fbpx

Pregnancy and Lactation Weekly Digest

For the Week Ending May 27, 2018. 

Air pollution in utero

The baby you are carrying is exposed to everything you are exposed to: the music and voices you hear, the food you ingest, the air you breathe. Air pollution can cause inflammation in the uterus and placenta, which could cause high blood pressure in children – a condition that can last their whole lives and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Air pollution has also been linked to premature births. Read more here and here.

This is important for you because clean air is important for everyone, even before they’re born.

Full term babies

Full term – 40 weeks of gestation – is the safest time to give birth. A longer period may be dangerous, but so may induction. A new meta-analysis – a compilation of thirty different studies – has demonstrated that induction is worth it; it is safer than letting the baby cook for longer. Read more here.

This is important for you because if your pregnancy is going long, you should discuss induction with your doctor.

Another baby book

Rather than a moment-by-moment guide to what is happening in your body or endless lists of products to purchase or to avoid purchasing at all costs, Meaghan O’Connell has written a memoir of what pregnancy and early feels like to her as she experienced it. See the book here.

This is important for you because every woman’s pregnancy is unique. If you are feeling alone, it might be interesting to see how others tackle it.

Number one or number two?

It is not usually that difficult to detect when a baby has a stinky diaper. But Verily – the high-tech company formerly known as Google Life Sciences – has just applied for a patent on a smart diaper that will detect the difference between a wet and a poopy diaper and send the info to your phone. The detection is achieved by gold and platinum sensors embedded in the diaper. Read more here.

This is important for you because… umm… maybe it could be if you have a stuffy nose?

Becoming a Parent

Arq, a website and organization that aims to “help people connect with Jewish life and culture in a relevant, inclusive, and convenient way,” has just published a three-part guide on becoming a parent. Like everything they do, the guide “is rooted in, but not limited to, Jewish rituals and traditions.” Access it here.

This is important for you because it can be interesting to learn about how different cultures approach childbirth.

The most popular article on The Pulse this week was Main Reasons Your Period Could Be Late, Other Than Pregnancy. They range from stress to diet to illness to travel to medications. Read it here.

Diana Gitig
Dr. Diana Gitig has a Ph.D. in cell biology and genetics from Cornell University, and has been writing about issues in biology – from molecular biology to cancer to immunology to neuroscience to nutrition to agriculture - for the past fifteen years. She has three teenaged children.

Leave a Reply