Turns out mums aren’t naturally good at multitasking – they have no choice but to get good at it! New research debunks the suggestion women are innately better at it than men, finding both men and women’s brains are equally strained by doing many things at once. Read more here.
As a first time mother and parent, the overwhelming love and joy you have for your pending arrival swallows you with happiness – more than you can ever put into words. Your eager anticipation over the next nine months; that first flutter, the first kick, hearing your baby’s heart beat through the sonogram for the very first time; his ten fingers and ten toes wiggling around like a worm, is it a girl, is it a boy, will we wait for the surprise? The heart burn, the cramp, the going to bathroom ten times in an hour, the lack of sleep preparing you for the 4th trimester, it’s all worth it. Your little miracle will soon be in your nurturing hands, you will grow together, learn, develop and begin to understand each other in ways that only a parent can describe. The love and the surge of power that came with holding our baby for the first time was an indescribable feeling – surreal in fact; this incredible feeling in body, mind and spirit that comes, knowing that we are now his guides, his protector, his leader and his strength. We are his Mummy and Daddy from this day forward.
Amy & Baby Arthur
Needless to say leading up to D-day, my brain was a scrambled mess of information. Endless nights of scrolling through Dr Google, to your midwife handing out pamphlets, my grey matter was in severe overload, I even attempted to read a number of baby books aka “Parenthood for dummies 101”. I remember the night before deciding that I should probably learn the different techniques on how to breastfeed, ha what a joke, who was I fooling! However the one thing I was certain of was that we were going to save our babies cord blood stem cells.It was a unanimous decision my partner and I made together, and we will always be grateful that we were fortunate enough to have this option available to us in New Zealand. Without dwelling on the negative, we took everything into account. We weighed up the pros and cons (and to be honest my list on the cons side was pretty scarce.) We asked ourselves what would happen if our little boy got sick and if the only way his illness could possibly be treated was by using his cord blood stem cells. To us this was an absolute no brainer, why not future-proof our child’s life and have this available. If the cost of a latte every day from my local, equated to this life changing medical therapy, and it came down to this, I would easily give up that latte for the sake of our child’s health.
However what baffled me was out of the thirteen parents in our antenatal class, a) I was the only one that had taken this into consideration, and b) the majority of the class had not been informed by their midwife that this was an option.
Baby Arthur
Shouldn’t this just be mandatory for everyone? Yes there is a cost involved, but what a small price to pay when it comes to your child’s health. With all the many pamphlets, books, magazines I had read on various other things concerning our child’s health, we knew for certain, that from the moment I typed in “Cord Blood New Zealand”, we were safely investing in the security of our child’s future.
To any new parents and friends of ours that are having a baby, we urge you to make this investment. The best decision we have made together, knowing that if we ever need to draw down on this precious cord blood, we can.
Written by Amy.
Having published and edited some of the most influential lifestyle magazines both in New Zealand and in New York, it’s little wonder Claire has an excellent ability to create inspiring editorial content. As Denizen’s Editor-in-chief, she is firmly placed at New Zealand’s authority on the art of living well and is widely regarded as an authoritative figure in the design community.
By banking my own children’s stem cells, I am not only acknowledging the indisputably impressive progress that science has made in the advancement of quality human life, but am also doing the very best I can for my child.
The ongoing evolution and advancement in scientific research provides compelling reason to consider banking a newborn baby’s cord blood. Amidst all the hype and anticipation that surrounds the decision to embark upon starting a family is quite possibly one of life’s scariest realisations.
For it was not until my husband and I made the decision to jump blindly aboard the child rearing express that we realised that we had entered an infinite period of worry. Life before children is utterly carefree and brimming with self-indulgence, but from the very moment that the decision is made, either by you, or for you, to breed, you have unwittingly welcomed worriment into your daily life.
What start as short periods of apprehension – “Will I make it through the first trimester? Will the 20-week scan be clear of any issues? Will my baby inherit my husband’s sixth toe?”- soon develop into what can only be described as mild paranoia, relentlessly fuelled by the griping, heart-wrenching stories of others as regularly featured in the Sunday Downers a.k.a. 60 Minutes.
Living with worry
And so it is that we come to accept and live with the fact that forever more (I don’t imagine it’s something that ever dissipates) we will worry for our children, and in particular we will worry for their health.
It’s largely this burgeoning worry that delivered me to my old mate and late-night bed pal Dr Google, to learn more of all manner of problems and possible solutions in order to ease the lingering anguish.
Long term peace of mind
It was here that I chanced upon a miracle of sorts, an insurance policy that can only be described as a saving grace for my long-term peace of mind. Cordbank is a New Zealand-owned entity that offers locals the opportunity to collect and store their newborn baby’s cord blood. Understanding what this means is where it gets a little scientific, but basically stem cells are, in essence, the master cells of human life. They are responsible for the creation of organs, tissues, blood and the body’s immune system. At the time of birth, leftover cord cells that are still in their purest form, remain in the newborn baby’s umbilical cord. Typically discarded, those who choose to bank their child’s cord blood can request that the doctor extract this all-important blood, which is then swiftly sent off to Cordbank’s state-of-the-artfacilities for testing, freezing and longterm storage.
Having the ability to call upon this cord blood should the unthinkable ever arise, means as parents you have access to the purest form of your baby’s precious stem cells that can be potent enough to change the outcome of a number of illnesses, ailments or injuries that could materialise at any stage in life.
Options should disaster strike
Offering hope in the fight against all manner of horrors for any parent, from brain injury, Type 1 diabetes, autism, hearing loss, spinal injury, post cancer treatment or the reversal of paralysis, for me the decision to opt for cord banking my son’s stem cells was an absolute no brainer. The fact that I am storing what are essentially the exact building blocks of my son – a sample that can be called upon at any time, allowing us to take advantage of therapy that could essentially transform an otherwise dire outcome – is the ultimate in peace of mind. While many may dispute this suggesting that it is a complete waste of money and an effort to play on the fears of parents who may never even make use of it; as someone with a science degree, I refute this. My view is that we should be eternally grateful for the evolution of mankind and the stellar progress that many medical and research professionals are making to ensure that we actually do have options available to us should disaster strike. To read of the cases where stem cells have been successfully re-introduced to an ailing adult or child, only to result in a complete turn-around from what was an otherwise grim situation, is encouragement enough for me.
Everyone knows that parenting matters. But which behaviours have the most impact when it comes to the success and happiness of children?
Author of the “Life Project” Helen Pearson says the answer can be found in cohort studies, which monitored the lives of British people since 1946.
The research showed that it comes down to 7 key behaviours that make the most difference. And the happy news is that most of them are entirely within the reach of any parent, no matter their means.
- Talking to and listening to your kids
- Making it clear you have ambitions for their future
- Being emotionally warm
- Teaching them letters and numbers
- Taking them on excursions
- Reading to them daily (and encouraging them to read for pleasure)
- Maintaining a regular bedtime
And while these seem obvious, it’s this kind of basic but essential parenting that can get lost in the busy-ness of modern life.
Take the concept of quality time, for example. These days many parents are so stressed about having quality time with their kids that they schedule countless activities and bonding experiences. Meanwhile, science shows “quality time” just means quiet moments where you really listen to and respond to your child. Which is, of course, just the sort of thing you crowd out when you’re frantically driving between soccer practice and cello lessons all day.
“Parenting matters,” Pearson declares
While she admits that she was often so busy with work she barely had time for a proper conversation with her three boys. Since writing about the cohort studies she now always sets aside 15 minutes every night to talk to them about their days. And then she makes them go to bed.
“When you’re shouting at your kids to go to bed on time, it really helps to have the scientific literature on your side,” she jokes to knowing audience laughter.
The cohort studies show parental behaviours like these, which are simple to understand if sometimes difficult to maintain day to day, close the gap between kids with the best and worst starts in life by a startling 50 percent (for the other 50 percent only social and political solutions will do).
When it comes to parenting, the little things matter and they matter a lot. You already know how to be a good parent, and it has nothing to do with fancy enrichment activities or tiny choices about which way your stroller faces. Now all you have to do is execute on it.
This new technique, using cord blood stem cells, is being performed in Colombia as part of reconstructive surgery when the child is a few months old. It’s already showing good results in growing new bone, potentially avoiding the need for later bone graft surgery.
A case report, written by Dr Alejandro Garcia Botero, MD, of Hospital De San José, Bogota, Colombia outlined how cord blood stem cells were used as part of reconstructive surgery for an infant born with a cleft lip and palate.
A ultrasound before her birth showed she had alveolar cleft, involving an area of bone where teeth are located.
Right after her delivery, her cord blood stem cells were collected and stored for her future use. Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of various types of stem cells, which have the potential to develop into many different types of specialized cells, including bone and cartilage.
For the first few months, the infant underwent a nonsurgical “nasoalveolar shaping” procedure to align the soft tissues of the upper jaw. Then at 5 months old, her cord blood stem cells were used in the “boneless bone grafting” surgery (gingivoperiostioplasty).
They were placed in a pocket of soft tissue bridging the gap in the upper jaw. A small piece of absorbable biomaterial was used a scaffold to guide growth of new bone across the cleft palate. This procedure was performed at the same time as surgery to correct the cleft lip (cheiloplasty).
Dr Botero reports that ongoing follow-up of the patient confirmed that new bone has been formed to close the cleft palate, providing good position and support for normal eruption of the teeth. Imaging scans taken when the little girl was five years old showed good thickness of the upper jaw bone in the area where the cleft had been.
The study is the first to use stem cells as part of primary surgery to repair cleft palate in an infant. Dr. Botero and colleagues note that their patient will need further monitoring to ensure adequate bone thickness in the upper jaw. The researchers emphasize the need for further studies evaluating their stem cell technique in a large number of patients – including steps to confirm that bone formation results from the stem cells, and not from the initial “boneless bone graft” surgery.
But a major potential advantage of the stem cell procedure is that it would avoid the need for later bone grafting surgery – currently the standard technique for closing the cleft. This procedure uses bone taken from elsewhere in the child’s body, typically the hip. Bone grafting has potential complications and subjects the child to one or more additional surgeries.
Stem cell medicine will transform and save lives – said the Aussie Minister of Health – announcing a $150 million infusion into the sector last month.
That’s according to Australian Federal Minister of Health, Greg Hunt who recently announced a government infusion of $150 million into the sector.
Hunt believes stem cells medicine will transform and save the lives of people with incurable diseases and reduce the burden of disease on patients and carers.
The money will be used to establish the Australian Stem Cell Therapies Mission – a first step in a coordinated effort to stimulate regenerative medicine research and industry in Australia.
“They will enhance equity in healthcare by addressing unmet clinical needs.’
The Australian Stem Cell Therapies Mission will be co-chaired by Stem Cells Australia program leader, Professor Melissa Little, and inventor of the Nanopatch, Professor Mark Kendall.
Professor Little told the Herald Sun there is a ‘real chance’ of developing new treatments for chronic disease within a few years.
As a toddler, Samantha was found face-down in a swimming pool, and she nearly died. Carrie and her husband, Steven, knew Samantha had brain damage, and that meant a lifetime of limitations. Now she’s 5 and is taking part in a study that could change her future.
To find out more, watch the video: Cord blood transfusion at Duke could help girl after near-drowning
Everyone expects sleepless nights with the arrival of a new baby. Now new research says parental yawns might go on for 6 years.
Researchers tracking the sleep of thousands of men and women as their family size increased have found that shuteye hits a low about three months after birth – with the effect strongest in women.
However, while parents gradually saw an improvement in their sleep as their firstborn grew, it seems their night-time rest was never quite the same again.
“We didn’t expect to find that, but we believe that there are certainly many changes in the responsibilities you have,” said Dr Sakari Lemola, co-author of the research from the University of Warwick. He added that while children may stop crying during the night as they age, they may wake up, be sick or have nightmares, while the stress and worries that go with parenthood can also affect parents’ sleep.
Published in the journal Sleep, the study looked at data collected from adults in Germany who were surveyed in face-to-face interviews carried out once a year between 2008-15. Participants were asked to rate their sleep quality on a scale from 0 to 10, and were quizzed on how many hours of sleep they got on a normal weekday and on a normal weekend day.
The researchers focused on responses from more than 2,500 women and almost 2,200 men who reported the birth of their first, second or third child during the study, with participants followed for up to six years.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the team found women reported a decline in sleep satisfaction in the first year after the birth of a child, dropping 1.7 points on the scale on average for the first child, and just over one point for both the second and third child compared with before their first pregnancy.
The mothers also lost about 40 minutes of sleep a night in the year after a baby arrived compared with pre-pregnancy levels regardless of whether it was their first or a subsequent child.
Deeper analysis of data showed the first three months after the birth of a first child were particularly gruelling: women lost just over an hour of sleep compared with before they became pregnant.
While similar trends were seen for fathers, the effects were less pronounced. Even at three months after their first child’s birth, fathers only lost 13 minutes of sleep.
Strikingly, the team found the impact of the first child lingered for both parents. Even once the impact of subsequent children was taken into account, women were still relatively sleep deprived, both in terms of quality and quantity, four to six years after their first child’s birth. Overall sleep satisfaction was rated just over one point lower on average, while sleep duration was about 25 minutes less.
By contrast, after the birth of a second child mothers’ sleep recovered to levels of before that pregnancy, and almost bounced back for the third child – findings Lemola put down to sleep duration and quality being worse to start with due to the impact of the first child. “Your baseline is lower,” he said.
The study has some limitations – not least that it was based on data collected once per year, involved self-reporting and some participants had dropped out.
Cathy Finlay, an antenatal teacher with the National Childbirth Trust, said there were ways for parents to mitigate the impact of disturbed sleep.
“Sleep deprivation can be physically and emotionally draining. Try not to worry about non-essential jobs around the house and accept help from family and friends when it’s offered,” she said, adding that coordinating your own naps with those of the children could help, as could one parent doing evening caring while the other rested ahead of the “night shift”.
But, she added, parents should take heart. “The sleep disruption can be difficult and exhausting, but bear in mind it won’t last for ever.”
A study by a local husband and wife team is showing promising results for the use of umbilical cord blood to treat children with hearing loss.
In their clinical trial, Linda Baumgartner, a listening and spoken language specialist at Clarke School for Hearing and Speech, and her husband, Dr. James Baumgartner, surgical director of Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at Florida Hospital for Children, showed that the use of umbilical cord blood is safe and feasible in children who have sensorineural hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss is caused when hair cells in the inner ear or the nerve from the inner ear to the brain are damaged.
This type of hearing loss affects 2 in 1,000 newborns, 5 in 1,000 children between ages 3 and 17, and more than one-third of adults between 65 and 74 years old, according to the study authors.
Why the study matters
Existing treatments for hearing loss include hearing aids and cochlear implants. Although the devices improve the symptoms of hearing loss, they don’t repair sensory hair cells in the inner ear, which is the underlying cause of hearing loss.
“Cochlear implants and hearing aids are augmenting the function of cochlea or bypassing it, but this is the natural repair,” said Linda Baumgartner.
Hair cells are necessary for hearing by transforming sound waves into electrical impulses that reach the brain. When they’re lost or damaged, auditory input to the brain is reduced.
Local researchers believe their research could open new doors to finding a pathway to repair the damaged hair cells. Their study was published in the Journal of Audiology & Otology.
Umbilical cord blood
Umbilical cord blood is a rich source of stem cells. Unlike embryonic and fetal stem cells, which are surrounded by ethical and scientific issues, umbilical cord blood is readily available and is a cheap source of stem cells that can form many other cell types. (Here’s a good explainer).
Researchers believe the cord blood cells regenerated cochlear hair cells through several pathways.
Several animal studies have suggested that umbilical cord blood transplantation helped repair the structures within the inner ear.
“It’s an area of active research because it’s a big problem,” said Dr. James Baumgartner. “People have tried to engineer viruses to deliver gene therapy or they’ve tried to engineer hair cells. We’re the only ones doing it so simply.”
Methodology
The Baumgartners and their team conducted a phase 1 study, to find out whether human umbilical cord blood is a safe treatment for moderate to severe hearing loss in children.
In phase 1 human clinical trials, researchers have to show that a treatment is safe before they can start looking into its effectiveness.
The local team sent emails to families who had children with hearing loss and had banked their children’s umbilical cord blood with Cord Blood Registry at birth.
They enrolled in the study 11 children — seven girls and four boys — between 6 months to 6 years old with moderate to severe hearing loss.
Enrollment began in November 2013 and follow-up evaluations were completed in February 2017.
The cord blood was injected into patients’ arms under the supervision of a hematologist experienced in bone marrow transplantation.
Children had follow-ups at one, six and 12 months after the injection. They had physical and neurological exams and had their hearing and speech-language capabilities tested.
Audiologic data was reviewed by a senior audiologist. And a speech pathologist tested the kids’ language skills.
Results
Researchers recorded no adverse events from the cord blood injection.
They also learned that about half of the patients showed improvements in their auditory brainstem response as early as the one-month follow-up testing, researchers reported. One child had a worsening of language score.
“Also, kids who got higher amounts of cord blood did better than those who got lower amounts, so there’s a suggestion of correlation with dose,” said James Baumgartner. “We think that for treatment to take effect, you have to have enough cord blood for the body to react.”
Researchers said it is possible that some of the cord blood cells may have actually reached to the cochlea and induced repair. It’s also possible that the repair was induced through another pathway involving the immune system.
“We think by altering the immune system, there’s an ability that allows cochlea to repair itself. It’s possible,” said James Baumgartner.
Researchers measured hearing, language abilities and performed MRI before and after the treatment.
They said the preliminary data, although from a small study, warrants the implementation of larger controlled phase 2 and 3 trials of children with sensorineural hearing loss.
“We’re the first people to try this,” said Linda Baumgartner. “But there’s a lot of work yet to be done.”
The study was supported by a grant from Cord Blood Registry and support from Wayne Densch Charities. Authors reported no financial conflicts of interest.