US circumcision rates in…

2002: 65%

2006: 56%

2010: only 32%*

Check out New Life’s Resources page for more information on circumcision.

*El Bcheraoui C, Greenspan J, Kretsinger K, Chen R. Rates of selected neonatal male circumcision-associated severe adverse events in the United States, 2007-2009 (CDC). Proceedings, AIDS 2010, Vienna, Austria. 5 Aug 2010

Lea Mock, one of New Life’s birth doulas was a guest on KPFT’s Whole Mother Show this morning! You can listen to it by going to: http://archive.kpft.org (click on the Whole Mother show for Feb. 5). We were invited with a few other parents from Houston’s Chapter of Attachment Parenting International to discuss the benefits of wearing your baby in a sling/baby carrier. Check it out!

In celebration of World Breastfeeding Day, Central Texas Healthy Babies Healthy Mothers organized “The Keep Austin Breastfeeding Flash Mob – 2010″ at ZilkerPark. You may ask yourself, “What is a Flash Mob?” (I asked myself the same question.) Well, it is when a group of people do something unexpected in a public place. In this case, a breastfeeding interpretive dance, with a cool breastfeeding rap song at the end! Go Austin! We love how you are raising support for breastfeeding. Check out the video below to watch the action.

Here is a great handout pulled from Dr. Sears website. It explains why the “cry it out” method, and other similar methods, of “sleep training” can be harmful to a child. See the notes I’ve added below for some great nighttime parenting resources.

Science Says: Excessive Crying Could Be Harmful to Babies  

Science tells us that when babies cry alone and unattended, they experience panic and anxiety. Their bodies and brains are flooded with adrenaline and cortisol stress hormones. Science has also found that when developing brain tissue is exposed to these hormones for prolonged periods these nerves won’t form connections to other nerves and will degenerate. Is it therefore possible that infants who endure many nights or weeks of crying-it-out alone are actually suffering harmful neurologic effects that may have permanent implications on the development of sections of their brain? Here is how science answers this alarming question:  

Chemical and hormonal imbalances in the brain 

Research has shown that infants who are routinely separated from parents in a stressful way have abnormally high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, as well as lower growth hormone levels. These imbalances inhibit the development of nerve tissue in the brain, suppress growth, and depress the immune system. 5, 9, 11, 16 

Researchers at Yale University and Harvard Medical School found that intense stress early in life can alter the brain’s neurotransmitter systems and cause structural and functional changes in regions of the brain similar to those seen in adults with depression. 17 

One study showed infants who experienced persistent crying episodes were 10 times more likely to have ADHD as a child, along with poor school performance and antisocial behavior. The researchers concluded these findings may be due to the lack of responsive attitude of the parents toward their babies. 14. 

Dr. Bruce Perry’s research at Baylor University may explain this finding. He found when chronic stress over-stimulates an infant’s brain stem (the part of the brain that controls adrenaline release), and the portions of the brain that thrive on physical and emotional input are neglected (such as when a baby is repeatedly left to cry alone), the child will grow up with an over-active adrenaline system. Such a child will display increased aggression, impulsivity, and violence later in life because the brainstem floods the body with adrenaline and other stress hormones at inappropriate and frequent times. 6 

Dr. Allan Schore of the UCLA School of Medicine has demonstrated that the stress hormone cortisol (which floods the brain during intense crying and other stressful events) actually destroys nerve connections in critical portions of an infant’s developing brain. In addition, when the portions of the brain responsible for attachment and emotional control are not stimulated during infancy (as may occur when a baby is repeatedly neglected) these sections of the brain will not develop. The result – a violent, impulsive, emotionally unattached child. He concludes that the sensitivity and responsiveness of a parent stimulates and shapes the nerve connections in key sections of the brain responsible for attachment and emotional well-being. 7, 8 

Decreased intellectual, emotional, and social development 

Infant developmental specialist Dr. Michael Lewis presented research findings at an American Academy of Pediatrics meeting, concluding that “the single most important influence of a child’s intellectual development is the responsiveness of the mother to the cues of her baby.” 

Researchers have found babies whose cries are usually ignored will not develop healthy intellectual and social skills. 19 

Dr. Rao and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health showed that infants with prolonged crying (but not due to colic) in the first 3 months of life had an average IQ 9 points lower at 5 years of age. They also showed poor fine motor development. (2) 

Researchers at Pennsylvania State and Arizona State Universities found that infants with excessive crying during the early months showed more difficulty controlling their emotions and became even fussier when parents tried to consol them at 10 months. 15 

Other research has shown that these babies have a more annoying quality to their cry, are more clingy during the day, and take longer to become independent as children 1. 

Harmful physiologic changes 

Animal and human research has shown when separated from parents, infants and children show unstable temperatures, heart arrhythmias, and decreased REM sleep (the stage of sleep that promotes brain development). 10 12, 13 

Dr. Brazy at Duke University and Ludington-Hoe and colleagues at Case Western University showed in 2 separate studies how prolonged crying in infants causes increased blood pressure in the brain, elevates stress hormones, obstructs blood from draining out of the brain, and decreases oxygenation to the brain. They concluded that caregivers should answer cries swiftly, consistently, and comprehensively. (3) and (4) 

1. P. Heron, “Non-Reactive Cosleeping and Child Behavior: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep All Night, Every Night,” Master’s thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Bristol, 1994.

1. M R Rao, et al; Long Term Cognitive Development in Children with Prolonged Crying, National Institutes of Health, Archives of Disease in Childhood 2004; 89:989-992.
2. J pediatrics 1988 Brazy, J E. Mar 112 (3): 457-61. Duke University
3. Ludington-Hoe SM, Case Western U, Neonatal Network 2002 Mar; 21(2): 29-36
4. Butler, S R, et al. Maternal Behavior as a Regulator of Polyamine Biosynthesis in Brain and Heart of Developing Rat Pups. Science 1978, 199:445-447.
5. Perry, B. (1997), “Incubated in Terror: Neurodevelopmental Factors in the Cycle of Violence,” Children in a Violent Society, Guilford Press, New York.
6. Schore, A.N. (1996), “The Experience-Dependent Maturation of a Regulatory System in the Orbital Prefrontal Cortex and the Origen of Developmental Psychopathology,” Development and Psychopathology 8: 59 – 87.
7. Karr-Morse, R, Wiley, M. Interview With Dr. Allan Schore, Ghosts From the Nursery, 1997, pg 200.
8. Kuhn, C M, et al. Selective Depression of Serum Growth Hormone During Maternal Deprivation in Rat Pups. Science 1978, 201:1035-1036.
9. Hollenbeck, A R, et al. Children with Serious Illness: Behavioral Correlates of Separation and Solution. Child Psychiatry and Human Development 1980, 11:3-11.
10. Coe, C L, et al. Endocrine and Immune Responses to Separation and Maternal Loss in Non-Human Primates. The Psychology of Attachment and Separation, ed. M Reite and T Fields, 1985. Pg. 163-199. New York: Academic Press.
11. Rosenblum and Moltz, The Mother-Infant Interaction as a Regulator of Infant Physiology and Behavior. In Symbiosis in Parent-Offspring Interactions, New York: Plenum, 1983.
12. Hofer, M and H. Shair, Control of Sleep-Wake States in the Infant Rat by Features of the Mother-Infant Relationship. Developmental Psychobiology, 1982, 15:229-243.
13. Wolke, D, et al, Persistent Infant Crying and Hyperactivity Problems in Middle Childhood, Pediatrics, 2002; 109:1054-1060.
14. Stifter and Spinrad, The Effect of Excessive Crying on the Development of Emotion Regulation, Infancy, 2002; 3(2), 133-152.
15. Ahnert L, et al, Transition to Child Care: Associations with Infant-mother Attachment, Infant Negative Emotion, and Cortisol Elevations, Child Development, 2004, May-June; 75(3):649-650.
16. Kaufman J, Charney D. Effects of Early Stress on Brain Structure and Function: Implications for Understanding the Relationship Between Child Maltreatment and Depression, Developmental Psychopathology, 2001 Summer; 13(3):451-471.
17. Teicher MH et al, The Neurobiological Consequences of Early Stress and Childhood Maltreatment, Neuroscience Biobehavior Review 2003, Jan-Mar; 27(1-2):33-44.
18. Leiberman, A. F., & Zeanah, H., Disorders of Attachment in Infancy, Infant Psychiatry 1995, 4:571-587.

The above handout is from www.AskDrSears.com and can be seen at http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/handout2.asp . For parents having a hard time with nighttime parenting, and looking for some guidance, check out Elizabeth Pantley’s No Cry Sleep Solution. She has a version for babies, and also one for toddlers and preschoolers! And, click here for a great link to a bunch of good nighttime parenting resources: Baby Sleep Strategies . 

Big bird learns about breastfeeding!

Interested in cloth diapering? There are a ton of different kinds of cloth diapers out there these days, and figuring them all out can be a headache! Luckily, Jaimee Gleisner, diapering extraordinaire, has a seven part seminar on YouTube that shows all the different kinds of cloth diapering systems, how to use them, and talks about their pros and cons.

Click here for parts two through seven: Jaimee Gleisner’s Channel

So, what is your favorite kind of cloth diaper? Leave a comment and let us know!

Check out the resource page of the site! I’ve added a four new links.

One of them is to a brochure titled: Having A Baby, 10 Questions to Ask. It is from the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services. If you are pregnant, it is a great list of questions to take to your doctor or midwife.

Second, I’ve added a link to H.E.A.L., it is a group of pediatricians in Houston providing families with information and support in decisions considered controversial, such as immunizations and circumcision.

And, speaking of circumcision, I’ve added a link to a page on Intact America’s site that gives 10 reasons not to circumcise, as well as a great link to a site called, Circumcision and Foreskin Care Information, which has a lot of information for parents that are deciding whether or not to circumcise.

Enjoy!

Last Monday, a new study was released analysing the benefits of breastfeeding. Currently, only 12% of mothers follow the governments recommendation to exclusively breastfeed babies for the first six months of  life. The cost of this shockingly low statistic is estimated to cost our country $13 billion, and even more unfortunately, the lives of 900 babies per year. Risks of formula feeding to a baby include: stomach viruses, ear infections, asthma, diabetes, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, childhood leukemia, and later in life, obesity. Also, mothers that do not breastfeed are at greater risk for ovarian and breast cancers.

 In the article listed below, Pediatrician Larry Gray of the University of Chicago says ”it’s reasonable to strive for 90 percent compliance” with our governments recommendation. It should also be noted that the risks of formula feeding have been known for many years. So, why are our breastfeeding rates so low? Some attribute it to lack of education and support for mothers, others to the maternity care system and outdated hospital policies.

Some of the things I believe would greatly increase our country’s breastfeeding rates include:

• updating hospital policies that encourage immediate breastfeeding after birth, “rooming in”, lots of skin to skin contact, and ending the distribution of “gifts” to new mothers from formula companies. These “gifts” often include formula or coupons for formula. (Yes, hospitals allow this!)
• all post-partum nurses to be trained in lactation.
• better access breastfeeding information to all expecting mothers and their support persons, including free breastfeeding classes offered throughout our communities.
• regulations against the advertisement of formula to the general public.
• expecting women with little or no support to have access to birth and postpartum doulas.

It is the job of our generation to ensure that breastfeeding becomes the norm. We owe it to our children. Not only do they deserve the best start in life by being breastfed themselves, but when it comes time for them to bear babies of their own, they deserve to have a community that views breastfeeding as the natural, normal way to feed a child.

See the news story mentioned above here: 

Breast-feeding could save lives, money:

Cost-analysis study shows profound health benefits