AUGUSTA, Ga. – When Julianne Kirkland told her husband Matt last fall they were expecting not one, not two, but “three babies, possibly four,” he zoned out while staring at the microwave. About 15 minutes later, when the shock began to dissipate, Matt told Julianne, “Well, OK. God is really blessing us, so he must […]
Pregnant women living near the World Trade Center during 9/11 experienced higher-than-normal negative birth outcomes, according to a new working paper by Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. These mothers were more likely to give birth prematurely and deliver babies with low birth weights. Their babies – especially baby boys – […]
Infants can tell the difference between sounds of all languages until about 8 months of age when their brains start to focus only on the sounds they hear around them. It’s been unclear how this transition occurs, but social interactions and caregivers’ use of exaggerated “parentese” style of speech seem to help. University of Washington […]
A new state-by-state analysis shows how little the nation supports and protects working mothers and fathers when a new child arrives – and Alaska has a long way to go when it comes to helping its new parents. The study, Expecting Better: A State-by-State Analysis of Laws That Help New Parents, is the most comprehensive […]