Elaine DeaKyne was excited about her first pregnancy and, physically, she sailed through it without complications. Looking back, she recalls feeling anxiety during her third trimester, but she didn’t bring it up with her doctors because, as she says, “I didn’t know it was something I should talk about.” Her anxiety heightened after her daughter…
Swaddling babies snuggly in a blanket mimics the confines of the womb and can comfort babies and promote sleep. That’s why swaddling has been a popular practice for generations and is commonplace in hospitals and homes across the country. But in recent years, health professionals have questioned how safe swaddling is for babies while sleeping….
While sleep-related infant deaths are a public health issue across population groups, marked racial disparities exist: American Indian, Alaskan Native and non-Hispanic black babies are most likely to die from sleep-related causes, and face the highest rates of Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID). Eliminating these disparities requires doing more to raise awareness about infant safe…
“Maternal and child health programs and professionals have become increasingly more cognizant of how fathers, specifically, affect their children’s health and development,” says NICHQ President and CEO Scott D. Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP. “Moving this conversation forward, and highlighting strategies that support father engagement and involvement, is a critical opportunity to improve children’s health outcomes…
“In Illinois, opioid use among pregnant women is rising, and opioid overdose is now the leading cause of maternal death,” says Ann Borders, MD, MSc, MPH, who leads the Illinois Perinatal Quality Collaborative’s (PQC) opioid initiative. The statistics Borders describes reflect an ongoing national epidemic. According to the CDC, in a 15-year period, opioid use…
Between 2013 and 2017, over 600 babies died in Tennessee from sleep-related causes. That’s more than 600 preventable infant deaths. And troublingly, sleep-related death rates are highest among families of color, with black babies in Tennessee dying at more than twice the rate of white babies. Now the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) is implementing a…
In the first three years of life the brain goes through an incredible growth spurt, producing more than a million neural connections every second. These connections, all of which will inform future social and emotional health, depend on our experiences and interactions with others. “The brain is a social organ, co-constructed with others,” says Gerard…
The Fisher-Price Rock ‘n Play Sleeper has been tied to 32 sleep-related infant deaths, according to a statement issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urging Fisher-Price to recall the product. Fisher-Price issued a warning about Rock ‘n Play Sleepers on April 5, but they still line store aisles, are available for order on…
Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) provide life-saving care for preterm babies. But, as with any urgent, intensive healthcare treatment, there is also the possibility for adverse long-term health concerns. One of the newest concerns for NICU babies is exposure to chemicals that can be hazardous to their health, specifically phthalates, a chemical softener for plastics….
Creating a safe sleep environment for an infant can be confusing to families, especially when they don’t hear consistent information from their peers or health providers. Moreover, pictures of infants sleeping in unsafe positions are all over the internet and social media platforms, which adds to the mixed messaging. Considering that approximately 3,500 babies die…