The debate over bed-sharing
Journal Gazette/Times-Courier Online
BY AMY BURCH, Staff Writer Monday, March 17, 2003 11:18 AM CST
"Rashida Cooper and Cha-Raya Patterson wanted their babies to sleep in bassinets or cribs -- anywhere but with them. But it didn't work out that way for either mother. "She doesn't sleep on her baby bed," Patterson said of 11-month-old Niauna. "She just kept waking up every time I kept putting her there." Both are among a rising number of parents who are choosing to share their bed with their babies. Some experts, however, warn that the trend is dangerous. Dr. James Kemp's research has found bed-sharing is responsible for the higher number of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome cases among the African-American population. Kemp is associate professor of pediatrics at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Cooper, 24, and Patterson, 18, believe their babies are safer in bed with them. They both are African-American."
Wednesday, March 19, 2003
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
The Breast Milk Cocktail
(washingtonpost.com)
By Elizabeth Agnvall
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, March 18, 2003; Page HE01
"...From doctors to parenting magazines to books to the buzz around the block, there seemed to be no consensus about the effects of alcohol and caffeine that babies might receive through breast milk. It was another example of the sort of medical advice about which experts are deeply divided, yet none seem able to justify except by the sort of anecdotal observation that they reject from others.
Determined to get to the bottom of the issue, I set out to delve into the scientific studies, find the best researchers and seek the answers so many breast-feeding moms want: Can we have our morning cup of coffee? Can we have an occasional glass of wine?" [The writer talks to a lot of experts and despite lots of evidence that it's ok to drink alcohol or coffee in moderation, she concludes that her pediatrician is right with rule number one, "Do No Harm." Too bad pediatricians everywhere aren't as cautious about the use of infant formula... - JC]
(washingtonpost.com)
By Elizabeth Agnvall
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, March 18, 2003; Page HE01
"...From doctors to parenting magazines to books to the buzz around the block, there seemed to be no consensus about the effects of alcohol and caffeine that babies might receive through breast milk. It was another example of the sort of medical advice about which experts are deeply divided, yet none seem able to justify except by the sort of anecdotal observation that they reject from others.
Determined to get to the bottom of the issue, I set out to delve into the scientific studies, find the best researchers and seek the answers so many breast-feeding moms want: Can we have our morning cup of coffee? Can we have an occasional glass of wine?" [The writer talks to a lot of experts and despite lots of evidence that it's ok to drink alcohol or coffee in moderation, she concludes that her pediatrician is right with rule number one, "Do No Harm." Too bad pediatricians everywhere aren't as cautious about the use of infant formula... - JC]
Monday, March 17, 2003
De'Ja enters a world with a fragile future
" Doctors also start talking about a step that Tonya prayed they wouldn't have to take: mixing methadone into De'Ja's milk. While methadone would ease the baby's withdrawal symptoms, she'd have to spend two to four weeks in the hospital - without her mother - so doctors could slowly wean her off the drug.
Without methadone, De'Ja's body is in shock, says Dr. Adel Abdallah, a neonatologist at Riverside. Babies in the womb can get as much as 40 to 50 percent of a mother's methadone dose, Abdallah says, but only 2 to 3 percent through breast milk - and so far De'Ja has refused to nurse.
"Her system is set to this high level, and then it comes down really quickly," Abdallah says. "That can make a baby miserable.""
[This is a shockingly frank feature about the struggles of babies born to addicts - JC]
" Doctors also start talking about a step that Tonya prayed they wouldn't have to take: mixing methadone into De'Ja's milk. While methadone would ease the baby's withdrawal symptoms, she'd have to spend two to four weeks in the hospital - without her mother - so doctors could slowly wean her off the drug.
Without methadone, De'Ja's body is in shock, says Dr. Adel Abdallah, a neonatologist at Riverside. Babies in the womb can get as much as 40 to 50 percent of a mother's methadone dose, Abdallah says, but only 2 to 3 percent through breast milk - and so far De'Ja has refused to nurse.
"Her system is set to this high level, and then it comes down really quickly," Abdallah says. "That can make a baby miserable.""
[This is a shockingly frank feature about the struggles of babies born to addicts - JC]
Friday, March 14, 2003
The food industry just loves its broccoli
By Thomas Lee Post-Dispatch
updated: 03/13/2003 10:55 PM
"Dennis Gierhart is a big fan of the stuff most kids - and more than a few adults - dread at dinner time: spinach, broccoli, collard greens. But those much-maligned vegetables might yet get their day in the sun. Gierhart believes that zeaxanthin, a compound found in green leafy vegetables, along with some fruits and eggs, can help to prevent an eye disease that causes blindness in people 55 and older. Such a benefit, however, might not be enough to convince broccoli haters. So, Gierhart, chairman and chief executive of ZeaVision LLC in St. Louis, envisions a line of tasty foods and beverages that contain the appropriate amounts of zeaxanthin. "I think this is going to be the new frontier in the food industry," he said. Gierhart has good reason to think big. Functional foods, also known as nutraceuticals, have attracted considerable interest from the U.S. food-and-beverage industry." [Good business overview of the industry; mentions DHA and ARA in infant food. - JC]
By Thomas Lee Post-Dispatch
updated: 03/13/2003 10:55 PM
"Dennis Gierhart is a big fan of the stuff most kids - and more than a few adults - dread at dinner time: spinach, broccoli, collard greens. But those much-maligned vegetables might yet get their day in the sun. Gierhart believes that zeaxanthin, a compound found in green leafy vegetables, along with some fruits and eggs, can help to prevent an eye disease that causes blindness in people 55 and older. Such a benefit, however, might not be enough to convince broccoli haters. So, Gierhart, chairman and chief executive of ZeaVision LLC in St. Louis, envisions a line of tasty foods and beverages that contain the appropriate amounts of zeaxanthin. "I think this is going to be the new frontier in the food industry," he said. Gierhart has good reason to think big. Functional foods, also known as nutraceuticals, have attracted considerable interest from the U.S. food-and-beverage industry." [Good business overview of the industry; mentions DHA and ARA in infant food. - JC]
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