A chemist explains how some molecules in human breast milk help fight infection. Understanding their properties could lead to better infant formulas that share the health advantages of breastfeeding.
Women should try to improve their lifestyle well before trying to start a family.
Vladimir Kudinov/Unsplash
Women’s health in the months and years before they become pregnant can impact on their health during pregnancy and the baby’s development, our new research shows.
Intervention will sometimes be required in childbirth, but should only occur when medically necessary.
Circlephoto/Shutterstock
Our study found babies born via medical or surgical intervention were at increased risk of health problems, from jaundice and feeding issues, to diabetes, respiratory infections and eczema.
In Mozambique, gender-based violence, early marriage and early pregnancy all play a part in compromising the health of mothers and infants.
(Nazeem Muhajarine)
Mozambique has one of the highest maternal death rates in the world. Researchers hope to reduce this, with an ambitious project aimed at empowering women and girls.
It’s not suitable for women with heart problems, but otherwise is a safe and effective option.
Alex Pasarelu
Domperidone raises levels of prolactin, which increases the production of breast milk. It’s safe for mothers and babies, but not all women will experience the same increase in milk volume.
The most important thing is to keep the baby warm – put her on your chest covered with a warm towel.
from www.shutterstock.com
From the moment their baby is born, Australian parents receive conflicting advice on how to cope with newborn issues. What we are doing wastes our resources, but we’re not investing in alternatives.
Women who don’t get enough to eat while pregnant face a high risk of developing common mental illnesses like depression and anxiety during pregnancy and after giving birth.
Supporters outside the now-abandoned case in the British High Court, rallying for infant Charlie Gard to travel to the US for experimental treatment.
Peter Nicholls/Reuters
The high-profile Charlie Gard case could change the way end-of-life decisions play out around the world.
The health scare surrounding nanoparticles might lead to people abandoning formula unnecessarily, with serious impacts on babies’ health.
from www.shutterstock.com
A widely publicised study that cast doubt on the safety of milk formula was misleading, based on dubiously reported studies and may have serious consequences.
The EPA’s effort to remove lead from gasoline saved a lot of infant lives.
Kimberly White KW/DH via Reuters
An extensive amount of research has shown a direct link between air quality and fetal and infant health. Cleaner air has saved lives – and money.
The number of children with flat head has risen in recent years in part due to SIDS guidelines, which recommend placing babies on their backs to sleep.
from www.shutterstock.com
In pregnancy, immune cells help the uterus tolerate and nurture the embryo despite it carrying foreign genes from the father. In most women, suppressing immunity will likely cause more harm than good.
‘Baby talk’ has shorter sentences, simpler words and more repetition.
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People often tell new parents to avoid ‘baby talk’ because it will slow down the child’s language development. But evidence shows it does the opposite.
Two-thirds of children have already received antibiotics by the time they are one year old.
from www.shutterstock.com.au
If you have a ten-month-old baby, what do you need to know? What do you need to ask your GP about the benefits and risks of antibiotics?
Preterm babies are at significant risk of health and development problems, highlighting the need to get prevention strategies right.
from www.shutterstock.com.au
New research has found a commonly used method of preventing early or pre-term birth (delivery of a baby before 37 weeks) may in fact be causing more to occur, and leading to further problems.
The Erdi Foundation Child Health Equity (COVID-19) Scholar, Centre for Community Child Health | Honorary, Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne | Team Leader / Senior Research Officer, Murdoch Children's Research Institute
Paediatrician at the Royal Childrens Hospital and Associate Professor and Clinician Scientist, University of Melbourne and MCRI, Murdoch Children's Research Institute