Beginner Baby

An Illinois couple found themselves awakened by their cat just after midnight in their Wonder Lake area home.  The couple fell asleep on their couch, unaware of the imminent fire.

Once the fire started, their cat jumped on the man and began pestering him until he woke up.  When he realized a fire extinguisher would not put out the fire, he called 911 while the couple left the home with their dog and lifesaving cat.  And yes, the woman is pregnant with twins!

The couple moved into this recently renovated house just a few months ago.  Unfortunately, the blaze caused an estimated $67,000 in damage.  Some of this damage included baby items that had been stored in a back room.

As heartbreaking as the news of this fire is, both mother and babies are doing well.  Thanks to their amazing cat!

Many parents have to wait until a second trimester ultrasound to find out their baby’s gender.  But in the near future, this may not be the case!  A recent study has found that a simple blood test can successfully determine the sex of a baby early in the pregnancy.

This is excellent news for those who simply can’t wait to find out if they are having a boy or a girl.  But more importantly, this blood test can help those who may be passing on particular inherited medical conditions to their unborn babies.  These are conditions in which it is important to know a baby’s gender early on for future planning and treatment.  In cases such as these, previous tests were much more invasive and could potentially cause an unwanted miscarriage.

This study included 201 pregnant mothers who received blood tests as early as seven weeks to determine their baby’s gender.  Of the 189 conclusive test results, 100 percent were accurate.

The cost of this test has not been released, nor do we know when this test will be available to the public.  If this test were available today, would you have it done?

Breastfeeding has been found to benefit both mom and baby in many ways.  And now there is even more reason to consider nursing your baby!  A recent a Kaiser Permanente study has concluded that breastfeeding your baby can lower your risk for metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions, including excess body fat, high insulin levels and high cholesterol levels.  Having metabolic syndrome can lead to diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

The numbers?  If you breastfeed your baby, you may lower your risk for developing metabolic syndrome by 39 to 56 percent.  Of course, this depends on the length of time you breastfeed.  Women who have gestational diabetes lower their risk by a whopping 44 to 86 percent!

This twenty year study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.  The findings “indicate that breastfeeding a child may have lasting favorable effects on a woman’s risk factors for later developing diabetes or heart disease.”

And even better?  Women who breastfed tended to have less belly fat and higher levels of the good cholesterol HDL-C.  What could be better?

About 800,000 H1N1 vaccinations made by Sanofi Pasteur have been recalled.  They are prefilled syringes that were used for children six months to three years old.  Experts say the vaccines were not strong enough to ensure complete protection from the H1N1 virus.  It is unknown as to why the strength decreased over time.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that most of these vaccinations have already been distributed and used.  Children at this age receive two doses, each a month apart.  The CDC believes children who received the weaker strength do not need to be vaccinated again, even if both of the shots were from the same recalled lot. Government officials report that this is a voluntary recall.