Birth Weight News and Research

RSS

Anti-smoking laws lead to decrease in stillbirths

Stillbirths have dropped by almost eight per cent in England since the smoking ban was introduced, research shows.

14 Aug 2015

Low birth weight, preterm birth increase schizophrenia risk in individuals with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Low birth weight and preterm birth appear to increase the risk of schizophrenia among individuals with a genetic condition called the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, a new study from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows.

14 Aug 2015

Adult IQ of children with very low birth weight can be predicted by age two

Research from the University of Warwick indicates that the IQ of adults born very premature or of very low birth weight can be predicted when they are just a toddler.

13 Aug 2015

Study looks at attention abilities of babies born through caesarean sections

Being delivered through a caesarean section influences at least one form of babies' ability to concentrate. It slows their spatial attention, which plays a role in how well they are able to prioritize and focus on a particular area or object that is of interest. These are the findings of Scott Adler and Audrey Wong-Kee-You of York University in Canada, published in Springer's journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics.

12 Aug 2015

Single incidence of abortion or miscarriage may impact subsequent pregnancies in women's lives

It has been well established that women who have had several abortions or miscarriages are likely to face a slightly higher risk of complications in subsequent pregnancies. They may experience vaginal bleeding during early pregnancy, preterm birth, low fetal birth weight, and placenta-related complications. Women with a medical history of several interrupted pregnancies are usually advised to take extra precautions to ensure healthy full-term pregnancies later in life.

12 Aug 2015

Dartmouth study finds NICU admission rates are increasing for newborns of all weights

Neonatal intensive care units were originally created for newborns who are extremely ill and/or underweight, but a Dartmouth study finds that NICU admission rates are increasing for newborns of all weights.

3 Aug 2015

Girls are born with weaker spines compared to boys, study finds

Looking at measurements of the vertebrae - the series of small bones that make up the spinal column - in newborn children, investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles found that differences between the sexes are present at birth. Results of the study, now online in advance of publication in the August issue of the Journal of Pediatrics, suggest that this difference is evolutionary, allowing the female spine to adapt to the fetal load during pregnancy.

25 Jul 2015

Adults born very premature display socially withdrawn personality

New research indicates that adults born very premature are more likely to be socially withdrawn and display signs of autism.

24 Jul 2015

Teen birth, mental illness increase hospitalization of children in Texas

From 2004 to 2010 in Texas, mental illness was the most common reason for the hospitalization of children ages 10-14 while pregnancy/birth was the most common reason for the hospitalization of adolescents ages 15-17, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston Medical School.

15 Jul 2015

Researchers suggest that minority children are underrepresented in special education classrooms

Although minority children are frequently reported to be overrepresented in special education classrooms, a team of researchers suggests that minority children are less likely than otherwise similar white children to receive help for disabilities.

24 Jun 2015

PROMISSE study: Most women with lupus can expect good pregnancy outcomes

One of the most important and anxiety-producing concerns among patients with lupus is whether it is safe to become pregnant. A pioneering study led by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery has shown that most women can expect a good pregnancy outcome if their lupus is inactive and they are free of certain risk factors.

23 Jun 2015

Higher obstetric risk identified in ART pregnancies not linked to poorer academic performance in children

The academic performance of children conceived by assisted reproduction techniques (ART) is no better or worse than that of spontaneously conceived children when assessed at the ninth grade of their school education.

15 Jun 2015

Study shows that ankylosing spondylitis can be predicted by low birth weight

The results of a study presented today at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual Congress (EULAR 2015) Press Conference showed that a diagnosis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) can be predicted by low birth weight, having older siblings and hospitalisation for infection between the ages of 5-16 years.

12 Jun 2015

High air-temperature exposure during pregnancy increases risk of lower birth weight

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Harvard University researchers have developed a technique that measures the correlation between air temperature and birth weight. They evaluated the relationship between birth outcomes (focusing on birth weight) and ambient air temperature during pregnancy in Massachusetts between 2000 and 2008.

10 Jun 2015

New UT Arlington study finds that household items play significant role in infant's motor skill development

Toys, appliances, and even a sofa and coffee table can impact the way or when a baby first crawls, walks or achieves other growth milestones, but a new UT Arlington study finds that many parents are unaware of the significant role household items play in their infant's motor skill development.

5 Jun 2015

March of Dimes funds studies that explore factors, mechanisms involved in placental malaria

Malaria infection during pregnancy poses serious risks to women and infants. The March of Dimes Foundation, an American organization that works to improve pregnancy and baby health, has now funded Carlos Penha-Goncalves' laboratory, at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC, Portugal), for their studies on factors and mechanisms involved in placental malaria. This is the first time that this American Foundation funds research from a Portuguese Institution.

3 Jun 2015

Women born preterm have higher risk of preterm delivery, study finds

Women who were born preterm have a higher risk of giving birth to preterm children, according to a study, published in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, from researchers of the CHU Sainte-Justine and the University of Montreal.

19 May 2015

New app may help parents save lives of premature babies

A new app launched by The University of Nottingham is offering parents of newborn infants the chance to play a crucial role in research that could save the lives of premature babies in the developing world.

7 May 2015

Neonatal abstinence syndrome on the rise in U.S.

The number of infants born in the United States with drug withdrawal symptoms, also known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), nearly doubled in a four-year period. By 2012, one infant was born every 25 minutes in the U.S. with the syndrome, accounting for $1.5 billion in annual health care charges, according to a new Vanderbilt study published in the Journal of Perinatology.

30 Apr 2015

Study reveals increasing incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome in U.S.

An increasing number of babies across the country are born addicted to opioids and require intensive care, according to a study analyzing MEDNAX Clinical Data Warehouse statistics from 299 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) around the United States.

28 Apr 2015