By Izzy Moore, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Gráinne Donnelly, Canterbury Christ Church University Returning to exercise after having a baby has many health benefits, including reducing symptoms of postpartum depression and improving fitness. But many women aren’t sure how to return to exercise safely after…
By Anjali Raj Westwood, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences While you may need to modify your exercise routine slightly during pregnancy, physical activity is safe, and in fact recommended, when you’re expecting a baby. One option you might consider is prenatal yoga. Yoga…
By Shyla Cadogan Nanotechnology has rapidly transformed food production, manufacturing, and processing in recent years, with the goal of enhancing food safety and health. However, new research suggests that their use in making foods safer could have unexpected health consequences for babies. An international team…
By Jocelyn Solis-Moreira Ninety-nine percent of pregnant women are exposed to glyphosate, a chemical often found in the weedkiller product Roundup, according to new research from the Indiana University School of Medicine. The study finds that glyphosate may be associated with lower birth weights in…
By Study Finds Acupuncture can relieve lower back and pelvic pain many women experience during pregnancy, according to a new study. Researchers from Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine say this may be because the needle-based treatment releases endorphins — or “happy chemicals” — and increases…
By Derrick Broze A prominent member of Israel’s COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization Committee has resigned in protest of the decision to recommend vaccines to pregnant women. Professor Eran Dolev has resigned from the Israeli Ministry of Health’s Vaccine Prioritization Committee because of the committee recommending pregnant…
By Vicky Fallon, University of Liverpool; Sergio A. Silverio, King’s College London, and Siân Macleod Davies, Liverpool John Moores University New mothers experienced worryingly high rates of depression and anxiety during the first lockdown, our new research has revealed. One of the major contributing factors…
By Anthony McLennan Italian researchers have made a worrying discovery – the presence of microplastics in the placentas of unborn babies. The tests were carried out on the placentas of four healthy women who had normal pregnancies and births. Approximately 4% of each placenta was…
Vitamin D is a critical nutrient and has many important functions in the body. A mother’s vitamin D supply is passed to her baby in utero and helps regulate processes including brain development. A study published today in The Journal of Nutrition showed that mothers’ vitamin D…
A new U.S. study of waterbirths found that hospital-based births involving water immersion had no higher risk of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or special care nursery admission than comparable deliveries in the control group without water immersion. The primary purpose of the study is…
A diet high in sugar during adulthood is associated with weight gain, and has also been linked to risk of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and heart disease. New research shows that when consumed by moms during the breastfeeding period, a high sugar diet…
New research shows improving the lifestyle of women with obesity during pregnancy could mean long-term cardiovascular benefits for their children. The study, led by King’s College London and supported by the British Heart Foundation and Tommy’s charity, examined how an antenatal diet and physical activity…
An increased level of fructose intake during pregnancy can cause significant changes in maternal metabolic function and milk composition and alter the metabolism of their offspring, researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington, have found. The research, which was led by Dr Clint Gray, a…
In a Maternal & Child Nutrition analysis of published studies on the dietary habits of women who were trying to conceive or were pregnant, most studies indicated that women do not meet nutritional recommendations for vegetable, cereal grain, or folate intake. Pregnant women did not…
Exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy to mixtures of suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in consumer products is related to lower IQ in children by age 7, according to a study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Karlstad University,…
Pregnant women exposed to higher levels of the commonly used chemical bisphenol A (BPA) are more likely to have children who suffer with wheezing and poorer lung function, according to research presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress. [1] BPA is one of a…
By Jean Golding, University of Bristol In the early 1960s, thousands of babies were born with malformed limbs as a result of their mother taking thalidomide – a drug used to treat morning sickness. The tragedy rocked the medical establishment and made doctors wonder what…
Is maternal fluoride exposure during pregnancy associated with childhood IQ in a Canadian cohort receiving fluoridated water? In this prospective birth cohort study, fluoride exposure during pregnancy was associated with lower IQ scores in children aged 3 to 4 years. Fluoride exposure during pregnancy may…
A large international study led by McMaster University shows that low risk pregnant women who intend to give birth at home have no increased chance of the baby’s perinatal or neonatal death compared to other low risk women who intend to give birth in a…
A new study led by a researcher at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health identifies a link between proximity to hydraulic fracking activities and mental health issues during pregnancy. Results appear in the journal Environmental Research. The researchers looked at 7,715 mothers without anxiety…
