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Health News Results - 62

New moms who live on tree-lined streets may be somewhat less vulnerable to postpartum depression, according to a new study β€” the latest to link "green space" to better mental health.

The study, of medical records from more than 415,000 new mothers, found that those living in ...

Generous parental leave policies at work can do wonders for a new mom's mental health.

This is among the key messages from a new review of 45 studies examining how parental leave policies affect mom and dad's mental health and well-being.

Mothers working for companies with generous parental leave policies were less likely to experience symptoms of depression, poor mental health...

Something β€” or rather, someone β€” may be standing between moms and a regular exercise routine: their children.

New research from the universities of Cambridge and Southampton in the United Kingdom suggests that fewer than half of mothers met recommended activity levels, a number that was even lower when the children were younger or there was more than one.

β€œIt is perhaps not ...

While half of mothers of children with autism suffer symptoms of depression, a new study has discovered that did not raise the risk of behavioral problems for their kids.

It was both a surprising and heartenin...

Pregnant women with a family history of any mental health condition may be at increased risk of depression after giving birth, a new research review finds.

In an analysis of 26 studies, researchers found that women with a family history of psychiatric diagnoses were at heightened risk of

  • Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
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  • August 22, 2022
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  • Full Page
  • Breast cancer survivors who would like to have a baby can take some reassurance from a new study that finds motherhood doesn't lower their future survival chances.

    Moreover, survival rates were no worse in younger women, those who had not been pregnant before or those with

  • By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
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  • July 7, 2022
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  • Full Page
  • Mom's voice may be music to a young child's brain, but the teen brain prefers to change the station, a new study finds.

    Past research using brain imaging has revealed how important a mother's voice is to younger children: The sound stimulates not only hearing-related parts of the brain, but also circuits involved in emotions and "reward" - in a way strange voices simply do not.

    The ...

    Chloe Jo Davis is a vocal advocate for breastfeeding.

    The Wilton, Conn.-based writer breastfed her three sons for years to make sure they reaped all of the benefits associated with the practice.

    "Breastfeeding helps build up kids' immune system and keeps colds, virus, ear infection and stomach bugs at bay, and this is more important today than ever before with the spread of COVID-19...

    The sound of mom's voice can soothe a fussy baby like nothing else, but now new research suggests that an infant is also calmed by the scent of its mother.

    Prior animal studies had already shown that olfaction -- smell -- "is very important, that mother's smell is very critical for attachment," noted study author Ruth Feldman. "Young recognize mother by her smell, and mother and habitat a...

    Grandmothers can have a strong bond with the little children in their families -- and the connection even shows up on brain scans, researchers say.

    The investigators embarked on a unique study, looking at the brains of older women -- not for signs of dysfunction, as with dementia, but to study their connections with their grandchildren.

    "What really jumps out in the data is the acti...

    Moms who had COVID-19 when they gave birth may help stimulate their infant's burgeoning immunity against the virus by breastfeeding, a small study hints.

    It's well known that breast milk contains certain maternal antibodies that can help protect infants from infections as their own immune systems develop.

    Studies indicate that's true of SARS-CoV-2, as well: Breast milk from moms who...

    The joys of motherhood may be overshadowed in the United States since as many as 50% of new or expectant moms can't pay their bills, including health care bills, new research suggests.

    "Financial hardship is highly prevalent among pregnant and postpartum women," said study co-author Dr. Michelle Moniz. She is an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michiga...

    Among the many negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic may be damage to the bond between mothers and their infants, researchers say.

    Women who experienced grief and depression due to pandemic-related losses may find it more difficult to form this all-important emotional connection with their babies, according to a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.

    "Becoming a...

    Women who were born with heart defects may get some reassurance from a new study that finds they face no heightened risk to health during a pregnancy and delivery.

    According to the researchers, doctors may often advise these women against getting pregnant due to the potential risks for them and their babies, but until now those risks have been unclear.

    "The most important finding fr...

    Marijuana use by mothers-to-be may have increased by as much as one-quarter during the pandemic, a new study suggests.

    Researchers found a substantial increase in the number of women in Northern California using pot early in their pregnancies after the pandemic emerged compared to the previous year.

    "Our previous research has shown that the prevalence and frequency of prenatal canna...

    The COVID-19 pandemic has many women thinking twice about having more kids.

    In a survey of close to 1,200 New York City women with young children, one-third of respondents who had been thinking about having another baby before the pandemic but hadn't started trying said they were no longer considering it.

    For women who stopped trying to become pregnant when the pandemic began, fewer...

    Breast milk can give preemies' hearts a big boost, a groundbreaking study suggests.

    "This study … adds to the already known benefits of breast milk for infants born prematurely," said study leader Dr. Afif El-Khuffash, a clinical professor of pediatrics at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin.

    He said the findings off...

    Breastfeeding provides a baby with many positive benefits, but it doesn't always happen easily.

    When a new mom feels overwhelmed by the challenge, a lactation consultant can help, according to two breastfeeding experts from Penn State Health.

    "We're here to make sure new moms can get to where they want to be with their infant -- breastfeeding with ease and confidence," said Nancy Mc...

    All pregnant women should be vaccinated "without delay" against COVID-19, two leading groups of U.S. obstetric specialists recommend.

    That advice -- from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) -- is based on tens of thousands of cases over the past several months showing that vaccination during pregnancy is safe.

    When child care centers were forced to close in the pandemic's early months, hundreds of thousands of American working mothers lost their jobs, new research shows.

    The study is just the latest illustration of the toll the pandemic has taken on working women in the United States.

    Over the first 10 months of the U.S. pandemic, more than 2.3 million women left the labor force, accordin...

    When a baby is born, the mother's body provides a pathway into the world, but the journey also exposes them to beneficial bacteria that live in and on their mom. But that critical exchange doesn't happen during a cesarean section delivery.

    Now, researchers report that swabbing babies delivered via C-section with gauze that has been seeded with their mother's vaginal fluids delivers the sa...

    Expectant mothers' high blood pressure heightens kids' risk of stroke later in life, a Swedish study finds.

    "Our findings indicate that hypertensive disorders during pregnancy are associated with increased risks of stroke and potentially heart disease in offspring up to the age of 41 years," said study author Fen Yang, a doctoral student at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

    The stu...

    Show your baby your love, and you'll get a kinder, gentler adult child as your reward, a new study suggests.

    More than 20 years ago, researchers in Israel began studying the impact on newborns of time spent in physical contact with their mothers.

    The investigators followed these infants, born in the mid- to late-1990s, for two decades.

    Now, their latest results -- based on n...

    Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is more common among new mothers than previously thought, and it's often driven by worries about things that may happen to their newborns, a new study finds.

    Many new moms may keep the issue hidden, the Canadian researchers said.

    "When mothers have these kinds of thoughts they might think, 'There's something wrong with me and I can't tell anyone b...

    As little as half a cup of coffee each day might be enough to stunt the growth and birth weight of a baby in the womb, a new study claims.

    Women who consumed an average 50 milligrams of caffeine per day -- equivalent to half a cup of coffee -- had infants that were 2.3 ounces lighter than babies born to women who didn't drink any caffeine, researchers report.

    That amount is a fracti...

    Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, remains in breast milk for up to six weeks and may be harmful to infants, a new study warns.

    The researchers said the finding supports recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics and others that women shouldn't use marijuana while pregnant or breastfeeding.

    "Just as we now caution mothers to avoid toba...

    In a finding that suggests heart health starts in the womb, a new study shows that the state of a woman's heart during pregnancy may predict her kids' health by the time they reach adolescence.

    Researchers found that when mothers' weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels were less healthy during pregnancy, their children were at heightened risk for those same issues.

    The reason...

    Children whose mothers used antibiotics in pregnancy may have a slightly heightened risk of asthma, a new study suggests.

    Experts were quick to point out the finding does not prove cause and effect, and the reasons for the antibiotic use -- rather than the drug -- might explain the link, said lead researcher Cecilie Skaarup Uldbjerg, of Aarhus University in Denmark.

    "Previous studie...

    Talk therapy for new mothers with postpartum depression may also benefit their babies' brains, Canadian researchers say.

    "We found that after their moms were treated that their infant's brain activity normalized to the levels seen in our healthy infants," said study co-author Ryan Van Lieshout, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at McMaster University in Hami...

    Mothers who drink cow's milk while breastfeeding may reduce their child's risk of developing food allergies, a new Swedish study suggests.

    "This is a compelling first step in defining a potential relationship between maternal diet and allergy risk," said Dr. Peter Lio, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology and pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in C...

    Pregnancy can be exhilarating or exhausting, and sometimes both at the same time. It may not come as a surprise to a woman who has experienced pregnancy once, twice or many times, that it can age her.

    New research reveals that how many pregnancies a woman has may affect just how much her body ages. And, as it turns out, women who have no babies -- or many -- seem to age faster than others...

    One key to breastfeeding success? Having enough hospital nurses to ensure that new moms get top-notch care.

    Hospitals with higher rates of exclusive breastfeeding had nurses who provided more consistent care, according to a new report.

    That care included helping moms have skin-to-skin contact with their babies and breastfeed within an hour of giving birth. Nurses also provi...

    Babies born to mothers with COVID-19 only rarely suffer from effects of the virus, a new study suggests.

    These newborns generally do well in the six to eight weeks after birth, but more are admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) if their mothers had COVID-19 in the two weeks before delivery.

    Of more than 200 babies studied, complications including preterm birt...

    Expectant mothers who smoke pot in pregnancy could increase their baby's risk for mental or emotional problems later in childhood, a new study finds.

    Marijuana use during pregnancy was associated with a host of problems in the preteen years, researchers report.

    Children exposed to pot in the womb were more likely to experience internalizing disorders such as depression and a...

    Babies of mothers with anxiety or depression can have significantly higher heart rates than normal, a new study finds.

    And this might put them at risk for long-term problems, researchers say.

    Mother-infant interaction plays a crucial role in children's healthy development, but moms with depression, anxiety or postnatal depression may be emotionally distant from their infants...

    American kids have something to celebrate: Spanking has hit a new low.

    About one in three parents said they spanked their kids in 2017 compared to 50% in 1993, new research shows.

    "Fewer parents are spanking, and I think it's helpful for people to know that and that there are tools that are more effective than spanking," said Christopher Mehus, lead author of a new stu...

    Children of mothers with long-term depression have an increased risk of behavioral problems and poor development, researchers say.

    The new study included nearly 900 Australian mothers and 978 of their children. Levels of depression were examined in the mothers before, during and after pregnancy. The investigators also analyzed their children's development and behavior.

    One i...

    Skin-to-skin contact between parents and babies -- often called "kangaroo care" -- provides major benefits to preemies' hearts and brains, Australian researchers say.

    They assessed 40 babies born about 10 weeks early with an average weight of 2.9 pounds. Normal birth weight is 6.6 pounds.

    One hour a day of kangaroo care significantly improved blood flow to the newborns' brai...

    Breastfeeding is good for more than babies: New research suggests it may protect new mothers from developing diabetes for years after they give birth.

    The study included 85 women who breastfed and 99 who did not. They were assessed two months after giving birth and each year after that for at least three years.

    Compared to those who didn't breastfeed, mothers who breastfed h...

    It wouldn't be Mother's Day without flowers and a messy breakfast in bed. But is there more we can do for mom's long-term benefit, and perhaps even for motherhood in general?

    There surely is, experts say, and it doesn't have to cost a lot of money. As May 10 approaches, here are a few things to keep in mind.

    "My kids are always asking me what they should do for Mother's Day," sa...

    Women who develop mental health problems after delivering their first child are much less likely to have more, a Danish study finds.

    But this is not the case among women whose first child died.

    For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 414,000 women in Denmark who had a first live birth between 1997 and 2015. About 1% developed problems such as depression, an...

    As if being a teen mom isn't hard enough, two-thirds of young mothers are grappling with at least one mental health issue, researchers say.

    And close to 40% of mothers under 21 years of age have more than one issue, including depression, anxiety and hyperactivity, according to the research team from McMaster Children's Hospital in Ontario, Canada.

    That's up to four tim...

    Young boys whose mothers were exposed to chemicals known as phthalates while pregnant may face an increased risk for developing behaviors associated with autism, a new study warns.

    Phthalates are chemicals found in many household products, including cosmetics and plastics.

    The study didn't identify a heightened risk for autism per se among boys, but rather a "small" increas...

    Protections may be in place for employees who breastfeed, but the onus is on working moms to seek out the resources they need, according to a University of Georgia survey.

    "We know that there are benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and the infant, and we know that returning to work is a significant challenge for breastfeeding continuation," said lead author Rachel McCardel, ...

    If you're an expectant parent, you know you're in for some sleepless nights once the baby comes. What you might not expect is almost $5,000 in medical costs.

    A new study warns parents-to-be that average out-of-pocket costs for health care during pregnancy, delivery and the first three months after birth jumped to more than $4,500 in 2015 from just over $3,000 in 2008.

    That...

    Moms trump doctors when it comes to pregnancy advice, a new study suggests.

    More often than not, pregnant women rely on guidance from their mothers instead of medical experts, the researchers found.

    Many believe their mom's advice is as good or even better than medical recommendations.

    "And often for good reason," said study author Danielle Bessett, an associate ...

    Immediate skin-to-skin contact between newborns and their mothers is encouraged, but poses some potential risks in cases of cesarean birth, researchers say.

    In a new report, the researchers described two cases where newly delivered babies came into contact with electrodes on the mothers' skin that were used to monitor her vital signs during C-section surgery.

    The cases were ...

    Weight-loss surgery before pregnancy may lower obese women's odds of having a baby with major birth defects, new research suggests.

    For the study, the researchers examined data on more than 33,000 births in Sweden between 2007 and 2014.

    Of these, nearly 3,000 children were born to mothers who had a type of weight-loss surgery called gastric bypass before getting pregnant. T...

    If a mother is depressed, her young children might be at risk for hyperactivity, aggressiveness and anxiety, a new study suggests.

    Interestingly, a father's depression only affected kids if mom was also depressed, the researchers found.

    "Depression among parents both during and after pregnancy not only affects the person suffering from depression but also has a long-term imp...

    It's not uncommon for new moms to feel an emotional letdown shortly after baby is born. Though symptoms of these so-called "baby blues" can be wide-ranging, they last no more than two weeks and go away on their own.

    Some Signs of the Baby Blues:

    • Mood swings
    • Feeling sad or overwhelmed
    • Being unable to concentrate
    • Appetite and sleep tr...