Health

"Open up! Baby police! Put your hands above your womb! Breathe! Breathe!"

You won't even think about giving birth at home, if a leading medical journal has its way.

Editors of The Lancet say women should not be allowed to give birth at home, claiming in the latest issue of the specialty journal on oncology, neurology and infectious diseases that home births are too risky. The journal cites research reported in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology which "provides the strongest evidence so far that home birth can, after all, be harmful to newborn babies."

They also argue home births are three times riskier for newborns than hospital births.

PINE CITY, Minn. (AP) - Cindy Hickey was sitting in her home office last summer, preparing a receipt for a client of her animal physical therapy business when the phone rang. She picked up, then nearly hung up, thinking it was a sales call.

"Then I heard 'Baghdad' and 'embassy' and that got my attention," Hickey said. "And she told me, 'Your son Shane is believed to have been taken by Iranian authorities. That's all the information we have, we will call you as soon as we have more information.' My adrenaline peaked. My heart sank. And I immediately went into a mode of, what are we going to do to take care of this immediately?"

A year later, Hickey and the other mothers of three Americans detained in Iran since July 31, 2009, are still in that mode. They have put their own careers on hold and turned to what's become a full-time job for them: attempting to secure their children's release from Tehran's Evin Prison in the face of espionage accusations by the Iranian government.

"M" is for the multiple contusions she gave you.

"U" is for all the food you'll have to gum.

Because "M" is for how she'll mess you up, and all your crying will not save you.

Put them all together, they spell MUM.

OK, so it's not exactly the same ode to motherhood Eddy Arnold sang back in the days of June Cleaver. But they're singing a different tune these days in Australia.

Mothers Down Under are baking brownies, knitting baby booties, kicking butts and taking names.

The Wisey Car Bag helps minimize distractions while driving alone with the kids, so you can keep your eyes on the road, where they belong.

Designed to hang on the front passenger seat, this innovative bag keeps all your little one's essentials within easy reach, with lots of pockets for holding bottles, diapers, pacifier, books, toys, snacks and more. It even has a special holder for your water bottle and a removable pouch that dispenses wipes.

It folds up or moves aside easily to make room for a passenger, and can be turned around when your child is old enough to grab their own stuff.

Available at The Silly Wagon for $29.66.

When 32-year-old Lauren Donkar of Atlanta, Georgia, hears other women telling their childbirth war stories, she's careful to stay out of the conversation. No one can top hers, but she's not looking for sympathy.

When Lauren delivered her daughter Allie, now nearly 4, she began violently coughing up blood only 12 hours after laying eyes on her beautiful firstborn's perfect little toes. Four weeks later, she awoke from a coma to learn that she had undergone not one, but two liver transplants.

Due to a complication from pre-eclampsia, Donkar's liver failed and the situation was so desperate, they transplanted a liver from a donor with the wrong blood type. That one lasted two weeks until a compatible match was found -- a liver that's been standing the test of time, so far.

Donkar recognizes that she experienced a complete medical miracle due to someone else's sacrifice, but in her opinion, having a transplant "doesn't make you special ... it's how you cope with the challenges that are thrown your way that counts and what you do with the second chance at life you've been granted."

Fewer kids are dying, but more of them are living in poverty.

That's part of the good news and bad news coming out of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, as it released its annual KIDS COUNT Data Book July 27.

First, the bad news: Researchers for the foundation found 18 percent of America's children lived in poverty in 2008. That's at least a million more than in the year 2000, and the number is probably actually higher. In a press statement, foundation officials say upcoming census figures will probably hike the number up to 20 percent.

"We won't be able to assess the full impact of the economic downturn on children and families for a number of years," Laura Beavers, national KIDS COUNT coordinator at the foundation, says in the statement. "The economic data that the Census Bureau will release later this year will give a better picture of family economic well-being in the recession. However, even data from 2008 that was collected before the recession took hold shows economic conditions were worsening for kids."

A 17-month-old boy wasn't so lucky when he fell off his family's porch on July 17. He landed on a pressure washer, which embedded a metal hook in his brain, just shy of the brain's main blood vessel.

But after surviving the accident "in perfect shape," little Jessiah Jackson is being called a "miracle baby," "Good Morning America" reports.

It helped that Jackson was surrounded by so many adults trained to deal with medical emergencies. After he fell on the pressure washer, neighbor Lavern Nobels, a former volunteer firefighter, ran over to help and sawed through the metal pipe. Also, Jackson's aunt and uncle are both EMTs, so they were able to care for him before emergency workers arrived.

For those about to rock, we envy you. These lullaby renditions of favorite rock songs weren't around when our teens were tots.

And while we've got nothing against Brahms, we love the idea of starting baby off right with a little AC/DC, Coldplay, Rolling Stones, Radiohead or any one of the 30 or so bands covered by Rockabye Baby to date. Soothing mellotrons, vibraphones and bells replace guitars and drums, and the volume is turned way down to protect your little one's ears.

Oh, and don't sweat the lyrics -- all the lullabies are instrumental, so even Kanye West is an option at bedtime.

Available at Rockabye Baby for $16.98.

Related: Sun-Sensitive Wristband Helps Shun Sunburns

There's a reason why babies fling food at the wall.

So, we were psyched to find out about a line of 100 percent organic, yummy-sounding (think sweet potatoes, pumpkin, apples and blueberries) baby food from Ella's Kitchen. Care to try? We're giving away five sampler packs of goodies from Ella's Kitchen.

Enter our giveaway by leaving a comment telling us what your child's least favorite baby food flavor is.

CONTEST RULES

• To enter, leave a confirmed comment below telling us what your child's least favorite baby food flavor is.
• The comment must be left before 5 pm ET on Friday, July 30, 2010.
• You may enter only once.
• Five winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Five winners will receive a sample pack of eight Ella's Kitchen baby food/smoothie fruit pouches, including all six Stage 1 Baby Food flavors and both Smoothie Fruit flavors. The Stage 1 Baby Food flavors are strawberries & apples, broccoli pears & peas, carrots apples and parsnips, peaches & bananas, apples & bananas, and sweet potatoes pumpkin apples & blueberries. The two Smoothie Fruits are the Red One and the Yellow One. Retail value of each prize is $15.
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
• Click here for complete Official Rules. Winners will be notified by email, so be sure to provide a valid address!

MilkMakers, Milkin' Cookies -- these are two new-ish cookies created for breast-feeding moms. They're made from, among other things, oatmeal, yeast and flax seed, all long held to help boost milk production, and anecdotal evidence (well, people posting on breast-feeding blogs) seems to indicate they work. So more power to these little teats!

Er ... treats. That being said, I do have a couple of reservations:

First off, my cookie of choice while breast-feeding did not cost $44 for 30 of them, as do the MilkMakers. It was called the "Oreo," and it was available pretty much everywhere.

Furthermore, the blogs about the breast milk-boosting cookies are filled with chipper endorsements like, "And my husband loves them, too!"

Is it a battle every time you need to reapply your kid's sunscreen while you're at the pool, park or beach? UVSunSense wristbands can bring peace to your play day.

Simply wrap one around your kid's wrist, apply sunscreen to their body and the wristband, then monitor for color changes that tell you it's time to reapply or get out of the sun. The bands work with sunscreens of SPF 15 and higher, and change color at different times depending on the SPF level.

They're also designed to be used in salt, fresh or chlorinated water, and in showers -- so readings stay accurate no matter what your kids are up to.

Available at Amazon for $6.84.

Related: Baby Gear for the Beach

A loved baby is a happy baby. Turns out, that makes for a happy adult, too.

People whose mothers showered them with affection as infants are better equipped to cope with the stresses of life when they are adults, according to an article in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The findings are based on one of the few studies to track participants from childhood to adulthood. Psychologists appraised the quality of the interactions between nearly 500 mothers and their 8-month-old babies, rating the amount of affection each mother gave her child, from negative to extravagant. One in 10 interactions were characterized by a low level of maternal affection, 85 percent by normal levels of affection and 6 percent by high levels of affection.

Some children welcome the adventure of a new school year, eagerly heading off to explore the classroom and make friends, and barely noticing as you say goodbye. But for other children, every school day begins with tummy aches, frantic tears, and desperate drama.

If you have a child who struggles with separation anxiety, here are some tips for helping them successfully manage a new school year:

Develop a bond with your child's new teacher
During the school day, your child's teacher becomes her source of security and comfort. Visit the classroom before school begins and help your child forge a special connection with her new teacher. Look for common interests, and help the teacher begin to take a personal interest in your child, to strengthen a natural attachment between them.

Erika Johnson and Blake Sinnett of Missouri had a baby. For two days. Then they had a nightmare. State authorities took their baby away because both Johnson and Sinnett are blind.

Following a public outcry, little Mikaela was returned to her parents this week, and authorities were reminded of an ancient truism: None are so blind than those who will not see.

But Johnson tells the Kansas City Star she's not bitter.

"I'm a forgiving person," she says. Nonetheless, she adds, she resents the lingering prejudice people in power have against the handicapped.

"Disability does not equal inability," she tells the newspaper.

Mikaela was born May 21 at Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, Mo. The Star reports doctors let Sinnett "see" his daughter's birth by feeling the crowning of her head.

According to the newspaper, Johnson's first attempts at breast-feeding were clumsy. A nurse noticed Mikaela's nostrils were covered by Johnson's breast, and Johnson felt that something was wrong. She switched the baby to her other side, but not before Mikaela turned blue.

A nurse wrote on a chart: "The child is without proper custody, support or care due to both of (the) parents being blind, and they do not have specialized training to assist them."

Many over-the-counter allergy and cold medications may cause drowsiness.

Hmm, really?

Quit bouncing off the walls for a minute, son. Daddy wants to give you something ...

Stop! Don't do it! A lot of parents joke about drugging their rambunctious kids into submission -- preferably with one of those tranquilizer darts from "Wild Kingdom."

Using Benadryl as a baby-sitter, however, is a form of child abuse, according to a study in the latest issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.

Dr. Shan Yin, a toxicology fellow at the University of Colorado, led the study and concludes that there are at least 160 reported cases a year where parents severely and maliciously control their children with drugs.

The key word there is "reported." Countless more cases fly under the radar.