To Be Mom

It has been long postulated that new moms or moms-to-be generally suffer from depression. Though many pharmaceuticals have come up with drugs claiming to help cope with such depressions, the secrets seem to be lying in breast-feeding and the good fats in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Both physical and psychological stressors increase levels of proinflammatory cytokines leading to inflammation, which eventually contribute hugely to depression in new mothers.

And the cure for this depression lies in curbing the inflammation. That is why, most current treatments for the state of mind include the long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which are anti-inflammatory. Kendall-Tackett explains this in his report.

Kathleen Kendall-Tackett explained,

Depression in new mothers is common in many cultures, affecting anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent of postpartum women. In some high-risk populations, the percentage can even be as high as 40 percent or 50 percent. Since depression has devastating effects on both mother and baby, it’s vital that it be identified and treated promptly. Depressed mothers are also more likely to stop breastfeeding with negative health effects for each.

And, when it’s a matter of breastfeeding, it protects the maternal mood of the new mother lowering her stress. And, with the stress levels lowered, the mother’s inflammatory response system does not get activated. Thus, the whole the risk of depression is lowered as a whole.

This new finding is published by a University of New Hampshire researcher in the International Breastfeeding Journal.

In order to provide resources and support across maternity hospitals around Victoria, the Bracks Government has proposed funding of $53 million.

Mr Bracks said the number of births had increased by 5 per cent over recent years and personified it as ‘a mini baby boom’.

He said more than $35 million of the extra funding would be spent over four years on maternity services and post-natal home visits.

Further allocations include $10 million for neo-natal hearing screening, $750,000 to train obstetricians in rural areas and $5.6 million for rural midwifery.

Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said the funding boost was recognition that mothers and babies needed the best level of care, and it would also help to retain GPs in rural Victoria.

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World Health Organization has postulated that nearly, 2.3 million children are suffering from HIV. Charlie Gilks of the WHO asserted that 90% of the kids have acquired the virus from their mother, a mode of infection which has been otherwise ignored by the organization.

What is mother-to-child transmission?

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is when an HIV positive woman passes the virus to her baby. This can occur during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or breastfeeding. Without treatment, around 15-30% of babies born to HIV positive women will become infected with HIV during pregnancy and delivery. A further 5-20% will become infected through breastfeeding.

Intravenous drug users in Eastern Europe are also being overlooked, says Gilks. The WHO estimates that around 3 million drug users in the region have HIV, fewer than 10 per cent of whom are being treated. The problem is persuading governments to treat these people as health priorities rather than just as criminals, says he.

Effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) requires a three-fold strategy:

1. Preventing HIV infection among prospective parents
2. Avoiding unwanted pregnancies among HIV positive women
3. Preventing the transmission of HIV from HIV positive mothers to their infants during pregnancy, labor, delivery and breastfeeding.

What could be done?

In order to achieve a success, PMTCT programs require well-trained, supportive staff who takes great care to ensure confidentiality. They must be backed up by effective HIV testing and counseling programs and by good quality HIV/AIDS education, which is essential to eliminate myths and misunderstandings among pregnant women, and to counter stigma and discrimination in the wider community. Under these conditions, antiretroviral drugs have the potential to save many thousands of babies’ lives.

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In a decision that’s likely to dominate politics today — perhaps more than the Virginia Tech shootings – the US Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, has upheld the nationwide ban on the so-called ‘partial-birth’ abortion procedure.

Supreme Court of the US has supported the nation wide ban on abortion, an issue which was put under criticism for months.

The decision, by a five-to-four vote, marks the first time the nation’s highest court has upheld a federal law banning a specific abortion procedure since its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling in 1973 that women have a basic constitutional right to an abortion.

The opponents of the act have not demonstrated that the Act would be unconstitutional in a large fraction of relevant cases, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion.

Abortion-rights activists have advocated that at times the practice is safe for women and that such an act could threaten most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, although government lawyers and others who favor the ban asserted that there are alternative, more widely used procedures that remain legal.

It has been expected that the act would prompt efforts at the state level to place more restrictions on abortions.

Grim figures postulate that nearly a million abortions are carried out in the US yearly and 90 % of those occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Six federal courts however have stated the act as an impermissible restriction on a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion.

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Pregnancy is the most wonderful phase in a woman’s life, however, it brings certain uneasiness along with it. It is estimated that approximately 50 to 90 percent of pregnant women experience discomfort from the nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy, so you are definitely not alone in this journey you are traveling.

Morning sickness, which can actually occur at any time of the day, can really dampen your excitement about being pregnant.

Here are a few tips that might help you in relieving you from the situation:

1. Prefer eating in smaller amounts than voracious eating.

2. Drinking liquids only between meals and not with meals is beneficial for reducing nausea and vomiting during pregnancy for many women.

3. Avoid taking greasy, fried, and spicy food they often result in substantial bouts of morning sickness.

4. Odors that seem foul or unpleasant many times led to uncomfortable attacks of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, if you can do keep away from them as well.

5. Do take plenty of rest before excessive tiredness arises it’ll help in decreasing nausea and vomiting.

Tip: Many pregnant women find keeping a package of saltine crackers at their bedside and eating a few before getting up is an effective method of relieving and reducing the severity of their morning sickness symptoms.

If these tips don’t give you relief from morning sickness, your doctor may have other ideas. Keep in mind that morning sickness doesn’t mean your baby is sick.

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Recent research done by Armin Malter of Germany’s Professional Association of Gynaecologists, has revealed that ingesting of vitamin D in pregnancy may prove as an antidote against the development of certain diseases, which a baby is prone to have later in life, such as ’such as diabetes and thyroid problems’.

Malter said that there is a deficiency of vitamin D in pregnant women as their unborn child develops in the womb. Hence, they are advised to consume diet, which is rich in vitamin D, like fatty fish like salmon, tuna, milk, eggs etc.

The easiest way to obtain vitamin D is by sunlight, thus, Malter suggests that women must take enough sunlight during pregnancy to boost the production of the vitamin.

However, the body’s skin does become more sensitive during pregnancy and excessive sun bathing should be avoided.

Only use vitamin D supplements that contain the daily recommended dosage. Taking too much of the vitamin can lead to nausea, vomiting and in the worst case to an irregular heart beat.

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Dr. Steven Ory, of IVF Florida Reproductive Associates and an associate clinical professor at the University of Miami asserted that healthy life style alone is not enough to protect you from infertility although, people who have unhealthy style of living are more prone to infertility.

Some doctors have given obvious reasons for the mounting problem of infertility in the US. They said that either it is because of the woman’s ill health or is a problem with a man’s sperm.

Doctors have postulated that the growing trend of conceiving late too is a reason for not having a baby. They have particularly specified the maternal age in the case.

Talking about the woman’s fertility, they asserted that it starts to decline around the age of twenty seven due to depletion and aging of eggs.

For those under 30, it’s estimated that the chance of getting pregnant in any one cycle is 20 percent to 30 percent and by the age of forty, it falls to 5 percent.

But it’s not just women who need to pay attention to the ticking of the clock; men too are a part of the study.

Men over 35 are twice as likely to be infertile as those under 25. Studies also are showing that, as with older women, older men are more likely to have children with birth defects due to the decreased genetic quality of their sperm.

Lifestyle factors

Now, beyond the issue of age, certain lifestyle factors too are responsible that affect a man’s and woman’s fertility.

First of all, doctors have recommended shunning smoking since it is linked to miscarriage and is instrumental in deteriorating woman’s eggs more rapidly. The habit can significantly lower a man’s sperm count, too.

Then the doctors have advised to reduce weight in case you are obese because it creates hormonal imbalances, preventing women from ovulating normally and affecting men’s sperm production too.

Study available in the European journal Human Reproduction has revealed that when both partners in a couple are overweight or obese, they’re more likely to have to wait longer before successfully conceiving a child.

Diet

Recent research by Dr. Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, has revealed that drinking whole fat milk and eating ice cream may be better for women trying to get pregnant than low-fat dairy products. Off course plenty of fruits and veggies are a must.

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It’s neither a joke nor hallucination on my part, when I say that there is a possibility of mothers producing babies without any contribution from their male counterparts. This is pure and correct news according to inputs from Daily Mail and BBC.

Thanks to a new a transplant technique, the need and requirement of a male can be effectively removed from the baby making process as scientists have devised a technique to human sperm cells from bone marrow.

This is going to pose as a ground breaking treatment. Especially for men who are rendered sterile owing to many ailments and treatments including diabetes and chemotherapy, but at the same time it has also posed a serious challenge before the government to keep a tab on the safety concerns of using artificial sperms. Does that mean that in times to come men will be rendered useless?

Well, it’s just a wild thought...but if taken seriously it’s enough to give jitters to many a males... what say?

Science has its own boons and banes, but one should stick only to the positive aspects of a technology and that applies to this breakthrough as well.

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Researchers revealed that the chance of having a male baby drops by almost half if both parents smoke during early pregnancy, also smoking raises the chances of a miscarriage.

Researchers reportedly found that substances contained in cigarettes, such as nicotine, inhibit sperm carrying male chromosomes from fertilizing eggs.

The researchers studied 9,000 cases of pregnancy in Liverpool, and found that mothers who smoked during pregnancy were one-third less likely to have male children than those who did not smoke. Furthermore, if the father also smoked, and if factors such as the health and age of the mother were accounted for, the chances of having a male child reduces by almost half.

The study also reveals that even those mothers who do not smoke but are exposed to cigarettes from partners are less likely to have boys. It shows that substances contained in cigarettes, such as nicotine, inhibit sperm carrying male chromosomes from fertilising eggs.

Professor Bernard Brabin said,

The message is clear: if you want an increased chance of a male baby, don’t smoke during pregnancy.

Australian expert Dr Anne Clark, from the Fertility Society of Australia, said the results were fascinating but was concerned they could motivate parents wanting a girl to smoke.

Dr Clark said,

If a father smokes to get a girl, that girl is four times more likely to get cancer than if he didn’t and the mother is going to be three times more likely to have a fertility problem.

So the message is don’t smoke at all if you want a child.

Via : ABC home.net

As I have said before, the effects of pregnancy on asthma aren’t predictable. It may be unaffected, worse or improved in pregnancy.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a disease of chronic inflammation of the airways. The inflammation makes breathing difficult all the more.

Many women feel uneasy about taking medications during pregnancy. But if you have asthma, it’s important to control the signs and symptoms. If you become pregnant, don’t stop taking your asthma medications.

Some tips for managing asthma in pregnancy:

1. Take asthma medications only as directed by your doctor.

2. In spite of your treatment, even if the asthma gets worsen, inform your physician immediately.

3. Flu shot is advisable if you’ll be more than three months pregnant during flu season.

Effect of Asthma on Pregnancy:

The treatment of asthma during pregnancy is little different to other times. There is no evidence that any of the drugs commonly used to treat asthma lead to birth defects or problems throughout pregnancy. In fact, very little of the inhaled medications even gets into the baby’s blood stream. More harm is likely to come from witholding them.

There are no problems with breastfeeding whilst taking any of the asthma treatments, even steroid tablets.

Precautions during asthma:

If you are pregnant and suffering from asthma, first and foremost thing, you must do is, stay away from asthma triggers, like specific allergens such as house dust mites and animal dander and irritants such as cigarette smoke.

After discovering you are pregnant, see your allergist/immunologist soon after to discuss the best way to manage your asthma and what medications to take.

The doctor would be able to prescribe effective asthma and allergy medications that are appropriate to use during pregnancy, and will continue to work with you throughout your pregnancy to ensure your treatment is effective, without side effects.