News of Interest to Moms August 31, 2009

Photo by LeoSynapse/StochXchange.com





News to know:

CDC considers promoting 'Universal Circumcision'

In an effort to reduce the spread of HIV, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is considering recommending “universal circumcision” for all baby boys born in the United States.

Officials analyzed several studies that show in African countries hit hard by HIV, men who were circumcised reduced their infection risk by half, according to a report in the New York Times. However, those studies focused on heterosexual men who are at risk of getting HIV from infected female partners. The main issue in the U.S. is men who have sex with men.



What are the pros and cons of your daughter getting the GARDASIL® vaccine?

News of Interest for Moms August 25, 2009

News to know:
CDC's advice to parents: Swine flu shots for all

A Center for Disease Control (CDC) spokesman said the most important thing parents can do to protect their children from swine flu is to have them vaccinated as soon as a vaccine is available.

For additional information from the CDC about swine flu, go here.

Hazards: Lead illness in children linked to car seats

Car seats, as well as a family's car, can become a source of lead poisoning if parents work in jobs that expose them to lead, according to a report published last week.

Six babies and toddlers in Maine were found to have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood last year,according to the report in The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report . All the children's parents had exposure to lead through their jobs.

Infant car seats may lower oxygen levels

Leaving young infants in car seats for extended periods of time could cause low oxygen levels, putting them at risk for breathing problems, according to a new study published in Pediatrics.

Researchers say car seats are essential for the safe transportation of infants.

Leaving an infant in an upright position for a long period of time can partially compress the chest wall, affecting airway size. Healthy 2-day-old infants placed in car seats for 60 minutes had lower average blood oxygen levels than those lying on their backs in hospital cribs, according to study results.

ADHD drug abuse soars among U.S. teenagers

Calls to poison control centers about teens abusing attention-deficit drugs soared 76percent over eight years, according to a study published in the August issue of Pediatrics.

Researchers evaluated 1998-2005 data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers. During that time, nationwide calls related to teen abuse of ADHD drugs, specifically stimulants, increased from 330 to 581 yearly. Overall, 42 percent of teens involved had moderate to severe side-effects and most ended up getting emergency-room treatment.

Calls were from worried parents, emergency room doctors and others seeking advice on how to deal with the problem, which can be deadly. Four deaths were among cases evaluated in the study.



Back to school: Tips to ease the transition

Parent-tested back-to-school tips

Latest Celebrity Mommy-Come-Lately: Celine Dion

Singer Celine Dion, 41, is pregnant with her second child.



Last week there was news that the late-in-life motherhood trend continues. My blog post discussed the latest numbers from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) that showed an almost 800 percent increase in first-time moms over 35 from 1970 to 2006.

Celebrities continue to fuel the Mommy-Come-Lately® movement, with singer Celine Dion, 41, being the latest to announce she's pregnant with her second child. Her husband,Rene Angelil, is a Daddy-Come-Lately at 67. Their firstborn son, Rene-Charles, is 8 years old.

Christa's Trip to Marlyand

Christa spent the last week in Maryland--and from what she and her sisters told me, she spent a lot of it in her Aunt Theresa's and Uncle Steven's pool!! The goal of the trip--besides lots of pool time--was for the girls to connect with their East coast relatives.






When she wasn't in the pool, Christa had lots of fun hanging with her big sisters. Since there is such a big age gap between Christa and Katie Beth and Amy, I sometimes worry about their relationships. But the older girls make spending time with their little sister a priority.



Apologies for the smaller photos ... Sightseeing at the Naval Academy in Annapolis. Any summer trip has to include sightseeing,right? This is one of the few times they managed to coax Christa away from the pool.



Christa and her some of her East coast cousins. The trip accomplished many things: connecting with family, getting tans, relaxing, a few required tourist t-shirts and a pile of dirty laundry stuffed in the suitcases the girls lugged back home to Colorado! All in all, a wonderful trip!!

The Late-in-Life Mom Trend Continues

Photo by ballison/StockXchange.com





Women worldwide are delaying when they have their first child compared to women in generations past, according to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) report.

~From 1970 to 2006, the proportion of first births to women aged 35 years and over increased nearly eight times. In 2006, about 1 out of 12 first births were to women aged 35 years and over compared with 1 out of 100 in 1970, according to the CDC.


~During that same 36 year time span, the average age of first-time mothers increased 3.6 years from 21.4 to 25.0 years, the CDC said.


~ The average age at first birth increased for all racial and ethnic groups between 1990 and 2006. In 2006, Asian or Pacific Islander women had the oldest average age at first birth (28.5 years), whereas American Indian/Alaska Native women had the youngest (21.9 years); a difference of 6.6 years, statistics showed.

Empty-Nesting--Sort of

Katie Beth, Christa and Amy enjoy their flight to Maryland





Last Friday, Christa headed east with her big sisters, Katie Beth and Amy. They packed their bags--well, I packed Christa's--and flew out of DIA to Maryland for a fun week visiting cousins and aunts and uncles and my mom.

Rob and I were left home. Alone.

Alone, that is, if you don't count our daughters' 90-pound lab, Midas, and his cohort in crime, Twister, who is a mini-dachsund with a major attitude. Oh--and the cat. Can't forget Tessa. She sleeps with Rob and me every night. Joy, oh joy.

But, the point is, Rob and I are the only people in the Vogt house this week.

When Christa was born, we watched the empty nest years fade into a oblivion. And, really, we're okay with that. We're exhausted, but we're delighted to be older parents trying desperately to keep pace with an active 8-year old.

But this week of empty nesting is a glimpse of what life would be like without Christa. Here's what I'm discovering:

Life without Christa would be quiet. Not blessedly quiet--but the "I think we're missing something" quiet. We'd be missing Christa's enthusiasm. Her inquisitive, never-ending chatter. Her zest for life.

Life without Christa would be lonely. Why? Simply because Christa is all about people--and those people love to hang out with our daughter. When we showed up at church without her on Sunday, there were quite a few disappointed kiddos.

"Where's Christa?"

"When is she getting back?"

"Will she be here next week?"

The neighbor kids knocked on the door today and I had to remind them that Christa wouldn't be available to ride bikes until the weekend.

Sure, I'm getting things done this week. I'm am reorganizing my den--and I'm not being interrupted. There's something satisfying about sorting through piles of paper and finding the surface of my desk again.

But walking into my office without navigating a stack of books or magazines, while an accomplishment to savor, can't compare to all the moments of being Christa's mom.

So, I'll enjoy my seven days of empty-nesting, thank you very much.

And I'm counting the days until the house is filled to overflowing with all three of my girls again.


Christa sending me and Rob an "I love you" while she enjoyed her Aunt Theresa's and Uncle Steve's pool.

Night, night. Don't let the bed bugs bite.

So Christa spent the weekend with a friend's family. They went to Glenwood Springs and stayed in a hotel and celebrated her friend, Justin's, 8th birthday.


I know. Justin is a friend--and he's a boy. But that is beside the point when you are 8 years old. Really.

Rob and I met up with the thoroughly partied-out parents and kiddos on Sunday for lunch. At one point, the mom leaned over to me and said, "So, Christa was explaining to Justin that she had to wear pajamas with long pants."

"Hhhhhhm." I was wondering what Christa's explanation was. I hadn't gone into the whole "modesty talk" with her, figuring she was only 8 1/2 and we could hold off a bit longer.

"Well, she explained to Justin that she needed to wear the pants because of the bugs in her bed that bit her legs."

Excuse me?

At this point, my friend has my complete attention.

"Yeah, Christa told Justin the bugs are a real problem."

I was flabbergasted. Bumfuzzled. And completely embarrassed. Bed bug problem? Not in my bedsheets!

So I called Christa over and said, "Christa, Justin's mom told me you mentioned that bugs have been biting your legs."

"Yeah, mom. You know about that." She points to a small red spot on her ankle--one spot. "Remember how that bug bit me a couple of days ago?"

"Christa, that was one bug bite. You do not have lots of bugs in your bed biting you."

"Well, mom, this bite really bothers me."

I rolled my eyes, my friend smothered a laugh, and Christa went back to enjoying her lunch with Justin.

Kids. Didn't someone once say they say the darndest things?

Too true.

News of Interest to Moms August 3, 2009

News to know:


Study finds rise in student injuries in gym class

Injuries to American children during physical education classes increased by 150 percent from 1997-2007,according to a new study.

The increase in injuries may be caused by a lack of adult supervision, the study said, noting gym classes are larger and the number of school nurses has declined.

The study appears in the September issue of Pediatrics. Researchers found that boys had more cuts and broken bones than girls, while girls had strains and sprains.


Breast-feeding could save 1.3 million lives

Teaching new mothers how to breast-feed could save 1.3 million children's lives every year,the World Health Organization said on Friday.

Fewer than 40 percent of mothers worldwide breast-feed their infants exclusively in the first six months, as recommended by the WHO. Many women stop breast-feeding because they don't know how to get their baby to latch on properly or suffer pain and discomfort.

The WHO recommends that babies start breast-feeding within one hour of their birth, and ingest only breast milk for the first six months, avoiding water and other drinks and foods.


Studies: Millions of U.S. kids lacking Vitamin D

Millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low Vitamin D levels, according to two new studies. Vitamin D deficiency could increase children's risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments.

According to one analysis of federal data released today:

~About 7.6 million children, adolescents and young adults ages 1-21 have Vitamin D levels so low they could be considered deficient

~50.8 million have higher levels, but still low enough to be insufficient

Other research reported that low Vitamin D levels are especially common among girls, adolescents and people with darker skin.

Researchers and others blame the low levels of Vitamin D on a combination of factors:
~children spending more time watching television and playing video games instead of going outside
~covering up and using sunscreen when they do go outdoors
~drinking more soda and other beverages instead of consuming milk and other foods fortified with Vitamin D.


Chemical in plastic tied to preemie problem

Phthalate, a chemical used in many plastic products, is suspected of raising the risk of liver problems in premature babies, according to a new study.

At least one expert found the German study unconvincing. However, the researchers said their results show that hospitals treating newborns or preemies should turn to IV feeding equipment that doesn't contain DEHP, the phthalate studied. Some U.S. hospitals have made the switch.