EU bans bisphenol A chemical from babies' bottles

The European Commission has announced a ban on the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic baby bottles from next year.The commission cited fears that the compound could affect development and immune response in young children.There has been concern over the use of BPA for some time, with six US manufacturers removing it in 2009 from bottles they sold in the US, although not other markets.But a UK expert said he thought the move was "an over-reaction".BPA is widely used in making hard, clear plastic and is commonly found in food and drink containers.A European Commission spokesman said the proposal had been approved after being presented to a committee of national government experts on Thursday - months earlier than scheduled - and approved.The European parliament had called for the ban in June.

Areas of uncertainty

John Dalli, Commissioner in charge of Health and Consumer Policy, said the ban was good news for European parents."There were areas of uncertainty, deriving from new studies, which showed that BPA might have an effect on development, immune response and tumour promotion," Mr Dalli said in a statement.

EU states will outlaw the manufacture of polycarbonate feeding bottles containing the compound from March 2011, and ban their import and sale from June 2011, the Commission said.But Professor Richard Sharpe, of the Medical Research Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit at the University of Edinburgh, said the commission's decision must have been made on political, rather than scientific, grounds."I do not know of any convincing evidence that bisphenol A exposure, in the amounts used in polycarbonate bottles, can cause any harm to babies as not only are the amounts so minuscule but they are rapidly broken down in the gut and liver.

"Babies have the necessary enzymes and are able to metabolise bisphenol A just as effectively as adults."

He added: "Personally I think this is an overreaction, but if satisfactory replacements chemicals are available then this can be done to placate those calling for action, but scientifically it's a retrograde step."I would be happy for a baby of mine to be fed from a polycarbonate bottle containing bisphenol A."

And Professor Warren Foster of the department of obstetrics and gynaecology at Canada's McMaster University, said the EU had acted with "extreme caution".

Mimicking

The National Childbirth Trust is a British charity which has campaigned for the ban.Its chief executive Belinda Phipps told the BBC: "When you put liquids into a bottle - particularly hot liquids or liquids containing fatty liquids - it leaches out of the plastic. And particularly as the bottle gets older and it gets more scratched, more and more leaches out and into the liquid."Ms Phipps said that when a baby drinks from a bottle which contains BPA, the baby absorbs the leached chemical into its fat."It's a chemical that mimics oestrogens, but not in a good way," she said. "It interferes with oestrogens getting into the receptors, and it can have some very unpleasant effects - and animal studies have shown significant effects."Canada was the first country to declare bisphenol A toxic in October, after it was concluded that the chemical might have harmful effects on humans, as well as the environment and "its biological diversity".The Canadian decision was strongly opposed by the chemical industry.

‘Babies’ beautifully captures family bond

Documentary follows four infants from very different countries

A clear line will be drawn in the sand — or the sandbox, if you will — when it comes to the way people respond to "Babies."

If you've never had one or you're not into them — if the sound of cooing sends chills down your spine and the idea of changing a diaper turns your stomach — then you're unlikely to be moved by this documentary that follows four babies from around the world, starting with birth and ending with their first steps. Be warned, the cute factor is high.

But if you're already a mom or dad — or better yet, a new mom, like yours truly — you'll be moved nearly to tears by the beauty of the film's universality, by moments that are so artful and intimate, they'll make you wonder how it's possible that any family would let a filmmaker in so close to shoot them.

French director Thomas Balmes brings us the daily ins and outs, from mundane moments to milestones, of four infants living disparate lives: Ponijao, a girl from Namibia; Mari, a baby girl in Tokyo; Hattie from San Francisco, and Bayarjargal, the only boy (and the biggest scene-stealer) in Mongolia. Balmes does this without narration, without marking the passage of time or even subtitles to clarify what's being said; then again, there are very few words. Instead, he roams from one baby to the next as they cry, eat, sleep, play and — eventually — crawl, stand up and walk.

It's a bold storytelling approach: Balmes runs the risk of alienating his audience members, the vast majority of whom won't be able to understand what's being said. "Babies" frequently lacks momentum because there's no strong narrative drive, just an easy, casual stroll from baby to baby, moment to moment. Then again, the familiarity of infancy emerges in time. When a mother assuages her child on an African plane or in a Japanese high-rise, it's clear what she's saying.

At the same time, the differences are striking. Helicopter parenting doesn't seem to exist in Mongolia, for example, where adorable Bayarjargal crawls out by himself into a scruffy field in the sunshine wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a diaper. Soon he's surrounded by cattle, all of whom seem to know instinctively to step carefully around this delicate creature, to protect him. When Ponijao bends down to sip water from a stream in the desert, you can almost hear the moms in the audience cringing because it's not sanitary.

But parents in the United States will also get a kick out of Hattie's reaction when her mom drags her to a crunchy-granola, mommy-and-me song circle. Her instinct is to run screaming for the door. (Smart cookie. Learning early.) Similarly, Mari has a prolonged and hilarious tantrum when she can't figure out how to stack a series of blocks in her bedroom. These are little people with big personalities, and Balmes lucked out in finding them; after all, he arranged to film these families while the babies were still in the womb.

Balmes shot nearly all this footage himself, 400 hours of it, all on a tripod, and the stillness of the lengthy moments that result can be mesmerizing. In crisp high definition and accompanied by Bruno Coulais' gorgeous score, he shows us everything from grand vistas of the Mongolian planes to nighttime quiet of a Namibian family's hut.

At a time when there are so many conflicting parenting theories — and so much militant mommyism about the "right way" to raise a child — one of the greatest strengths of "Babies" is that it refrains from judging any of these parents or pushing any agenda, and just lets us admire the sweetness and strength of the family bond for a little while.

 

Premature births still medical mystery

Half a million babies are born early in the U.S. each year

After rising for 16 years, the rate of premature births in the United States dropped for the second year in a row, according to a report released this month. Despite the good news, still more than half a million babies are born early in the country, putting them at risk for conditions such as respiratory disorders, blindness, and learning disabilities.

While recent medical advancements mean most preemies will survive, preventing early birth in the first place is a different story. Doctors have no way of knowing which pregnancies will be preterm, and in about half of all cases, they don't know why a mother delivers early. However, science is beginning to divulge some clues, such as social stress, bacterial infection and hereditary influences, which might be tied to early births.

In many cases, the cause of premature birth is likely a complex interplay between the mother, the fetus, and their respective environments. Adding difficultly to the situation is the fact that scientists don't completely understand what sets off any type of labor, full-term or preterm. But modern research tools could help to uncover specific genes and other components involved in labor that might help us understand what triggers early delivery, said Dr. Louis Muglia, a professor of pediatrics at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center in Nashville. 

"I think there are a number of studies, that are just starting to be revealed, that are hopefully going to lead to new insights about the birth process," Muglia said.

Preemie basicsNormal pregnancies last around nine months, or between 38 and 42 weeks. A pregnancy is considered preterm if the baby is born at 37 weeks or earlier.

While full-term babies are completely dependent on mom and dad for feeding and diaper-changing, that dependency is taken to an extreme for preemies. The organs and physiological systems of the little fetuses are not completely formed, and when they get cut off from mom's umbilical cord too soon, their systems aren't ready to go solo.

For instance, a lot of brain development happens before 39 weeks, so even the so-called "late-preterm" baby born between 34 and 36 weeks is at risk for learning problems. (The brain at 35 weeks weighs only two-thirds of what it will weigh at full-term, according to the U.S. March of Dimes, an organization that aims to prevent premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality.)

Here's a breakdown of global preemie stats:

• About 70 percent of preemies around the world are born between 34 and 36 weeks, according to the March of Dimes. These babies usually weigh between 4.5 and 6 pounds (2 to nearly 3 kilograms). While they're healthier than babies born earlier, they're still at risk for problems, such as breathing difficulties.
• About 12 percent of preemies are born between 32 and 33 weeks and weigh about 3 to 5 pounds (about 2 kg).
• 10 percent are born between 28 to 31 weeks, weighing around 2 to 4 pounds (under 2 kg).
• The smallest babies, born earlier than 28 weeks, account for 6 percent preemies and often weigh less than 2 pounds, about the weight of six bananas. These tiny babies usually have the most complications, including not being able to feed on their own.

From 1990 to 2006, the premature birth rate in the United States rose by more than 20 percent. This rise is due, in part, to an increase in induced labors and C-sections. Doctors sometimes need to induce labor because of complications with the pregnancy, like preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy). Such situations account for 25 percent of all premature births in the United States.

In a few other situations, doctors can likely explain why a mother gave birth early, for instance, if she is carrying twins or some set of multiples. But for those 50 percent that can't be explained, scientists have pieced together possible culprits. These include:

InfectionPathogenic infections are one of the lead suspects for causing preterm birth. In fact, they could account for about 25 percent of all unexplained premature deliveries, Muglia said.

Certain infections can activate the immune system — the body's natural defense against harmful organisms. In a pregnant mother, putting the immune system on overdrive might trigger preterm labor.

This might happen because the mom's immune response that's fighting the infection creates a hostile environment for the fetus, prompting early delivery, said Dr. Diane Ashton, the deputy medical director at the March of Dimes.

And from an evolutionary perspective, it makes sense to give birth prematurely if the infection might harm either the mother or the unborn infant.

"The risk of having a growing infection puts the mom's life certainly in jeopardy, if it was a severe infection, and also it would very much influence the fetus," Muglia said. "It seems like the most evolutionarily advantageous solution would be to deliver the one pregnancy early and then have the capacity to have a subsequent pregnancy."

Bacterial infections in the reproductive areas, like the amniotic fluid or the vagina, might pose such a threat. But the infection could also be farther away, like in the mouth. Many studies have tied periodontal diseases, such as gingivitis, to preterm birth. However, treating these diseases does not appear to reduce the risk of early delivery.

So if getting rid of infections doesn't help, what's going on?

One idea is that, by the time a woman shows symptoms of a disease like gingivitis while she's pregnant, it's too late to treat it in terms of preventing labor, Ashton said.

An unknown pathogen could also be to blame.

"There are many organisms that we can't culture, or may activate the immune system in more subtle ways that don’t have overt evidence of the mom having an infection," Muglia said.

Muglia added, "Maybe it's not those primary infections, but it's something about the maternal immune system interacting with the microbes that is slightly different in those women that augments their risk for preterm birth."

Genetics Hereditary factors, or the mother's genes, are also thought to play a role. They're suspected partly because prematurity seems to run in families.

"Women who have had relatives with preterm births, especially moms that have had sisters with preterm birth, or moms that have been born prematurely themselves — so their mothers gave rise to a preterm infant — have a higher incidence of having a child with prematurity also," Muglia said.

Also, mothers who give birth early one time are likely to delivery early in subsequent pregnancies. And from the other side of the spectrum, mothers who give birth late, after 40 weeks, are at increased risk for late labor with future children.

Research in this area is very preliminary, but scientists have pinpointed a few possible players, including genes involved in making the amniotic sac where the fetus grows. "Different genetic expressions cause that amniotic sac to be weakened and more susceptible to rupture," which in turn increases the risk of premature delivery, Ashton said.

Another possible culprit: genes involved in the immune system, specifically, the ones that promote inflammation in the body, which is sometimes triggered by infection. Inflammation in general is thought to be involved in any type of labor, but it's not clear if it relates to the timing of birth, Muglia said.

In February of this year, scientists from the National Institutes of Health announced they had identified genes in both the mother's and the fetus's immune system that increased the risk of premature birth, suggesting that it's not the mother's genes alone that lead to early delivery.

Genetic variations could also make some women's immune systems more sensitive so that a specific infection might activate an immune response in one woman but not another, Muglia said.

Social and lifestyle factorsBeyond biology, environmental factors such as eating and drinking habits, stress and a person's income appear to influence delivery time.

Smoking, alcohol consumption, drug use, high levels of psychological or physical stress during pregnancy, and improper prenatal care increase the risk of preterm birth. Also, certain medical conditions, such as being underweight, having diabetes, or being pregnant six to 18 months following a previous pregnancy might raise the risk, according to the March of Dimes.

Women in high poverty areas also have a higher risk of delivery early. This association is likely due to a number of factors, such as limited access to healthcare, or that concerns about housing and employment take priority over health, Ashton said.

Future outlookCurrently, there aren't good animal models for studying human labor, Muglia said. "The things we know lead to birth in mice and sheep and other animals don’t behave the same way in humans," he said.

And scientists obviously can't interfere with human pregnancies in order to study them. But they might be able to learn much more by analyzing the genes of pregnant women, a feat made possible through modern human genome sequencing technologies. 

A few big studies looking into the genetics of preterm birth are in the process of being completed, and should yield some results within the next year, Muglia said.

Also, scientists can apply that same technology to better understand how infections could trigger labor. For instance, scientists might miss certain bacterial species if they simply tried to grow them using traditional methods. But these elusive bacteria can be more easily spotted by sequencing their genes, Muglia said.

Once scientists know what's involved in the normal birth process, then they can delve deeper into how things might go wrong with early or late deliveries.

Pregnancy baby brain lapse 'a myth'

Expectant mums need to stop blaming their bump for memory lapses, say experts who want to dispel the "baby brain" myth.

Neither pregnancy nor motherhood addle a woman's brain, say the researchers based on their study of 1,241 women both before and after having babies.

The Australian researchers say we have been misled by a fallacy.

Any absentmindedness might be adaptive, shifting attention to the baby, the British Journal of Psychiatry says.

Lead researcher Professor Christensen said: "Part of the problem is that pregnancy manuals tell women they are likely to experience memory and concentration problems - so women and their partners are primed to attribute any memory lapse to the 'hard to miss' physical sign of pregnancy.

"Pregnant women may also shift their focus away from work issues to help them prepare for the birth of their new baby, while new mothers selectively attend to their baby."

But she said this shift should not be labelled a "cognitive deficit".

Fallacy

Her team from The Australian National University followed up the large group of women at four-year intervals using memory tests.

During the course of the study more than half of the women fell pregnant, but this did not appear to have any impact on memory.

The test scores remained unchanged before and after pregnancy and did not differ greatly between the group of women who became mums and the group of those who did not.

Professor Christensen and her team said: "Not so long ago, pregnancy was 'confinement' and motherhood meant the end of career aspirations.

"Our results challenge the view that mothers are anything other than the intellectual peers of their contemporaries.

"Women and their partners need to be less automatic in their willingness to attribute common memory lapses to a growing or new baby.

"And obstetricians, family doctors and midwives may need to use the findings from this study to promote the fact that 'placenta brain' is not inevitable."

Cathy Warwick of the Royal College of Midwives said: "It is about time that some research lays to rest this notion of pregnant women and the 'baby brain' myth.

"The physical and emotional stresses on a woman's body from pregnancy can make women feel more tired than usual.

"As we all know tiredness - for men as well as women - can make us lose concentration and cause us to function less effectively.

"This is why midwives encourage pregnant women to take appropriate rest breaks, at home and at work. Many pregnant women will need this rest, and all of them deserve it."

Blood pressure harm from smoke 'may explain cot death'

Smoke exposure during pregnancy damages a baby's blood pressure control, which may explain why such babies' risk of cot death is higher, say experts.

Maternal smoking remains one of the biggest risk factors for cot death.

A team at Sweden's Karolinksa Institute found smoke-exposed babies had abnormal surges in blood pressure, even when sleeping undisturbed in their cots.

These surges put extra demand on the heart, making it pump faster and harder, the journal Hypertension says.

The study suggests damage to the circulation may be a factor in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), although it set out to look at the effects of smoking on the newborn rather than cot death per se.

Dr Gary Cohen and his team studied 36 newborn babies - 17 of whom had mothers who smoked during the pregnancy.

When they examined the babies they found the ones that had been exposed to cigarette smoke showed abnormal heart rate and blood pressure responses.

And these abnormal responses got worse throughout their first year of life.

Dramatically different

At one week of age the smoke-exposed babies showed abnormally large blood pressure rises as they were lifted up from lying down.

By the age of one, the same babies appeared to have adapted to this and now showed abnormally low blood pressure responses to the same posture change.

Usually, when a person stands the heart rate increases and the blood vessels tighten, raising blood pressure slightly, to keep up the blood flow to the heart and brain.

Dr Cohen said: "Babies of smokers have evidence of persistent problems in blood pressure regulation that start at birth and get worse over time.

"This study reveals for the first time that early life exposure to tobacco can lead to long-lasting reprogramming of the infant blood pressure control mechanism."

He said this might explain why babies of women who smoke are at increased risk of cot death.

"We have known for some time that there is a cardiovascular element to sudden infant death.

"It's not just breathing, but blood pressure control and heart rate control.

"This is another piece of the jigsaw."

He plans to continue to study the babies as they grow up to see if the damage is lasting and whether it leads to problems, such as high blood pressure, in later life.

Professor George Haycock, scientific adviser for the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths (FSID), said: "The hypothesis presented here is highly plausible and agrees with work from other research groups.

"FSID's top piece of advice remains, cut smoking in pregnancy - fathers too, and don't let anyone smoke in the same room as your baby."

Experts say a third of cot deaths could be avoided if mothers-to-be did not smoke.

Janet Fyle, Professional Policy Advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: "These findings support what we know; that smoking during pregnancy can harm the developing foetus.

"The RCM would urge pregnant women who smoke to seek advice and support from their midwife about stopping smoking, for the benefit of their own long-term health.

"This would also benefit the health of their child."