Brenda Lane's Blog

Posted by Brenda Lane

If you live near a major highway, have you ever wondered how it may affect your pregnancy? Well, new research from Quebec published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health studied whether living close to a highway might interact with both socioeconomic status and education level to affect birth outcomes.

The study population came from all live births registered in Montreal for a 4 year period from 1997 to 2001. They found that among all the mothers who live within 200 meters of a major highway, they were 14% more likely to have a pre-term birth and 17% more likely to have a low birth weight baby in comparison to mothers living farther away.

Researchers also discovered that among affluent women living within a 200 meter proximity to a major highway, the risk of pre-term birth was 58% greater as well as a 81% increase in having a low birthweight baby and a 32% increase in a small-for-gestational-age baby as compared to mothers from other socioeconomic categories.

No one really knows why wealthier mothers would be at greater risk from exposure to highway pollution. One possible explanation is that lesser affluent mothers are often exposed to additional factors such as secondary smoking, poor nutrition and even domestic violence so that the exposure from highway polution may not be as great.

Brenda

Posted by Brenda Lane

Many women suffer from striae gravidarum, otherwise known as stretch marks, during pregnancy. Products containing cocoa butter, typically in lotions or creams, have been claiming for years that they can prevent stretch marks from occuring.

A recent study published in the International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology attempted to discover whether or not cocoa butter is an effective topical cream to prevent stretch marks. Researchers in Beirut, Lebanon had 200 mothers participate in the study. Half were given a topical cream containing cocoa butter, the other were given a placebo. They were instructed to apply the cream daily, starting in their first trimester and continuing throughout their pregnancy.

Results showed no difference in the mothers who used the stretch mark cream versus the placebo.

Some mother do find that applying rich creams helps the itchiness of their skin during pregnancy, but remember that it will not prevent stretch marks from happening.

Brenda

Posted by Brenda Lane

Fish oil appears to be have many advantages to our health including cardiovascular benefits, reduction of cancer and reduced pain and inflammation.

During pregnancy, consumption of fish oil has been shown to be linked with increased IQ in the baby. After birth, fish oil may help to reduce postpartum depression.

Researchers are now finding that when mothers take fish oil supplements, they can reduce their baby's risk of developing asthma.

Over 500 mother-child pairs were followed over a 16 year period. Mothers were given either fish oil, olive oil or nothing daily during the last 10 weeks of their pregnancy.

Results showed that at the age of 16, the children whose mothers had been given fish oil supplements were 63% less likely to have asthma, and 87% less likely to have allergic asthma than the children whose mothers did not take fish oil.

This is yet another reason to include this important supplement in your diet!

Brenda

Posted by Brenda Lane

Tearing during the pushing stage of childbirth is common. Even though some mothers may have an intact perineum or have tears that are so minor that they do not require stitches, often some amount of repair is required.

Typically repairs to the mother's perineum are done very shortly after birth. However new research suggests that waiting for as much as 12 hours, even with deep tears into the anal sphincter, does not result in any additional risk to the mother.

Swedish researchers looked at 165 mothers who were randomly assigned to either an immediate repair group or a group that waited 8-12 hours to receive repair for tears into the anal sphincter.

Over the following year, there were no differences in incontinence between the two groups and researchers concluded that there was neither benefit or harm by waiting for as much as 12 hours after birth to repair deep tears.

Be sure you discuss ways to decrease tearing during birth with your care provider. You can also increase your chances of an intact perineum by using perineal massage.

Brenda

Posted by Brenda Lane

August in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. where I live can be gastly. It is not uncommon to see temperatures in the upper 90's to lower 100's. With fuel prices as they are, many people this year will be trying to conserve more. However being pregnant also can add as much as 1 degree to a mother's basal body temperature! So how can you stay cool and beat the heat of the summer?

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Install ceiling fans in every room. Circulating the cooler air will help keep the temperature down.

2. Keep yourself hydrated. And be sure to bring bottled water or other non-carbonated beverages with you to keep cool.

3. If you are out driving, find shady areas to park if possible.

4. Try keeping your air conditioning set at a higher temperature and leave it there. In some cases you may be able to remain cool enough with ceiling fans even at a higher a/c termperature of 75-78 degrees.

5. If the temperature is over 100, you may be better off staying indoors altogether.

Do you have other ways to stay cool during pregnancy? Let us know on the forum.

Brenda