Tourists crowd to see giant Indonesian baby: mother

Copyright © 2009
KISARAN, Indonesia — An giant Indonesian newborn has become a tourist attraction, with dozens of people crowding a hospital to see the 8.7 kilogramme (19.2 pound) baby boy, his mother said Friday.
Muhammad Akbar Risuddin, Indonesia's heaviest-ever baby, who is 62 centimetres (24.4 inches) long, was born by Caesarian section this week at a public hospital in North Sumatra.
"I feel very happy. This is God's blessing... My baby brought us fortune," his mother Ani, 41, told AFP.
"My baby constantly wants to keep feeding. My milk isn't enough, so we're having to give him bottles too," she said.
"I never imagined I'd deliver such a big baby. I thought I was going to have twins.
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How Can A Pregnant Woman Get Pregnant Again?

By Dan Fletcher © 2009 Time Inc.
An Indonesian woman gave birth to a 19-pound, two-ounce baby behemoth on Sept. 24, but that's only the second weirdest pregnancy tale in September. The strangest belongs to Julia Grovenburg, a 31-year-old Arkansas woman who has a double pregnancy. No, not twins — Grovenberg became pregnant twice, two weeks apart. Isn't that supposed to be impossible.
Almost. There have only been 10 recorded cases of the phenomenon, dubbed superfetation. In Grovenburg's case, she became pregnant with a girl (whom they've decided to name Jillian) and a boy (Hudson) two weeks later. The babies have separate due dates — Jillian on Dec. 24, Hudson on Jan. 10.
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EastEnders star says twins "a miracle"

'EastEnders' star Jo Joyner has been discussing her delight at becoming pregnant after receiving IVF treatment.

Joyner, who plays Tanya Branning in the soap, and husband Neil Madden are expecting twins.

In an interview with OK! magazine, the actress said: "We had been trying over the course of four years. You go for fertility tests and we found out it was unlikely we'd have children naturally so we went for it."We're quite young and there was still a chance we could conceive, so we decided to give it three tries and if it didn't work out, we'd reassess and look into adoption."

Joyner became pregnant after her first cycle of IVF treatment.

"We're very lucky," she said. "It's a miracle, really. That's why we're not secretive about it."

She added: "I was very sick for the first four months. I've been wanting to be pregnant for so long you can't really complain."

READ FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE © RTE.ie

Why should mums-to-be fork out €4k?

By Marisa Mackle

Monday September 14 2009

'Are you going for another one?' somebody asked the other day. My jaw dropped. Another one? Good God, I'm only just coming to terms with the fact that I have one sprog.

Although I love my little man to bits, I'm in no hurry to provide him with a sibling. He's now sleeping through the night and I get to catch my breath every now and then, but the thought of going through all those hospital visits again makes me feel exhausted. And thank God I don't have that momentous decision to make; public, semi-private or private.

People always ask me about my hospital experience and, of course, everybody's story is different but I was a public patient in the National Maternity Hospital.

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and the staff were always courteous and nice. I'd read, on internet forums, horror stories of long waiting times but I never waited more than an hour and a half to see the doctor and I always brought a book to keep me company.

Except for my last visit, I saw the same doctor all the time and she was at the birth. The entire experience was paid for by the State.

Now that we're in a recession, I'm sure many women who might have gone private before are now thinking about going public. Even private health insurance doesn't cover the consultant's fee which can be anything up to €4,000.

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Real Life: Older mums' bum deal

THE average age at which women have their first child is now over 30 and increasingly mums are waiting until their late 30s to start a family.

As well as decreasing fertility, older mums also face concerns about genetic and chromosomal disorders. The Government has not kept pace with this trend and does not provide a prenatal screening programme.

The HSE confirmed there is no national policy on a population basis, with screening only being offered by doctors on an individual patient basis where there are risk factors.

There are three main screening tests for genetic and chromosomal disorders. These include early stage tests like the scan and blood test at 11 to 12 weeks and chorionic villus sampling (CVS), involving placental tissue sampling.

Later stage tests include amniocentesis, usually carried out at 14 to 16 weeks, during which small amounts of amniotic fluid are extracted from the womb. Both amniocentesis and CVS carry a small risk of miscarriage.

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Three in five mums-to-be still drinking

AN incredible 60pc of women continue to booze while pregnant, even though they may be doing irreparable harm to their unborn child.

Doctors have warned against drinking while pregnant because victims of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder can suffer from life-long behavioural, physical and mental problems.

Experts believe that legislation is needed to heighten awareness of the disorder.

Dr Siobhan Barry expressed her worries about the findings in her studies.

"The fact that 6 out of 10 women continue to drink is desperately worrying," she said.

awareness

She criticised the Government for not creating awareness of the subject and allowing Ireland to fall behind the rest of Europe in terms of labelling drink containers with prohibitive messages.

"There is little awareness in Ireland of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

"This contrasts with countries like France, the US and Scandinavia where labelling is part of a targeted public health effort to raise awareness of the issue," she added.

Health chiefs have also come under fire from charitable organisations for their failure to highlight the issue.

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Mothers-to-be still believe in old wives’ tales

Mothers-to-be in Britain still mistakenly believe that eating a curry brings on labour, according to a new survey out today.

Almost one in five (18 per cent) women think wolfing down spicy food will help induce labour, while 38 per cent believe raspberry leaf tea is the answer.

Other “old wives’ tales” frequently thought to be true include not being able to start exercising during pregnancy (39 per cent) and that sleeping on your back can harm the unborn baby (25 per cent).

The survey also found that 13 per cent of women believe they are having a boy if they carry the baby “all at the front” while 7 per cent think drinking coffee in pregnancy affects their baby’s skin.

The poll, of more than 1,200 women, was carried out by the charity Tommy’s and Johnson’s Baby.

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At risk of pregnancy?

NEWS FOCUS: Mothers-to-be have been identified as an ‘at risk’ group in the swine flu alert – but just how great are the dangers to women and their unborn children?, writes KITTY HOLLAND

PREGNANT WOMEN – of which there are record numbers in Ireland, according to last week’s CSO figures – have been identified as one of the most “at risk” groups of developing serious problems on contracting swine flu.

The HSE says pregnant women will be among the priority groups for vaccination when the vaccine becomes available sometime next month.

Not only are they at greater risk of contracting the virus – because their immune systems are suppressed – but they are also in danger of developing severe and even fatal complications because their respiratory systems are increasingly compromised as pregnancy progresses.

This can lead to problems for their own health but also, particularly in the first trimester, to spontaneous miscarriage due to infection in some cases.

In the United States, where they make up 1 per cent of the population, pregnant women have accounted for 6 per cent of H1N1 cases and a disproportionate number of cases with severe complications. There have been a number of deaths among otherwise healthy, pregnant women.

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Don't wait until too late for a baby: women warned

YOUNG women have been urged not to leave conception in the hands of science and to plan for a family the same way they might map out a career path.

The advice, from Relationships Australia chief executive Anne Hollonds, comes on the heels of a survey showing that three-quarters of generation X (aged 30-39) and Y (18-29) women plan to have children, but only 16 per cent are thinking about having them now.

Almost half of gen Y women surveyed ranked their career as more important than starting a family, with one third saying they were concerned about losing their freedom once they became entangled with family responsibilities.

Career goals did not rate as highly among their gen X predecessors. Only 17 per cent of gen X women surveyed said their career was more important than their desire to have children.

Among women of this age, the greatest barrier to having a family was an inability to find an appropriate partner -- 54 per cent of surveyed gen X women had not found the right person with whom to have children. Ms Hollonds said women needed to be more proactive in planning for a family in their 20s, as a woman's fertility began to decline in her mid-30s.

"Just as you are going to choose the university you are going to, or an employment path, it is useful to think ahead about having a family as one of the many things that you want to do in life, rather than just filing it away until it is too late," she said.

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Take more babies away from bad parents, says Barnardo's chief

Many more children need to be taken into care at birth to stop them being damaged beyond repair by inadequate parents, the chief executive of the children's charity Barnardo's has told the Observer.

Martin Narey called for less effort to be directed at "fixing families that can't be fixed" and for social workers to be braver about removing children at risk .

After revelations about the neglect and dysfunctional background of two young brothers from Doncaster who viciously attacked an 11-year-old boy and his nine-year-old nephew, social workers have once again come under fire for failing to intervene at an early stage.

The brothers, aged 11 and 10, had been known to social services and police for several years. Their mother had allegedly given them cannabis as toddlers and forced them to forage for food in bins, while their father was allegedly a violent alcoholic. Despite this, the pair had been taken into care just three weeks before the attacks. The case has led to Doncaster social services opening an inquiry, its seventh serious case review since 2004.

READ FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE © Guardian News and Media Limited 2009

Pregnant? Eat your fruits and vegs to avoid a cold

Eating at least 7 servings of fruits and vegetables every day when you are pregnant can reduce your risk of an upper respiratory tract infection.

The study, published recently in the online issue ofPublic Health Nutrition, reported that eating at least 7 servings of fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk of having a respiratory infection when you get pregnant.

Having an upper respiratory tract infection when you are pregnant is a common maternal infection, and may affect both mother and child, with an association reported for some congenital conditions.

The study involved more than 1100 eligible mothers with ages ranging from 13 to 45 years, with an average of 28. The average intake of veggies and fruit was just over two servings of fruits and two servings of veggies each day (a total of four servings) which is way below the recommended daily serving of seven.

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Baby boom in Wexford with 2,509 last year

THERE were over 2,500 children born in County Wexford last year as the Model County played its part in Ireland's latest baby boom.

The number of births registered in the State last year was the highest since the end of the 19th century, according to the latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

The figures show there were 75,065 births registered in 2008, the highest number since 1896 when there were 75,332 births registered in the 26 counties.

In Co. Wexford there were 2,509 births registered in 2008, more than in all our neighbouring counties (Wicklow, Carlow and Kilkenny), as well as Co. Waterford.

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Women Urged Not to Drink While Pregnant

© Thomson Reuters 2009
CHICAGO, Sept. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Learning disabilities, mentalhealth issues and behavior problems are just some of the issues that afflictbabies exposed to alcohol in the womb, yet some doctors still tell theirpatients it is safe to have a drink now and then while pregnant. Those hoping to change that are meeting on September 9, the ninth day of theninth month, for a forum dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers ofdrinking while pregnant and the plight of children and families affected byFetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). State legislators, health careprofessionals, parents, social workers and drug prevention and treatmentspecialists are coming together at Prairie State College in Chicago to markinternational FASD Awareness Day. A new brochure titled "It's Only Nine Months" is also being released byPrevention First, a nonprofit drug prevention organization participating inthe forum, addressing some of the common questions and misperceptions womenhave about drinking while pregnant."Our research found that women are getting conflicting information aboutdrinking while pregnant," explained Karel Ares, executive director ofPrevention First. One focus group participant said she had heard that wine orChampagne were good for a woman's blood while pregnant, Ares said. Othersthought drinking was safe in the first few months of pregnancy. "There is noresearch that proves that any amount of alcohol is safe at any time for unbornbabies," Ares pointed out. "But there is a great deal of research about themany lifelong problems caused by permanent brain damage from drinking alcoholwhile pregnant.
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Jack and er ... Ava went up the hill

©Independent.ie
Statistics were also released this week revealing the nation's favourite baby names for 2008. Topping the list for baby boys was perennial favourite, Jack, but the girls' list threw up an unlikely winner -- Ava.
The name has been steadily rising to prominence in Ireland making it into sixth place in 2007 before claiming the top spot last year when 685 girls were registered as Ava.
The name, whose etymology is unknown, is believed to be derived be from the Latin "avis", meaning "like a bird", and has seen a steady rise in use across English speaking countries around the world.
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New baby joy for Oscar winner Halle Berry

First baby born from egg-screening

Copyright © 2009 The Press Association
A baby boy has become the first in the world to be born following a new egg-screening technique, it has been announced.
Oliver was born to his 41-year-old mother following 13 failed attempts at IVF.
The CARE Fertility Group in Nottingham used array CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridisation) to pick the egg which produced Oliver.
The technique involves selecting those eggs which are chromosomally normal and have the best chance of producing a pregnancy.
READ FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE Copyright © 2009 The Press Association

Jack, Ava top list of baby names

By Ciara O'Brien © 2009 irishtimes.com
Jack and Ava were the most popular names for babies born last year, according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
Ava, which was only ranked sixth in 2007, edged out Sarah as the top choice for baby girls, with 685 registered in Ireland during 2008, while Jack remained the favourite for boys for the second year in a row. More than 1,140 babies were given the name last year. Little has changed in the list of top five boys' names over the past year, with Jack, Sean, Conor, Daniel and James also accounting for the most popular names in 2007. However, despite Jack coming out on top in seven of the eight regional authority areas last year, it failed to reach number one in Dublin, knocked off the top spot by Sean.
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I don't need to train my baby to sleep

By Marisa Mackle © Herald.ie 2008
New mothers are obsessed with sleep. The lack of it takes over your life and you start measuring your existence by how many hours you manage to get by on. At the beginning, four hours in a row is a bonus. But, thankfully, the sleepless nights do eventually end. For some.
I'm lucky. I feel guilty even admitting this, but my baby, at half-a-year-old now (yes, we celebrated his birthday with half a candle on a cake!), is now sleeping 10 hours a night without waking me up.
My bed has become my favourite place in the world -- my little sanctuary. I love disappearing under the duvet at night once I've put Gary to bed in his room.
I cannot understand parents who keep their babies in the same room as them. It's tempting, but it's also torture, especially if your baby likes to play with his toys at 5am. He chats away and laughs to himself, which is cute, but also very annoying if you've been writing until 1am.
READ FULL ARTICLE CLICK HERE © Herald.ie 2008

Boom time for babies as births soar in recession

By Louise Hogan ©Independent.ie
Ireland is experiencing a baby boom with the highest number of births last year in more than a century.
The reason behind the surge appears to be down to the baby boomers of the 1980s going on to have their own children.
During 2008 there were a staggering 75,065 babies registered -- exactly 1,001 more than the height of the last boom, which peaked in 1980 with 74,064 babies born.
More than 40pc of the births in 2008 were to first-time mothers and a third were outside marriage.
According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) figures, 2008 saw the highest number of births registered since 1896 when 75,332 were recorded.
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