Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Mother's love affects brain growth in babies

This is an interesting article that suggests  nuturing a child early in life may help him or her develop a larger hippocampus, the brain region important for learning, memory and stress responses.


A new study shows Brain images have now revealed that a mother’s love physically affects the volume of her child’s hippocampus. 


In the study, children of nurturing mothers had hippocampal volumes 10 percent larger than children whose mothers were not as nurturing. Research has suggested a link between a larger hippocampus and better memory.


Though 95 percent of the parents in the study were the children’s biological mothers, the researchers say that the effects of nurturing on the brain are likely to be the same for any primary caregiver. [Why Gay Parents May Be the Best Parents]


Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Grandparent day

As I sat at lunch yesterday with an old friend, we talked of life, opportunities, sadness and joy. As the conversation moved to its natural pauses, I found my sight wandering to the young mother and her baby at the next table. I found myself thinking of my new grandson and the joys and sorrows that he would have as he grew into a man, and I thought about how I had missed the privilege of knowing my grandparents. I was intrigued when one of my cousins posted information about grandparent day on my Facebook page, so I did a little research when I came home.

I missed grandparent day in 2010 as I was not yet a grandparent, however, I will not miss it in 2011. For those who are not aware, here is a brief history.

In 1970, a West Virginia housewife, Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, initiated a campaign to set aside a special day just for Grandparents.   Through concerted efforts on the part of civic, business, church, and political leaders, this campaign expanded statewide. Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) was especially instrumental in the project. The first Grandparents Day was proclaimed in 1973 in West Virginia by Governor Arch Moore. Also in 1973, Senator Randolph introduced a Grandparents Day resolution in the United States Senate. The resolution languished in committee.
Mrs. McQuade and her team turned to the media to garner support. They also began contacting governors, senators, and congressmen in every state. And they sent letters to churches, businesses, and numerous national organizations interested in senior citizens. In 1978, five years after its West Virginia inception, the United States Congress passed legislation proclaiming the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day. The proclamation was signed by President Jimmy Carter. (September was chosen for the holiday, to signify the "autumn years" of life.)
Today this event, begun by only a few, is observed by millions throughout the United States.

In Australia, Queensland was the first Australian state to officially celebrate Grandparents' Day - on the first Sunday in November 2010. I missed it but my wife was there for it, but I don't think she and my daughter knew to celebrate it.
National Grandparents Day began in Canada in 1995. Motion Number 273 submitted in the House of Commons by Mr. Sarkis Assadourian read:
That, in the opinion of this House, the government should consider designating the second Sunday in September of each year as grandparents day in order to acknowledge their importance to the structure of the family in the nurturing, upbringing and education of children.
The motion was agreed to, but Grandparents Day remains relatively unknown in most parts of the country as of 2010, so I am spreading the word so more of us will be aware of National Grandparent day. Finally,  more pictures of Ryder





Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Periods of Purple Crying research and babies

When my daughter was young, she went through a period where we thought she would never stop crying. We thought she had colic, but we were wrong. Evidently there is a common phase all babies go through and there is much research on this phase of life. Many parents become frustrated when they cannot comfort their child and need help. So, Here is a good starting point for parents, and grandparents on this phase.

From the Web Site:


Period of PURPLE Crying® is the phrase used to describe the point in a baby’s life when they cry more than any other time. This period of increased crying is often described as colic, but there have been many misunderstandings about what “colic” really is

Many of you came to this website because you heard about the Period of PURPLE Crying, so this is a good place to connect this phrase to what we have been describing about the crying of normal infants in the first weeks and months of life. The Period of PURPLE Crying is the phrase that we at the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome have adopted to help capture for parents what the typical features of crying are in normal infants. As described elsewhere in the website, the letters of the word PURPLE each refer to one of these features:

 

 The Period of PURPLE Crying begins at about 2 weeks of age and continues until about 3-4 months. There are other common characteristics of this phases, or period, which are better described by the acronym PURPLE. All babies go through this Period it is just that during this time some can cry a lot, some far less, but they all do go through it. 

There are other characteristics of this stage. For example, studies have shown that the crying tends to be much heavier in the late afternoon and evening. Just when parents are getting home from work and the most tired. Parents try many ways to keep the baby from crying, or stop the crying, and some of them work, well, they seem to work for awhile. “I take my baby in the car and drive around the block in my PJ’s,” said one mom. “That worked for three nights but on the fourth, he would not stop crying. I tried several others things like warm baths, singing and swaying and nothing worked. Then all of a sudden he would just stop, for no apparent reason. His crying is so unpredictable”, she said.

When these babies are going through this period they seem to resist soothing. Nothing helps. Even though it helps when they are fussy or crying other times, it is different when they go through these inconsolable crying bouts. Nothing seems to sooth them.

This increased crying, which is normal, can be particularly stressful for new fathers. In addition to each of your many other responsibilities, you are now responsible for caring for and providing for your infant and when you get the impression that your baby doesn’t want you or isn’t happy to see you, this can add to the stress and frustration you may already be feeling from other things in your life.

“It (infant crying) is a normal developmental stage that research has shown, amongst other things, is most likely to occur in the late afternoon and evenings"

Please be aware that there are lots of suggestions out there for taking various kinds of medications for this normal increased crying. While some of them may not be harmful, some of them are. There are no medications that are always safe for all babies.

The literature that offers advice to parents who are frustrated by their infant’s crying can be very misleading, even though it is meant to help care givers. Very few make it clear that all soothing methods help some of the time, but no soothing methods help all babies all of the time. Whatever you do, try not to become more frustrated by your infant’s crying. The one thing that the parent advice literature most often fails to mention is that the only negative consequence of early increased crying for the infant is if the care giver loses their control and shakes or abuses the baby. That is the most important thing for everyone, and everyone who cares for you baby, to know.

Similarly, please be very skeptical of interventions that promise you a way to soothe your baby. Expecting that you can soothe a baby and then failing to do so can make you more frustrated.

While a crying baby may be one of the most frustrating things you are dealing with, it is probably not the only thing. Many new fathers have expressed concerns about things like their baby’s sleeping habits, sharing responsibilities with their spouse and changes in their routine. All of these are valid concerns and can also be very frustrating.

Often fathers would feel much better if they could just “fix” a problem. They are used to figuring things out and reading a manual and then they seem to be able to successfully fix the situation. Well, that just doesn’t work with babies. They are what they are, they do what they do, and there is just not much a dad can do to change that. It is important to first recognize that it is not your job to “fix” this baby. Understanding your baby’s normal developmental stages is the first real step in making progress and controlling your frustration

What you need to know thought is that this increased crying your baby is going through isn’t triggered by you. It is a normal developmental stage that research has shown, amongst other things, is most likely to occur in the late afternoon and evenings, likely around the same time you might be returning home from work. So, while you may attribute your baby’s crying to you or something you are doing you can rest assured that it has nothing to do with you at all.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Proud first time grandparents

I know that many of you have been grandparents for years and some of you are great-grandparents, but this is new to us, so we are flush with the excitement of the first pictures of the newest addition to our family. My daughter lives in Australia and we live in Canada, so the distances and time difference make it tough to communicate. However, technology makes life easier. So here is our grandson, Ryder, Jye Shook-Edward with his proud mamma. Pictures were taken by a very proud Papa Adam.
We are looking forward to the next exciting adventure and Colleen is off to Australia at the end of October to see the new family.