Pregnancy no-alcohol advice gets lost on medics
/A recent review of doctors and midwives revealed that 10% of GPs and 3% of midwives believed that “an occasional glass of wine is fine” on special occasions or celebrations.
Read MorePregnancy and Birth Defects in the News
A quick round-up of new related items that have appeared in newspapers and magazines. Search topics below.
edited by Elizabeth Hegedus
Women who load up on candy and burgers during pregnancy ‘more likely to have a child with ADHD’
/The data derives from a prospective study in 1991-1992 of 160 pregnant women. Dietary questionnaires were completed at 32 weeks gestation and then 3-7 years of age. ADHD symptoms were assessed at 7, 10 and 13 years. DNA methylation data was collected from cord blood. Using a highly complex statistical analysis they were able to show youth with ADHD symptoms were more likely to have higher DNA methylation of IGF2. However at the same time they found no significant correlation between exposure to an ‘unhealthy diet’ and ADHD symptoms.
Read MoreCaution urged for pregnant women using paracetamol
/This article reported a study which linked paracetamol use with behavioural problems in children.
Read MorePregnancy multivitamins 'are a waste of money'
/The researchers said pregnant women might feel coerced into buying expensive multivitamins in order to give their baby the best start in life.
Read MoreEx-TV Reporters Charged After Their Baby Tests Positive For Cocaine
/The new mother admitted to breastfeeding her baby about 12 hours after snorting cocaine. She thought the stimulant would be out of her body by then, according to a police report however the baby appeared extremely lethargic and was taken to a nearby hospital.
Read MoreCan’t sleep? It be because your mother drank during pregnancy
/Mice were injected once with ethanol seven days after birth (equivalent to third trimester in humans). As adults mice exposed to alcohol spent less time in slow-wave sleep and experienced more sleep fragmentation. The study was published in Neuroscience 322:18 (2016).
Read MoreCDC defends advice to women on drinking and pregnancy
/The references article is actually a narrative review not new data.
Read MoreUK babies suffering folic acid absence
/Unlike Australia, flour is still yet to be fortified with folic acid leading to an estimated 150 neural tube cases each year.
Read MoreStressed women are more likely to have clumsy kids
/Teenagers of mothers who self-reported stress during pregnancy were more likely to be clumsy so concludes a recent Australian study of 2,900 mothers published in Child Development 87: 211 (2015)
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