Babies

May 8 2013

Dangers of bed-sharing

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Over a four-year period, more infants in Los Angeles County died from suffocation due to unsafe sleeping arrangements than all other accidental deaths of children under 14 combined, health officials said today as they announced an education campaign aimed at preventing the deaths.

“It has become clear that the tragic deaths from unsafe sleeping practices are completely preventable,” according to Deanne Tilton Durfee, executive director of the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Apr 30 2013

Breast milk not perfect

Most new moms aim to breast-feed their babies — a practice encouraged by experts who tout the many health benefits of breast milk.

But breast milk is not perfect when it comes to vitamin D. A new study published Tuesday in a special edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association focusing on child health reiterates that breast-fed babies also need a vitamin D supplement.

Jun 7 2012

Numerous medical benefits cited

By virtually any standard, African American mothers breast-feed their infants less than mothers in any other group. In a 2006 Centers for Disease Control graphic, Asian or Pacific Islanders were way out in front in breast-feeding their infants, followed by Hispanic or Latinos, Whites (not Hispanic), American Indians or Alaska Natives and, far behind, were African Americans (not Hispanic). In 2012, African American mothers still lag far behind.

May 19 2011

Help give more babies a healthy start in life

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Pregnant women in 14 states will get access to a unique model of group prenatal care and education thanks to a $1 million grant from the WellPoint Foundation to the March of Dimes.

The funding will expand two March of Dimes supported programs: a group prenatal care program called CenteringPregnancy® and the use of a toolkit that helps hospitals and healthcare providers eliminate unnecessary early deliveries.

Nov 18 2010

Rep. Linda Sánchez helps secure $250,000

The Watts Healthcare Corporation Inc. (WHCC) has secured a $50,000 grant with the help of Congresswoman Linda Sánchez to underwrite the Babies Natural Start Project, designed to improve breastfeeding rates among low income, at-risk women in the Watts/Willowbrook communities.

The program will focus on reducing the breast feeding disparity rate among African Americans.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.