Early Predictors of School Success: A study published in the current issue of Developmental Psychology finds that early math and reading skills, as well as attention-related skills, seem to predict later academic success, while behavior issues and social skills do not. The study is a meta-analysis of six other studies involving nearly 36,000 preschoolers. Knowledge of early math concepts, such as grasp of numbers and numbering, was the best predictor of success. One of the researchers notes, “Our results did not address what types of preschool curricula are most effective in promoting these school readiness skills…But we do know that play-based, as opposed to ‘drill-and-practice,’ curricula designed with children’s developmental needs in mind can foster academic and attention skills in ways that are engaging and fun.”

Drugs Not Beneficial for ADHD? One of the authors of a 1999 study that concluded that medication is more effective than behavior therapy in treating ADHD now states:

“I think that we exaggerated the beneficial impact of medication in the first study. We had thought that children medicated longer would have better outcomes. That didn’t happen to be the case. There’s no indication that medication’s better than nothing in the long run.”

Moreover, drugs such as Ritalin and Concerta, he notes, tend to stunt a child’s physical growth.

“The children had a substantial decrease in their rate of growth so they weren’t growing as much as other kids both in terms of their height and in terms of their weight.”

Crib Recall: The CPSC issued a recall of Wendy Bellissimo Collection Convertible Cribs, sold exclusively at Babies R Us, because the bolts at the top corners of the cribs can become lose, which can create a gap that poses a strangulation hazard. Parents should stop using the cribs and contact Bassettbaby at (888) 897-4689 for a free repair kit.

Lead Toy Recalls: The CPSC is recalling Curious George plush dolls, sold with activity or story books, because the paint on the dolls violates lead paint standards. (Sample picuted below, see the recall site for additional recalled models.)

The CPSC is recalling children’s yellow sunglasses, sold at Dollar General stores nationwide, because they have excessive levels of lead.

The CPSC has issued a recall of pearl-like beads accompanying Tween Brands girls’ gift sets, sold at Limited Too, because they contain excessive levels of lead.

Good News for Preemies: A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that premature babies who are treated with caffeine therapy to alleviate breathing problems do not suffer from neurological problems as a result. In fact, caffeine may protect preemies against cerebral palsy and cognitive delays. Caffeine is used with preemies to treat apnea or to help ease babies off of mechanical ventilators. (Thanks, Sonya, for the link!)

TV and Hypertension: A new study published in the current issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds an association between television viewing and hypertension in children. TV viewing time has already been associated with obesity. Data was gathered regarding 546 subjects, aged 4 to 17 years, who were evaluated for obesity at pediatric subspecialty weight management clinics in San Diego CA, San Francisco CA, and Dayton, OH, from 2003 to 2005. Children and their parent(s) were given a written questionnaire, which was used to estimate the average daily time spent watching TV, and then a physician verbally reviewed and confirmed the time estimate. The height and weight of the children were measured to determine a Body Mass Index (BMI) and their blood pressures were recorded.

Investigators determined that TV time was positively correlated with the severity of obesity. After controlling for race, site, and BMI score, both the severity of obesity and daily TV time were significant independent predictors of the presence of hypertension. Children watching 2 to 4 hours of TV had 2.5 times the odds of hypertension compared with children watching 0 to <2 hours. The odds of hypertension for children watching 4 or more hours of TV were 3.3 times greater than for children watching 0 to <2 hours of TV.

Autism Screening: The American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending that all children be screened for autism spectrum disorder twice before age two. “If you recognize it earlier, you get them into treatment earlier,” said Dr. Scott Myers, a pediatrician who specializes in neurodevelopment and who helped write two clinical reports designed to help pediatricians identify and manage autism.

“Kids who start (treatment) earlier do better in the long run,” Myers said in a telephone interview.

Preemie Medical Miracle: The current issue of the journal Fetal Diagnosis shares the story of a one-year-old who was operated on in utero after her mother’s membranes broke in her 22nd week of pregnancy. During the surgery, a balloon was inserted into the baby’s developing lungs that kept the fluid in there from draining away. The build up of pressure stimulated lung growth. The baby was born at 33 weeks, and was able to go home with her parents two weeks before her due date.

Gastroschisis and Survival Odds: A study conducted by Johns Hopkins surgeons finds that when a baby is born with a low risk version of gastroschisis, where he is treated can make the difference between life and death. Gastroschisis is a condition in which the baby develops with a hole in the abdomen. In low risk cases, the hole is the only abnormality. Generally, it is easy to repair and 97% of babies survive. However, some hospitals have a death rate for babies born with low risk gastroschisis that is three to five times the national average. “We went into this prepared to see some differences, but we didn’t expect to see these striking variations from hospital to hospital in these fairly uncomplicated cases,” says investigator Meghan Arnold, M.D., a surgical resident at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. (You can learn more about gastroschisis in this earlier MomSquawk post.)

Epilepsy Drugs and Fertility: Researchers at the National Center for Epilepsy report that two popular epilepsy drugs, carbamazepine and valproate, have been associated with reduced fertility. Both drugs have already been associated with pregnancy risks, as they pose a risk of autism and reduced IQ in the developing baby. As for fertility, the researchers find that once a woman stops taking the drug, her fertility health normalizes.

FluMist for children: A federal advisory panel concludes that FluMist, a nasal spray that delivers the flu vaccine, may be safely given to children as young as two. The panel did not advocate one route of vaccine delivery - shot or mist - over the other. However, the panel noted that children with a history of asthma or wheezing should stick with the shots. The panel voted that government funds that cover childhood vaccines also pay for FluMist for this age group.

Childhood obesity clues: A new study in the Journal of Pediatrics finds that children with Down syndrome are more likely than their siblings to have higher levels of leptin, a hormone associated with an increased risk for obesity. These children tend to have a higher BMI and a higher percentage of body fat. “The normal role of leptin is to suppress appetite and regulate body weight,” said senior author Nicolas Stettler, M.D., MSCE, a pediatric nutrition specialist at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “In general, obese people have higher levels of leptin, which suggests that they have some leptin resistance—their bodies do not respond to the hormone properly. Because Down syndrome is a chromosome disorder, children with Down syndrome may have a genetic predisposition to more severe leptin resistance.”

Fertility and DHEA: A researcher presented data at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Washington DC that supports the theory that by taking the supplement dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a woman undergoing IVF can improve her chances of successfully conceiving a child. In a pilot study of 27 women, eight of whom were given the supplements, those taking DHEA produced more eggs and had twice as many high-quality embryos produced. More study is needed; the researcher asks that women not self-medicate but speak with their doctors about DHEA.

Make ‘em laugh… An organization called Rx Laughter and UCLA researchers conducted a study in which children were asked to immerse their hands in very cold water and leave them there for as long as they could stand it. The children performed this task twice, one time while watching a comedy show. Their hands were warmed up between tests. The children kept their hands in the ice water longer while watching the funny programming. The researchers suggest that comedy helps children endure painful procedures. Many hospitals and medical practices now offer funny distractions to children to help them cope with discomfort and pain.

It’s Lead Poisoning Prevention Week: Lead safety reminder:

Pregnant women and children should not be present in housing built before 1978 that is undergoing renovation. They should not participate in activities that disturb old paint or in cleaning up paint debris after work is completed.

More on lead paint and old housing here.

Ear Infection Superbug: In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers report that they have discovered an ear infection superbug that is resistant to all antibiotics approved for use with children. The superbug was discovered when a small group of children from Rochester, NY, suffered from ear infections that persisted even after ear taps and multiple antibiotic treatments. The children were finally treated with antibiotics approved only for adults, and the infections cleared. “Children with the new strain of superbug represented a small subset of those in our practice, but the results are worrisome, especially since there are no new antibiotics in the pipeline for ear infections in children,” said Michael Pichichero, M.D., professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and a partner at Legacy Pediatrics, the private practice involved. “While we must be careful not to create undue alarm, the potential exists for newly evolved strains to spread to the ears of more children,” said Pichichero, an author of the JAMA article.

Malaria Vaccine: Drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline has announced that research indicates the company’s experimental malaria vaccine is safe and effective for babies. In a trial run in Mozambique, over 200 infants received the vaccine, which appears to have reduced the number of new malaria cases by 65% and the number of infants becoming critically ill from malaria by 35%. Malaria, a mosquito-borne illness, kills more than 1 million people each year.

Johnson & Johnson, Wyeth, and other pharmaceutical companies are recalling cough and cold nonprescription medications marketed for infants and toddlers, including:

• Concentrated Infants’ TYLENOL Drops Plus Cold
• Concentrated Infants’ TYLENOL Drops Plus Cold & Cough
• PEDIACARE Infant Drops Decongestant (PSE)
• PEDIACARE Infant Drops Decongestant & Cough (PSE)
• PEDIACARE Infant Dropper Decongestant (PE)
• PEDIACARE Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough
• PEDIACARE Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough (PE) products; Dimetapp Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops
• Demetapp Decongestant Infant Drops
• Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough
• Little Colds Multi-Symptom Cold Formula
• Robitussin Infant Cough DM Drops
• Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant and Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant Plus Cough.

You may recall that currently the FDA is being advised by internal experts to ban such products because they maintain that they are ineffective and potentially dangerous.

From the Johnson & Johnson website:

When used as directed, these medicines are generally recognized as safe and effective. While most parents use these medicines appropriately and follow dosing directions, an assessment of available data on the use of pediatric cough and cold medicines has identified rare instances of misuse leading to overdose, particularly in infants under two years of age.

CVS pharmacies are removing the recalled products and their store brand equivalents from their shelves immediately. The FDA will not make its decision about changes in warnings or instructions for these medications until it receives input form outside groups later this month.

Posted by MommaSteph.

It felt like a troll had taken up residence in my maternity tights in order to jab me in the groin with a very pointy knife. The pain was so sudden and sharp that I generally couldn’t help but gasp or cry out loud, and a couple times I was knocked onto all fours. (And sometimes, I inadvertently swore: This made walking up for Communion at Mass a rather anxiety-provoking experience.) I tried to explain to my OB what was going on, but he cut me off (not even looking up from my chart), offering merely this: “It’s common.”

So naturally, I felt like a big complainer, and I shut up about it. The pain got worse and more frequent as I marched toward delivery day, and disappeared once the baby came. Then, with with my second pregnancy, the troll returned - with a vengeance! I had a new OB, and I tentatively related to her what was happening, but again, I got the brush off.

Well, imagine my surprise when I learned, after the fact, that there is a name for this condition: Pelvic girdle pain (PGP). And (listen up, OBs!) there are some treatment options, too.

The pelvis consists of three joints, the symphysis pubis at the front and the sacroiliac joints at the back. There are lots of ligaments at these joints, which help keep the bones of the pelvis nicely in place. But during pregnancy, the body produces a hormone called relaxin, which loosens the ligaments so that the mother will be better able to push the baby out. Problem is, if the ligaments get too loose, the parts of the pelvis can get out of alignment, and that can cause some women significant pain. (You have perhaps heard PGP referred to as symphysis pubis dysfunction, or SPD. PGP is the name being used more frequently now because any of the three joints can become out of whack during pregnancy, not just the front joint.)

For some, the pelvic pain doesn’t go away after delivery, so getting on top of PGP, rather than simply playing the waiting game, is a good idea.

But it’s apparently rare that PGP gets any sort of medical attention. According to KMom over at Plus-Sized Pregnancy:

It is often extremely difficult to get the traditional medical community (especially the obstetric community!) to take pubic pain/SPD seriously. They often simply ascribe pubic pain to the ‘normal aches and pains of pregnancy’ and brush it off as no big deal. They often believe that no real physical therapy or treatment is possible while pregnant and that it is just a matter of waiting it out.

KMom outlines some treatment options women with PGP might consider. She had significant pain relief when treated by a chiropractor. She suggests you find one well-schooled in proper care for pregnant women. (She gives a nice vetting of the topic on her site.) You might also consider finding an osteopath who practices muscular-skeletal manipulations. (Again, KMom shares her insights and experiences here.) And there are other therapies that have helped some women, such as TENS, Pilates, pelvic support belts, and more.

As for taking steps to minimize the effects of PGP, BabyCentre UK offers a list of self-help tips for moms:

• Avoid pushing through any pain. If something hurts, if possible don’t do it. If this type of pain is allowed to flare up, it can take a long time to settle back down again.

• Move little and often. You may not feel the effects of what you are doing until later in the day or after you have gone to bed.

• Rest regularly by sitting reasonably upright with your back well supported.

• Avoid heavy lifting or pushing (supermarket trolleys can be particularly painful).

•When dressing, sit down to put on clothing such as your knickers or trousers. Pull the clothing over your feet and then stand up to pull them up. Don’t try to put your legs into trousers, skirts or knickers whilst standing up.

• When climbing stairs, go up them one step at a time. Step up onto one step with your best leg and then bring your other leg to meet it. Repeat with each step.

• Avoid separating your legs and making straddling movements — such as when getting in and out of the car or bath. If you need to separate your legs, do so slowly and carefully and keep your back arched.

• Avoid swimming breaststroke if you can and take care with other strokes. Swimming can often feel like it is helping whilst you are in the water but cause an increase in pain when you get out.

• Performing regular pelvic floor exercises and lower abdominal exercises can help to reduce the strain of the pregnancy on your pelvis. To perform a safe and easy lower abdominal exercise, get down onto your hands and knees and level your back so that it is roughly flat. Breathe in and then as you breathe out, perform a pelvic floor exercise and at the same time pull your belly button in and up. Hold this contraction for 5-10 seconds without holding your breath and without moving your back. Relax the muscles slowly at the end of the exercise.

• Follow the advice in our protecting your back and pelvis article.

• You can get in touch with other women in your situation by contacting The Pelvic Partnership, a charity which was set up to offer support to women with SPD. The National Childbirth Trust also offers information and support to women with a range of pelvic dysfunctions.

If you’re like me, PGP will, thankfully, be a hazy memory soon after pregnancy. Nevertheless, it makes sense to take steps to minimize your pain - and perhaps prevent serious pelvic complications - if possible.

A happy and comfortable nine months to you preggos!

Posted by MommaSteph.

PPD Legislation: Seconding the congratulations offered by Katherine at Postpartum Progress to Rep. Bobby Rush, who, after six years of campaigning, has finally seen his Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act move out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection (pause for breath), where it received unanimous support.

Next step: The House floor for a vote.

The proposed law would require the National Institutes of Health to put more resources into researching postpartum depression and psychosis, as well as providing more support for women affected by the disorders. According to the American Psychiatric Association, postpartum depression affects around one in ten new mothers; postpartum mood disorders with psychotic features affect between one in 500 to 1000 new moms.

You can read more about Melanie Blocker-Stokes here.

More News on Depression: A new study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry finds that approximately one in seven new mothers is identified as having depression either before, during, or after pregnancy. “The fact that [depression] is similar between those 3 time points reinforces the fact that depression is something that happens relatively commonly in reproduction-aged women and can be exacerbated during pregnancy,” said Dr. [Evelyn P.] Whitlock.

Vaccine Research:  A University of Rochester study finds that the new combination vaccines for infants that get the recommended vaccines into a two-month-old in three shots are as safe and effective as the roster that requires five pokes. The study followed 575 healthy babies at 22 sites nationwide. While there was more swelling and soreness at the injection site with the combination vaccine, in none of the babies did side effects require an extra doctor visit. “Vaccine opponents may liken the process of the body processing simultaneous vaccines to a computer running too many applications; the machine grows slow, and the programs, one by one, begin to terminate,” [Dr. Michael] Pichichero said. “But those fears are unfounded; we have found no evidence that a child’s body is at any point approaching a maximum threshold as far as learning to produce immune responses.”