June 2009

Music May Help Premature Babies
New York Times
Jun 1, 2009
Hospital units where premature babies are treated have taken to playing music in the belief that it may help them heal more quickly and feel more comfortable. Now a new study finds some evidence that it may work.

Folic acid offers more protection than thought
The Washington Post (AP)
Jun 2, 2009
Baby-protecting folic acid is getting renewed attention: Not only does it fight spina bifida and some related abnormalities, new research shows it also may prevent premature birth and heart defects.

How Parents of Preemies Sometimes Develop PTSD
Health News Digest
Jun 3, 2009
Cocooned in tubes and wires, too fragile to be held, small, sick newborns fight for life in NICUs. Though many go home healthy, the babies' harrowing starts leave indelible marks on their parents. To learn exactly how parents are affected, Richard Shaw, MD, a child psychiatrist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and an associate professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, is studying PTSD among moms and dads whose infants stayed in a NICU.

More 'Extreme' Preemies Surviving
HealthDay
Jun 9, 2009
Almost 70% of babies born at 22-26 weeks make it to 1st birthday, study finds

Depression May Lead to More Preemies Among Blacks
HealthDay
Jun 16, 2009
Expert thinks pre-pregnancy mood could partly explain disparity in birth rate

False test results seen in maternal screening
The Seattle Times (AP)
Jun 17, 2009
A massive effort to test pregnant women for a deadly germ they can spread to their babies has yielded a bad surprise - a high rate of wrong test results that led some infants to miss out on treatment.

Evaluation of Universal Antenatal Screening for Group B Streptococcus
The New England Journal of Medicine
Jun 18, 2009
Group B streptococcal disease is one of the most common infections in the first week after birth. In 2002, national guidelines recommended universal late antenatal screening of pregnant women for colonization with group B streptococcus to identify candidates for intrapartum chemoprophylaxis.

America's Best Children's Hospitals
U.S. News & World Report
Jun 19, 2009
Seattle Children’s Hospital placed among the nation’s top children’s hospitals for the 17th consecutive year

Fragile Tanzanian Orphans Get Help After Mothers Die
The New York Times
Jun 24, 2009

The Survival of Mothers
The New York Times
Jun 30, 2009
Letter to the Editor from Helene Gayle of CARE in response to the article Fragile Tanzanian Orphans Get Help After Mothers Die.