Conversations… | with Dr. Greene

As I describe in my book, From First Kicks to First Steps what mothers eat while they are pregnant influences the health and development of their babies in many ways. Each meal can be a gift to your baby even before you get to see each other.

What we eat affects our health. Zinc is an essential nutrient that has many functions in the body, including being critical for optimal operation of the immune system. We know that getting enough zinc can be useful for preventing and treating diarrhea. We know that it can be effective for preventing respiratory infections, including pneumonia. Might zinc supplements be useful as a extra medicine when treating kids with pneumonia?

Parents often hear about the powerful short-term benefits of breastfeeding. But the good news doesn’t stop when your baby is weaned. We’re learning more all the time about the enduring gift you give each time you nurse. When you’re up at night tenderly feeding your baby, you’re also silently taking care of your teenager in the future.

The rise of bacterial resistance isn.t the only force limiting antibiotic choices. Allergies to antibiotics have risen over the years as antibiotic use in children (and in animal agriculture) has become more common. Both of these problems can be decreased by saving antibiotics for situations where they are really needed.

A lead apron to protect the reproductive organs may not be enough to protect a developing baby when her mother has dental x-rays. Researchers at the University of Washington analyzed the pregnancies of 5,585 women and found that that those who had received dental x-rays were more than 3 times more likely to deliver a low birth weight baby at term.

Many studies have demonstrated a variety of benefits from breastfeeding, including lowering the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The first study linking breastfeeding with overall lower infant mortality was presented at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in San Francisco on May 2, 2004 (Dr. Benjamin.s Spock.s birthday). Most babies do well however they are fed. But, an analysis of 8944 U.S. babies demonstrated that those who were breastfed had a 21 percent lower chance of dying for any reason during the first year.