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THIS WEEK'S
HEADLINES
NEWS IMPACTING CHILDREN 0-5 AND THEIR FAMILIES
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Here is a quick look at some headlines from this week impacting the lives of kids 0-5 and their families. The purpose of these stories is simply to share information, and do not necessarily reflect First 5 Kern's areas of support, opinions or efforts towards these issues.
Follow First 5 Kern on social media (@First5Kern) for more kids news, as well as information about our funded programs and initiatives.
Now for the headlines...
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Babies of vaccinated moms might be protected through antibodies in breast milk |
A new study finds that mothers who have been given the COVID-19 vaccination have antibodies in their breast milk that may be protective for infants.
There were significantly elevated levels of antibodies in their breast milk beginning at day 7 after the initial vaccine dose, according to the study. (FOX 8)
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Why Medicaid should give moms full year of coverage post-pregnancy
The AMA and hundreds of other organizations are urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to approve extending the coverage period for people who enroll in Medicaid while pregnant to a full year after the pregnancy ends.
Nearly 20% of women who lost Medicaid coverage and became uninsured in the postpartum period reported either gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related hypertension. (AMA)
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New research shows marijuana THC stays in breast milk for six weeks
Researchers have found that tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC) stays in breast milk for up to six weeks, further supporting the recommendations to abstain from marijuana use during pregnancy and while a mother is breastfeeding.
This is the first study examining THC in breastmilk and plasma among women with known marijuana use in pregnancy since 1982. (EurekAlert)
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Your baby's prenatal diagnosis is not a death sentence.
None of us are really equipped to process the possibility of a fatal diagnosis (especially when it involves our child).
But as an OB-GYN who has personally cared for countless women dealt the most difficult of diagnoses for their unborn children, I can say that we never have absolute certainty about the outcomes of these diagnoses. (USA Today)
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I sang through labor to manage the pain
Back in the summer of 2016, when I was about to give birth and enduring one debilitating contraction after another, I was struck with an idea: What if I were to sing through the agony?
With a karaoke YouTube video pulled up on my husband’s phone, I began belting out lyrics to Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville” straight from my hospital bed. (New York Times)
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In the stimulus bill, a poverty revolution in aid for children |
Obscured by other parts of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package, which won Senate approval on Saturday, the child benefit has the makings of a policy revolution. Though framed as an expansion of an existing tax credit, it is essentially a guaranteed income for families with children, akin to children’s allowances that are common in other rich countries.
The plan establishes the benefit for a single year. But if it becomes permanent, it will greatly enlarge the safety net for the poor and the middle class. More than 93 percent of children — 69 million — would receive benefits under the plan, at a one-year cost of more than $100 billion. (NYTimes)
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I Was Constantly Arguing With My Child. Then I Learned the Method of Calmer Parenting
Three years ago, I sat at the Cancun airport in a state of paralysis. I stared outside, trying to figure out if what I had just witnessed could possibly be true. Could parenting be that effective? Could children be that helpful and respectful? More to the point: Has Western culture forgotten the best way to parent? (Time)
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How to apologize to your kids
Raising your voice or losing your cool from time to time is inevitable because we are human.
The most important thing is what happens after you snap at your children, said all four of the experts I spoke to. Here’s their advice for coming back from saying things you regret, how to empathize with your kids and how to cut down on snapping when it’s possible. (New York Times)
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4 Ways your company can radically help working mothers |
The percentage of women in the workforce right now is the lowest it has been since 1988.
However, there was a women-and-workplace problem long before today. One important study found that after 4-7 years, 43% left their STEM jobs, versus 23 percent of new fathers dropping out. Even more startling, a study this year found that half of women working in the technology industry leave by the time they are 35 years old.
Companies must act radically and quickly to help women who are struggling to balance work and their family lives. Here's how to do that. (Entrepreneur)
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In amazing report, CDC says only one child has died
of flu this season
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As more than 28 million cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the U.S. with 520,000 deaths over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the flu season this year has been virtually nonexistent.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), just 0.1 percent of specimens tested across the country are coming back positive for influenza. That stands in stark contrast with roughly 20 to 30 percent of positive cases recorded during recent flu seasons.
The CDC also reports that just one child in the U.S. has died due to flu this season, compared with 195 U.S. children who died in total during the 2019-2020 flu season. (The Hill)
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What to expect when
your newborn needs
NICU care
If you have a baby who is born too early or has serious health problems, he or she may be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, a hospital unit that provides around-the-clock specialized care to newborns.
If you or someone close to you is pregnant, understanding what to expect if a NICU stay is required can help you focus on taking care of the new baby and yourself. (Santa Clarita The Signal)
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Ask the Pediatrician: Should I be worried about heavy metals in baby food?
Recent news about heavy metals found in baby food can leave parents with a lot of questions.
The low levels of heavy metals found in foods likely are a relatively small part of a child's overall heavy metal exposure risk, but exposure from all sources should be minimized. Heavy metal exposure can be harmful to the developing brain. (MedicalXpress)
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EARLY CHILDCARE & EDUCATION
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Is this finally the moment that we get universal child care? |
We don’t need to tell you America has a child care problem. Many of you can feel it. We certainly can; one of our producers changed a diaper during today’s taping.
Women’s workforce participation is at a 30-year low, in part because so many are busy caring for children at home during the COVID-19 pandemic and taking on a disproportionate amount of other domestic work. With virtually no public child care, parents are left with a patchwork of options, and they’re not cheap. (Marketplace)
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California kids need quality preschool. A new master plan can make it happen. |
California pioneered publicly funded preschool half a century ago, but it has fallen behind such unlikely innovators as Oklahoma and Georgia. The state’s prekindergartens enroll only a third of 3- and 4-year-olds living in poverty. We rank 14th in the nation in terms of preschool accessibility.
The problems aren’t felt just by low-income families. Half of all California families who want to find a preschool come up empty. That includes many middle-class parents who can’t afford private nursery school — the average cost exceeds $12,000 a year — and are ineligible for subsidized child care. (LA Times)
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ACEs AND TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
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Adverse Childhood Experiences may be linked to stress in adulthood |
A new study in the April 2021 issue of the Journal of Affective Disorders reveals that adverse childhood experiences are strongly linked to increased adult stress, physical health problems, and negative feeling states as adults. In the current study by Mosley-Johnson and colleagues, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) were defined as childhood experiences including emotional and physical abuse, household dysfunction, and financial strain. (Psychology Today)
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First 5 Kern was established in 1998 when California voters passed Proposition 10, which levied a 50-cent tax on tobacco products. Revenues generated from the tobacco tax are used to fund local programs in the areas of health and wellness, early childcare and education, and parent education and support services that promote early childhood development for children ages zero to five.
For more information on First 5 Kern and the agencies we support, please visit www.First5Kern.org and follow us on social media.
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Special thanks to Vecteezy for assistance on graphics
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