A Week in the News - 28th March 2014

As winter seemed to return for some this week, we've also seen the floods on the Somerset Levels eventually subside although it is clear that the work has only just begun for the families affected by the waters. We have also seen the continuing strange circumstances around flight MH370, it seems like the real answers to this story may never come out. Whilst at the same time Russia is continuing its moves in the Crimea, and there are even suggestions that other sovereign nations could come under threat. Needless to say though, we move our focus onto stories in the world of parenting and children.

3D Printing, Sleeping and Incinerators

A story caught our eye in the Daily Mail which revealed how babies with weak tracheas have been fitted with 3D 'splints' which help to bolster the development of the trachea, and eventually dissolve once they have completed their job. This is an amazing invention and one which shows the benefit of 3D printing! If something so simple can help babies with problems such as thing develop beyond expectations then it can only be a good thing, and clearly the removal of the need for surgery is even more exciting. Who knows what we'll be printing out in a few years time!

Apparently toddlers who sleep less eat more, especially if they get less than 10 hours sleep. This story in the Telegraph revealed research which should that children who got less than 10 hours sleep ended up eating a tenth more in calories over a day, and clearly at a young age this could be quite significant. When you consider that this week the nation have been told that we now accept obese as 'normal' studies like this should be of interest.

Another story in the Telegraph reveals the disturbing story that 15,000 aborted babies were incinerated to heat UK hospitals alongside rubbish. Whilst the practice has now apparently been immediately banned the question has to be asked as to why this became commonplace in the first instance. Clearly in situations such as this a foetus has to be disposed of, but it seems bizarre that anyone thought it right to dispose of them with general rubbish to then be burnt together. Hopefully this has now been stopped, and will not return.

Smoking, Autism and Getting Active

The Guardian featured a story which claims that premature births have been cut by 10% due to bans of smoking in public places. I think we can all agree that life has generally been less smelly and more enjoyable when you don't have to walk through walls of smoke, in a pub for example. Whilst this statistic is interesting, and I'm sure it does have some basis in reality, it is a bold claim to make. Clearly the ban will have positive health impacts on certain people, and I have no doubt that it may have prevented some asthma attacks - but has it really cut premature births by 10%? Interesting nonetheless.

According to the BBC a study has shown that autism begins long before birth and brain development in the womb plays a key part. The study undertaken by the University of California has shown that abormalities in the cortex of the brain were found in 90% of children with autism and these changes took place in the womb. Obviously studies like this could give doctors and scientists the chance to understand autism, and perhaps find ways of treating a baby before it is born. If autism can be understood at such an early stage then perhaps changes can be made.

Are you active? A study has shown that activity levels in mums and children are directly linked. If a mum is more physically active then so will their child be, although it is suggested that many mums fall below the accepted level. It is argued that to change attitudes to childrens health we actually need to focus our attention on getting mums active, which in turn will increase the activity levels of children. Is this something you would agree with?

See you next week, in the meantime, why not follow us on Twitter? You can find us @MumNetwork.

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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