ScienceDaily (Sep. 19, 2012) — A new Cochrane Review concludes that all
countries should consider establishing proper home birth services. They should
also provide low-risk pregnant women with information enabling them to make an
informed choice. The review has been prepared by...
Yoga Reduces Depression in Pregnant Women, Boosts Maternal Bonding
ScienceDaily (Aug. 8, 2012) — University of Michigan study the first to show
evidence that mindfulness yoga may offer effective treatment for depressed new
mothers to be. Prenatal yoga may help women cope with...
ScienceDaily (Aug. 8, 2012) — Vaginal birth triggers the expression of a protein
in the brains of newborns that improves brain development and function in
adulthood, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers, who
also found that this protein expression is...
A study of 13,000 British women found that the 2,800 who had suffered a miscarriage or stillbirth were much more likely to be anxious or depressed during their next pregnancy, and after the birth. This state of mind persisted for nearly three years after they gave birth to a healthy baby,...
A Norwegian population-based, cross-sectional study of over 2,300 women examined the association between a self-reported history of childhood abuse and fear of childbirth. The study, reported in the journal Birth, indeed found that a history of childhood abuse (physical, emotional, or...
Scientists have discovered the first evidence linking brain function variations between the left and right sides of the brain to size at birth and the relative weight of the placenta. The finding could shed new light on the causes of mental health problems in later life. The research, conducted...
New research finds that full-term babies are born with a key collection of networks fully formed in their brains. The findings, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenges some previous theories about the brain’s activity and how the brain develops. Researchers...
Postpartum depression affects new dads, too, and it can negatively affect parenting, according to a large observational study published in Pediatrics. The study of more than 1,700 fathers of one-year-olds found that depression occurred in 7% of those dads, and increased the odds of recent...
In the face of recently emerging research (much of it reported here in past issues) raising questions about the long-term health effects of IVF, a recent study of children’s test scores suggests that IVF conception “does not have any detrimental effects on a child’s intelligence or cognitive...
Time magazine ran an excellent, comprehensive article on the state of home birth in the U.S., including a discussion of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology’s controversial meta-analysis from last summer. Author Catherine Elton leads with a clever yet chilling prologue: “When...
