A Week in the News - 11th October 2013

Autumn has well and truly arrived this week with rain and high winds battering the country - just in time to knock all of the leaves off the trees. Whilst this may signal the end of summer it does also mean that ghosts, bonfires and Christmas is just around the corner; even a new year! Without further ado though we will look at the stories that caught our eye in the world of pregnancy and babies this week. Here we go!

Depression and IVF Risks

A report on the BBC this week looked at how depressed pregnant women could risk increasing the chance of depression in their child's adulthood. The report suggests that the risk of depression is around 1.3 times higher at the age of 18 in comparison to those whose mother was not depressed during pregnancy. It is important to point out that the lead researcher herself says that it is just an association at this time, and more investigation is needed. Needless to say it is an interesting find though.

Depression can also strike after giving birth with post-natal depression being all too familiar to some families. Last week it was revealed that a woman shot dead outside the US senate was suffering from PND, and a blog on the Telegraph explores how Gill Tones felt like she wanted to throw her baby on the floor. PND can strike in many different ways and some mothers may be able to relate to Gill's story, and interesting read nonetheless.

A story in the Daily Mail covered research that reveals IVF babies are a third more likely to develop childhood cancer. We all know that it is dangerous to take reports in the Mail as gospel, and actually it means that the risk has increased from 1% to 1.33% - but also there is no actual causal link between IVF and the formation of childhood cancers - just an association. So this will definitely need more research before we all begin to worry as the Mail would want us to.

Milk, Probiotics and Premature Babies

A report that has featured on many outlets, including The Guardian, is the story that formula milk has high levels of aluminium - a potentially harmful metal. Reports suggest that manufacturers are doing nothing to cut the levels, and are continuing to put babies at risk. The companies behind the formula milk in question claim that they keep it as low as possible, but it will be interesting to see if any improvements are made in the near future. We can also look at probiotics this week with the claim that they can soothe colic in some babies. Just some simple drops were found to reduce crying in trials involving nearly 2000 babies. This could be a saving grace for many parents who have a baby who suffers from incurable colic.

The Telegraph brought to our attention the fact that one in ten babies born to older mums are premature. Older mothers on this occassion refers to those who are over the age of 40 when they give birth. The statistics come from ONS figures and the reports brings us lots of other statistics including death rates amongst premature babies, which whilst falling for more age groups are actually rising for those born to mothers over the age of 40. It is an interesting look at the figures and one that older mothers should take on board.

We'll see you next week with another look at the news, and remember if you see anything that you think is of interest contact us via Twitter @MumNetwork or through the website.

About the author

James Brighton

Since 2011 James has been in charge of working with and organising all our writers to put together Pregnancy.co.uk and Babies.co.uk. Anna, his girlfriend, knows he will be an encyclopaedia of knowledge if she ever falls pregnant!

Click here to read my full biography.

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