Cavity fighting candy? Believe it or not, it is being tested in Brazil. Researchers developed a compound that is similar to natural saliva which neutralizes the acids that erode teeth, and have put it in a candy called BasicMints (not very catchy - they need to get their marketing guys on that). The candy was given to 200 children, and after one year these kids had 61% fewer cavities. The only problem I can see is that it is only mint flavored. Personally, I would like to see it in gummy bears - I can’t ever get enough of those!

Other factors should be considered… when considering saving the life of a preemie. It is not only the gestational age that matters. Being a girl, having steroids to mature the lungs, being a single birth or having a few extra ounces of weigh all matter a lot. At this point, every week in the womb counts and any of these factors can increase the gestational age by a week. A child born at 22 weeks has a 5% chance of survival; at 23 weeks it climbs to 25%, 24 weeks 50% and 25 weeks 75%.

When a child is born between 22-25 weeks gestation, it is often a heart-wrenching decision. Statistically speaking, of the 4,200 extremely premature births, 50% died in the first two years, and an additional 25% had significant to extreme physical handicaps.

Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time… I don’t know whether to laugh or feel bad for a group of middle-aged moms in Spain. In an effort to make some money for their children’s school, they decided to pose nude for a calendar. Someone along the line gave them some bad advice, and the calendar did not sell well. They are $16,000 in debt - and stuck with a LOT of copies of the calendar. And I want to take a second to tell my elementary school kids not to worry - mommy is never going to embarrass you by posing nude to raised money for your school - I promise!

More news on the Children’s Health bill. Last week there was another vote to try to overrule George Bush’s veto of the proposed Children’s Health bill. The 260 to 152 result was not quite enough for it to pass.

At the moment in the USA there is a kind of no-man’s-land. There are families who cannot afford private health insurance, but do not qualify for Medicaid because they are not poor enough. The program is aimed at these very people.

Bush is vetoing the bill because he believes that it is too close to a “state-run” system similar to Canada and Western Europe. Currently in the US, our government spends 16% of our economy on healthcare, compared to Western Europe who spends about 8%. There are currently 50 million Americans without health insurance, comparatively all persons in Western Europe are covered.

As an American living in Europe, I have a view to both systems and there are pros and cons to each. I can see why the “European” system as it is probably would not work in America. I think what is bugging me here is that if this bill helps improve things in America, so what if it bears a similarity to the European system? It’s not the European system - so what is there to be afraid of if in the end this piece will work for America and it will help millions of children? I would be interested in understanding in a bit more detail why Bush decided to veto it, there surely is a better reason than that. And I am even more interested in hearing what the presidential candidates have to say on the issue.

What would you do? In a sad story (a warning to any weepy preggos out there) at four months pregnant, a woman in the UK found out that she had bowel cancer and she made the difficult decision to delay her cancer treatment until after her child was born. The baby was born at 25 weeks, and she began treatment immediately after the birth yet died two months later.

I would like to say that I would make the same decision, but to be honest I don’t know if I would be strong enough of a person. Her cancer was at an advanced stage, it would have been a difficult battle in any case. A tragic story all around. My condolences go out to her family. (And little baby Liam does look adorable in the last picture at the bottom of the article.)

Is she or isn’t she? After wearing a very flowy gown to yesterday’s SAG awards, the tabloids are yet again abuzz with rumors that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are expecting their second biological child. Some are even saying that she is pregnant with twins! Keep in mind, it was only a few short months ago that the same rumor was going around about Jennifer Lopez…

Too many preterm births. The number of preterm births is rising steadily. It is predicted that for 2006 nearly 13% of all children born in the US are preterm - born before 37 weeks of gestation. There is a US Surgeon General conference scheduled in 2008 to address this issue.

In 2005, preterm birth costs the nation more than $26.2 billion in medical and educational costs and lost productivity. Average first year medical costs were about 10 times greater for preterm than for term infants.

Go retro on the playground! Big fancy playground equipment might get the children “ooh-ing and aah-ing”, but to keep kids fit schools do not need to spend a lot of money. To get kids moving, schools should encourage games that involve running and jumping.

Fancy playground equipment is fine for improving coordination and sharpening minds, but if you really want preschoolers to play hard, give them a ball, jump-rope or hula hoop, a study concludes.

Anyone want to meet at the play yard for a game of kickball?

Taking a break from baby-making? There are now even more options to ensure you don’t have an “oops” moment. Web MD has an informative article that explains long-term birth control options that are hassle free and more reliable than ever. There is even the option of permanent birth control without invasive surgery, called Essure. As always, consult your doctor to determine what is best for you!

Quaid Twins in Danger: The California Department of Public Health is investigating an accidental overdose that has put the lives of Dennis Quaid’s infant twins at risk. The babies, born November 8th to a surrogate, were given 1,000 times the intended dose of heparin, a blood thinner, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Mr. Quaid’s publicist released the following statement on behalf of the actor and his wife: “Dennis and Kimberly appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers and hope they can maintain their privacy during this difficult time.” (You may recall that a little over a year ago two premature infants died from a similar overdose incident.)

CPSC on Toy Safety: The Consumer Product Safety Commission released its ABC’s of Toy Safety: Awareness Benefits Consumers:

Awareness is not only knowing there is a CPSC and what the agency does to protect consumers but also being aware of what poses the greatest risks. The leading causes of toy-related fatalities include choking and aspiration of toy parts.

The increased scrutiny of toys and the CPSC has led to B, or benefits, to consumers. CPSC has increased the agency’s inspections of toys and is taking the action needed to remove violative products from the marketplace. More companies are testing their products and reporting possible safety problems.

The Chinese government has signed new agreements to conduct pre-export inspections to prevent lead painted toys and other unsafe toys from being exported to the U.S.

“CPSC recalled 61 toys involving more than 25 million product units in 2007, underscoring CPSC’s daily commitment to keeping consumers safe 365 days a year,” said Acting CPSC Chairman Nancy Nord. “Toys today are undergoing more inspection and more intense scrutiny than ever before.”

Finally C, consumers should stay informed and be aware of recalls by signing up to receive direct e-mail notification of recalls at www.cpsc.gov. CPSC has launched a “Drive to 1 Million” to sign up at least 1 million consumers to receive this direct notification.

Consumers can also be more aware by shopping with CPSC’s Top Safe Shopping Tips for this year:

• Ride-on Toys – Riding toys, skateboards and in-line skates go fast and falls could be deadly. Helmets and safety gear should be sized to fit.
• Small Parts – For children younger than age three, avoid toys with small parts, which can cause choking.
• Magnets – For children under age six, avoid building sets with small magnets. If magnets or pieces with magnets are swallowed, serious injuries and/or death can occur.
• Projectile Toys – Projectile toys such as air rockets, darts and sling shots are for older children. Improper use of these toys can result in serious eye injuries.
• Chargers and Adapters – Charging batteries should be supervised by adults. Chargers and adapters can pose thermal burn hazards to children.

To choose appropriate toys for children:

• Be a label reader. Look for toy labels that give age and safety recommendations and use that information as a guide.
• Select toys to suit the age, abilities, skills and interest level of the intended child. Look for sturdy construction, such as tightly-secured eyes, noses and other potential small parts.
• For all children under 8, avoid toys that have sharp edges and points.

Once the gifts are open:

• Immediately discard plastic wrappings on toys before they become dangerous play things.
• Keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger siblings or neighbors.
• Pay attention to instructions and warnings on battery chargers. Some chargers lack any device to prevent overcharging.

TV Baby News: The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck and husband Tim welcomed their second child, a boy, on Friday morning. The couple have a two-year-old daughter, Grace. Ms. Hasselbeck reportedly plans to call her co-hosts this morning to announce the newcomer’s name.

When to TTC? Researchers have published in the journal Decision Analysis a description of a program aimed to help women weigh various factors and come up with the optimal time for them to plan to have their first baby. The program aims to help women sort through education and career considerations, plus age and other concerns. For example, for some women having a baby early on could derail career opportunities, while for others, taking maternity leave early on in the career track has less of a negative impact. One of the researchers offers, “We use decision analysis all the time to guide complex business and policy questions and decisions, so why not use the structured approach to improve our understanding for making important personal decisions?”

Congenital Heart Disease and Brain Development: Researchers at University of California, San Francisco, found through a study that the brains of babies born with congenital heart disease resemble those of premature babies. They propose that abnormal fetal circulation may be impacting the brain development of these babies. “Traditionally, the focus has always been on the surgery. It would be great to be able to say that you do the surgery and fix their hearts and their blood oxygen and then brain development catches up. We need to look more broadly at what occurs before surgery. For example, there has been interest in doing heart repairs earlier, even in utero,” [Dr. Patrick] McQuillen said. “Our data has implications for the timing of surgery.”

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.

Recall News: The CPSC is recalling Starbucks children’s sippy cups due to laceration and choking hazards. Consumers will receive a refund plus a complimentary beverage for returning the cups.

9/11 and Birth Weight: Research reported in the journal Human Reproduction finds an association between low birth weight and the September 11th terrorist attacks. The researchers found an increase in the number of low birth weight babies among those born in Manhattan New York City in the weeks and months following the attacks on the World Trade Center. “We think that the increased incidence in low birth weights is mainly due to stress-initiated early deliveries. We had hypothesised that women further away from the disaster might have less stress associated with the event. We observed immediate effects in NYC, but longer-term effects both in NYC and upstate,” said Prof [Brenda] Eskenazi. “This may indicate that higher levels of stress are necessary to induce acute effects on birth outcome, such as early delivery with the consequent low birth weight, but that, in the longer term, women in both locations suffered stress as a result of the disaster and this is reflected in the later peaks in low birth weights.”

Pot Pie Advisory:  ConAgra Foods, Inc., has a health advisory up on its site about its Banquet brand chicken and turkey pot pies, which have been linked with a salmonella outbreak.  Affected are Banquet and generic pot pies bearing the code “P-9″ on the side.  The generic brands affected are:

• Hill Country Fare (sold at HEB);
• Food Lion (sold at Food Lion);
• Great Value (sold at Wal-Mart);
• Kirkwood (sold at Aldi);
• Kroger (sold at Kroger); and,
• Meijer (sold at Meijer).

Check out the company site for information on obtaining a refund.

Preemie Health News: Research out of Children’s Hospital, Boston, finds that by examining the umbilical cord blood of premature infants, doctors may be able to predict which babies are at risk for developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), an often fatal lung disorder. By examining the cord blood from babies who developed BPD and comparing it with that of babies who did not, the researchers found that the BPD babies’ blood had a distinct gene expression. BPD is the second leading cause of death in preemies.

Moms Out of Luck: If you’re very, very pregnant and desire an induction, we hope you don’t live in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Regina Mother Baby Unit is overbooked, so doctors are holding off on labor jump-starts. Shauna Kaytor is 42 weeks along and has been informed that space won’t be available for her for almost another week. “If I go into labour right now, then I’d be admitted and the baby would be delivered,” said Kaytor, who will be a first-time mother. “But for now I’m on the wait list. I’m not high risk, so I just have to wait by the phone.”

October is SIDS Awareness Month. For the latest on SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), including information and advice for new and expecting parents, research on SIDS prevention, and support for grieving families, check out First Candle, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for SIDS prevention.

Hope for Short Cervix Preggos: A new study published in the journal Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology concludes that vaginal treatment with a progesterone gel may reduce the risk of preterm birth, and improve overall infant outcomes, in women with short cervices. For this study, 46 women at high risk for preterm delivery because of short cervix were followed. Half were treated with PROCHIEVE 8%, half were given a placebo. Of the treated group, one in six newborns was admitted to the NICU after birth, vs. one in two of the placebo group. Furthermore, of the babies whose moms received the progesterone gel who were admitted to a NICU, the average stay was one day, vs. two weeks for the babies in the placebo group.

TTC Superstitions… On Oprah yesterday, Halle Berry talked about her lengthly quest to get pregnant: “I’m sort of superstitious, so I saved all of the negative [pregnancy] tests in a drawer…Don’t ask! I don’t know why, but I did. … After about 35 tests, we finally got a positive test.”