Healthy Me - At Home and Away: Child

Showing posts with label Child. Show all posts

Sunday, May 8, 2011

When Pregnant and Stressed

Image by bottled_void via FlickrThere is an article that links the relation between pregnancy and stress, and the product is an offspring that misbehaves.

See what was discovered:

"---previous research had shown a link between stress during pregnancy and behavior problems in children..."

"Money and relationship problems, job loss, issues with other children, a difficult pregnancy and a death in the family were among the stressful events cited by the women."

To follow that article, click below:
Pregnant and Stressed May Mean Offspring Who Misbehave

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Autistic children lack visual skills

WASHINGTON - Autistic children have difficulty finding things such as shoes in a bedroom or apples at a supermarket, impairing their ability to lead normal lives, according to a study published Monday.

Researchers at the University of Bristol said that by testing the ability to carry out real-life tasks they had challenged previous findings that autistic children have enhanced visual searching skills.

"This new research indicates that children with autism are unable to search effectively for objects in real-life situations - a skill that is essential for achieving independence in adulthood," they said in a statement.

The researchers told 40 children, half of whom were autistic, to search for targets in a test room in an experiment they said mirrored daily life better than previous tests that used computers or table-top tasks.

"Critically, these targets appeared more on one side of the room than the other," they said, which allowed them to test previous conclusions that autistic children are quicker to pick up on patterns in a system.

"A contemporary theory of autism (systematising) states that these children are more sensitive to regularities within a system, (for example, prime numbers, computer programs and train timetables)," it said.

"Surprisingly, more 'systematic' behaviour was not observed in this test; children with autism were less efficient and more chaotic in their search."

The findings could help explain why autistic children are often unable to complete simple tasks like finding their favourite animal at the zoo, the researchers said.

"The ability to work effectively and systematically in these kind of tasks mirrors everyday behaviours that allow us to function as independent adults," said Josie Briscoe, one of the authors of the report.

"This research offers an exciting opportunity to explore underlying skills that could help people with autism achieve independence."

The study will appear in the US Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) December 21-25 issue.

An estimated 1.5 million Americans suffer from autism, a disability that affects one's ability to communicate and interact with others and typically appears during the first three years of life.

- AFP/rl

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Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below: Autistic children lack visual skills

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Jaundiced newborns more prone to autism: study

WASHINGTON: Infants born with jaundice are at much greater risk of developing autism, a study published Monday showed.

The study published in the US journal Pediatrics found full-term infants born in Denmark between 1994 and 2004 who had jaundice were 67 percent more likely to develop autism.

Neonatal jaundice is usually caused by elevated production of bilirubin, a substance found in bile that results from the normal breakdown of red blood cells.

Jaundice is seen in 60 percent of term infants and usually resolves within the first week of life, but prolonged exposure to high bilirubin levels is neurotoxic and can cause lifelong developmental problems, the study says.

In this study researchers found the risk of autism was higher if the mother had had previous children, or, somewhat oddly, if the child was born between October and March.

The risk for autism disappeared if the child was a firstborn child or was born between April and September. Authors suggest the seasonal difference may be due to different levels of exposure to daylight, which has an effect on jaundice, or due to infections.

The difference in risk in firstborn versus subsequent children could be due to different levels of antibodies in women who have had multiple pregnancies, or it could reflect different levels of access to health care in the first days after delivery.

In Denmark, women with healthy term newborns who have already had children are discharged soon after delivery. Women having their first child remain in the hospital for three to four days, and so jaundice may be diagnosed while the infant is still in the hospital.

-AFP/jl

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Jaundiced newborns more prone to autism: study
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Sunday, September 19, 2010

Mom's right about sleeping

Young kids who sleep less at risk of obesity

WASHINGTON : Children under the age of five who don't get enough sleep at night are more likely than kids who do get their 40 winks to become obese at a young age, a study published Monday showed.

"We found a robust longitudinal association between duration of nighttime sleep in early life and subsequent obesity measured at five to nine years," wrote the authors of the study in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, a journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers led by Janice Bell of the University of Washington, Seattle and Frederick Zimmerman of the University of California, Los Angeles, studied two lots of data - at baseline and five years later - for 1,930 children in the United States.
The kids were separated into two groups for the study: ages zero to 59 months, and five to 13 years.

The data analysed included information known to influence whether a child develops obesity, including parents' weight and the child's physical activity level, as well as how long the children slept at night and whether they napped during the day.

On average, younger children in the study slept 10 hours a night, and older children slept around 9.5 hours, but some children in both age cohorts got as little as five hours' sleep a night.

The data collected five years after baseline showed that 33 per cent of the younger cohort and 36 per cent of the older cohort of kids were overweight or obese.

"For the younger children, low nighttime sleep at baseline was significantly associated with increased odds of overweight versus normal weight and increased odds of obesity versus overweight at follow-up," the study says.

Nearly one in five US children is obese (17 per cent) and more than a third are overweight, the study says, adding that ensuring that very young children get enough sleep at night could play a key role in preventing obesity.

Napping during the daytime, which the younger kids did but the older ones did not, appeared to have no effect on the children's weight, and getting little sleep at night also did not affect the weight of the older children.

"These findings suggest that there is a critical window prior to age five years when nighttime sleep may be important for subsequent obesity status," the study says.

Why sleep affects weight is not precisely known, but the authors of the study said that getting less sleep could lead to "decreased physical activity due to tiredness and increased energy intake" because the waking child has more opportunities to eat.

Another possible reason why lack of sleep leads to weight gain is that the number of hours of shut-eye influences hormones that affect appetite, hunger and metabolism, the study found.

- AFP/il

From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:
Young kids who sleep less at risk of obesity
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Pregnancy mistakes even smart women make

Misinformation, no matter how well-meaning, can be dangerous for you and your unborn child. Get your facts straight here. By Dr. Diwata Bose-Altura and Dr. Awi Curameng

With the wealth of medical knowledge that's out there for everyone to access, it's a wonder that people still engage in patently non-healthy behavior. Millions of individuals still smoke cigarettes, for instance, despite overwhelming evidence against their use. Even the more prudent make the occasional health-care "mistake"--over-flossing, for instance (dentists recommend doing so only once every other day), or thinking that only children need vaccination (adults do, too).

Part of the problem is that there is simply too much information coming in--and too fast!--to be absorbed. Many times media reports are either vague or ambiguous at best or, at worst, clash glaringly with conventional medical knowledge.

The Mother of All Pregnancy Books: The Ultimate Guide to Conception, Birth, and Everything In Between (U.S. Edition)

For most laymen, interpreting medical jargon, research scientists and anyone else who sends out health-related signals is like trying to figure out a Rubik's cube. A pregnant woman cannot escape the confusion and is, perhaps because of situational anxieties, more prone to misinformation than ordinary individuals, especially when every woman in her life--mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, in-law and friend--is anxious to dispense advice on the healthy, "proper" way of going through pregnancy and labor.

Our advice? Talk to your obstetrician. No issue should be too simple or too complicated to discuss. Ask her all your questions and explore with her all your concerns. You and your doctor are a team. Your goal is to make sure you deliver a healthy baby. The only way that can happen is if you work together and communicate regularly.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy

Pregnancy no-no's
For starters, we've listed a few choices and decisions we discourage pregnant women from taking: A healthy pregnancy they surely will not make. Check to see if any of the items apply to you and then go see your doctor so you can both figure out what to do about them.

1. Taking preconception folic acid for granted. Folic acid is essential for the healthy development of baby's nervous system. This occurs during the first 45 days of life, at a time when a woman doesn't even know yet that she's pregnant. If you're planning on having a baby, be sure to take a multivitamin supplement containing folic acid once you begin trying to conceive.

The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts

2. Stopping medications for pre-existing diseases. A lot of women think that all prescription drugs are teratogenic (can cause birth deformities), and the reflex is to stop taking them once the stick turns blue. This decision often does more harm than good, especially for women with pre-existing diabetes, seizure disorders or psychiatric illnesses, which have to be kept in check. The best thing to do is to ask the doctor for advice on continuing versus stopping the medication.

3. Thinking that morning sickness is always normal. Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, which occur in 70 percent to 85 percent of women, are traditional signs of a healthy pregnancy. Severe and persistent vomiting unrelated to other causes and leading to weight loss of at least 5 percent of pre-pregnancy weight, however, is not. It strongly suggests hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that can lead to dehydration, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, and a low birth weight. The truth is that pregnant women don't have to "grin and bear it." Many medications can help alleviate morning sickness.

What to Expect When You're Expecting: Fourth Edition

4. Not screening for chromosomal abnormalities. A lot of women think that having children with chromosomal abnormalities (e.g., Down's syndrome) occurs only in pregnant women over 45, who carry a one-in-30 risk of having a Down's baby. The truth is, these abnormalities occur sporadically and, while age-related, may still strike the offspring of young women. Screening is widely available, and all women should be aware of this option.

5. Eating for two. Average weight gain during pregnancy should only be about 25 pounds. Putting on a lot more weight will increase your chances of hypertension, gestational diabetes and having a big baby (and a more difficult delivery, of course!).

6. Decreasing activity. Engaging in mild to moderate exercise is still best. It keeps you fit and prepares you for the rigors of delivery. Ask your doctor to prescribe an exercise regimen for you.

Belly Laughs: The Naked Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth

7. Suffering through low-back pain. The condition called sacroiliitis is very common in pregnancy due to the laxity of the lower back ligaments and postural changes. Physical therapy and simple exercises can help relieve sacroiliitis.

8. Abstaining from sex. Except in cases of preterm labor (or a history of preterm deliveries) and bleeding due to a diagnosed placental abnormality, it is safe to engage in sexual activity--as long as it's not too acrobatic--at all stages of pregnancy.

9. Missing the blood work. Asian women are particularly predisposed to gestational diabetes, so it's important to be screened for this condition.

10. Shunning pain relief, especially epidural anesthesia, during labor. Evidence has shown that being given an epidural doesn't necessarily lengthen labor, as was previously thought.

Having Your Baby! A Complete Lamaze Prepared Childbirth Class

11. Thinking that Lamaze will work miracles. The Lamaze technique is not guaranteed to work for everyone, so don't count on pain-free labor.

12. Asking the universe for twins. Multiple pregnancies, compared to ordinary single-baby pregnancies, bring a lot more complications.

13. Asking for a C-section. A C-section will involve more difficult, more painful recuperation than vaginal delivery, believe it or not.

14. Asking for perineal repair after delivery to "make the vagina virginal again." Perineal repairs and episiotomies may cause more blood loss during delivery. Discuss your options with your obstetrician.

15. Not taking prenatal vitamins and iron. Iron is the only mineral that must be supplemented in pregnancy, but some women stop taking their iron supplement when they begin to experience side effects like nausea or constipation. A simple solution to the problem is to take the iron pill at bedtime, and increase the fiber in one's diet or take stool softeners.

16. Fretting about breast-feeding. While breast-feeding is best for babies, a woman has the right to decide whether to breast-feed or not. She should not feel guilty if she cannot breast-feed for any reason or produce milk immediately after delivery. It's perfectly normal not to have milk until the third to the fifth day, so giving a temporary bottle at this time will not cause nipple confusion.

From Health Today online; see the source article here.
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