Maternal Habits Research Articles

Long-term effects of the perinatal environment on respiratory control

The respiratory control system exhibits considerable plasticity, similar to other regions of the nervous system. Plasticity is a persistent change in system behavior triggered by experiences such as changes in neural activity, hypoxia, and/or disease/injury. Although plasticity is observed in animals of all ages, some forms of plasticity appear to be unique to development (i.e., "developmental plasticity"). Developmental plasticity is an alteration in respiratory control induced by experiences during "critical" developmental periods; similar experiences outside the critical period will have little or no lasting effect. Thus complementary experiments on both mature and developing animals are generally needed to verify that the observed plasticity is unique to development. Frequently studied models of developmental plasticity in respiratory control include developmental manipulations of respiratory gas concentrations (O(2) and CO(2)). Environmental factors not specifically associated with breathing may also trigger developmental plasticity, however, including psychological stress or chemicals associated with maternal habits (e.g., nicotine, cocaine). Despite rapid advances in describing models of developmental plasticity in breathing, our understanding of fundamental mechanisms giving rise to such plasticity is poor; mechanistic studies of developmental plasticity are of considerable importance. Developmental plasticity may enable organisms to "fine tune" their phenotype to optimize the performance of this critical homeostatic regulatory system. On the other hand, developmental plasticity could also increase the risk of disease later in life. Future directions for studies concerning the mechanisms and functional implications of developmental plasticity in respiratory motor control are discussed.

Cost Analysis of a Maternity Disease Management Program

Background With over 4 million births annually in the US, pregnancy is a high-volume and high-cost condition for both public and private payers. Although pregnancy is generally considered to be a time of Wellness, certain maternal habits and medical conditions place a pregnancy at risk of maternal and/or neonatal complications. Disease management (DM) provides a framework in which to identify and manage pregnancies at risk of expensive adverse outcomes.

Maternal habits: Narratives of mothering, social position and drug use

Concerns are frequently voiced about harms to children of mothers who use drugs. We explored the subjective socio-cultural experiences of childrearing by women using illicit drugs (heroin mainly and amphetamines) and compared them to those of three other groups of women. Two comparison groups mirrored correlates of illicit drug use, namely: women on low incomes (who did not use these drugs) and women who are mobile, and therefore likely to be socially isolated (these had partners employed in the Australian Defence Forces). The third group reflected the desired social norm, i.e. women with medium and higher incomes who did not use illicit drugs. In-depth interviews were conducted with purposive samples, totaling 70 women with children aged five and below residing in Canberra, Australia. All women, irrespective of their drug use, found living on a low income, social isolation or being at home with young children difficult, at least sometimes. However, women who use illicit drugs are often blamed for these difficulties in ways that other groups of women are not. They also do not receive the same levels of social support that other women enjoy.

Is there an association between periodontal disease, prematurity and low birth weight? A population‐based study

The relationship between periodontal diseases in pregnancy and children born prematurely or with low birth weight has been increasingly investigated, showing inconclusive results. To test the link between periodontal disease in pregnant women and low birth weight or prematurity. A population-based, cross-sectional study was carried out in Southern Brazil. The sample consisted of 449 parturients who were interviewed and examined up to 48 h post-partum. Three outcomes were investigated: low birth weight, prematurity and prematurity and/or birth weight. Periodontal disease, the exposure, was defined as (i) at least one site with a periodontal pocket; (ii) the presence of pockets at four or more sites. Socio-demographic information relating to health and maternal habits was collected through a questionnaire and by hospital medical records. Simple and multiple regression analysis was performed. There was no statistically significant association between periodontal disease and low birth weight. Periodontal pocket was not associated with low birth weight and/or pre-term birth after being adjusted. A periodontal pocket in at least one site was associated with prematurity (odds ratio=2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.0-6.9) even after adjusting for maternal schooling, parity, number of previous children of low birth weight, number of pre-natal consultations and body mass index. After the introduction of variables relating to maternal health during pregnancy, this association disappeared. No association was found between periodontal disease in the mother and the low birth weight. An association between prematurity and periodontal pockets was found but it was confounded by maternal health variables.

Computergestützte CTG-Bewertung mit Berücksichtigung der mütterlichen Atmung

Background: CTG phenomena can be described quantitatively with a score. In individual cases these phenomena show great variability in correlation with the actual pH and pCO 2 values in umbilical arterial and umbilical venous blood (UA, UV). This variability in the fetal acid-base balance can often be attributed to maternal breathing behavior sub partu (hyperventilation or hypoventilation). The objective of the present study was to analyze the interaction between maternal ventilation, fetal acid-base balance and CTG-phenomena and to compensate for them computationally, i.e. eliminate maternal breathing habits in a first approximation. Methods: 152 CTGs directly registered intrapartally were electronically stored online and evaluated offline with a new CTG score [10, 11]. The correlation between the CTG score and the variables of the fetal acid-base balance in the UA and UV blood was calculated. The correlation of the fetal acid-base balance parameters with those of the mother as measured in the arterial blood could be determined statistically on the basis of 101 measurements performed simultaneously in the mother and her baby (exactly at the time of delivery). The predominant role of maternal hyperventilation could be verified from these data. The low pCO 2 values in the UV blood due to maternal hyperventilation were corrected in 38 cases, i.e. set to 36.0 mm Hg. The overall fetal acid-base status was recalculated both in the UV and in the IJA blood. This can be done in the pH/log pCO 2 coordinate system when the slope of the buffer lines is known on the basis of a prior calculation. Results: The pH values in the UV blood are clearly displaced in individual cases into the alkaline range: the mean value is 7.365±0.065 (n=6560); the 90th percentile is 7.448 and the highest pH value measured was 7.600. This pH shift is attributed to the pCO 2 values (UV), which have a mean value of 36.0 ± 6.7 mm Hg. The 10th percentile of this distribution is 27.7. The lowest value measured is 14.9 mm Hg (n = 6560). If all pCO 2 values (UV) below 36.0 mmHg are arbitrarily corrected to precisely this value and in this way neutralizing the maternal hyperventilation, the coefficient of correlation with the CTG score rises substantially (from 0,493 to 0.528; P < 0.005), indicating that the concept is correct. Conclusions: Part of the variability in the correlation between the CTG-phenomenons exactly quantified by a score and the parameters of the fetal acid-base balance is attributed to the mother. The respiratory characteristics during the entire delivery play a crucial role. This factor can be ignored in the online evaluation of the CTG sub partu if the breathing behavior of the mother-to-be (which can vary, e.g. after PDA) is recorded approximately by the obstetrician (e.g. 0 = normal, 1 = moderate hyperventilation...) and entered into the computer as a variable at any given time. Further investigations along these lines appear appropriate and promising.

Hábito de fumar, exposición al tabaco y síntomas respiratorios en la población escolar de 14–15 años de Terrassa (Barcelona)

Assessment of the prevalence of smoking habits, environmental tobacco exposure, and asthma-related symptoms in a cross-sectional study in schoolchildren aged 14-15 years in Terrassa (Barcelona). A sample of 793 students from 21 schools answered a self-administered questionnaire including information on smoking habits, environmental tobacco exposure and asthma-related symptoms. The prevalence of smoking daily was 16.3% (CI 13. 7-18.9); no difference between sexes were observed, while the proportion of occasional smokers was higher among girls. Age, maternal habit, friend's smoking habit and having older siblings were independently associated to the schoolchildren's smoking habits. Overall, 13% reported a positive history of wheezing and 20.3% of nocturnal cough during the previous year. Smoking daily and passive smoking were positively associated with the prevalence of asthma-related symptoms, but not with previous diagnosis of asthma. The prevalence of smoking among adolescents seems to have levelled off. There is some trend toward a higher prevalence among girls than among boys. The presence of smoking in the social environment is a strong predictor of the smoking habits among schoolchildren. Both active smoking and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke are associated to increased asthma-related symptoms.

Regulating "Maternal Instinct": Governing Mentalities of Late Twentieth-Century U.S. Illicit Drug Policy

Previous articleNext article No AccessRegulating "Maternal Instinct": Governing Mentalities of Late Twentieth-Century U.S. Illicit Drug PolicyNancy D. CampbellNancy D. Campbell Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Signs Volume 24, Number 4Summer, 1999Institutions, Regulation, and Social Control Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/495398 Views: 12Total views on this site Citations: 23Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1999 The University of ChicagoPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Katharine McCabe Criminalization of Care: Drug Testing Pregnant Patients, Journal of Health and Social Behavior 63, no.22 (Nov 2021): 162–176.https://doi.org/10.1177/00221465211058152Nancy Campbell Tough Times and the Ethnography of State Intimacies, Contemporary Drug Problems 47, no.44 (Sep 2020): 255–267.https://doi.org/10.1177/0091450920956395Katharine McCabe Stratification in Reproductive Healthcare: An Analysis of Pathways of Inclusion among Sexual Minorities, Substance Users, and Women Who Use Midwives, (Nov 2019): 173–194.https://doi.org/10.1108/S1057-629020190000020016Fiona S. Martin Engaging with motherhood and parenthood: A commentary on the social science drugs literature, International Journal of Drug Policy 68 (Jun 2019): 147–153.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2018.12.011Polly Radcliffe, Amy Chandler, Fiona Martin, Anne Whittaker Parents and substance use, International Journal of Drug Policy 68 (Jun 2019): 97–100.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2019.02.011Shaylih Muehlmann The Gender of the War on Drugs, Annual Review of Anthropology 47, no.11 (Oct 2018): 315–330.https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102317-050214Guy Feldman Contradictory Logics in Asset-building Discourse: Habits, Identities and Discipline, Social Policy & Administration 52, no.33 (Jun 2017): 593–610.https://doi.org/10.1111/spol.12326Susan E. Mannon Misery Loves Company: Poverty, Mobility, and Higher Education in the Post-welfare State, Sociological Perspectives 61, no.22 (Feb 2018): 276–294.https://doi.org/10.1177/0731121418756043Kelly R. Knight Women on the Edge, Contemporary Drug Problems 44, no.44 (Nov 2017): 301–320.https://doi.org/10.1177/0091450917740359Kiran Pienaar, Michael Savic Producing alcohol and other drugs as a policy ‘problem’: A critical analysis of South Africa's ‘National Drug Master Plan’ (2013–2017), International Journal of Drug Policy 30 (Apr 2016): 35–42.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2015.12.013Johan Nordgren Targeting Khat or Targeting Somalis? A Discourse Analysis of Project Evaluations on Khat Abuse among Somali Immigrants in Scandinavia, Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 32, no.44 (Feb 2017): 375–394.https://doi.org/10.1515/nsad-2015-0038Miranda R. Waggoner Cultivating the Maternal Future: Public Health and the Prepregnant Self, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 40, no.44 (Oct 2015): 939–962.https://doi.org/10.1086/680404Fiona S. Martin, Shaughney Aston A “Special Population” with “Unique Treatment Needs”: Dominant Representations of “Women's Substance Abuse” and Their Effects, Contemporary Drug Problems 41, no.33 (Sep 2014): 335–360.https://doi.org/10.1177/009145091404100304Jennifer M. Kilty, Erin Dej Anchoring Amongst the Waves: Discursive Constructions of Motherhood and Addiction, Qualitative Sociology Review 8, no.33 (Dec 2012): 6–23.https://doi.org/10.18778/1733-8077.8.3.01Aditi Mitra To Be or Not to Be a Feminist in India, Affilia 26, no.22 (May 2011): 182–200.https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109911405493Polly Radcliffe Motherhood, pregnancy, and the negotiation of identity: The moral career of drug treatment, Social Science & Medicine 72, no.66 (Mar 2011): 984–991.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.01.017Aditi Mitra Feminist organizing in India: A study of women in NGOs, Women's Studies International Forum 34, no.11 (Jan 2011): 66–75.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2010.10.003Aditi Mitra, J. David Knottnerus Sacrificing Women: A Study of Ritualized Practices among Women Volunteers in India, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations 19, no.33 (Jul 2008): 242–267.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-008-9063-yCelia Roberts RELATING SIMPLY?, Australian Feminist Studies 23, no.5555 (Mar 2008): 75–86.https://doi.org/10.1080/08164640701816249David Merolla The War on Drugs and the Gender Gap in Arrests: A Critical Perspective, Critical Sociology 34, no.22 (Mar 2008): 255–270.https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920507085520Cathy Banwell, Gabriele Bammer Maternal habits: Narratives of mothering, social position and drug use, International Journal of Drug Policy 17, no.66 (Dec 2006): 504–513.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2006.09.005Valli Rajah Respecting Boundaries, The British Journal of Criminology 46, no.55 (Apr 2006): 837–858.https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azl003Elizabeth Ettorre Revisioning women and drug use: gender sensitivity, embodiment and reducing harm, International Journal of Drug Policy 15, no.5-65-6 (Dec 2004): 327–335.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2004.06.009

Adolescents' ideas about the health of the fetus

Objective: to determine the preponderance of ideas in adolescents about the relationship between maternal habits and the health of the fetus. Design: quantitative survey using a precoded questionnaire, the content of which was derived from the transcripts of interviews and the responses to open-form questionnaires. Setting: North West Region Health Authority area, UK. Participants: 674 adolescents in British National Curriculum Year 10 (age 14 15 ) from 6 Community Comprehensive Schools. Findings: most of the adolescents were aware of the dangers to the fetus of alcohol and smoking, including passive smoking. However, they were less aware of the potential hazards during pregnancy of eggs ( Salmonella), soft cheeses ( Listeria), liver (Vitamin A excess) or handling cats ( Toxoplasmosis). Most of the respondents thought that the optimum time to initiate actions for a healthy pregnancy was when pregnancy had been confirmed, suggesting that the benefits of preconceptual care are not well known. Key conclusions: adolescents lack knowledge about some of the specific hazards to the fetus of maternal diet and behaviour during pregnancy and are unaware of the importance of the early stages of pregnancy in this context. Implications: there is a need for the provision of education about the importance of a healthy maternal lifestyle before conception and during early pregnancy for adolescents. Midwives may have a proactive role in such education, but should be aware that young people may have specific areas of ignorance and misconceptions which will need addressing.

Congenital heart disease in the offspring and maternal habits and home exposures during pregnancy.

To test the effect of maternal habits and home exposures during early pregnancy on the occurrence of congenital heart disease in the offspring, 406 cases and 756 controls were studied. The cases included all cardiovascular malformations detected in Finland during 1982-1983, while the healthy controls were randomly selected from all babies born during the same period. Case and control mothers were interviewed after delivery using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire. Maternal overall drug consumption during the first trimester was as prevalent among case mothers (13.3%) as controls (14.6%). Neither was the risk of congenital heart disease associated with maternal use of contraceptive pills, salicylates, diazepam, or sweetening agents separately. Maternal exposures to disinfectants, dyes, lacquers, paints, pesticides, or glues at home were equally prevalent in case and control groups. Several earlier miscarriages was a predictor of an infant born with congenital heart disease (OR = 2.7, CI95 = 1.4-5.3). Maternal ultrasound examination was performed during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy more often among the case group (28.3%) than among the control group (22.0%). However, the association between ultrasound examination and the risk of congenital heart disease in the offspring was not statistically significant (OR = 1.2, 95% confidence interval 0.9-1.7) when adjusted for confounding factors such as the threat of miscarriage in logistic regression analysis. It is concluded that maternal ultrasound examination, intake of some common drugs, and exposure to a number of environmental factors at home during early pregnancy are probably not harmful for the developing fetal heart.

Anmerkungen zur pH-Metrie im Nabelschnurblut

We report on a case of a premature newborn, delivered at 33rd week of gestation, weighting 1650 grammes, which had extremely low actual pH-values (UA: pH = 6,697; UV: pH = 6,803) but surprisingly good Apgar scores (8-10-10). During the following 6 weeks, the newborn did not present any neurological or other abnormalities. Against the background of this case report, all important variables of the fetal acid-base balance in the blood of the umbilical artery and vein are evaluated (Obstetrical data-base of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University of Tübingen, Prof. Dr. H.A. Hirsch). The study population included 2549 vaginal deliveries of singletons, born at term, without any malformations and without premature rupture of the membranes. In 1% of these newborn, the actual pH values in the blood of the umbilical artery were below 7.100 and 16% below 7.200. Computational analysis shows that in these foetuses, 86% of the foetal acidotic load, which must be eliminated by the mother, is due to foetal CO2 production, whereas only 14% is due to metabolic processes. Therefore, the distribution of actual foetal pH-values can be widely influenced by maternal breathing habits during the third stage of labour. We hypothesize that the wide range of pH-value distribution in different obstetrical departments might be due to a different management of the second stage of labour (duration and quality of bearing-down efforts, control of breathing, anaesthesia...). We conclude therefore, that even extremely low actual pH-values in umbilical blood do not necessarily relate to brain damage.

Risk factors for ventricular septal defect in finland

The possible effect of genetic and environmental factors during pregnancy on the occurrence of ventricular septal defect (VSD) in the offspring was studied in 150 cases and 756 controls. The cases represented all verified VSDs in Finland during 1982-1983. The controls were randomly selected from all babies born during the same period. Case and control mothers were interviewed by midwives approximately three months after delivery using a structured questionnaire. Congenital heart disease was more prevalent among parents of cases than those of controls. Maternal alcohol consumption during the first trimester of pregnancy was more common among the mothers of VSD infants (47.0%) than among those of controls (38.0%, P less than 0.05). Exposure to organic solvents at work showed in logistic regression analysis an adjusted relative odds ratio of 1.8 (95% confidence interval 1.0-3.4). The risk of VSD was not associated with any of the maternal habits monitored, e.g. smoking, or coffee, tea, cola, acetosalicylic acid or diazepam consumption. Whether the mother was employed during the first trimester of pregnancy, and her exposure to anesthetic gases, disinfectants, pecticides, wood preservatives or video display terminals were not factors associated with the risk of ventricular septal defect.

Sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) analysis in mothers exposed to DNA-damaging agents and their newborn infants

The incidence of SCE in the lymphocytes of mothers and their newborn infants was determined. A detailed antenatal history of parental habits such as smoking, alcohol consumption and possible exposure to DNA-damaging agents was documented. The results showed that the SCE rate in the newborn is significantly less than that of their mothers. Mothers who consumed alcohol, but not cigarette smokers, had a significantly increased SCE rate compared to control mothers. However, these maternal habits did not affect the SCE rate of their infants. Neonates with neural tube defects showed a significantly increased SCE rate compared to normal babies.