Low Birth Weights Cause Growing Concern

There are a vast number of concerns new parents must face as the day of birth grows closer and closer, but what about the weight of the baby? It isn’t only the moms who are faced with the thirteen pound baby that reason to worry. More and more often one hears doctors and specialists talking about the dangers of having an underweight baby. That is a newborn who weighs less than five pounds eight ounces. The reason that these professionals are expressing concern is that one study after another point to the fact that many cognitive problems are directly correlated with the birth weight of a child.
Just recently, another study was conducted that compared identical twins. This study removed variables of environment, such as the level of intelligence of the parents and the school system chosen, because it focused on two kids of the same age from the same family. It was found over and over again, in seventy-one pairs of identical twins, that the child who weighed more at birth had the higher verbal IQ score in the future. The researches set out to determine just how influential good prenatal nutrition is on the child after birth and the results were astounding. There is little doubt that better nutrition in the womb leads to better cognitive skills in the future.
Knowing this, one would want to know what causes low birth weight. The answer is not always a matter of poor nutrition. One in twelve babies in the United States is born underweight. While medical care advancements have helped to reduce the negative effects caused by the low weights, there are still many concerns that parents would have to face having a child born at the low weight. These children are more susceptible to mental retardation, cerebral palsy, blindness, and hearing loss.
Many of these children are of such low weight at birth because they are born prematurely – before the thirty-seventh week of the pregnancy. Babies born prematurely can face significant disadvantage in growth and development, especially those under three and a half pounds. Underweight babies that go to term – are born at or after the thirty-seventh week – typically faced something in utero that resulted in slowed growth. Thus, it is thought that most low birth weight cases are a result of preterm labor, which is not entirely understood in the medical community, though woman who have had preterm labor, are delivering multiples, or have uterus abnormalities are at greater risk of it. Birth defects, chronic health problems in the mother, smoking, alcohol, infections, and failure of the mother to gain enough weight are other factors that can lead to low birth weights for the child and place him or her at a disadvantage cognitively. Finally, there is evidence that placental problems can cause the fetal development to slow. It can reduce blood flow and nutrients reaching the baby in the womb and can even make it necessary for early delivery by C-section to protect baby and mother.
Parents that are well informed, eat healthy, and receive regular medical attention during the pregnancy are less likely to face the potential complications of low birth weight. If concerns arise, it is best to continue medical care on a frequent and regular basis to ensure that development is not hindered.

The Importance of a Second Language

In today’s world, most countries teach their children to be bilingual.  In fact, it is mandatory for many students throughout the world to learn English.  Americans are one of the only industrialized nations to not take on the task of teaching our young citizens a second langue. This is even more troubling when one stops to consider that there is currently a large non-English speaking portion of the country.  Sixteen percent of the population in the United States speaks Spanish as their primary language.  This number is only increasing as Spanish speaking immigrants and already established citizens continue to increase in population.  Furthermore, as a result of the large Spanish-speaking population in some areas of the country, it is becoming increasingly necessary for people of those regions to be bilingual.  Many jobs now require that their employees speak Spanish. 

As a result of these facts and figures, there are many people in this country that are fighting to introduce a more rigorous language component into the American school system.  Though some school districts are beginning to encourage students to study a second language, it is not yet mandated in this country.  Rather than expanding the minds of our English speaking student body, our nation has mandated that Spanish-speaking students be enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) courses. 

While many people throughout the country do feel that students should not only be mandated to study a second language, but that this training should begin at the very earliest stages of school, there are those that debate the point eagerly. 

Many that are against mandatory second language classes feel that American schools should be more focused on increasing literacy in the nation than they should be with forcing a second language on the younger generations. Currently, in this country, the United States Department of Education estimated that there are thirty-two million adults without the capability of reading anything more than a children’s picture book.

Illiteracy is, undoubtedly, a major issue in this country, but many would argue that this does not erase the fact that studying another language opens doors professionally, encourages a person to explore cultures other than his or her own, and even provides an individual with a better understanding of sentence structure and grammar in his or her own language.  Aside from the professional and educational benefits, a second language can make travel easier and make it possible for a person to communicate with a whole other population that would have otherwise been cut off.

If you are trying to learn Spanish, or you would like to introduce the language to your child outside of the school system, it is always better to learn it straight from the mouth of a native Spanish speaking individual.  Consider immersing yourself or your child in a population of Spanish-speaking individuals, or find teaching tools that feature words, sentences and paragraphs spoken by such a person.  There are many tools available for those that want to broaden their horizons through a second language, which means, even if the nation does not mandate it, your child and even you will have always have the option.

Music and Life: a Partnership for Health

Have you ever thought about introducing more music to your household?  Have you ever wanted to learn to play a musical instrument?  Have you ever wondered about how music can make your life better?  Consider the facts pointed out in this article and you might just be ready to embrace rhythm and melody in a whole new way.

It is no secret to most parents that many studies have proven the profound effects that relate to introducing children to music at a very early age.  Even in the prenatal state, researchers believe that music can be stimulating to the brain and calming to the nerves.

The Mozart Effect is a term frequently used when discussing this topic.  It is defined as using music to improve lifestyle — for health and wellness, as well as for education and creativity.  Music, as many already know, can be mood altering, it can make one recall certain things learned or experienced in the past, and can even provide the listener an energy boost.  In the fifties, an ear, throat and nose specialist started experiments that revolved around the effects of music on communication disorders.  Since then, music has been used in therapies for children with many different learning, spatial, and communications conditions.  Classical music has been proven to be especially beneficial to young children, and can even improve the way a child comprehends and retains information.  It soothes, de-stresses, and even heals in children and adults, which is why playing a musical instrument is thought to be very therapeutic for adults and children alike.

There is a science that believes in and practices music therapy for people of all ages.  It is meant to heal physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Certified professionals conduct sessions with patients, which involve listening to and making music.  The right music can actually reduce heart rate and blood pressure, which is just the beginning of what these professionals are aiming to do for people they treat.

It is thought that these sessions can help a person make sense of repressed memories, can calm those who are overstressed and facing emotional breakdown, and can even result in vast improvements in patients of dementia. Music can improve speech patterns, and even reduce pain levels in patients of chronic disease or cancer.

Those who do studies in related fields are also big supporters of playing musical instruments.  Playing the guitar, piano or other instrument at any age can have the same beneficial effects discussed above, while introducing a new creative outlet for the individual.

If you are interested in playing the piano, whether for fun or for healing, there are ways to do so on your own time, without the inconvenience of leaving the house or meet with an instructor.  Making music doesn’t have to be difficult; it does not require you to have the perfect voice or a gifted ear.  You can move at your own pace, play alone or with others, and still enjoy the rejuvenating effects that the rhythms will have on you mentally, emotionally, and physically.