16% of pregnant teens use illicit drugs in the U.S.

A new report shows that the number of babies born with opiate withdrawal symptoms has more than tripled over the last decade in the U.S. This rate has increased from 1.2 to 3.39 per 1000 births (p>0.001). The average cost per such birth is now $53,400 compared to $9,500 for all other hospital births. These babies are more likely to have a low birthweight, respiratory complications, feeding difficulties, and seizures.

PositiveTip: Do all you can to influence expectant mothers to avoid the unnecessary use of drugs and medications.

Breast-feeding during the first six months of life reduces infections and hospital admissions.

Researchers in Crete interviewed 900 new mothers through-out the first year of their infants life to discover breast-feeding habits and the health of the newborns. When exclusively breast-fed infants experienced 30% fewer infections and 40% fewer admissions to the hospital. 

PositiveTip: Exclusive breast-feeding for the first six months of life provides huge benefits to the newborn!

Procedural pain control improved by skin-to-skin contact with mother!

In a randomized clinical trial of 640 healthy full-term newborns in Brazil were studied to what method reduced the pain of an intramuscular vaccine injection the most. A validated facial pain expression score was determined at the time of injection. Skin-to-skin contact with the mother plus 25% oral dextrose was found to control the pain most effectively. Several reader comments suggested the investigators should have included skin-to-skin contact with breast feeding instead of the oral dextrose.

PositiveTip: Most mother's have intuitively known that skin-to-skin contact and breast feeding makes an infant's life better--but it is good to see science confirm it!