News & Research Findings
That Support Healthy Beginnings for Children
- “All forms of corporal punishment and yelling at or shaming children, are minimally effective in the short-term and not effective in the long-term. Researchers link corporal punishment to an increased risk of negative behavioral, cognitive, psychosocial, & emotional outcomes for children.” The American Academy of Pediatrics is now in overwhelming consensus that parents should never physically punish their children. https://www.npr.org/2018/11/11/666646403/the-american-academy-of-pediatrics-on-spanking-children-dont-do-it-ever
- Sharp Decline in Maternal and Child Deaths Worldwide: In 2000 the one of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was to decrease maternal and child deaths significantly by 2015. “The vast majority of countries have seen accelerated reductions in maternal and child deaths — with child deaths declining by 3.5% per year since 2000 and maternal deaths by 2.7% per year since 2003.” If the current rate continues, child deaths will fall from more than 6 million in 2013 to fewer than 4 million in 2030. The United States, however, is among only 8 countries that have experienced an increase in maternal death rates since 2003.
sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140502102502.htm - Imagine if we were all welcomed into life with such gentle trusting hands:
youtube.com/watch?v=OPSAgs-exfQ - Breastfeeding information, support, and resources. Breastfeeding Coalition of Oregon.”Two reason to breastfeed are health and sweetness.”
breastfeedingor.org/moms/why-breastfeed/ - Mother and Child Are Linked at a Cellular Level: “It’s now known that cells from a developing fetus cross the placenta, allowing the baby’s DNA to become part of the mother’s body. These fetal cells persist in a woman’s body into her old age.”
scientificamerican.com/article/fetal-cells-microchimerism/ - International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO]: When pregnant women consume sufficient amounts of the nutrient choline, their offspring can gain enduring cognitive benefits, according to a new Cornell University, US, study. Choline is found in egg yolks, lean red meat, fish, poultry, legumes, nuts and cruciferous vegetables.
figo.org/news/consuming-choline-during-pregnancy-‘could-boost-babies’-cognitive-ability’-0015808 - CNN Hero of the Year for 2011 – Robin Lim is an American Certified Professional Midwife living in Bali, Indonesia. She has helped thousands of poor women have healthy babies, and offers free prenatal, birthing and medical services to anyone who needs it. She is indeed a true hero!
cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/archive11/robin.lim.html - Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative [BFHI] – This is an effort by UNICEF and the World Health Organization to ensure that all maternity facilities worldwide offer breastfeeding support to new mothers.
www.unicef.org/programme/breastfeeding/baby.htm - The Cesarean Rate in the U.S. increased 53% from 1996 to 2007, reaching 32%, the highest rate ever reported in the United States. (By 2009 it has risen to 34%.)
cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db35.htm - International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics [FIGO]: The effects of Postnatal Depression (PND) on the relationship between a mother and her child can continue into later life and affect multi-generational relationships. figo.org/news/postnatal-depression-lasts-lifetime-and-well-grandparenthood-0015842.
- Tale of two Births: A Baby-Friendly Rap
youtube.com/watch?v=N9KptD3t110&feature=youtube_gdata_player - The World Health Organization released an alarming statistic—12 percent of babies born in the U.S. each year are premature, representing $26 billion in health care costs and an immeasurable emotional toll on families.
nihcm.org/component/content/article/5-issue-brief/1304-health-plan-approaches-to-preconception-health-issue-brief - What to reject when you’re expecting – 10 procedures to think twice about during your pregnancy. consumerreports.org/cro/2012/05/what-to-reject-when-you-re-expecting.html
- Forty-nine percent of pregnancies in the US are unintended [either mistimed or unwanted]. US Dept of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2020 Campaign seeks to reduce this by 10%.
guttmacher.org/pubs/FB-Unintended-Pregnancy-US.html - How singing can comfort an infant. From crying to asleep in two minutes–Hallelujah!
youtube.com/watch?v=UQOqChZ_ZeA&sns=em