Posts Tagged ‘baby’

In an ironic twist of reality a South Korean couple was arrested for starving their child after spending long hours on the internet raising a virtual baby together. The couple allegedly neglected their prematurely born three month old daughter, feeding her just once in between 12-hour-long periods at an internet cafe. “The couple seemed to have lost their will to live a normal life, because they didn’t have jobs and gave birth to a premature baby,” said Chung Jin-won, a Korean police officer. The couple was raising a virtual child in a popular online Korean role-playing game. “Online game addiction can blur the line between reality and the virtual world. It seems that taking care of their on-line game character erased any sense of guilt they may have had for neglecting their daughter,” said Professor Kwak Dae-kyung of Seoul’s Dongguk University. [via CNN.com]

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A new mobile information service announced today aims to provide any mother-to-be (who has a cell phone) with free text messages that will guide her throughout pregnancy and until her child’s first birthday. The service, called Text4baby, was announced in conjunction with all major US wireless carriers and is currently operational. Women who sign up for the service by texting BABY (or BEBE for Spanish) to 511411 will receive free SMS text messages each week, timed to their due date or baby’s date of birth. The text4baby messages are not personalized, but the information in each message is relevant to the mother’s pregnancy timeline or the age of her child. The content will include a comprehensive variety of topics from the CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration, including tips on immunizations, nutrition, prenatal care, emotional well being, drugs and alcohol, labor and delivery, breastfeeding, mental health, birth defects prevention, car seat safety, exercise and fitness, developmental milestones, family violence, and more. [via Text4baby.org]

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A British baby due this week will become the first child to be born with certainty that it does not have the BRCA1 gene mutation. Approximately 5% to 10% of breast cancers are believed to be due to genetic mutations inherited from parents – the most common being the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes.  Because the British couple conceived through in virto fertilization, they were able to screen for cystic fibrosis, Huntington’s disease, and now BRCA1, at the 6 to 8 cell stage prior to implanting the embryo into the mother’s womb. All the women on the father’s side of the family have developed breast cancer, which is why the couple decided on genetic screening. Women who inherit the BRCA1 gene have up to an 80% increase in risk of developing breast cancer.

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Stanford University researchers have developed a blood test to determine whether a woman’s unborn child has Down syndrome, a genetic condition that occurs when a baby has three, rather than two, copies of chromosome 21. Currently, there are screening blood tests used to determine the likelihood that a child has Down syndrome – but they are usually performed between the 16th and 18th weeks of pregnancy. Amniocentesis can diagnose Down syndrome, but it can potentially cause an abortion. The Stanford test is diagnostic and can be done much earlier at 10 weeks, allowing parents to make more informed decisions about their pregnancy. The new test has yet to go into large trial testing. However, Carol Boys, chief executive of the Down’s Syndrome Association, says “There is no question that these non-invasive tests will be introduced in the next few years.  Full story. Share your opinion.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breast-feeding for babies during the first 6 months of life. Despite this, only an estimated 11% of infants receive breast milk during this period. Why are so many women not breast-feeding? Some believe that free formula samples given to mothers as they leave the hospital are to blame. For years producers of baby formulas have donated samples to hospitals as an advertising tactic. The practice of giving free formula and discount coupons to mothers undermines what we know about the importance of breast milk – that in addition to nutrition, it provides antibodies, hormones, and enzymes beyond what formulas can provide. In a new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 94% of hospitals surveyed confirmed the practice of distributing formula samples. However, according to the report, the number of hospitals which are banning the practice is increasing. Full story.

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Preliminary results of a small Yale University study shows that women who have c-sections are more “neurohormonally deprived” than women who undergo vaginal birth. It is believed that the process of birth induces production of hormones that “prime” the mother’s brain for certain behaviors, such as kissing, cuddling and feeding, which allow for instant mother-baby bonding. MRI brain scans of c-section mothers taken while they listened to their babies crying showed less activation in areas of the brain associated with empathy, drive and motivation than mothers who delivered vaginally. However, after a few months, it appears that these differences between the two groups largely disappear. Full story.

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