January 27, 2009 Personal Health

Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You

By JANE E. BRODY

Ask mothers why babies are
constantly picking things up from the floor or ground and putting them
in their mouths, and chances are they’ll say that it’s instinctive —
that that’s how babies explore the world. But why the mouth, when
sight, hearing, touch and even scent are far better at identifying things?  read more »

OREGON CITY, Ore. - When Dr. Seth Asser saw row after row of flat headstones marking children’s graves in a small cemetery not far from the end of the historic Oregon Trail, he knew many of these early deaths should not have happened.

The children’s parents relied on faith healing, instead of doctors.

The pediatrician published a landmark study concluding many of the deaths could have been prevented if the children had received medical care.  read more »

SYDNEY (AFP) - Pregnancy has long been blamed for addling women’s minds but new work by Australian researchers finds this idea may be nothing more than an old wives’ tale.

A study by the Australian National University’s centre for mental health research found that there is no evidence to suggest that impending motherhood affects a woman’s cognitive ability.  read more »

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A stillborn Israeli baby who was pronounced dead by doctors “came back to life” on Monday after spending hours in a hospital refrigerator.

The baby, weighing only 600 grams at birth, spent at least five hours inside one of the hospital’s refrigerated storage units, before her parents, who had taken her to be buried, began noticing some movement.

“We unwrapped her and felt she was moving. We didn’t believe it at first. Then she began holding my mother’s hand, and then we saw her open her mouth,” said 26-year-old Faiza Magdoub, the baby’s mother.  read more »

A shop selling lingerie for pregnant women has been forced to withdraw a mannequin with a baby bump from its window after it sparked complaints.

Amanda Bere opened her shop in Selby, North Yorkshire, eight weeks ago and dressed the dummy in a black nursing bra to promote her stock.

But she said many of the town’s older residents took offence. The mannequin, which Mrs Bere calls ‘Emily’, has now been moved to the back of the store.

‘Taking a stand’

She told BBC Look North: “It started with people looking in the window and making comments outside and they told me their points of view that they found it offensive.  read more »