NYT Article: Pollution May Harm Babies InUtero

Air Pollution May Harm Babies Even Before They Are Born

By NICHOLAS BAKALARDEC. 5, 2017

Air pollution may be harmful to babies even before they are born, a new study has found.

Researchers in London calculated mothers’ exposure to air pollution and traffic noise in various parts of the city from 2006 to 2010. Then they amassed data on birth weights of 540,365 babies born during those years to women who lived in those areas.

The average pollution exposure was 14 micrograms per cubic meter of PM 2.5, the tiny particles that easily enter the smallest airways in the lungs. The researchers found that for each 5 microgram per cubic meter increase in PM 2.5, the risk of low birth weight increased by 15 percent. Low birth weight is a predictor of an increased risk for diabetes, heart disease and hypertension in later life.

10COMMENTS

The study, in BMJ, found no effect of traffic noise on birth weight.

The Environmental Protection Agency standard for PM 2.5 is 12 micrograms per cubic meter averaged over three years, and the World Health Organization suggests 10 as a limit. But the lead author, Mireille B. Toledano, an epidemiologist at Imperial College London, said that there really is no safe level of air pollution.

“For every 10 percent reduction in PM 2.5,” she said, “we can prevent 90 babies being born with low birth weight in London. The current limits are not protecting pregnant women, and they’re not protecting unborn babies.”

A version of this article appears in print on December 12, 2017, on Page D6 of the New York edition with the headline: Pregnancy: Unborn Babies and Polluted Air. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe

A REAL Evidence-Based Remedy for Colic

Finally! Research Shows What Helps With Colic: The Pobiotic Lactobacillus reuteri 

Posted by Imogen Crump-Melbourne January 16th, 2018

• The probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri may help treat colicky breastfed babies less than 3 months old, report researchers.

An international study has found that a specific probiotic group is twice as likely as a placebo to reduce crying by 50 percent after three weeks of treatment for colicky babies who are exclusively breastfed.

While we don’t know what causes colic, we do know it can be hard to handle. The condition is defined as “episodes of crying that last for more than three hours a day, for more than three days a week, for three weeks, in an otherwise well-fed, healthy child.”

The condition, which affects one in five families, is most common in babies less than three to four months old—and typically goes away over time, but that doesn’t make it any less frustrating and distressing for new parents. There’s been no effective treatment for colic.

“…a few minutes of crying can seem an eternity, let alone more than three hours of crying a day.”

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute led the study on the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938.

Valerie Sung, the lead author and pediatrician, says many studies have looked at the role of probiotics in treating colic, but this particular strain shows promise.

Although previous studies of Lactobacillus reuteri for infant colic have shown conflicting results, this collaborative study confirms that Lactobacillus reuteri is effective in reducing crying in breastfed babies with colic—although conclusions cannot be drawn for formula-fed babies.

“Families of exclusively breastfed babies with colic now have an option of trying something that may help, whereas in the past, there really was no effective option available,” says Sung.

Evaluating the probiotic

The study, published in Pediatrics, combines raw data from four major high-quality, double-blind, placebo-controlled Lactobacillus reuteri trials, in Italy, Poland, Canada, and Australia.

The team worked together to analyze data from 345 babies less than three months old with colic. It is the first and largest analysis of Lactobacillus reuterifor treating infant colic, and the results were compared with babies who received a placebo.

Lactobacillus reuteri is the most commonly found lactobacillus species in the human gut, though not always and often in relatively low numbers. Animal studies indicate that it may change pain perception in the guts of rats, modulate how the gut contracts, and increase the protective effects of the mucus layers of the gut.

Both human and animal studies have shown it can reduce gut inflammation and kill bacteria, or stop their unwanted effects. Interestingly, the probiotic has the ability to inhibit the bacteria E. coli—which has been shown to be more abundant in the guts of babies with colic than those without.

Sung, an honorary fellow at the pediatrics department of the University of Melbourne, led the Australian part of the trial. It was the largest trial and the only one to include both breastfed and formula-fed babies. It took place in 2011 and included 167 babies with colic.

At that time, researchers found that Lactobacillus reuteri was ineffective. However, when this information was combined with the three other international trials, it seems Lactobacillus reuteri is effective for babies with colic who are exclusively breastfed.

“Because of the controversial results, we decided to team up with the other researchers from the other three high-quality trials to combine the data, creating more power and accuracy in determining the probiotic’s overall effectiveness,” says Sung.

What about formula-fed babies?

And while the study is hopeful, the lack of studies on formula-fed babies mean it’s not necessarily an automatic cure.

“Unfortunately, I am not aware of any trials to examine the probiotic’s effectiveness for formula-fed babies with colic. This is a challenging area of research, because nowadays, many baby formulae have added probiotics and prebiotics which can potentially contaminate research results,” she says.

According to Sung, the effectiveness of this treatment will require assessment on a case-by-case basis.

Babies in these countries cry the most

“It is also important to remember that each probiotic strain works differently. Lactobacillus reuteri is the only probiotic strain that may help crying babies who are breastfed.”

‘Hang in there’

But for new parents struggling with a colicky newborn, it may help.

“Having been a parent of a crying baby, I know that a few minutes of crying can seem an eternity, let alone more than three hours of crying a day,” says Sung.

Your baby’s cry can rattle your brain

“For any parent worried about their baby’s crying, it is important to seek help from their local doctor. Once the doctor has made sure there is no medical reason for the baby’s crying, then a three week trial of the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri may be helpful for babies who are breastfed.

“Most of all, it is comforting to know that the crying period does end after four months. So to all parents of crying babies, hang in there.”

The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics supported the work.

Source: University of Melbourne

Original Study DOI: 10.1542/peds.2017-1811

Creative Commons License: You are free to share this article under the Attribution 4.0 International license.

Understanding the Purple Period of Crying

Learn more about why your newborn may be crying at http://www.purplecrying.info/

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

Scientists decided to look at different animal species to see if they go through this developmental stage. So far, all breast feeding animals tested do have a similar developmental stage of crying more in the first months of life as human babies do.

When these babies are going through this period they seem to resist soothing. Nothing helps. Even though certain soothing methods may help when they are simply fussy or crying, bouts of inconsolable crying are different. Nothing seems to soothe them.

During this phase of a baby's life they can cry for hours and still be healthy and normal. Parents often think there must be something wrong or they would not be crying like this. However, even after a check-up from the doctor which shows the baby is healthy they still go home and cry for hours, night after night. "It was so discouraging," said one dad. "Our baby giggles and seems fine during the day and almost like clockwork, he starts crying around 6 pm. He is growing and healthy, so why does he cry like this?"

Often parents say their baby looks like he or she is in pain. They think they must be, or why would they cry so much. Babies who are going through this period can act like they are in pain even when they are not.

In my own case, I know my son was not sick. He was in the top percentile for growth, he giggled and was happy other times Then he would start to cry, and cry, and cry. The doctor kept telling me he is just fine.

After learning all of this, we decided we needed to share this information with other parents. We had to take this information and put it into a statement that told the story about this phase in a baby's life. Dr. Ronald Barr, a developmental pediatrician who has likely done more studies on infant crying than anyone in the world, came up with the phrase the Period of PURPLE Crying. His idea was to explain this phase to parents of new babies so they would know it was normal and they would be encouraged that it would come to an end.

The acronym PURPLE is used to describe specific characteristics of an infant's crying during this phase and let parents and caregivers know that what they are experiencing is indeed normal and, although frustrating, is simply a phase in their child's development that will pass. The word Period is important because it tells parents that it is only temporary and will come to an end.

- See more at: http://purplecrying.info/what-is-the-period-of-purple-crying.php#sthash.B5sNGrz5.dpuf