The latest study to come from the journal Breastfeeding Medicine found that children with children who breastfeed for shorter durations may be more likely to have ADHD.

Researchers at Schneider’s Children Medical Center studied over 50 children (age 6-12) who had been diagnosed with ADHD between 2008 and 2009. These children were compared to two control groups: the first consisted of healthy (non-ADHD) siblings of ADHD children and the second control group was composed of children of similar ages without ADHD. Researchers also presented a questionnaire to both parents of children in all three groups that addressed: demographic, medical and perinatal findings, as well as feeding history during their child’s first year of life. Parents were also given a validated adult ADHD screening questionnaire.

From the study and the questionnaire results, researchers found that the rates of breastfeeding were substantially lower among those children diagnosed with ADHD: only 43 percent were breastfed until they were three months old. When researchers studied the two control groups, they found that 69 percent of the siblings and 73 percent of the children not related to the kids with ADHD were breastfed until they were three months old. What’s  more, only 29 percent of children with ADHD were breastfed until they were six months old. When studied, scientists found 50 percent of siblings and 57 percent of kids in the second control group were breastfed until they were six months.

According to the authors of the study, those differences suggest that partial prevention of ADHD could be found in breastfeeding. And from the results, researchers were able to conclude that children with ADHD were less likely to breastfeed at 3 and 6 months. But researchers and doctors in general agree that this is only the tip of the iceberg — and there is much, much more work to be done if they are to show the association between breastfeeding and prevention of ADHD.

Though he was not involved in the study, Dr. Andrew Gerber said, “You can never know in a very basic, statistical way whether you have controlled adequately for other variables. You do the best you can, and I believe these authors tried, but it’s very hard to take a study like this and infer anything.” He went on to add, “Is it plausible that there are aspects of breastfeeding and bonding with the baby that are important and can have wide-reaching implications for development, both intellectually and emotionally? Yes. But does that mean in a concrete way that lack of breastfeeding leads to ADHD? The answer to that is almost certainly ‘no.’”

What Gerber did say, however, was that if future studies confirm that breastfeeding has a direct, protective effect against ADHD, he believed it would most likely stem from the fact that breastfeeding promotes early mother-infant bonding, which, through several studies, has shown to influence a child’s emotional and intellectual development.

Until further research is done, Gerber warns expectant mothers and moms from taking these findings too seriously. He said of that the conclusions researchers drew from the study should not, “put mothers in a position where they think this particular ingredient is so crucial, that if they can’t do it, they’re bad moms. What matters more in emotional and intellectual development is that they be competent, comfortable mothers. For some moms, that means breastfeeding.”

Do you think breastfeeding could help prevent ADHD in your babies?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Breastfeeding Benefits?

Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Top 10 Reasons to Breastfeed

It’s time to register for baby! Don’t you just love that bright pink, sparkly, flowery diaper bag? We do too! But, er, daddy might not. So, how do you decide between a bag you LOVE and a bag that you can both use? Do you go for one mutually agreed upon bag or one for each of you (OMG! I can have the sparkles?!)? Our Bumpies on the September 2013 Birth Month Board shared their thoughts on man bags.

“We almost got my husband his own (actually put it on the registry), but we ended up with one. It’s girly (it’s a Petunia Picklebottom), but he has no problem using it when needed.  t would be so much work to have two, I think. I keep an emergency diaper/wipe kit in each of our cars, but otherwise, we just use the one diaper bag.” – a2003tige*

“We registered for two and each picked out one. That said, the plan is to have one be the primary one and keep the other stashed in the car so we always have one.” – foxyroxy

“I saw an amazing “dad bag” at Burlington that we plan to register for him for. It’s made by fisher price and is actually a diaper back pack, it has a special slot for immediate diaper wipe access, it’s so cool!” -- LilPez

“We always two. You don’t want him to feel awkward if yours is frilly.” – luminousb

“We just have one. Mine is very girlie. My husband doesn’t really care. If he and our son are gong to go someplace for a long time where he would really need to be “carrying” my bag, he puts the stuff into something else. But a lot of times he will just take my bag and leave it in the car.” – RunningGal

“I would never want to try to keep 2 bags stocked and ready to go and switching stuff back and forth sounds like too much effort. My husband takes our one and only bag when he takes her places. It’s gray and yellow, but it is a more feminine print. He couldn’t care less.” – AshleyPT

“My husband will have a backpack with everything he needs. He would never carry a diaper bag!” – mgerman

“My husband is looking forward to his manbag!! I am going to going to get him one for father’s day this year.” – NicknShan

*Some names have been changed.

You tell us: Will you or do you have a daddy-friendly diaper bag?

Plus, more from The Bump:

How to Get Your Partner Involved (and Excited!) About Baby’s Registry

10 Fun Gifts for Your Registry

Skip and Splurge: What You Need and What You Don’t!

In my heart of hearts, I want to give Kim Kardashian every benefit of the doubt that I can. But when I heard that Kiki invited every A-lister to her posh baby shower (supposedly slated for June 2, y’all) with personalized music boxes that, when opened, played Kanye’s hit, “Hey Mama”, complete with a wind-up balleria, I had to seriously rethink my criteria for cutting the star some slack.

I just have to ask: Kim, Kanye — are you two FORREAL? It’s one thing to invite friends and fam and every other celebrity in the phonebook to your star-studded shower as a way to celebrate the impending arrival of baby Kimbryo, but it’s a whole ‘nother can of worms when your invite everyone like this. West’s song, “Hey Mama” was the tribute track he wrote for his very own mama, the late Donda West, who passed away after complications following a cosmetic surgery treatment. Kanye’s hit was (and is) a beautiful ode to the woman who helped make him into the man he is today (sans his all-around jerk-y disposition), who raised him, who believed in him — and who ultimately gave him the courage to go on with his life. It was a beautiful tribute to how much he loved his mom, how proud he was of her and how proud he was to be her son. In the early days, I actually got chills when I listened to the tune. It was beautiful, sweet and heartwarming — filled with everything Kanye West is not.

While I think it’s cute that couple has opted to incorporate Kanye’s mom into the festivities — I find the personalized music boxes and twirling ballerina to be a little tacky. Plus, the ballerina on top is practically icing on the cake: proof that the couple plans to welcome a baby girl to the picture in July. What happened to the plans the couple had previously made? To nix all presents so that friends and well-wishers would donate to charity instead? Now that was a great idea… and an idea that Kanye’s mom would have probably been floored by. But I guess the invitations will match the over-the-top celebration that Kourtney and Khloe are reportedly planning for her.

Not for nothing, but Kim also plans to take their newborn baby on tour in October, when papa West heads out to promote his latest album. When Yeezy takes off three months after the reality star gives birth, Kim plans to travel along, baby in tow, and has apparently already made arrangements for cribs and soundproof rooms on every stop along the way. Not exactly what we had in mind for baby’s first months of life — but I suppose when you’re baby Kimbryo, you’ve got to be ready for anything, right?

Can you believe Kim sent invitations like this?

Plus, more from The Bump:

The 13 Most Confusing Things Kim Kardashian Has Said About Her Pregnancy So Far

What Will Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s Baby Look Like?

Why All Moms-to-Be Should Stand Up for Kim Kardashian and Her Pregnancy Weight Gain

New research on bed rest during pregnancy reveals that taking the doctor’s orders may not be as helpful as previously recommended. According to the latest study, some specialists feel that the age-old treatment doesn’t, in fact, seem to prevent the risk for premature birth — it might actually worsen the risk.

In a study of 646 women, Dr. Catherine Spong and a team of researchers took a closer look at a study of treatments for women at risk of premature birth due to a complication called “short cervix.” During the study of the treatments, doctors were free to decide if the participants also should restrict their activities, which would essentially offer them a real-world test of the effects. The ‘prescriptions’ were: no sexual activity, partial or complete work restrictions and restrictions on non-work activity: all of which are considered bed rest. They found that nearly 40 percent of the women enrolled in the study were prescribed one of these prescriptions — though most were instructed to restrict all types of activity — during their second or third trimester.

Researchers noted that 37 percent of the women who took the precautions had a premature baby, compared to the 17 percent of the women who didn’t scale back their activities. Spong said, “The data suggests that bed rest does not prevent preterm birth in this high-risk population, but it doesn’t definitively answer that question.” What the study does do, however, is continue to raise questions about the harm bed rest can do to women (and to baby). Though there isn’t a direct correlation between the women who went on bed rest and the women who gave birth to a premature baby, it is totally possible that the 37 percent of women may very well have been at a higher risk for a preemie due to age and more serious cervical complications. Spong said, “Patients want you to do something, and physicians want to do something.”

To showcase just how important the most recent link is, researchers also pointed out other studies that link bed rest to increased stress and anxiety, both of which are associated with smaller birth weight babies and premature deliveries. Not to mention, bed rest is known to increase a mother’s risk of a dangerous blood clot, as well as side effects including bone and muscle loss.

When researchers took into account outside factors, they found that those women who rested were more likely to have private insurance — which also shed light on whether risks linked bed rest were more of a social rather than medical issue. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says bed rest shouldn’t be “routinely recommended” for prevention of preterm birth.

Spong and her colleagues now express the need for further research to examine the link that exists between preemies and bed rest. Though it’s not likely to happen in every expectant woman, Spong and doctors recommend speaking with your own doctor about the risks associated with bed rest in your second or third trimester.

Were you placed on bed rest? Did you deliver early?

Plus, more from The Bump:

How to Avoid Preterm Labor

Ways to Make Labor Easier

What Are the Stages of Labor?

Kim Kardashian Reveals She’s Anxious About Motherhood — Us Weekly

15 Delicious (and Easy!) Baby Food Recipes to Try — POPSUGAR Moms

Morena Baccarin Expecting Her First Baby — People Moms & Babies

Does Britney Spears Want More Kids? — CelebrityBabyScoop

Tasteful and Traditional Nursery Inspiration — POPSUGAR Moms

How Billionaire Moms Balance Motherhood and Their Careers — MSN Living

Vanessa Manillo Lachey Says Nick “Broke Down” at Baby Camden’s Birth — People Moms & Babies

Penelope Cruz Shows Off Growing Baby Bump! — Us Weekly

Sheesh! These royal insiders need a lesson in secret keeping. Over the weekend, The Mail on Sunday reported that they had insider information on Kate’s very royal (very top-secret!) due date. The Mail’s top-secret source, who is described as a “friend of the pair” (some friend, huh?) told the paper, “Some of Kate and William’s closest pals were at a barbecue hosted by a family friend of the Royals recently” and that’s reported where the parents-to-be revealed when the royal babe is due.

So just when is the little prince (or princess!) scheduled to make his jubilant debut? The “friend” apparently told The Mail at the barbecue that, “They were all discussing the fact that Kate’s baby is due to be born on July 13. Everyone was very excited.” First, I’d like to say bravo (and farewell!) the royal insider, who most likely find himself on the very unroyal outside of things for letting the public in on Kate and Will’s big secret!

If the rumor is true and the Duchess of Cambridge does give birth on July 13, she’ll be proud mama to a baby Cancer! In the past, we sat down with Dabney Oliver, founder of AstroCutie.com, and got the scoop on what baby’s astrological sign means for his personality. Judging from what Oliver said about each one of the astrological signs, here’s what kind of traits we can all expect for the royal babe:

Cancer’s are very sensitive (a trait both mom and dad have, as well, so it’s sure to be passed on to baby!) and they’re homebodies, which we’re sure baby won’t mind, since mom and dad are renovating a glorious apartment space. Staying indoors might be best for the royal one, too, during his first few months of life, since the press will be hot to trot to snag a photo of the royal heir (or heiress!). Oliver said of cancer babies in general that they’re “going to have a very strong bond with mom and they need to spend a lot of quality time with her.” Can’t you just see Kate and the babe together? I can! And I’m jealous just thinking about it.

Kate’s reported due during the middle of the Coronation Festival, which is a four-day celebration that marks 60 years since the Queen was crowned — only 16 months after being proclaimed Monarch following her father’s death. The festival, which lasts 4 days begins on July 11 and lasts through July 14, means if baby is born when he’s expected to, Kate and Will will be absent from the festivities!

Perhaps Kate has been trolling our July 2013 moms board? Getting advice and updates from other moms-to-be on what to expect once baby arrives? Kate, if you’re out there and you’re listening, we love you! (and tell Harry to call me) but more importantly, we love you! And we can’t wait to meet your little guy!

Can you trust what the press is saying about Kate’s reported due date?

Plus, more from The Bump:

6 Royal Nursery Ideas Fit for Life in the Palace

What Will William and Kate’s Baby Look Like?

Kate Middleton’s Friends Keep Giving Her Baby Name Suggestions

In a recent report issued by the Save the Children’s State of the World’s Mothers (the first global analysis of newborn day-of-death data), yearly, more than 1 million babies pass away on the day they are born.

The findings in the report also feature information from the Save the Children’s Mother’s Index, which is released annually before Mother’s Day, which ranks Finland as the best place in the world to be a mother and the Democratic Republic of Congo as the toughest place to be a mother. The United States ranks 30th best on the Mother’s Index list.

Using five indicators (education, income, chances of mother’ survival, chances of baby’s survival and female political representation), the Mother’s Index was able to rank countries in the world. The 2013 State of the World’s Mothers theme is newborn health and “Surviving the First Day.” The most recent Birth Day Risk Index ranks 186 countries by the chances that a baby will pass away on their first day of life.

According to the Birth Day Risk Index, the United States is a risky place to be born — riskier than 68 other countries, in fact, according to the analysis completed by Save the Children and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The analysis also found that the United Sates has more first-day deaths than the rest of the industrialized world combined, which is largely due to higher U.S. prematurity birth rates. In 2011, approximately 11,300 U.S. infants died on their day of birth. President and CEO of Save the Children, Carolyn Miles, said, “It’s hard to imagine the depth of one mother’s pain in losing her baby the very day she gives birth, let alone a million times over. Yet, this report is full of hope. It shows there’s a growing movement to save newborn lives and growing evidence we can do it — saving up to 75 percent of them with no intensive care whatsoever.”

Since 1990, child mortality rates have dropped from 12 million annual deaths to just under seven million annual deaths. Unfortunately, the report shows that newborns in some areas have benefitted the least: in sub-Saharan Africa, as many newborns die now as they did over two decades ago. On a global scale, 43% of all child deaths occur during the newborn period (the first month of life) — which can be attributed to prematurity, severe infections and birth complications. The report shows that in the U.S. and developing nations, the poorest mothers are more likely to lose a newborn baby. Countries with the most first-day deaths annually are India (more than 300,000), Somalia (which has the highest first-day death rate, with babies 40 times more likely to die than in countries like Singapore and Sweden, which are among the lowest) and Nigeria (almost 90,000 first-day deaths).

Also noted in the report are the four products save roughly 1 million newborns a year — and many of those products are used on the first day: antiseptic chlorhexidine (which helps prevent cord infections), resuscitation devices, antenatal steroid injections (which help preterm babies’ developing lungs) and injectable antibiotics. Other factors that help save newborns lives include: breastfeeding, skilled attendance at birth, investing in female empowerment, “kangaroo mother care” and addressing the health worker crisis.

Do these global results surprise you? What do you think should be done to save more children?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Babies by the Numbers

Baby Milestones: What Baby Will Do When

Biggest New Mom Surprises

Could supplementing formula for baby boost breastfeeding rates among new moms? According to the latest study, researchers say yes!

The small study, published in the journal Pediatrics suggests that giving newborns a little bit of formula actually helps boost breastfeeding rates because the formula “primer” may help give new moms the assurance they need to pursue breastfeeding. Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, followed 40 infant babies who had lost at least 5% of their birth weight by the time they were 36 hours old.

Though the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes that weight loss in an infant’s first days is typical (because they are becoming accustomed to feedings), the lead author Dr. Valerie Flaherman chose to focus the study on babies who’d lost 5% of their birth weight shortly after birth because further studies suggest that infants who lose 5% of their weight within 36 hours of life are much more likely to continue to lose weight.

During the course of the study, Flaherman and her team of researchers assigned half of the babies to receive two teaspoons of formula after each breastfeeding. These babies received formula via a syringe babies would not be confused transitioning from breast to bottle. Mothers were asked to discontinue the formula supplementation once their milk supply appeared, which generally took two to five days postbirth. The other half of mothers exclusively breastfed their babies (unless the doctor ordered formula).

Here’s what they found:

At one-week old, 10% of the formula group was still using formula in some way as part of their feeding strategy for baby, this was compared to 47% of the group originally assigned to breastfeed but who added formula. But at three-months old, 79% of the formula group was exclusively breastfeeding, which was 42% more than the moms who who were originally instructed to exclusively breastfeed baby. Of the findings Flaherman believes that introducing a small amount of formula early on (then withdrawing it) helped mothers feel secure that their babies weren’t hungry and losing weight in their first days of life. It’s likely, Flaherman suspects, that this gave them the confidence to go on exclusively breastfeeding baby.

“Using that little bit of formula earlier really seems to have had a big effect on whether babies are getting formula at one week,” Flaherman noted. “We wanted to try to find an early intervention we could do with these babies and moms to help them continue breast-feeding. I was surprised the effect was this big.”

Generally in the U.S. most mothers begin by breastfeeding, but only 40% of moms are still breastfeeding at six months and only 20% of moms make it to one year — a milestone that the AAP recommends moms reach.

Though Flaherman and her team are amazed by the effect of the study, not everyone shares their surprise. Dr. Kathleen Marinelli, chair-elect of the U.S. Breastfeeding committee, noted that, “This study goes against everything that’s been published for several years now from very reliable clinicians and researchers about the potential hazards of supplementing exclusively breast-feeding babies with formula. They’re flying in the face of years of research here and doing so rather glibly, stating that this is the new way to look at things.”

But Flaherman is the first to admit that the study’s results are not necessarily true (or applicable) for all babies. She said, “This isn’t something we think all people should do. It is just a potential took for moms to consider using if they think it  might be helpful.” She plans to now find a way to help more mothers breastfeed for as long as possible.

Of the work that’s left to be done, she said, “It’s kind of crazy that only 20% of people reach the recommended duration of breast-feeding. Different approaches to supporting breast-feeding may work better for different people.”

Did you exclusively breastfeed, or were there times you supplemented with formula?

Plus, more from The Bump:

A Smart Start to Breastfeeding

Top 10 Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms

Mother’s Day is just around the river bend — and what better way to mark the moment you became a mom than by traveling back in time to revisit each milestone in your adventure? While the kids make presents, your partner preps Sunday morning brunch and you celebrate all the ways those little hands and feet have permanently changed your world, we’re throwing a big ole’ party for you, mama!

For all our moms, this one’s for you! Here’s to motherhood, every step of the way:

1. You take a pregnancy test — and it’s POSITIVE.

2. No, really — it’s POSITIVE! You’re going to be someone’s MOMMY!

3. YOU TELL YOUR PARTNER THE GOOD NEWS AND MAGICAL THINGS HAPPEN (like fireworks!)

4.  You tell Facebook (obvi!) and keep track of how many “likes” you get!

5. You start to feel a little different about things because you’re busy growing another HUMAN inside your belly.

6. You start asking for sweets at all hours of the day.

7. No, not sweets. BURGERS. BURGERS EVERY DAY.

8. You try your best to focus at work but — OH LOOK, OREOS!

9. At the end of your third trimester, no matter how many outfits you try on, you just can’t get comfortable.

10. Your water breaks! And you make all sorts of funny faces when doctors tell you to “push!”

11. The moment you meet baby you realize you’ve never met anything so lovely and perfect and beautiful.

12. You hope baby gets all your best qualities (and none of your mother-in-laws).

13. Those first few weeks together take a little getting used to.

14. But after awhile, you get the hang of things.

15. You learn each and every one of baby’s faces — and what they mean.

And…

And oh, yeah…

16. You’re so in love with your little bundle, nothing else matters.

17. You realize just how amazing it is to have created a life (and a mini-you!).

18. And how much being a mom is the most amazing experience in the world.

19. Even if there is a lot of this.

You love it anyway.

Happy Mother’s Day, moms, from all of us…

(and Ryan Gosling!)

A recent study published in JAMA Psychiatry found that a link exists between the flu in pregnancy and the instance of Bipolar disorder found in infants.

Researchers at the Columbia University Medical Center studied 814 moms-to-be, and shows that infection made bipolar disorder four times more likely for baby. Though the overall risk for bipolar disorder remained low, the conclusions are concerning for researchers because it echoes previous findings that have also linked flu in mom and schizophrenia in baby.

Researchers looked at people born in the early 1960s and found that bipolar disorder was nearly four times as common in people whose mothers caught flu during their pregnancies. Lead researchers Professor Alan Brown, estimated that influenza infection during pregnancy could lead to a 3-4% chance of bipolar disorder in the resulting children.

The study sheds light on the need for further research on the flu and the instance of bipolar disorder in babies. Researchers have also found a link between the flu in mom and the instance of schizophrenia found in baby — now, it seems, more studies are needed to confirm that the links exist and to attempt to discover why they do.

But how can moms-to-be protect themselves from the seasonal flu?

Though Brown says that he doesn’t think the findings of the study “should raise alarms for mothers” just yet, he did say that the seasonal flu vaccination, which is advised for many expectant women across many countries, would help reduce the risk of catching the flu.

Dr. Fiona Gaughran, the lead consultant psychiatrist at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, who was not affiliated with the study at all said, “If future work confirms the link reported here, policymakers may need to consider implications for flu prevention pre-pregnancy.”

Did you get a flu shot during your pregnancy? Why or why not?

Plus, more from The Bump:

Are Viruses Like the Flu Not Safe for Baby During Pregnancy?

How Can I Avoid Getting the Flu While Pregnant?

Is It Safe to Get a Flu Shot While Pregnant?