Fun ways to guess your baby's sex

YOU could easily wait on ultrasound confirmation, but we're sure you'll agree that guessing your baby's gender and hearing the odd explanations from friends about why it's one sex and not the other can sometimes be much more fun. There is no guarantee of course that the guesses will be accurate, but there are so many who swear by these old wives tales, that it's hard to believe that some are not true. So if you are an expectant mom, don't be surprised if you find your relatives and friends start measuring your tummy -- it could be that they are just trying to find out what colours to buy.

1. The shape of your tummy: It is said that you are having a boy if your belly looks like a basketball and a girl if your belly looks like a watermelon.

2. How sick do you feel: The frequency of your morning sickness is something that some use to determine gender. Little or no morning sickness means that you are having a boy and being sick in the first trimester or throughout your pregnancy means you are having a girl.

3. It's all in the heartbeat: Your baby's heartbeat is considered a definite give-away. If the heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute, then you are having a boy. If they are over a 140, then it's a girl.

Copyright© 2000-2001 Jamaica Observer

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Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I have to give up workouts, says fitness trainer

FITNESS trainer Sarah-Jane Hunter is not letting her pregnancy bump stand in the way of her workouts.

The expectant mum plans to keep working at her private health, fitness and wellbeing club as near to her due date as possible.

And she is making plans for a prompt return to the studio after giving birth.

As a personal trainer qualified in ante and post-natal exercise, Sarah-Jane is well aware of the dangers of highimpact exercise and risks it poses to her unborn baby and her own health.

By Laura Coventry © 2010 Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd.

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Real food: Tall tales and truths about drinking coffee

All parents tell their kids fibs to prevent them from eating unhealthy foods. My dad told me a doozy: drinking coffee would give me fleas in my tummy!

But there are many other widespread myths about coffee that recent scientific studies have dispelled.

The Coffee Science Information Centre says the most common misconception is that it is a diuretic. It does increase the frequency of urination, but not the amount of water you excrete. Coffee has now been included among the fluids that count towards our recommended daily intake of water by the British Dietetic Association.

The most surprising fact I learned is that it is not addictive. We over-use that word. Coffee does not work along the same neural pathways in the brain as an addictive drug or even nicotine would.

By Rozanne Stevens ©Independent.ie

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Baby development linked to learning

Monitoring the development of babies' motor skills could help to identify children who will need help with their learning at nursery, new research suggests.

Youngsters who fail to reach key "milestones" are more likely to have learning and behaviour problems at the age of five, a study by the Institute of Education, University of London, found.

The researchers analysed the development of almost 15,000 UK children taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study.

They looked at assessments of youngsters "gross" motor skills, like crawling, as well as "fine" motor skills, like the ability to hold objects with their fingers at the age of nine months.

© 2010 The Press Association

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New look emergency and special baby care units open in Portiuncula tomorrow

The refurbished emergency department and special care baby unit at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe will be officially re-opened tomorrow (Friday) at 12 noon by the Minister for Health and Children, Mary Harney.

The hospital which has been plagued in recent months with threats of downgrading and industrial action is now sending out a positive message to the people of Ballinasloe, according to Galway county councillor Paul Connaughton.

He says: “This is a welcome development for Ballinasloe, and is a key part of the areas infrastructure. The redevelopment of these units is sending out a positive message to the people of Ballinasloe, especially with talk of downgrading the hospital, and moving services to Galway.”

Cllr Connaughton says the announcement is comforting to the people of Ballinasloe, and shows the hospitals importance and commitment to the town and neighbouring areas.

© 2010 Galway Advertiser

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Question of Finance: What is the best account for my young children?

Q: I have a 20-month-old daughter and another baby due at the end of April.

I would like to set up savings accounts for both of them and I wondered whether you would recommend a particular bank?

Alternatively, would I be better off going for a post office or a credit union account?

A: I have two girls (nine and six) and I have two AIB Parent Saver accounts. These accounts pay 5pc, but for a year only and there is a €200 monthly maximum you can put into each. After a year, the money is transferred into a parent deposit account paying 0.5pc.

By Charlie Weston ©Independent.ie

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Bans sought for chemical BPA in baby, toddler products

States are moving to ban the chemical BPA from food and drink containers, primarily those meant for infants and toddlers, because of health concerns.

States are moving to ban the chemical BPA from food and drink containers, primarily those meant for infants and toddlers, because of health concerns.

The Food and Drug Administration, which previously called BPA safe, announced last month that, in light of new studies, it has "some concerns" about the chemical's potential effects on brain development of fetuses, infants and children. It did not say BPA is unsafe.

"This announcement has added momentum to the efforts to restrict the uses of this dangerous chemical once and for all," says Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., author of a pending bill to ban BPA from food and drink containers. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.., has a similar proposal in the Senate.

© 2010 USA TODAY

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Baby who can walk at just six months old

Mary King, 30, and her husband David, 27, said they knew their son, Xavier, was a fast learner when he started sitting up on his own at just three months old.

But they were astonished when he tottered to his feet and began walking distances of six feet without support in January.

Mrs King, from Cambridge, said of her first child: "Xavier is more advanced than most babies his age. It was just amazing when he got up and started putting one leg in front of the other.

"The only problem now is that I can't leave him alone so have had to buy a play pen so he doesn't get into any mischief."

By Heidi Blake © Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010

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Thinking of using IVF? Try this first

After pregnancy, anxiety about infertility is the main reason women of childbearing age consult their GP. One in three women experience problems in getting pregnant, with seven out of 10 childless women over 30 worrying that they are infertile.

In their anxiety to beat the biological clock, many couples may be opting unnecessarily for assisted conception before they have exhausted natural alternatives that cost less in time, money and emotion.

So, if your new year's resolution was to get pregnant in 2010, here are some ways to improve your chances with none of the expense, side-effects or hassle of IVF.

As the joke goes, keep on trying normal conception methods -- in the kitchen, the bathroom, the garden shed, anywhere you fancy. If you've been on the Pill or are trying for a baby in your late twenties or your thirties, it's normal for conception to take some time -- and you might as well enjoy the wait. After six months of trying, 60pc of couples have conceived. After a year this rises to 80pc.

By Jane Feinmann © Herald.ie 2008

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Mom's anemia may raise schizophrenia risk in offspring

Children of mothers who had been diagnosed with anemia during pregnancy, most likely due to iron deficiency, had a significantly elevated risk of developing the mental disorder, the study's lead researcher Dr. Holger Srensen of the University Hospital of Copenhagen in Demark, told Reuters Health by email.

Iron is necessary for the production of hemoglobin, a protein that distributes oxygen throughout the body. Because a pregnant woman carries an additional set of organs and tissues -- and almost 50 percent more blood -- she needs extra iron to ensure that enough oxygen gets around.

"We speculate that maternal iron deficiency may disrupt essential pathways that affect the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the fetus," Srensen said. Earlier research has suggested that a failure to meet the iron demands of a developing brain might heighten a child's vulnerability to disorders such as schizophrenia.

© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters

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Osteopathic care may ease late-pregnancy back pain

Doctors in osteopathic medicine (DOs) are medical doctors additionally trained in gentle manipulative techniques to help restore function, range of motion, and lessen pain in bones and adjoining muscles supporting the neck, back, chest, shoulders, and hips.

Osteopathic manipulation may particularly benefit pregnant women seeking medication-free back pain relief, note Dr. John C. Licciardone and colleagues at University of Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

The study, in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, included 144 otherwise healthy pregnant women, about 24 years old on average, with moderate levels of back pain and related movement difficulties during late pregnancy.

The women were randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual obstetric care only, usual obstetric care plus weekly 30-minute osteopathic manipulation treatments from the 30th week of pregnancy through delivery, or usual obstetric care plus sham ultrasound skin stimulation sessions.

© Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters

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Benefits of drinking milk while pregnant revealed

New research has found that mothers who drink milk during pregnancy could help reduce the risk of their child developing multiple sclerosis (MS) in later life.

According to findings from a Harvard School of Public Health report, which looked at almost 36,000 women whose mothers gave information during pregnancy, the risk of developing the illness was reduced among those whose mothers drank a lot of milk when carrying them.

Out of the 35,794 women looked at, 199 developed MS over a period of 16 years.

©2001-2010 Bounty (UK) Ltd.

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Getting pregnant with fibroids

WOMEN diagnosed with fibroids often become concerned that they may not be able to get pregnant, or that the chances of them becoming pregnant are slim. However, doctors say this should not be a concern as women can in fact become pregnant despite the presence of fibroids.

"Women can indeed become pregnant if they have fibroids," general practitioner Dr Orlando Thomas said. "This does not prevent them from becoming pregnant at all."

He explained, however, that fibroids have been associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. But this is dependent on where on the uterus the fibroid is located.

"If the fibroid is located on the outside of the uterus (subserosal) or near the cervix, these are considered problem areas during pregnancy," Dr Thomas said.

By Donna Hussey-Whyte © 2000-2001 Jamaica Observer

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'Baby brain' and 12 other pregnancy myths

Pregnancy may bring a rush of euphoric emotions for many women, but it can also mean nine months of paranoia and panic. We are fed so much information that the path from conception to labour can be fraught with confusion. Once that bump appears, everyone has an opinion on everything from the gender of your child to how you should live your life while carrying him or her.

And who knows what to believe? Last week, for instance, the long-held belief being that pregnancy triggers memory lapses dubbed “baby-brain” syndrome was debunked by a report in the British Journal of Psychiatry. According to a study by the Australian National University in Canberra, neither pregnancy nor motherhood damaged brain power, so being forgetful can no longer be blamed on the baby.

Then came the revelation from the supermodel Gisele Bündchen that she had sailed through labour, giving birth to her son in the bathtub at her Boston penthouse. “It wasn’t painful, not even a little bit,” said the 29-year-old Brazilian, right. “The whole time, my head was so focused — every contraction, the baby is closer, the baby is closer. ” So should all women be rushing to use birthing pools? Not necessarily. No evidence confirms that childbirth is less painful in water. “Birthing pools work for some,” says Maylyn Bonds, a midwife for Tommy’s, a charity that funds research into pregnancy problems. “They don’t help others.”

By Peta Bee Copyright 2010 Times Newspapers Ltd.

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Where's daddy?

Many new Irish fathers are reluctant to take leave to help look after their offspring

RECENT STUDIES in the UK show that almost half of all fathers refused to take paternity leave they were entitled to, because they feared it could affect their work prospects.

For many new Irish fathers, choosing to turn down paternity leave is not even an option, as there is currently no legal entitlement to it here.

With the prevailing economic climate, some observers believe the pressure for reform of paternity rights is unlikely to be top of the agenda for some time.

At present, paternity leave in the private sector in Ireland is at the discretion of employers, while in the public sector three days’ off is available to staff.

By Brian O'Connell © irishtimes.com

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Talk to the hand

Sign language is being promoted as a way to improve communication between young babies and their parents

SIOBHÁN MURRAY cannot remember her son Charlie, who turns three next month, ever having a tantrum. Either she has a very selective memory or he is an extraordinary child.

Or maybe, as she believes, the fact that he started to use sign language from the age of five months helped them avoid frustrating misunderstandings. Signing is promoted as a way for babies to communicate better before they can talk.

“He is a wild little monkey but he has always been able to communicate, so there wasn’t that angst of not being able to say what was wrong,” explains Murray, who now teaches baby signing.

We know that babies begin to get a grasp of what is going on in the world around them long before they can start articulating their thoughts. Personally, I am always amazed at how good they are at getting their message across.

By Sheila Wayman © irishtimes.com

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Voxiva launches U.S. text service to aid pregnant women

A D.C.-based mobile technology firm is behind a new government effort to educate and encourage healthy habits in pregnant women.

Launched last week, the free "Text4baby" program sends tips to expectant mothers who opt in to receive pregnancy-related text messages on their cellphones. Voxiva, the firm administering the service, is hoping that the project will raise the profile of such messages as a tool for delivering health services in the United States. Launched on Thursday, the service reported 6,500 takers in the first 24 hours.

Voxiva has launched about 150 health-related text-message services around the world, mainly in developing countries where access to doctors is scarce. Such projects, typically underwritten by governments or pharmaceutical firms, have often been used as a tool to disseminate news about treating diseases such as diabetes or AIDS.

By Mike Musgrove ©1996- 2010 The Washington Post Company

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Acupuncture Relieves Depression during Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a joyful time for many women, but up to 20 percent experience symptoms of depression, with one in ten pregnant women having symptoms of major depression. Given the potential dangers associated with taking antidepressants during pregnancy, an effective non-drug approach such as acupuncture is welcome.

Depression during pregnancy, also referred to as antepartum depression, is a mood disorder just like clinical depression outside of pregnancy. Mood disorders involve changes in brain chemistry, and pregnancy certainly is a time during which hormones fluctuate significantly. The American Pregnancy Association notes that depression during pregnancy frequently is not diagnosed properly because people assume it is just another type of hormonal imbalance.

By Deborah Mitchell Copyright eMaxhealth.com 2005-2009

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'Baby brain' is a myth - study

Pregnancy and motherhood do not affect a woman’s memory, the results of a new study indicate.

According to the findings, so-called ‘baby brain’ is a myth and pregnant women and mothers should not blame memory lapses on their growing babies.

Researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) assessed the cognitive functioning of 1,241 women, aged 20-24. Four specific areas were assessed – cognitive speed, working memory, immediate recall and delayed recall. The women were followed up at four-year intervals in 2003 and 2007, when they were given the same cognitive tests.

The study found no significant differences in cognitive change among those who were pregnant and those who were not. There were also no significant differences between those who had already become mothers and those who had not.

By Deborah Condon Copyright © 2010

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Chemical imbalance may explain crib death: study

A chemical imbalance in a baby's brain may be behind sudden infant death syndrome, the exact cause of which has eluded scientists for decades.

According to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, lower levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that aids several brain functions, as well as lower levels of an enzyme that helps create serotonin, increase a baby's risk of succumbing to SIDS.

These chemicals are produced in a part of the brain that controls breathing during sleep. Abnormalities in this area may prevent a baby from responding to a potentially life-threatening problem, such as asphyxia, when sleeping, according to the research.

The study found that serotonin levels were 26 per cent lower in babies who died from SIDS, compared to babies who did not. Researchers also found that levels of tryptophan hydroxylase, which helps create serotonin, were 22 per cent lower in SIDS babies.

© 2010

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Portiuncula retains baby-friendly status

The Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global campaign by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and The United Nation Children's Fund (UNICEF), which recognises that implementing best practice in the maternity service is crucial to the success of programmes to promote breastfeeding.

Genevieve Becker, National Co-ordinator of the BFHI in Ireland congratulated Portiuncula Hospital on being the first hospital in the country to achieve the re-designation of this award.

A hospital spokesperson said: "This quality initiative is associated with increasing breastfeeding rates in the Hospital.

"In 2004, 48 % of mothers initiated breastfeeding this rate has been growing steadily in the last five years, in 2009, 58.91% of mothers initiated breastfeeding."

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Flame retardant may affect fertility: study

PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are hormone-disrupting pollutants that build up in the blood and tissues.

In a study in the latest issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, researchers found that, for each 10-fold increase in PBDE blood concentration, women experience a 30 percent decrease in the odds of getting pregnant each month.

PBDEs have been associated with reproductive and hormonal effects in animals, but this is the first study to examine their association with human fertility, lead researcher Dr. Kim G. Harley of the Center for Children's Environmental Health Research at U.C. Berkeley's School of Public Health in California and colleagues note in their report.

The researchers measured PBDE levels in blood samples from 223 pregnant women enrolled in a long-term study examining environmental exposures and reproductive health. The investigators also asked the women how many months it had taken them to become pregnant. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters

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Prices differ at maternity hospitals

PRICE differences between two of Dublin's major maternity hospitals have led to a call for regulation of fees which expectant mothers are forced to pay.

Semi-private patients at the Rotunda Hospital have to fork out a non-refundable deposit of €1,200, while mothers attending Holles Street Hospital semi-privately pay €500.

The Rotunda raised its price by €400 in the middle of last year, and it says the huge price hike was necessary to curb the demand for services.

But Janette Byrne, spokesperson for Patients Together, said hospital charges should be regulated so that one price 'fits' all patients, since patient care does not vary hugely between the hospitals.

By Geraldine Gittens © Herald.ie 2008

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Effects of chemicals in flame retardants

New study indicates chemicals found in flame retardants may effect the intelligence of young children.

The Environmental Protection Agency's administrator, Lisa Jackson, recently laid out her top priorities for the coming year. And right at the top of the list: Improving chemical safety.

"We will be accelerating work on chemicals of concern and supporting reform of our nation's chemical laws so that they keep pace with the chemical industry," said Jackson.

The brominated chemicals in flame-retardants known as PBDEs raise red flags for health researchers. Scientists now report a link between PBDEs in the blood and reduced IQ in young children.

© Copyright 2009 Public Radio International

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New mothers don't need a partner on paternity leave

In between advice for expectant mothers on breathing, visualisation and when to push, the midwife who gave us our pre-natal course had a few words of advice for the fathers.

In a nutshell, they amounted to "Keep out of the way" and "Don't imagine we'll have any time to worry about you". Beyond that, the only other advice aimed at the fathers was how to bath a new baby and change a nappy. It was all delivered and received with good humour, but there was an edge to it, a serious desire to convey that in the earliest hours, weeks and months of a baby's life, daddy is crucial, but he's crucial as back-up. In the earliest hours, weeks and months, mammy is life. And that's not theory, it's biology.

As Gordon Brown prepares to introduce an option of six months' paternity leave in the UK, you have to wonder what service is being done by persisting with the idea that men and women are the same and want, and should want, the same things. In reality, maternity leave, after a baby's arrival, is a matter of necessity, rather than being an intellectual choice.

By Sarah Caden ©Independent.ie

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Baby killed by mother's gum disease

Experts have long suspected a link between mouth bugs and the risk of miscarriage in pregnancy.

But they now claim they have the first documented case of oral bacteria killing a nearly full term baby.

The study – published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynaecology – reveals the case of a 35 year old woman who had the common gum disease gingivitis.

She delivered a stillborn baby at 39 weeks and doctors were able to trace the oral bacteria in the mother’s mouth to bacteria found in the baby’s bloodstream, lungs and stomach.

© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2010

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Father forced to deliver own baby in maternity ward after midwife leaves

A father was forced to deliver his own baby in a maternity ward after the midwife abandoned them.

Thomas Howard frantically pressed the emergency buzzer to alert staff for help when he realised the newborn's arrival was imminent.

But when no one at the hospital's maternity suite arrived to deliver the baby, the 33-year-old had to act.

Father-of-five Mr Howard said by the time the midwife had returned, his partner Emily Baron had already given birth.

© Associated Newspapers Ltd

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