Swaddling babies incorrectly can cause them hip problems, doctors warn

Parents have been turning to the old-fashioned practice in order to settle their babies and help them sleep better. Swaddling, which involves wrapping the baby in sheets or blankets with their legs out straight and arms pinned so that they cannot move, has been shown to induce sleep and soothe excessive crying and colic. But, say doctors who specialise in orthopaedics, evidence shows that the practice increases the risk of developmental hip abnormalities. Professor Nicholas Clarke of Southampton University hospital writes in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood that one in five babies are born with a hip abnormality, perhaps because of a breech birth or family history. Although these can resolve unaided, swaddling can delay it.
Clarke says that parents should be advised on "safe swaddling" if their babies are at risk of hip development problems. "In order to allow for healthy hip development, legs should be able to bend up and out at the hips. This position allows for natural development of the hip joints. The babies' legs should not be tightly wrapped in extension and pressed together."

Swaddling can cause hip problems The Guardian 28 October 2013

Commercial baby foods don’t meet infants’ weaning needs

UK commercial baby foods don’t meet infants’ dietary weaning needs, because they are predominantly sweet foods that provide little extra nutritional goodness over breast milk, indicates research published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood. Furthermore, they are promoted for infants from the age of four months - an age when they should still be on an exclusive breast milk diet, say the researchers.
“While it is understandable that parents may choose to use [these products] early in the weaning process, health professionals should be aware that such food will not add to the nutrient density of a milk diet,” they conclude.
Commercial baby foods lower nutrient density than typical home-made foods - Rochdale News 9 September 2013
and here on the BBC
and Abstract of the original research paper

Low MMR Vaccination Rates Put Measles Eradication Plans Under Threat

Outbreaks of measles are putting Europe's commitment to eliminate the disease by 2015 under threat, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned. Levels of vaccination have been too low in some countries, particularly in rich western European nations. It says catch-up vaccination campaigns, such as the one launched in the UK, are needed across the continent. Experts said it was not too late to hit the target, but "extraordinary" effort was needed.

Measles causes high fever and a rash and can be fatal.

Threat to Measles Elimination Plans - BBC News 7th May 2013

Hospitals 'are ignoring advice on caesarean sections'

Advice drawn up by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (Nice) says elective caesareans should not be performed until after 39 completed weeks so that the baby's lungs can develop fully. Otherwise, babies can suffer neonatal respiratory morbidity – serious breathing problems – which can prove fatal.
But a report out by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which represents the UK's 11,500 maternity doctors, reveals that the procedure is carried out before 39 weeks in 37% of such births in England and as many as 52.5% in some hospitals.

The RCOG's report says the overall proportion of elective C-sections performed before 39 completed weeks has fallen from 61% in 2000-01, but still stood at 30.3% (20,674 babies) in 2011-12.
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "NHS practice on this is damaging and isn't helpful to babies. Hospitals' preference for doing so many elective C-sections before 39 weeks leads to morbidity and mortality in babies, because the babies' lungs aren't properly developed and so they stand a higher chance of being resuscitated and also of ending up in neonatal intensive care."
2 May 2013 The Guardian

Mild Iodine Deficiency in Womb Associated with Lower Scores on Children’s Literacy Tests

A longitudinal study, published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, examined standardized test scores of 228 children whose mothers attended The Royal Hobart Hospital’s antenatal clinics in Tasmania between 1999 and 2001. The children were born during a period of mild iodine deficiency in the population. As 9-year-olds, the children who received insufficient iodine in the womb had lower scores on standardized literacy tests, particularly in spelling. However, inadequate iodine exposure was not associated with lower scores on math tests. Researchers theorize iodine deficiency may take more of a toll on the development of auditory pathways and, consequently, auditory working memory and so had more of an impact on students’ spelling ability than their mathematical reasoning ability.

newswise.com 30 April 2013

Breastfeeding advice ignored by most mothers

Department of Health Statistics released

Reading the press release, 75% of children had complementary foods introduced into their diets before 6 months of age. The Telegraph chose to confuse introducing formula milk with introducing complementary foods.

Read the full press release here

Extract from Telegraph article below

Mothers are advised by midwives and health visitors to breastfeed exclusively for six months if they can, eschewing mixing in formula milk or starting them on solids until that age. But a survey of the parents of almost 2,700 babies and toddlers across the UK has shown very few indeed adhere to the official guidelines.
It discovered that 96 per cent of parents started weaning their children before six months - meaning that, at the very most, only four per cent breastfed exclusively for that period. Of the three-quarters of mothers who breastfed to some degree, 57 per cent gave up before the baby was three months old, and a further 22 per cent by six months. The report suggests parents are either not aware of the guidelines - or are choosing to ignore them.

The Telegraph 13th March 2013

Pregnant women advised to avoid all alcohol

 A study of over 4,000 mothers and their children by researchers from Oxford University found women who consumed as little as one glass of wine a week had babies with IQs that were almost two points lower than non-drinkers. The normal span of intelligence is 20 points – from 90 to 110 – so though the effect is small for any individual it could have a noticeable impact on the population as a whole.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence said in 2007 that alcohol should be avoided for the first three months of pregnancy but one to two drinks a day was safe thereafter. The Department of Health said in 2006 there was no safe limit throughout pregnancy.
The new findings are published on-line in the journal Plos One (Public Library of Science One) and indicate that genes determine the sensitivity of the foetus to alcohol.
The researchers studied four genetic variants that determine how fast individuals metabolise alcohol to remove it from their bodies. They measured the IQs of children at age eight and found the effects were greatest in those who were slowest to clear alcohol while in the womb.
Ron Gray, who led the research, said: "This is a complex study but the message is simple: women have good reason to choose to avoid alcohol when pregnant."


15/11/12 The Independent

FSA reviewing advice to pregnant women about cats and rare meat

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is going to review its advice to pregnant women and other groups of people who could be at risk of health problems as a result of being infected with toxoplasma, a microscopic parasite carried by cats and transmitted in contaminated food.
The FSA's chief scientist, Andrew Wadge, said that a report by the FSA's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food found that further research is needed to establish how toxoplasma is spreading to people from cats.
Wednesday 5th September 2012 www.independent.co.uk

6 month guidance on introduction of complementary foods under attack

An article http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/when-should-you-stop-breast-feeding-1259599 by Dr Miriam Stoppard (who has worked for Nestle since 2008) in The Mirror questioned whether the current advice to wait until 6 months before introducing complementary foods into your baby's diet was right.
Mike Brady, of Baby Milk Action, responds by looking at the reasons why the baby food industry want mothers to  introduce other foods early: http://info.babymilkaction.org/news/campaignblog210812
Particularly sinister is the quote from a the Cow & Gate Sales Director: "We suggest milk is merchandised on the left hand side of the fixture, followed closely by an early weaning block – jars and packet foods from 4 months – to stop mums drifting into home-made foods."

Weaning - The Official Advice

The following extracts have been taken from the Department of Health’s leaflet, ‘Weaning: starting solid food’ (Jan 2008).

Six months is the best age for introducing solids. Before this, your baby’s digestive system is still developing and weaning too soon may increase the risk of infections and allergies. Weaning is also easier at six months. If your baby seems hungrier at any time before six months, they may be having a growth spurt, and extra breast or formula milk will be enough to meet their needs.

If you decide to wean at any time before six months, there are some foods that should be avoided as they may cause allergies or make your baby ill. These include wheat-based foods and other foods containing gluten (e.g. bread, rusks,

some breakfast cereals), eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, seeds and soft and unpasteurised cheeses. Ask your health visitor for advice, especially if your baby was premature.

Solid foods should never be introduced before four months.

You will find that as your baby eats more solid foods, the amount of milk your baby wants will start to reduce. Once your baby is eating plenty of solids several times a day, you can drop a milk feed but continue to breastfeed or give 500–600ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day until at least 12 months of age. Breastfeeding will continue to benefit you and your baby for as long as you choose to carry on.

Cow’s milk is not suitable as a drink until your baby is 12 months old but can be used in cooking.

Vitamin D is naturally present in only a few foods such as fortified margarines, eggs and fatty fish. It is also made naturally in the skin when it is exposed to gentle sunlight. It is sensible to give all children vitamin drops with vitamins A, C and D from the age of one to five years old. Breastfed babies and babies drinking less than 500ml of infant formula milk per day should begin vitamin drops at six months, or earlier if advised by your health visitor or doctor.

Babies are more likely to develop allergies if there is a family history of eczema, asthma or hayfever. For these families, exclusive breastfeeding is particularly recommended for the first six months. Introduce the foods that commonly cause allergies (milk, eggs, wheat, nuts, seeds, fish and shellfish) one at a time so that you can spot any reaction, but don’t introduce any of these foods before six months. Avoid giving peanuts and foods containing peanut products, e.g. peanut butter or groundnut oil, until your child is three years old.

Soya-based infant formulas should only be used on the advice of your GP. Some babies who are allergic to cow’s milk may also be allergic to soya. Infant formulas based on goat’s milk protein have not been approved for use in Europe.

Foods to avoid

·      SALT (which contains sodium)

Do not add any salt to foods for babies. Do not use stock cubes or gravy in your baby’s food as they are often high in salt. When you are cooking for the family, do not add salt, so your baby can share the family foods.

·      SUGAR

Sugar can encourage a sweet tooth and lead to tooth decay when first teeth start to come through. Try mashed banana, breast or formula milk to sweeten food if necessary.

·      HONEY

Don’t give honey until your baby is one year old. Very occasionally, it can contain a type of bacteria, which can produce toxins in the baby’s intestines and can cause a very serious illness (infant botulism). Remember that honey is also a sugar and can lead to tooth decay.

·      NUTS

Whole nuts, including peanuts, should not be given to children under five years in case of choking.

·      LOW-FAT FOODS

Low-fat foods, whether yoghurt, fromage frais, cheese or fat spreads are not suitable for babies or children under two. Fat is an important source of calories and some vitamins which they need.

 

Department of Health (www.dh.gov.uk)