Birth Weight News and Research

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Experts in obstetric care come together to realize quality measures for high-risk pregnancies

The United States spends significantly more money on the delivery of health care yet experiences inferior results. Maternal and infant mortality rates are elevated in the United States as compared to other high-income nations.

11 Oct 2017

Epidural medication has no effect on duration of labor, study shows

Epidural analgesia – a mix of anesthetics and narcotics delivered by catheter placed close to the nerves of the spine – is the most effective method of labor pain relief. In widespread use since the 1970s, epidurals have long been thought to slow the second stage of labor – defined as beginning when the cervix is completely dilated and ending when the baby is delivered.

10 Oct 2017

Research will explore biological mechanisms triggered by air pollution exposure during pregnancy

New research will seek to understand the biological mechanisms that are triggered by exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and lead to lower birth weight in newborns, placing them at greater risk for chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease and hypertension later in life.

10 Oct 2017

Study looks at impact of mental health risk factors on extremely low birth weight survivors

Decreased exposure to bullying and family problems during childhood and adolescence could help reduce adult mental illness in extremely low birth weight preemies, according to a new study from McMaster University.

3 Oct 2017

Iron supplements for low birth weight babies can prevent behavioral problems at school age

Babies classified as low birth weight (under 2.500 grams) are at risk of iron deficiency, which is linked to impaired neurological development.

27 Sep 2017

Pregnant smokers more likely to quit if they learn to manage negative emotions, study shows

A new study by scientists in the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions has shown that pregnant smokers are more likely to quit if they can learn to manage negative emotions that lead to smoking.

19 Sep 2017

Research finds postpartum depressive symptoms in 45% of parents when newborns leave NICU

Almost half of parents whose children were admitted to Children's National Health System's neonatal intensive care unit experienced postpartum depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress when their newborns were discharged from the hospital.

15 Sep 2017

New online calculator estimates impact of changes in breastfeeding rates on population health

In a new study published in Breastfeeding Medicine, researchers have created an online calculator to estimate the impact of changes in breastfeeding rates on population health.

14 Sep 2017

Female cancer survivors have higher risks of poor pregnancy outcomes, study finds

An International Journal of Cancer study found that female survivors of certain types of cancer have higher risks of poor outcomes in pregnancies conceived after diagnosis than women without cancer.

12 Sep 2017

Children with respiratory tract infections have increased risk for asthma, worse lung function in later life

Respiratory tract infections in young children are linked to an increased risk of asthma and worse lung function in later life, according to new research to be presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress today (Sunday).

11 Sep 2017

Physical exercise during pregnancy provides benefits for both mother and baby

Spanish researchers have clarified doubts over the physical activity recommended during pregnancy. Their work highlights how exercise should be taken not only by healthy, previously active women, but that it is also a good time to adopt a healthy lifestyle. There are clear advantages for both the mother and baby.

4 Sep 2017

Researchers find increase in adverse birth outcomes due to high levels of pesticide exposure

Although common opinion holds that exposure to pesticides increases adverse birth outcomes, the existing body of scientific evidence is ambiguous. Logistical and ethical barriers -- pesticide use data are not widely available and randomized control trials are impossible -- have gotten in the way of more accurate conclusions.

29 Aug 2017

Weight gain early in pregnancy has greatest impact on infants' size at birth, study suggests

Weight gain in early pregnancy has the greatest impact on infant size at birth, according to a new study published today in Obesity. The study is the largest ever analysis of the effect that weight gain in early pregnancy has on infant size.

28 Aug 2017

Medical care in California's NICUs influenced by infants' racial and ethnic identities

Infants' racial and ethnic identities influence the quality of medical care they receive in California's neonatal intensive care units, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found.

28 Aug 2017

Researchers highlight global burden of suboptimal fetal growth in low-and middle-income countries

In low-and middle-income countries, it is common for babies to be born of low birth weight, due to either inadequate growth in utero (fetal growth restriction) and/or preterm birth, (birth before 37 weeks gestation).

18 Aug 2017

High-quality diet could make significant difference in South Asian women at risk for gestational diabetes

South Asian women in Ontario are at high risk for gestational diabetes, but a change in diet and pre-pregnancy weight could make a significant difference, according to a new study from McMaster University.

10 Aug 2017

Study traces lives of very premature children and their parents from birth until adulthood

Parents of very premature or very low birth weight babies have the same life satisfaction as parents of full-term babies, when their children reach adulthood- according to new research by the University of Warwick.

10 Aug 2017

Extreme heat exposure may have adverse effects on pregnant women and their babies

Pregnant women are an important but thus far largely overlooked group vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat linked to climate change, according to new research by Sabrina McCormick, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University.

8 Aug 2017

Racial disparities in childhood asthma linked to residential segregation

Researchers have had trouble explaining why black children are much more likely than other children to suffer from asthma.

7 Aug 2017

Proposed machine learning-based framework predicts FGR pregnancies with high accuracy

During the millions of pregnancies that occur in the United States every year, expectant moms learn oodles about their developing fetuses over months of gestation.

31 Jul 2017