Early Childhood Education Can Have Big Impacts…Even Decades Later

A recent article in the New York Times  outlines the results of a research study on the impact of early childhood education for poor families. The researchers followed two groups of children in North Carolina beginning in 1972. One group was placed in full time day care where they received meals and early childhood education. The other group received only formula. Researchers then followed the children's educational and health outcomes over the next several decades.

What they found was that the group with full time care showed a significant difference not only in cognitive abilities--by age 30 they were over 4 times more likely to graduate from college-- but also in overall health. The men in the treatment group were less likely to develop hypertension and more likely to have high levels of "good cholesterol." The women were less likely to develop pre-hypertension and more likely to adopt healthy habits such as exercise and eating nutritious foods.

Although the study was small, the impact is striking. Researchers hope this may give more weight to policy makers seeking increased funding for early childhood education in the US.

Here at Lamaze, we promote early childhood education by offering toddler playgroups, Little Scientist playgroups, and along with our partners, Signing Smart and Kindermusik. Any one of these classes gives kids a chance to learn and explore in a safe and friendly setting. We have new sessions of most of these classes starting soon, so check out our website for more details!

The Importance of Vitamin K Shots for Newborns

There is a great article out this week by Rebecca Dekker of Evidence Based Birth on the evidence for giving Vitamin K shots to newborns. If you are like me, you probably don't even know the reason that babies are given these shots, and thus are not equipped to make a good decision about whether or not to get the shot for your newborn. I recommend that you read the full article, which you can find here, to learn more, but since it is relatively long, I will summarize it here.

• Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin needed for blood clotting. Babies are born with very low stores of Vitamin K, and if they are exclusively breastfed, do not start building up Vitamin K until they start eating solid foods, particularly leafy green vegetables. 
• Because their blood is not able to clot properly, babies with low levels of Vitamin K sometimes develop Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding, which can be life threatening causing brain damage and sometimes death. These babies can start to bleed suddenly and without warning. Because these bleeding often begins in the brain or gastrointestinal tract, it is often not spotted immediately.
• In 2013 five babies were admitted to the same Tennessee hospital with life threatening bleeding. All of their parents had refused Vitamin K shots at birth. 
• Vitamin K shots virtually eliminate the possibility of classic and late Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding, while the cons include only slight pain and bruising at the shot site. 
• There is a lot of misleading information out there on the internet linking Vitamin K shots to increased risk of diseases like leukemia. In fact, the first result when I googled "vitamin k shot" is an article about the "dark side" of vitamin K. Several peer-reviewed research studies have shown that there is no link between Vitamin K injections and increased risk of any disease. 
• Vitamin K shots have been recommended for newborns by the American Academy of Pediatrics since 1961.

There is also a nice interview with the author of the Vitamin K author on Lamaze International's Science and Sensibility blog, which you can find here. 

Newborn Know-How: Our New Updated Crash Course!

This month we debut our new Newborn Know-How class at Lamaze Family Center. This class replaces our Infant Care class, which was a two week series. Everyone is busy these days, and we heard from parents who wanted to get the information in our Infant Care class, but didn't want to commit to spending two more weeknight evenings away from home and work. So we picked out what we think are the most essential things to know about bringing a newborn home and organized them into our new 2.5 hour Newborn Know-How course. Topics covered include:

• swaddling
• diapering
• feeding
• bathing
• when to call the doctor
• baby safety, safe sleep
• calming a fussy baby

The first few days and weeks with a newborn are tough, and babies don't come with instruction manuals. So if you are expecting a little one in the next couple months, check out our new class and approach your newborn with more confidence. As a bonus, you will meet other expecting parents who probably share your concerns and excitement. 

Like our other prenatal classes, those with financial need can apply for a scholarship to cover a portion of the class costs. Thanks to our generous donors and the James A. and Faith Knight Foundation for making this possible.

Our next class meets on Thursday March 27th from 6:30-9pm at Lamaze Family Center. This is a great companion to our childbirth preparation classes!To learn more or to register,  click here.