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New breast pumping technique helps preemies’ moms to improve milk supply

Mothers of premature infants shouldn't rely solely on breast pumps to establish and maintain their breast milk supply, researchers at Lucile Packard Children's hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. Moms already have a simple, safe and free tool for assisting breast milk production: their own hands.

16 Jul 2009

Breast milk ingredient protects babies' intestines

Scientists at Queen Mary, University of London have discovered that an ingredient in human breast milk protects and repairs the delicate intestines of newborn babies.

30 Jun 2009

Probiotics may help fight obesity post pregnancy

One year after giving birth, women were less likely to have the most dangerous kind of obesity if they had been given probiotics from the first trimester of pregnancy, found new research that suggests manipulating the balance of bacteria in the gut may help fight obesity.

7 May 2009

Why do breast-fed babies grow slower?

Breast-fed babies grow more slowly than formula-fed babies, which is why new growth charts, based solely on the growth patterns of breast fed babies, are being introduced in the UK in May.

23 Apr 2009

Researchers show how PCBs may alter in utero, neonatal brain development

In three new studies - including one appearing online in the Public Library of Science - Biology (PLoS - Biology) - UC Davis researchers provide compelling evidence of how low levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) alter the way brain cells develop.

13 Apr 2009

$45 million public awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS epidemic in U.S.

The U.S. government has announced a $45 million program to fight the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

8 Apr 2009

Perchlorate found in powdered baby formula

A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found trace amounts of perchlorate, an additive of rocket fuel and human thyroid disruptor, in powdered baby formula.

5 Apr 2009

Breastmilk test may reveal cancer risk early

Beginning this month and for the next year, environmental toxicologist Kathleen Arcaro of the University of Massachusetts Amherst will be recruiting subjects nationwide for a study to see if cells expressed in nursing mothers' breastmilk might one day provide a quick, easy way to assess a woman's future breast cancer risk.

5 Apr 2009

Experimental vaccine shows promise in preventing cytomegalovirus infection

Each year, approximately 8,000 infants in the United States develop severe hearing, mental or movement impairments after becoming infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common virus passed onto them while still in the womb.

19 Mar 2009

Doctors endorse vegan and vegetarian diets for healthy pregnancies

Well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets are healthful choices for pregnant women and their children, and vitamin B12 needs can be easily met with fortified foods or any common multivitamin, say doctors and dietitians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

2 Mar 2009

Octuplets doing well

An American mother has given birth to octuplets - the babies, six boys and two girls were born at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center at Bellflower hospital in Los Angeles and so far all is well.Octuplets doing well

29 Jan 2009

Breastfed babies less likely to be neglected

An international team of specialists have carried out a study which has revealed that mothers who breastfeed are less likely to neglect their children.

27 Jan 2009

Fish oil helps premmie baby girls avoid learning disabilities

According to a study by Australian researchers premature babies who were given high doses of omega-3 fatty acid were less likely to have developmental delays - but this only applied to baby girls.

18 Jan 2009

Breakthrough in treating premature babies at risk of developmental disorders

A six-year study led by Dr Maria Makrides from the Women's and Children's Health Research Institute and Professor Bob Gibson from the University of Adelaide has demonstrated that high doses of fatty acids administered to pre-term infants via their mother's breast milk or infant formula can help their mental development.

15 Jan 2009

Certain fatty acids help neurodevelopment for preterm girls

Preterm infant girls who received a high amount of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; an omega-3 fatty acid) had higher measures of neurodevelopment than preterm girls who received a standard amount of DHA, but this effect was not seen among preterm boys, according to a study in the January 14 issue of JAMA.

13 Jan 2009

Prolonged nevirapine in breast-fed babies prevents HIV infection but leads to drug-resistant HIV

Babies born to HIV-positive mothers and given the antiretroviral drug nevirapine through the first six weeks of life to prevent infection via breast-feeding are at high risk for developing drug-resistant HIV if they get infected anyway, a team of researchers report.

5 Jan 2009

Study to examine how breastfeeding impacts cost of healthcare for very low birth weight babies

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded nearly $3 million to support Rush University Medical Center's study analyzing how human breast milk impacts the health outcomes and health care cost savings for very low birth weight infants – babies less than 1500 grams.

16 Dec 2008

Benefits of breastfeeding outweigh risk of exposure to environmental chemicals

A study comparing breastfed and formula fed infants across time showed that the known beneficial effects of breastfeeding are greater than the potential risks associated with infant exposure to chemicals such as dioxins that may be present in breastmilk, according to a report published in the December issue (Volume 3, Number 4) of Breastfeeding Medicine.

16 Dec 2008

Discovery of new way in which epigenetic information is inherited

Hereditary information flows from parents to offspring not just through DNA but also through the millions of proteins and other molecules that cling to it.

28 Nov 2008