summary Only

Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine: Public Opinion on Sex Education in US Schools

Approximately 82% of respondents indicated support for programs that teach students about both abstinence and other methods of preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Similarly, 68.5% supported teaching how to properly use condoms. Abstinence-only education programs, in contrast, received the lowest levels of support (36%) and the highest level of opposition (about 50%) across the 3 program options. Self-identified conservative, liberal, and moderate respondents all supported abstinence-plus programs, although the extent of support varied significantly.

Conclusions
Our results indicate that US adults, regardless of political ideology, favor a more balanced approach to sex education compared with the abstinence-only programs funded by the federal government. In summary, abstinence-only programs, while a priority of the federal government, are supported by neither a majority of the public nor the scientific community.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Pediatrics Adolescent Medicine - Sex Education - Abstinence
» Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine

References
[PDF] US teenage pregnancy statistics The Alan Guttmacher Institute
[PDF] Sex education in America NPR/Kaiser/Kennedy School Poll

UK SHOCK: When premature babies should be allowed to die

Struggling babies born after just 22 weeks' gestation should be allowed to die, but everything should be done to support babies born after 24 weeks, an independent ethics panel announced today. For babies born between 23 and 24 weeks, doctors, parents and nursing staff should come to a mutual decision about whether or not to resuscitate, the researchers say.

There are only anecdotal reports of babies surviving after fewer than 22 weeks in the womb. At that time, babies have just a 1% chance of survival with intensive care and are almost certain to suffer severe disability, the researchers say.

After 23 weeks’ gestation, a baby has just a 16% chance of surviving with intensive care, and a 64% risk of serious disability. At 24 weeks, survival is 44%, but by 25 weeks, the survival rate is 63% and risk of severe disability is 40%.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Premature Babies - Weeks Gestation - Medical Ethics
» New Scientist

- -
US Reaction: In 1985 Congress amended the laws governing support for child abuse and neglect programs to mandate that all infants born in the United States receive medical care. No matter how sick or disabled, all newborns, according to what became known as the Baby Doe law, must be treated. That is what makes the just-issued report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics in England so startling.

» MSNBC

Raw Data: Do Beautiful Parents Have More Daughters?

THE STUDY "Beautiful Parents Have More Daughters: A Further Implication of the Generalized Trivers-Willard Hypothesis," published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology.

While Kanazawa's methods seem rather subjective, it is theoretically possible that—if physical attractiveness really does increase the reproductive success of daughters more than sons—natural selection could find a way to make better-looking people more likely to have daughters. Potential parents will always run up against uncertainty, however. "I can't predict the sex of any one child," says Kanazawa. "I can't say that if you're tall and geeky and beautiful then it's two against one and boy wins."

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Beautiful Parents - Attractiveness
» Discover

How doctors are rethinking the growing problem of preterm births--by focusing on the moms, not the babies.

In the U.S., one of the richest countries in the world, the number of babies born too early keeps going up--and with all their medical savvy, doctors can't figure out why. Today nearly 13 out of every 100 births are premature, an increase of 30% over the past 20 years.

Part of that rise is due to the advent of modern fertility treatments, which caused a sharp jump in the number of twins, triplets and higher multiples--most of whom are born early. But it turns out that 83% of preemies in the U.S. are singletons whose prematurity can be caused by any number of factors, including bacterial infections, ruptured membranes, cervical abnormalities, high blood pressure, stress, inflammation and the effects of smoking and alcohol consumption.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Preterm Births - Fertility Treatments - High Blood Pressure
» Time Mag

My boss is 65 and pregnant.

How fertility advances could allow women to take over the boardroom.

The revelation by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine that women in their 50s can cope with the stresses of parenthood as well—or as badly—as anyone else has again raised the prospect that the experience of women such as Dr. Patricia Rashbrook, who this year became the oldest new mother in Britain at the age of 62, will become increasingly common. That seems unlikely for now. Treatments are expensive, unreliable, and imperfect: Both Dr. Rashbrook and Adriana Iliescu, said at age 66 to be the world's oldest woman to give birth, needed donated eggs.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Parenthood - Fertility - Biological Clock
» Slate Magazine

5 words that all babies 0–3 months old say—regardless of race and culture

For millions of sleep-deprived mothers around the world, this woman's findings could be a miracle! Priscilla Dunstan, a mom with a special gift, says she's unlocked the secret language of babies.

Neh="I'm hungry"
Owh="I'm sleepy"
Heh="I'm experiencing discomfort"
Eair="I have lower gas"
Eh="I need to burp"

Those "words" are actually sound reflexes, Priscilla says. "Babies all around the world have the same reflexes, and they therefore make the same sounds," she says. If parents don't respond to those reflexes, Priscilla says the baby will eventually stop using them.

Priscilla recommends that parents listen for those words in a baby's pre-cry before they start crying hysterically. She says there is no one sound that's harder to hear than others because it varies by individual. She also says some babies use some words more than others.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Baby Language - Newborn Baby
» Oprah

Parents feel 'powerless to bring up their children'

Families feel they have lost confidence in their child-rearing skills. Many parents have lost confidence in how to bring up their children properly and feel inadequate, isolated and unsupported in coping with the pressures of modern family life, the government has warned.

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Raising Children - Modern Family
» The Observer (UK)

Seven steps to successful parenting

As mothers and fathers we are constantly told how complex this 'job' of parenting is. Through parenting magazines, society's anxiety about teenagers' behaviour, parenting classes and television programmes such as Supernanny and The House of Tiny Tearaways, we are bombarded with advice and prescription about how to do better.

However, acquiring the knowledge to be a successful parent does not have to be so painful and confusing. Drawing on the Family and Parenting Institute's experience of research into parenting and families, the basic ingredients for happy family life and confident, socially responsible teenagers can be distilled into the following seven steps...

» Search Baby-Specific Tags: Parenting - Child-rearing
» The Observer (UK)

Family Policy Digest October 2006 Issue

The Family Digest aims to alert you to forthcoming issues, provide a synopsis of events over the last month and help you to chart the progress of existing legislation and debate on family policy. It will also provide information about key reports on family policy issues from the voluntary sector and research community.

» Family Policy Digest (UK)

As U.S. Population Swells to 300 Million, New Survey Examines the Evolution of Motherhood

An In-depth Look at What Has Changed and What Has Stayed the Same in Motherhood Over the Past 40 Years

According to demographers from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population will reach 300 million people this Tuesday, October 17. To celebrate this milestone, JOHNSON'S Baby commissioned a survey looking at moms of today and at moms who gave birth in the late 1960s, when the population hit 200 million, to take a definitive look at how motherhood has changed and stayed the same over the past 40 years.

This in-depth survey examined the evolution of motherhood, including where moms get trusted advice, viewpoints on childcare and rearing and sense of satisfaction in life. It also looked at concerns for the health and safety of their children, whether moms work outside the home, what type of support systems they depend on and what they do with their free time.

"Technology, mobility and science may make lifestyles radically different today than a couple of generations ago," said Sara Ellington and Stephanie Triplett, co-authors of The Mommy Chronicles (Hay House, Inc.), a book recounting their actual e-mail conversations during their first year of motherhood. "It is amazing to see how the experience of being a mom has changed over time, and reassuring to know that some things stay the same."

Mothers' Helpers: Mom Still Knows Best

When it comes to being a mom, some things change with time – while others just seem to stay the same. Both groups gave the nod to their own mothers and medical professionals as their top trusted sources for advice and information on child rearing. "I would have been lost if not for my own mom, and my network of mom friends," said Ellington. "No matter what we read, nothing – but nothing – beats first-mom jitters better than talking with friends who are also moms. And, of course, talking to my own mom."

87 percent of parents believe scholarships and grants will cover at least part of their children's undergraduate expenses

The study looked at the college saving habits and goals of parents with children under 18 and compared them with what college financial aid administrators have to say about college funding. Financial aid administrators said 92 percent of parents overestimate the amount of scholarship money their children will receive. Meanwhile, parents are not saving much on their own for their kids' educations, the study found.

Via: PDF Download

Breast feeding has little or no effect on intelligence in children. While breast feeding has many advantages for the child and mother, enhancement of the child's intelligence is unlikely to be among them.

Effect of breast feeding on intelligence in children: prospective study, sibling pairs analysis, and meta-analysis.

Results The mother's IQ was more highly predictive of breastfeeding status than were her race, education, age, poverty status, smoking, the home environment, or the child's birth weight or birth order. One standard deviation advantage in maternal IQ more than doubled the odds of breast feeding. Before adjustment, breast feeding was associated with an increase of around 4 points in mental ability. Adjustment for maternal intelligence accounted for most of this effect. When fully adjusted for a range of relevant confounders, the effect was small (0.52) and non-significant (95% confidence interval -0.19 to 1.23). The results of the sibling comparisons and meta-analysis corroborated these findings.
Via: British Medical Journal

Bucking the norm, some families think big: Could 4, 5, even 6 kids become suburbia's new status symbol?

Clark, 38, is aware of the buzz that large families — in the suburbs, at least — are a new status symbol.

“I thought it was kind of funny,” she said “Most people who have a lot of kids don’t have the time or energy to care what about others think.” On top of other family duties, Clark has an extra, self-imposed workload — homeschooling all five children ranging from the twins to an adolescent daughter. “One of the biggest struggles for me,” she said, “is that 4-year-olds’ interests aren’t the same as a 13-year-old’s interests.”
Via: MSNBC

A Rush to Medicate Young Minds

I have been treating, educating and caring for children for more than 30 years, half of that time as a child psychiatrist, and the changes I have seen in the practice of child psychiatry are shocking. Psychiatrists are now misdiagnosing and overmedicating children for ordinary defiance and misbehavior. The temper tantrums of belligerent children are increasingly being characterized as psychiatric illnesses.

Using such diagnoses as bipolar disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Asperger's, doctors are justifying the sedation of difficult kids with powerful psychiatric drugs that may have serious, permanent or even lethal side effects.
Via: Washington Post

KATIE Holmes has told best friend Posh that she’s already longing for another daughter.

Katie, who gave birth to her daughter Suri by Tom Cruise, 44, in April, is convinced that to be sure of having a little girl you have to surround yourself with images of womanhood. The 27-year-old is a big fan of the book Gender Giver by Portia Gardner and her "visualisation" approach to making sure the stork brings you a boy or a girl.
Via: Daily Snack

EXCLUSIVE: Linda Evangelista Has a Boy

Linda Evangelista has welcomed her first child – a boy, the supermodel's agent, Didier Fernandez, tells PEOPLE exclusively. Augustin James Evangelista was born on Wednesday in New York City.
Via: People Magazine

Pregnant women 'oily fish alert'

Eating too much oily fish during pregnancy may increase the risk of delivering the baby too early, scientists believe.

The researchers told New Scientist magazine the harm is probably caused by high mercury levels in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines. But experts warn it is important for pregnant women, and indeed everyone, to eat enough fish to keep healthy.
Via: BBC Health

[C3@MIT] Book -- The Commodification of Childhood

This weekend, I read a review for a book that I thought may be of interest for those who follow the aspects of the media industry we study here at the Convergence Culture Consortium. In our initial formulation of this research group, there was a particularly strong emphasis on what we were referring to as "branding cultures," looking at fan communities as they surround entertainment properties and consumer brands. Although our outlook is much broader than just branding at this point, we retain a strong interest at the marketing process and in finding ways that marketers and consumers can work together to create a media environment in which messages about products and brands get to consumers in ways that are neither manipulative to consumers nor intrusive but which still provides a viable financial model for mass entertainment.

This brings me to the review I found, of Daniel Thomas Cook's The Commodification of Childhood: The Children's Clothing Industry and the Rise of the Child Consumer, written by Cord Scott of the Lincoln Technical Institute in the August 2006 edition of The Journal of Popular Culture. Cook's book, published in 2004, is part of an increasing attempt to understand how the children's market has been created over the past century and normalized in the lifestyles of Americans. Of course, this "commodification of childhood" both has its negative aspects, as your anti-corporate and anti-branding folks would be glad to point out, as well as its benefits, such as the autonomy consumerism has granted to children in so many ways.

Cook, a sociologist, focuses on how clothing brands began to be formulated in the 1910s and the subsequent development of the industry. As Scott points out, branded clothing becomes "truly a visual outlet for children's self-expression, as well as what parents convey to the public about the child's (and the parents') social standing. I'm taking a course this semester on globalization at Harvard University by anthropologist James L. Watson, who points out the major differences this consumerism has made in the Chinese market, with the creation of the much-discussed "Little Emperor" phenomenon.
Via: http://www.convergenceculture.org/weblog/2006/10/interesting_bookthe_commodific.html

Family Characteristics Have More Influence On Child Development Than Does Experience In Child Care

“Child care clearly matters to children’s development, but family characteristics — and children’s experiences within their families — appear to matter more.”

The study demonstrated that quality, quantity, and type of child care — defined as any care provided on a regular basis by someone other than the child’s mother — are modestly linked to the development of children up to age four-and-a-half. Among the study’s major findings that are described in the booklet:

• Children who received higher quality child care were better able to think, respond, and interact with the world around them—and had somewhat better reading and math skills—than children who received lower quality child care.
• Children who spent 30 or more hours in child care each week showed somewhat more problem behavior in child care and in kindergarten (but not at home) and had more episodes of minor illness than children who spent fewer hours in child care each week
• Children who attended child care centers had somewhat better language and social skills and better pre-academic skills involving letters and numbers, but showed somewhat more problem behavior when they first entered school than did children who experienced other types of child care settings.

[PDF] Download Early Child Care and Youth Development

One-third of infant deaths are because of premature births -- a larger percentage than previously thought.

The National Center for Health Statistics released final birth data for 2004 showing that more than 508,000 babies were born prematurely. The report also includes preterm birth rates by state.

via: CDC.gov
via: Washington Post
via: Forbes

An In-Depth Look at What Has Changed and What Has Stayed the Same in Motherhood Over the Past 40 Years

According to demographers from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population will reach 300 million people this fall. To celebrate this milestone, JOHNSON'S® Baby commissioned a survey looking at moms of today and at moms who gave birth in the late 1960s, when the population hit 200 million, to take a definitive look at how motherhood has changed and stayed the same over the past 40 years.

This in-depth survey examined the evolution of motherhood, including where moms get trusted advice, viewpoints on childcare and rearing and sense of satisfaction in life. It also looked at concerns for the health and safety of their children, whether moms work outside the home, what type of support systems they depend on and what they do with their free time.

Mother's Helpers: Mom Still Knows Best

When it comes to being a mom, some things change with time – while others just seem to stay the same. Both groups gave the nod to their own mothers and medical professionals as their top trusted sources for advice and information on child rearing. "I would have been lost if not for my own mom, and my network of mom friends," said Ellington. "No matter what we read, nothing – but nothing – beats first-mom jitters than talking with friends who are also moms. And, of course, talking to my own mom."

via: J&J - baby.com

Healthier babies: The America's Children report says the infant mortality rate dropped from 7 percent to 6.8 percent. mp3

America is a lot better on one measure of how our babies are doing – but not on another. We're doing better against infant mortality – not surviving the first year. The America's Children report says the infant mortality rate dropped from 7 percent to 6.8 percent.

The annual federal report says, though, that the rate of low-birthweight babies rose to 8.1 percent from 7.9 percent.

These babies face a higher risk of infant mortality. But the director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Dr. Duane Alexander, says improved medical care helps them survive. He says women can help to prevent low birthweight by such things as getting prenatal medical care. "They can also do other things to lower their risk of low birthweight – avoiding alcohol, avoiding smoking themselves, or secondhand tobacco smoke."

[mp3] Healthier Babies U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / 7 seconds

Binge Drinking Babies

Her little boy suffers from Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). He is one of 6,000 children born every year with physical and mental problems because their mothers drank while they were pregnant.

Shocking research out today reveals that 61 per cent of British women drink alcohol while expecting. And with binge-drinking on the rise, doctors are also predicting an explosion in the number of children born with FAS.

via: Mirror.co.uk