Category: Newborn and Infant Health
Attorneys general seek warning label cautioning pregnant women against using pain pills
Nationally, about 13,500 infants were born with drug withdrawal symptoms in 2009, about one baby each hour, according to a 2012 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Safety begins at home – National Public Health Week article
Did You Know?
The majority of fire-related deaths happen at home.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among people over 65
Nine out of every 10 childhood poison exposures happens at home . . .
Know the active ingredients in your child’s meds – FDA
If your child is taking more than one medication at the same time, there could be dangerous health consequences if those medicines have the same active ingredient, warns the US Food and Drug Administration.
Sequestration spares Medicaid and Medicare but cuts many health programs for low-income Americans
The sequestration’s automatic cuts will make it more difficult for low-income Americans to get maternal and infant care, vaccinate their children, and receive treatment for mental illness.
C-Section rates vary widely across nation
Overall rates of C-sections vary from about 7 percent — to 70 percent across the nation’s hospitals. Even among women with lower-risk pregnancies, where rates varied from 2.4 to 36.5 percent.
Healthy eating tips for babies and toddlers – From Seattle Children’s
For parents, the task of reinforcing healthy habits around the dinner table can cause a bit of apprehension. Mollie Grow, MD, MPH, with Seattle Children’s Hospital, warns the old adage “you are what you eat” is pretty spot-on – especially for babies and toddlers who need a variety of nutrients for their growing minds and bodies.
What will the impact of sequestration be on Washington health programs?
Less money for vaccinating children, providing HIV testing, treating substance abuse and preparing for biological, chemical and radiological disasters.
What impact have vaccines had on health? – Infographic
Leon Farrant, a graphic design student at Purchase College, used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create a striking infographic showing the impact vaccines have had on health in the U.S.
More U.S. mothers are breastfeeding – CDC
From 2000–2008, the percentage of women who initiated breastfeeding went up from 47.4% to 58.9% for blacks, and 71.8% to 75.2% for whites. Initiation rates for Hispanics went from 77.6% to 80.0%.
Insurance plans must now cover cost of breast pumps for nursing moms
Due to a provision in the Affordable Care Act, health plans must cover the full cost of breast pumps for nursing mothers. This has led to a boom in the sale of the pumps, which can cost hundreds of dollars. But will the benefits outweigh the costs?
Xmas toy safety tips from Seattle Children’s
“Parents should remember that children don’t perceive toys the same way we do and often don’t use them as we might expect . . .If a toy can be misused, chewed on, eaten, swallowed or thrown at someone, it will be.”
King County infant dies of whooping cough
A newborn child in King County has died of pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, Public Health – Seattle & King Count reported Tuesday. The child died on Thursday, December 13th, health officials said. The death is a reminder that pregnant women and family members need to be immunized in order to protect newborns and [...]
New prenatal blood tests raise hopes as well as questions
Insurers remain wary pending more studies, but many pregnant women are trying the tests for fetal abnormalities.
State whooping cough cases top 4,500 – but epidemic slows
“We’re encouraged to see the pace of new cases in our state slowing,” said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky,” but we are not completely out of the woods.”
Seattle Children’s Hospital to provide neonatal intensive care at Franciscan Health System Birth Centers
Seattle Children’s Hospital neonatologists and neonatal nurse practitioners will provide 24/7 care to premature and critically ill newborns at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, and will provide 24/7 neonatal support and consultation at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way and St. Elizabeth Hospital in Enumclaw beginning in early 2013.
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