Keep Those Baby Pounds and Other News

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

23 Jun 2009 07:41 PM

There are some interesting news stories about babies and mommies today. Here is a round up.

Time Magazine is reporting that Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital released a study that suggests that ugly babies are harder to love, especially by their mothers. Men and women who were part of the study were given baby faces to view. Some babies were considered "pretty," while others had facial irregularities, such as cleft lips or rashes. Study participants pressed one button allowed the faces to stay on the screen longer, while pressing another made them disappear more quickly. The results of the study showed that while men did nothing to the "ugly" baby faces, they usually kept the pretty faces on the screen longer. Women, in contrast, did nothing with the pretty faces but were very likely to very quickly change the ugly faces.

The article also sites an Israli report that was done years earlier showing that 70 percent of children that were abandoned or abused had at least one flaw in their appearance.

You can read the Time article here: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1906642,00.html

BBC news is reporting that there is good reason to keep those extra baby pounds on your body after a baby. Germany's Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care advises new moms to avoid trying drastic diets and exercise regimes in order t get their pre-baby bodies, despite the many celebrity moms who show up on the runaway with thin tummies mere weeks after giving birth. That bit of extra weight is important to help nourish new babies and give moms the energy and strength to take care of their babies. While eating a sensible diet is important, restricting calories soon after birth is not the best way to go.

You can read the BBC article here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8114262.stm

Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans.

Baby Goes Missing Under the Floorboards

Warning about Carter Baby Clothing

Using Infant or Children's Tylenol May Increase the Risk for Asthma

Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger