Parents / en Most couples remain committed to their relationships after becoming new parents: 老司机直播 study /news/most-couples-remain-committed-their-relationships-after-becoming-new-parents-u-t-study <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Most couples remain committed to their relationships after becoming new parents: 老司机直播 study </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/GettyImages-55964616-crop.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=dNoNH_Yw 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-04/GettyImages-55964616-crop.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=TH1tzP5s 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-04/GettyImages-55964616-crop.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=p0e0q2CO 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/GettyImages-55964616-crop.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=dNoNH_Yw" alt="man holding his baby"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-07-23T09:30:14-04:00" title="Friday, July 23, 2021 - 09:30" class="datetime">Fri, 07/23/2021 - 09:30</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p>Despite commonly held beliefs that parenthood puts a strain on relationships, a 老司机直播 study has found most couples make the transition while retaining a high level of relationship commitment and satisfaction (photo by Brandx via Getty Images)</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/kristy-strauss" hreflang="en">Kristy Strauss</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/parents" hreflang="en">Parents</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/psychology" hreflang="en">Psychology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">老司机直播 Mississauga</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Diaper changes, endless domestic chores&nbsp;and lack of sleep 鈥&nbsp;all are potential sources of relationship stress as couples make the transition to parenthood.</p> <p>Yet,&nbsp;University of Toronto Mississauga&nbsp;PhD student&nbsp;<strong>Nathan Leonhardt</strong> found that the extra pressure doesn鈥檛 necessarily lead to declines in&nbsp;relationship satisfaction and commitment.&nbsp;</p> <p>Leonhardt鈥檚 work&nbsp;was <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jomf.12785">recently published in the <em>Journal for Marriage and Family</em></a>. The study, co-authored with other Canadian researchers&nbsp;鈥 including Leonhardt鈥檚 adviser at 老司机直播 Mississauga Professor&nbsp;<strong>Emily Impett&nbsp;</strong>and Dalhousie University鈥檚 Natalie Rosen&nbsp;鈥 looked at more than 200 couples from the prenatal stage to 12 months postpartum. It found that many of the couples retained high satisfaction and commitment into the first year of parenthood.</p> <p>鈥淭he clear majority (81 per cent) of the 203 couples navigated the transition with high commitment and at least moderately high satisfaction,鈥 says Leonhardt, adding that the team were surprised by how many couples successfully navigated the period. 鈥淎nd we learned that a huge differentiation as far as who ended up transitioning well were people that had good relationships going into this transition period.鈥</p> <p>He adds&nbsp;that many of the couples who were most likely to successfully navigate the transition to parenthood had a more realistic outlook, didn't avoid emotional connection with their partner, felt their partner helped them grow as a person&nbsp;and believed their partner was committed to the relationship.</p> <p>Leonhardt and the team found no differences between demographics such as age or additional stressors, including birth complications.</p> <p>However, Impett notes that the sample of couples lacked diversity since most couples were white, well-educated and highly satisfied with their relationships as they entered&nbsp;parenthood transition. The vast majority were also married.</p> <p>鈥淚 hope that our findings can be replicated and extended in more diverse samples moving forward into the future,鈥 Impett says.</p> <p>She says Leonhardt's work suggests that, overall, people should have reason for optimism going into parenthood.</p> <p>鈥淚 think the focus on commitment as an outcome during the transition to parenthood is really important, and the take-home is that most couples ... remain highly committed. That should be music to many couples鈥 ears.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p>Leonhardt says his research shows couples that it is possible to navigate the transition to parenthood successfully despite the commonly held beliefs that relationships suffer.</p> <p>鈥淚 like being able to point out exceptions to the norm&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;to myth-bust&nbsp;a little bit,鈥 Leonhardt says. 鈥淪o with something like the transition to parenthood, I wanted to be able to see if we could break some of the common narratives and give people a little bit more hope.鈥</p> <p>He stresses, however, that couples shouldn鈥檛 look to parenthood to save a troubled relationship.</p> <p>The data showed that couples whose relationship was going well around five months prior to becoming pregnant&nbsp;fared best throughout the transition, he says, adding that those who were faring poorly during that period&nbsp;tended to fare worse throughout the transition.</p> <p>鈥淎s a general rule, if things aren鈥檛 going well in your relationship, adding another person to this family probably isn鈥檛 the thing that you should be doing to try to resolve any relationship problems that you have,鈥 he says.</p> <p>Leonhardt鈥檚 advice for couples echoes his research findings.</p> <p>鈥淚f you both go into [parenthood] with a sturdy relationship 鈥 you鈥檙e committed to this together, you鈥檙e realistic about both the challenges and opportunities that this transition holds&nbsp;鈥 there鈥檚 a better chance that you鈥檙e going to navigate this successfully,鈥 he says.</p> <p>Fascinated by human relationships, Leonhardt says he would like to further examine why some couples might struggle in the early years of parenthood, and how some couples create a successful relationship for life.</p> <p>鈥淚f you were to ask somebody about the best and worst experiences they've had in their lives, there's a high percentage of experiences that would have something to do with their relationship,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t's just such an integral part of who we are as human beings and how we come to understand ourselves&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;and what's ultimately most important to us in our lives.鈥</p> <p>The research received support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 23 Jul 2021 13:30:14 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 301240 at When parents play favourites, what happens to the kids? /news/when-parents-play-favourites-what-happens-kids <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">When parents play favourites, what happens to the kids?</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-31-conversation-kids-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=KDfPk_G7 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2019-03-31-conversation-kids-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gkuhPQBp 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2019-03-31-conversation-kids-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=dYSYnoKD 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2019-03-31-conversation-kids-resized.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=KDfPk_G7" alt="Photo of kids playing"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>noreen.rasbach</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-04-01T00:00:00-04:00" title="Monday, April 1, 2019 - 00:00" class="datetime">Mon, 04/01/2019 - 00:00</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Considerable parental favouritism is associated with lower mental and physical well-being for all children in the family (photo by Shutterstock)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/jennifer-jenkins" hreflang="en">Jennifer Jenkins</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/sheri-madigan" hreflang="en">Sheri Madigan</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ontario-institute-studies-education" hreflang="en">Ontario Institute for Studies in Education</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/parents" hreflang="en">Parents</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/conversation" hreflang="en">The Conversation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Many siblings, when they get together as adults, joke about which child was loved the most. But is it really a joke or is there an edge of truth that still rankles us?</p> <p>In one study, researchers asked adults whether their mom played favourites when they were kids. Close to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00650.x">85 per cent of respondents</a> perceived that she did.</p> <p>But surely once we move out of the nest, our annoyance regarding sibling favouritism subsides? Not so. Upset from perceived favouritism appears to be long-lasting.</p> <p>It is likely that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8721.2008.00601.x">we will fret long into adulthood</a> over why a particular sibling got a better deal than we did.</p> <h3>Is sibling favouritism real or perceived?</h3> <p>It turns out parents do behave <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0026321">differently with their children</a> and, of course, children have their different thresholds for noticing these differences.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img alt sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266195/original/file-20190327-139374-1i7mxxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266195/original/file-20190327-139374-1i7mxxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266195/original/file-20190327-139374-1i7mxxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266195/original/file-20190327-139374-1i7mxxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266195/original/file-20190327-139374-1i7mxxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266195/original/file-20190327-139374-1i7mxxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266195/original/file-20190327-139374-1i7mxxv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w"> <figcaption><em><span class="caption">Small differences in how siblings are treated have little consequence on their later relationships as adults</span>&nbsp;<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(photo by Shutterstock)</span></span></em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Researchers have studied favouritism both by observing children as they interact with their parents and by asking children and their parents to report on their interactions. How often do the parent and child laugh or play together? How often do they fight or argue?</p> <p>These ratings are then compared across the different siblings to determine if one child receives more positive or negative attention than the other.</p> <p>One of the reassuring findings from these studies is that when the differences in how siblings are treated by parents are small, it has little to no consequence.</p> <p>It is only when the <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-27537-001">differences are large</a> that we see links to children鈥檚 health and relationships.</p> <h3>Parental stress plays a role</h3> <p>Research on all different kinds of relationships shows us that a big part of how we get along with others is about the <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0000100-000">fit of personalities</a>. We find one person easier or more interesting than another. The same holds for parents and children.</p> <p>Although most parents love and nurture all their children, they will inevitably find that they are more in tune with one child than another. One child is perhaps a bit more social; another is more ready to anger, a third finds learning easier.</p> <p>These differences in how parents treat siblings have a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868313498308">basis in children鈥檚 genes</a>. Parents treat identical twins, who share 100 per cent of their DNA, more similarly than they treat non-identical twins, who share about 50 per cent of their genes.</p> <p>The more the personalities of siblings differ, the more their parents treat them differently.</p> <p>Another driver of parenting is, of course, a child鈥檚 age. Parents interact with and discipline their children based on changes in developmental capabilities as they grow. Age and personality explain some of the differences in the parental treatment that children perceive.</p> <p>But while age and personality play a role in why one child gets more from a parent than another, over and above this are issues of parental stress. When parents experience <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.39.1.99">financial strain, mental health problems or partner conflict</a>, differential parenting or sibling favouritism becomes more marked.</p> <h3>Impacts on physical and mental well-being</h3> <p>Unfortunately, perceived favouritism can create a divide between siblings. It is associated with siblings feeling less close to one another, both in childhood and adulthood.</p> <p>This finding has been established for both <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2009.00650.x">perceived</a>, as well as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02484.x">observed</a> favouritism.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img alt sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266194/original/file-20190327-139345-17lqjz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/266194/original/file-20190327-139345-17lqjz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266194/original/file-20190327-139345-17lqjz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266194/original/file-20190327-139345-17lqjz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266194/original/file-20190327-139345-17lqjz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266194/original/file-20190327-139345-17lqjz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/266194/original/file-20190327-139345-17lqjz3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w"> <figcaption><em><span class="caption">Carving out one-on-one time for each child every day is important</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(photo by Shutterstock)</span></span></em></figcaption> </figure> <p>Popular wisdom suggests that the favoured child receives benefits from their special treatment. While this may be the case when favouritism is slight, research suggests that none of the siblings benefit when it is more marked. That is, when favouritism is considerable, it is associated with all siblings showing less <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.01.017">physical and mental well-being</a>.</p> <p>Reasons for this are not currently clear. It is possible that children are activated by injustice. Or perhaps even when they are favoured they fear falling into the realm of being disfavoured.</p> <p>But most reassuring for parents are the findings that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.1997.tb01929.x">parental explanations for why they are treating siblings differently really change the experience</a> for children. Explanations that focus on their different personalities, ages or needs are associated with lower levels of distress for children.</p> <h3>Five tips for fairer parenting</h3> <ol> <li> <p><strong>Be aware.</strong> The first step is to be aware that it happens, and to seek out help or support from partners, family members, friends or health professionals 鈥 to try to understand why it happens. As a reminder, playing favourites is more likely to occur when your stress levels are high.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Listen.</strong> When your child complains or you see fights between siblings in which they mention one getting more than another, try not to discount it. Be receptive to the child鈥檚 feelings and think about why they might be feeling this way.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Provide an explanation.</strong> Sometimes, children do need to be treated differently, like when one child is sick, hurt or has special needs. When this happens, explain it to avoid any misunderstanding.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Avoid comparing children.</strong> While it may be a natural tendency to say 鈥渨hy can鈥檛 you be more like your sister?鈥 this sets up an unfair comparison. Try to focus on what each child does well, without pitting them against one another.</p> </li> <li> <p><strong>Carve out individual time for each child. </strong>As much as possible, try to find 10 minutes each day to spend one-on-one with each child so that each has your full attention. Do any activity that they love to do with you.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110019/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important" width="1" loading="lazy"><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> </li> </ol> <p><em><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sheri-madigan-417151">Sheri Madigan</a>&nbsp;is assistant professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Research Institute at the&nbsp;<a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-calgary-1318">University of Calgary</a>.&nbsp;</span></em></p> <p><em><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jennifer-jenkins-435362">Jennifer Jenkins</a>&nbsp;is the&nbsp;Atkinson Chair of Early Child Development and Education and director of the Atkinson Centre at the&nbsp;<a href="http://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-toronto-1281">University of Toronto</a></span></em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-parents-play-favourites-what-happens-to-the-kids-110019">original article</a>.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 01 Apr 2019 04:00:00 +0000 noreen.rasbach 155951 at New guidance for breastfeeding mothers on medication /news/new-guidance-breastfeeding-mothers-medication <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">New guidance for breastfeeding mothers on medication</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2015-10-29T09:26:43-04:00" title="Thursday, October 29, 2015 - 09:26" class="datetime">Thu, 10/29/2015 - 09:26</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Barry Rayburn via flickr)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/katie-babcock" hreflang="en">Katie Babcock</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Katie Babcock</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/parents" hreflang="en">Parents</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medicine" hreflang="en">Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/children" hreflang="en">Children</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>An estimated 60 to 70 per cent of&nbsp;breastfeeding mothers use&nbsp;over-the-counter or prescription drugs 鈥 so&nbsp;researchers from the University of Toronto are now creating guidelines aimed at helping women and babies stay safe and healthy.</p> <p>鈥淣ow more women are breastfeeding and for longer periods of time,鈥 said<strong> David Colantonio</strong>, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine鈥檚 department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology and clinical biochemist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to understand whether certain drugs can affect the baby through breast milk, and how we can avoid potentially dangerous situations.鈥</p> <p>Most breastfeeding women are using some form of medication, Colantino said. But how these drugs are transported through breast milk is poorly understood because pharmaceutical companies can鈥檛 conduct trials on nursing mothers.</p> <p>Colantonio, who also oversees the diagnostic labs at SickKids, began creating guidelines after receiving numerous inquiries from concerned mothers.</p> <p>Working with <strong>Shinya Ito</strong>, from 老司机直播鈥檚 Faculty of Pharmacology and Toxicology and head of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at SickKids, Colantonio is researching over-the-counter drugs such as&nbsp;sleep medication and antihistamines, as well as&nbsp;prescription drugs for conditions including Crohn鈥檚, colitis, arthritis and depression.</p> <p>The impact of this research and resulting guidelines could be huge.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淲e had a baby who was admitted to SickKids for seizures,鈥 said Colantonio. 鈥淲e discovered that the mother had switched anti-depressants a few weeks prior to the baby鈥檚 symptoms. We took samples from the infant and mother, and we figured out that the infant鈥檚 exposure through breast milk was sufficient to cause seizures.鈥</p> <p>Using specialized technology, called high pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, the researchers can accurately measure any drug at very low levels.</p> <p>鈥淲e know some drugs won鈥檛 be expressed at all into breast milk, due to their transport mechanisms,鈥 said Colantonio. 鈥淥ther drugs will be there in copious amounts, and a lot of other drugs will fall somewhere in the middle.鈥</p> <p>Colantonio and his team are interested in providing breastfeeding women with more options. 鈥淲ith some drugs, perhaps women can take their medication, 鈥榩ump and dump鈥 and then safely feed several hours later.鈥</p> <p>The team is also studying how to block the transport of some of these drugs with naturally occurring nutrients. For example, they鈥檙e researching whether folate could block Methotrexate, a medication used for rheumatoid arthritis.</p> <p>Once they gather enough data, they plan to develop guidelines within the next two years. In the meantime, they鈥檙e providing individual guidance to women who have questions about breastfeeding while taking medication.</p> <p>鈥淲e don鈥檛 think that women should necessarily have to choose between taking their medications and breastfeeding,鈥 said Colantonio (pictured below) 鈥淲e want to offer women better alternatives and to keep babies safe.鈥</p> <p><img alt="photo of Colantonio" src="/sites/default/files/2015-10-29-medicine-research-colantonio-sized.jpg" style="width: 625px; height: 417px; margin: 10px;"></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/2015-10-29-nursing.jpg</div> </div> Thu, 29 Oct 2015 13:26:43 +0000 sgupta 7395 at