Pregnancy Notes Collection #1

       Baby Girls More Self-Reliant,Emotionally 
       Controlled Than Baby Boys:

       Scientists have new evidence to support the old
       saying that girls mature faster than boys. In a study
       of 81 six-month-olds at Children's Hospital in
       Boston, Massachusetts, researchers found that baby
       girls are more likely to look away or suck their
       thumb when their mothers stop playing with them,
       while baby boys are more likely to cry, squirm, and
       get cranky. The boys were also more likely to get
       even more upset when their mothers tried to resume
       playing, according to the study, which was
       published in this month's Developmental
       Psychology (3/99).
       Yet the baby boys were more likely than girls to
       express joy and look at their mothers during play.
       Girls generally looked at and expressed interest in
       objects instead. "There are gender difference in
       behavior from very early on," developmental
       psychologist and lead researcher Katherine
       Weinberg told New York Times Syndicate. She
       suggested that both nature and nurture shape those
       differences.


       Allergies and C-sections May Be Linked:

       If you had a c-section, your baby may be more
       prone to allergies, according to preliminary
       research presented at the annual meeting of the
       American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and
       Immunology in Florida this week (3/3/99 NYT).
       Finnish researchers who studied 12 children
       delivered vaginally and 16 delivered via elective
       c-section found that the c-section babies had
       substantially lower levels of an antibody --
       immunoglobulin A (IgA) -- that plays an important
       role in protecting against infection. The rising rates
       of allergies and c-sections over the past two
       decades prompted the researchers to investigate a
       possible link, but allergy experts caution that results
       will remain inconclusive until a larger study can be
       done.


       Mom's Exercise Is Good For Baby Too:

       Moms-to-be who work out regularly are likely to
       have perkier babies than women who take it easier
       during pregnancy, according to a recent issue of the
       American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
       (1/99). In a study of 65 pregnant women,
       researchers at MetroHealth Medical Center in
       Cleveland found that infants of mothers who ran,
       took aerobics, or swam while pregnant had babies
       who were significantly more alert and less fussy
       five days after birth than the babies of moms who
       did not exercise.
       The exercising mothers either ran from 12 to 30
       miles per week, went to aerobics three to eight
       times per week, or swam 4,000 yards three or four
       times a week. The lead researcher on the study, Dr.
       James Clapp, cautioned that while most healthy
       women could benefit from some exercise during
       pregnancy, this vigorous level of activity was not a
       general recommendation for all pregnant women. If
       you're pregnant (or trying to conceive) and you'd
       like begin an exercise program, speak with your
       doctor.


       Moms Who Were Preemies Have More Pregnancy 
       Complications:

       Expectant women who were premature or weighed
       less than 4.5 pounds at birth may have a five times
       greater risk of developing preeclampsia
       (potentially fatal pregnancy-induced hypertension),
       according to researchers at the University of
       Colorado at Denver. They studied 4,000 healthy
       women and 345 young women with preeclampsia
       or eclampsia (a more severe form of the illness),
       reports Reuters. They say the results remained the
       same even after adjusting for a woman's age and
       ethnicity, as well as other risk factors. Study
       authors, who published their findings in the
       February 25 issue of the medical journal
       Epidemiology, say women born small or early are
       more likely to develop high blood pressure, which
       is linked to preeclampsia. Experts say they need to
       do more research to substantiate these findings.


       Why Do I need to drink water while I’m pregnant?

       Water plays many vital roles in a healthy
       pregnancy. Think of water as your body's
       transportation system--it carries nutrients through
       your blood to the baby. Water also helps prevent
       bladder infections, which are common during
       pregnancy. If you drink enough water, your urine
       will stay diluted, reducing your risk of infection.
       Water can also stop constipation and help prevent
       hemorrhoids. Although it may seem
       counterintuitive, the more water you drink during
       pregnancy, the less water your body will retain.
       Also, drinking enough water prevents dehydration.
       This is especially important in the third trimester
       when dehydration can actually cause contractions
       that can trigger preterm labor.
       How much water is enough? You should drink at
       least six to eight 8-ounce glasses per day (48 to 64
       fluid ounces) plus one 8-ounce cup for each hour of
       light activity. Juices can contribute to your fluid
       intake, but keep in mind that they can also provide a
       lot of extra calories. Caffeinated beverages, such as
       coffee, colas, and teas do not count as part of your
       fluid intake because they are act like
       diuretics—-they make you urinate more so you
       actually lose water. If you just don't like the taste of
       water, try adding a wedge of lemon or lime, or a
       little juice for additional flavor. If you're not sure
       how much water you drink each day, fill a 64-ounce
       pitcher and try to finish it by the end of the day.


       Mother's Milk Protects Against Asthma:

       Want to substantially reduce your newborn's risk of
       developing asthma? Then breastfeed her for at least
       four months, suggests a study presented at a recent
       international conference of the American Lung
       Association / American Thoracic Society.
       Researchers from the TVW Telethon Institute for
       Child Health in West Perth, Australia, looked at
       nearly 3,000 children. They found that those who
       were not exclusively breastfed for the first four
       months of life were 27 percent more likely to have
       asthma by age six than kids who were exclusively
       breastfed for the first four months.
       Breast milk contains many components essential to
       a baby's developing immune system, components
       that are difficult to include in infant formula,
       explain the researchers. The study comes at a time
       when asthma rates in Australia and the United
       States are rising. While 90 percent of infants in
       Australia are breastfed when they leave the
       hospital, by three months of age 50 percent are no
       longer exclusively breastfed. The numbers are even
       lower in the United States. The American Academy
       of Pediatrics recommends that infants be
       exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life.


       Trying to Conceive? Rush Hour Is the Time 

       Five p.m. is rush hour for many working people,
       and it turns out to be peak traveling time for sperm,
       too. Researchers at the University of Modena in
       Italy have discovered that between 5 and 5:30 p.m.,
       the average man is 35 percent more fertile than he
       is at 7 a.m. and may have as many as 17 million
       more highly mobile sperm swimming around at this
       time. (The Guardian, 5/4)
       In their study, published in the January issue of
       Human Reproduction, male volunteers were asked
       to collect sperm samples at different times on
       different days and then had their sperm tested. Prior
       research has found seasonal variations in semen
       quality, but this is the first time that daily peak
       hours have been found in sperm. And, because
       previous studies have shown that the peak period
       for ovulation is between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., couples
       having a tough time conceiving may want to
       rendezvous closer to quitting time.


      Can circumcision stop AIDS? 

      Wider use of circumcision could stem the tide of AIDS in 
      Africa, according to some researchers at the 13th 
      International AIDS Conference, held this month in Durban, 
      South Africa. A number of recent studies show circumcision 
      may prevent HIV infections, more than 75 percent of which 
      are transmitted sexually. (HIV is the virus that causes 
      AIDS.) For example, researchers at the University of 
      Illinois at Chicago studied 3 million Luo people in Kenya, 
      who do not practice circumcision. They compared the Luo 
      with groups of people living nearby who do circumcise and 
      found that two to three times as many Luo were infected 
      with HIV. Why circumcision prevents the infection is not 
      entirely clear. But evidence suggests that the cells found 
      on the foreskin (which is removed in circumcision) tend to 
      allow viruses to enter the body, while the cells on the 
      head of the penis are very tightly bunched together and 
      thus more resistant to any virus. Not everyone's convinced 
      circumcision is the answer. The procedure itself could 
      expose someone to the disease because the medical 
      environment in developing countries is not always sterile, 
      and unclean instruments used to cut the foreskin could 
      actually spread infection. Any opening gives the virus an 
      easy way into the body, says Gail Gallemore, professor of 
      pediatrics and infectious diseases at East Tennessee State 
      University College of Medicine. 


       Put an End to Varicose Veins 

       Varicose veins are the bane of many a pregnant
       woman's existence, but a simple adjustment in the
       way you sit may be all it takes to keep them at bay.
       Despite what mom taught you, avoid sitting with
       your legs crossed at the knee or ankle, say experts
       at the Vein Treatment Center at Beth Israel Medical
       Center in Manhattan, because the pressure slows
       the upward flow of blood and increases pressure on
       your veins (AP 5/31).
       In healthy veins, valves prevent blood from flowing
       backward, but changes during pregnancy and the
       effects of birth control pills can reduce the valves'
       ability to close. This allows blood to pool in the
       vessels and the veins can become varicose --
       abnormally swollen or dilated. Once you have
       varicose veins there's no curing them, but exercise
       will help keep new ones from forming. Half of
       women over the age of 40 suffer from varicose or
       spider veins (less serious breaks in smaller, surface
       veins). Their cause is unknown, but heredity,
       pregnancy, and a sedentary lifestyle appear to play
       a part in their appearance.


       Speak to your children on a level slightly higher 
       than their own...  

       Do this, and your children will be gently coerced into 
       pulling their own vocabularies along. Baby talk sounds 
       cute, and children do respond to it, but do they learn 
       from it? Not at all. Language skills are being 
       developed at warp speed right now, and allowing your 
       children to challenge themselves with context clues 
       (remember that phrase?) right now is a great way to 
       prepare them for school. If spoken to intelligently, 
       your child will be at a much greater advantage than the 
       child who is spoken down to or with the use of baby 
       talk. When discussing baby talk, I also refer to using 
       the same incorrect pronunciations back to them that your 
       children use to you, no matter how cute they are.
       Let your kids hear you say only good things about others... 
       Our children mirror our behavior, right? And it only makes 
       sense that they do. We are their first role models, so we 
       better be good ones! If all they hear is us being kind and 
       charitable when discussing others, it stands to reason that 
       they will do the same. Additionally, it puts us in the 
       healthy practice of saying only kind things about others, 
       which is a virtuous habit to perpetuate anyway, around 
       children or not! If all our children hear is negative                 
       criticism, they will adopt the notion that we are here to 
       act as judge and jury over the actions of others rather 
       than seeing the good in those around us.