More Parents Should Know about RSV, According to Preemie Care

RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a serious pediatric disease that occurs annually around the cold and flu season. For at-risk infants, such as those born prematurely or with chronic lung conditions, this common childhood infection is nothing to sneeze at for babies. The symptoms of RSV are similar to a cold at first and can include fever, runny nose, coughing, difficulty breathing, rapid breathing and wheezing. RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory infection in babies.

“Many parents are not aware that their babies are at risk for RSV disease, so education about this disease is extremely important. Parents should talk with their pediatrician about ways to prevent and protect their babies from RSV disease,” said Dr. Paula Elbirt, assistant clinical professor of pediatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center School of Medicine.

To learn more about RSV disease and prevention measures, call 1-877-848-8512. Also visit the Preemie Care Web site at www.mostonline.org or the RSV Web site at www.rsvprotection.com.

Great Expectations: Celebrity Babies

Tennis superstars Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are proud parents to a son, Jaden Gil Agassi, born prematurely in late October. Weighing in at 5 pounds, 14 ounces, the baby is healthy and the new parents are ecstatic. “This is the proudest day of our lives,” Agassi and Graf said in a statement. “We look forward to the joys and challenges of parenthood.”

Supermodel Cindy Crawford and husband Rande Gerber welcomed their second child, a daughter named Kaia, in September. Big brother Presley is 2 years old.

Actor Kelsey Grammer, 46, and his wife, Camille, 33, are expecting a daughter with the help of a surrogate mother. The Grammers turned to a surrogate when it was determined that Irritable Bowel Syndrome would prevent Camille from carrying a pregnancy to term.

AAP Wants Infants in Seats, Not on Laps for Air Travel

All children need their own seats on airplanes -- and children under the age of 2 or weighing less than 40 pounds should be securely fastened in child restraint seats on planes, according to new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Currently, adults are not required to purchase separate seats for children under age 2, and can instead place young children on their laps during air travel. The Federal Aviation Administration supports the use of safety seats, but does not require them.

Children weighing more than 40 pounds should be secured in their own seat with an aircraft seat belt, says the AAP. Seat belts and child safety restraints are necessary to protect children from the effects of turbulence, which is the leading cause of nonfatal injury to aircraft passengers. (11/5/01)

Handy Information for the Cold and Flu Season

October 15: Washington, D.C. -- According to the Council on Family Health (CFH), Americans average two to four colds per year. So, just in time for the cold and flu season, the CFH reminds sufferers to be smart and responsible when taking cold or flu medicines. More importantly is to have accurate information about how and what to administer to your child. To help, CFH has released a one-page educational sheet, "ACHOO! Medicine Tips for Cold and Flu Season." For more information, go to http://www.cfhinfo.org/educationResources/achoo.html.

The Council on Family Health is a nonprofit organization established more than 30 years ago, dedicated to educating consumers about the proper use of nonprescription and prescription medicines and dietary supplements, home safety and personal health.

Celebrity Births

BORN: "The Piano" actor Harvey Keitel, 62, is the proud father of a new baby girl. Friends say that the mother is a potter named Lisa, but neither Keitel nor his reps returned calls to New York's Daily News inquiring into her last name or the status of their relationship.

Plan Now to Avoid Unnecessary Withholding Taxes

While millions await the promised tax refund, most working taxpayers don’t know they might have saved even more money in the first place if they had taken all of the withholding taxes allowed by the IRS, says Diane Kennedy, CPA and author of “Loopholes of the Rich: How the Rich Legally Make More Money and Pay Less Tax.” Most consumers just aren’t aware they can choose to pay less in taxes by making certain their W-4 forms contain the updated W-4 for withholding filed with their employer, she says.

One item that could signal a change to the amount of taxes withheld is a change in dependents. This could be due to the birth of a child or when a child grows up and leaves home. Either change means an adjustment to Form W-4. Kennedy offers one more tip: “If you always receive a refund, decrease your withholding by increasing your exemptions. If you receive a large refund, you have just given the IRS an interest-free loan. Instead, use the extra money you will get each month to invest.”

Talk with Your Children

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has published a new brochure with information and tips to help parents talk with their children about issues surrounding an array of brain-related conditions, ranging from Alzheimer's disease to schizophrenia. A free copy of the brochure is available by calling (1-800-882-3718).

Leave Fireworks to Professionals

ROSEMONT, Ill.-- To reduce the risk of hand amputation and other fireworks-related injury, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons is urging people not to handle, ignite or transport these devices -- even if their state permits it.

"An exploding firecracker can devastate a person's life in a flash," says Academy first vice president Vernon T. Tolo, MD, a Los Angeles orthopaedic surgeon. "Fireworks should be off limits to all except qualified personnel. The risk is too great. Firecrackers can misfire. A wind shift might change the rocket's direction or what seems to be a 'dud' suddenly explodes. Most of these injuries could be prevented."

Hospitals and doctors' offices treated an estimated 16,700 fireworks-related injuries in 2000 among youth under age 25 years, according to the latest statistics from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Because of potential peer pressure, children need to be supervised by adults at all times at these events. "Under no circumstances should children play with firecrackers or sparklers," says Dr. Tolo.

Cloning Legislation

Washington, DC -- The White House is a proponent of banning all forms of human cloning, whether it's for reproduction or for medical research, an administration official told legislators.

According to CNN, the official addressed members of a House subcommittee considering two bills that would restrict cloning. One would ban all forms of human cloning, while another would restrict cloning intended to create a pregnancy but allow some research. (06-18-01)

Moms Not Following Recommendations

More than 70 percent of American women do not follow new recommendations that they exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six months, ABCNews.com reports. Marketing pressing by infant formula companies, lack of social support and workplaces that are non-conducive to breastfeeding are the reason, lactation experts say. The formula companies disagree and insist that they do recommend breastfeeding. (06-10-01)

Sad Loss For Love

A pregnant Courtney Love reportedly bled for several days before miscarrying her baby in Vancouver. She was working on the set of a movie entitled "24 Hours" when her director insisted she receive medical attention. The father of the baby was not named. A spokeswomen for Love claimed the pregnancy was in its very early stages. (05/20/01)

Rocking Babies

Bono (real name Paul Hewson), lead singer for the band U2, and wife Ali welcomed their third baby, a boy, to the world. Born in Dublin, he remains nameless as of yet.

Lars Ulrich, drummer for Metallica, became a father again May 6th. Layne Ulrich weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Layne is the second son born to Lars and Skylar Ulrich.

Is Playground Wood Toxic?

Environmentalists are concerned about the possibility of potentially toxic chemicals from playground wood leaking into soil and causing harm to children, CNN.com reports. Arsenic is one of the components of chromated copper arsenate, or CCA, which is a preservative commonly applied to the pressure-treated wood used to build playground equipment.

Some environmentalists worry the chemicals could be abosorbed into the soil, exposing children to dangerous levels of toxic substances. They want the government to ban CCA-treated wood for playground equipment.

Industry groups and government agencies say the wood is safe. However, the Environmental Protection Agency plans to conduct a new study of wood treated with CCA along with an inquiry into its use on playground equipment.

Massachusetts Governor Has Twins

Acting Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift gave birth by C-section Tuesday, May 15 to healthy twin girls, hospital officials said.

Swift is the nation’s youngest governor at 36 and the first governor to give birth while in office. According to CNN.com, Dr. Leila Schueler, the governor's doctor, said Lauren Alma Hunt was born Tuesday at 9:11 p.m., weighing 6 pounds and measuring 17 inches. Her sister, Sarah Jane Hunt, was born at 9:12 p.m., weighing more than 5 pounds and measuring about 17 inches. Schueler said she believes the twins are fraternal, rather than identical.

Swift took office April 10, after President Bush appointed then-Gov. Paul Cellucci as ambassador to Canada. At the time, Swift was the lieutenant governor.

Swift is married to Chuck Hunt, who is a stay-at-home dad for their 2-year-old daughter, Elizabeth.

New Studies Show Breastfed Babies Less Likely to Become Obese

Children fed breast milk in infancy may be at a lower risk for obesity later in life, according to two new studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association this week.

Although other factors, such as the nursing mother's weight and the socio-economic status of the family were said to be important in the government study conducted by Mary Hediger, a biologist at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the study suggests that breastfeeding may modify these risk factors. The results showed children who were breastfed were 16 percent less likely to be overweight.

The second study, conducted by Harvard researchers, showed children who were breastfed were about 20 percent less likely to be obese compared to children who were fed formula. The author of the study, Dr. Matthew Gillman, speculates that breastfed babies may be better able to regulate their feedings at the breast -- stopping when satisfied, compared to formula fed babies who may be encouraged to finish the bottle after hunger has subsided. This study also suggested that the longer a child was breastfed, the greater the risk for obesity was reduced.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that mothers breastfeed their infants exclusively (without supplementation of other foods) for the first 6 months of life, and continue to breastfeed for a full year after the introduction of other foods. (05-16-01)

Black, Hartman Have Baby Girl

Country music superstars and sweethearts Clint Black, 39, and Lisa Hartman Black, 44, welcome their first baby into the family. Lily Pearl Black's birth was announced to the world during the Country Music Awards to the delight of the spectators. (05-16-01)

Never Too Old?

Rupert Murdoch, 70, and his third wife, Wendy Deng, 31, are expecting their first child together. Murdoch has four children from previous marriages, while Deng has one. (05-16-01)

Sad Loss for Kinnear and Labdon

Actor Greg Kinnear, 37, and his wife, Helen Labdon, 31, have lost the baby that they were expecting this summer, according to USA Today. A spokeswoman for the couple told USA Today that Labdon was about 5 months pregnant with their first baby when she miscarried. Kinnear is currently shooting the film "We Were Soldiers Once -- And Young," with Mel Gibson. (05-16-01)

Julio Iglesias Welcomes Twins!

Iglesias, 57, and girlfriend, Miranda Rijnsburger, have proudly announced the birth of their twin daughters in Los Angeles. Julio and Miranda add the twins to their current brood of two sons, ages 2 and 3. Iglesias has three adult children from a previous marriage.

James Cameron Announces Birth of Baby

James Cameron, 46, and his fifth wife, Suzy Amis, 39 have announced the birth of their baby. Cameron, Oscar winner for "Titanic," has an 8-year-old daughter by his ex-wife Linda Hamilton.

Phil Collins Becomes a Father Again

Phil Collins, 50, and his wife Orianne, 28, had their first child together: Nicholas Grev Austin. The newest Collins was born in Geneva, Switzerland where his parents currently reside. Phil and Orianne, his third wife, have been married for two years. Collins has three children from two previous marriages. (05-01/01)

The Taylors' Twins Have Arrived!

James Taylor, 53, and wife, Caroline Smedvig Taylor, 46, entered into the world of twins after a surrogate gave birth to two healthy boys. As yet unnamed, the Taylors will call them Taylor Twin No. 1 and Taylor Twin No. 2 until they make a final decision.

Twins Custody Battle Rages On

British court Justice Andrew Kirkwood has ruled for the 9-month-old American twin girls caught in a custody battle to return to their native state of Missouri. Alan and Judith Kilshaw, a British couple, found the twins via the Internet and paid a baby broker in order to adopt them. The Kilshaws are considering an appeal. The girls' biological mother, Tranda Wecker, has stated she wants her children back. However, a U.S. court awarded custody to the natural father, Aaron Wecker, in February. Meanwhile, the twins will remain in the custody of the state of Missouri until a court there makes a final decision regarding their care. (4-16-01)

Study Confirms Safety of MMR Vaccine

A study in the March 7 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association supports the assertion that the MMR vaccine, which protects children against measles, mumps and rubella, does not cause autism. The link between the MMR and autism has been a subject of debate for the past few years because the illness is often diagnosed around the same time the vaccine is administered.

Researchers from the California Department of Health Services in Berkeley studied rates of immunization in children born between 1980 and 1994 who signed up for California kindergartens -- approximately 600 to 1900 kids per year. Researchers studied the number of autism cases reported to the California Department of Developmental Services during the same time period. They found that the number of kids with autism increased by 373 percent, while the number of kids who were given the vaccine increased by only 14 percent. The researchers conclude that this proves no correlation between the MMR and autism.

Babyface and L.A. Reid revisit parenthood together

Longtime partners in the music industry, Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Arista president Antonio "L.A." Reid, shared more than just music recently. Coincidentally, both their wives had babies on the same day, but on separate coasts. Edmonds and his wife, Tracey, had a boy, Dylan Michael, in Los Angeles. The same day in New York, Reid's wife, Erica, gave birth to Arianna Manuelle. Edmonds and Reid launched LaFace records more than 10 years ago, which claims such stars as TLC, Toni Braxton and Usher.

ER's Dr. Corday has a girl

Alex Kingston, who plays Dr. Elizabeth Corday on NBC's medical drama 'ER,' and her husband of two years, Florian Haertel, are now the proud parents of a baby girl. Kingston's publicist reports that mother and daughter are doing well. Kingston's pregnancy was written into the ER script, as she and fiance Dr. Mark Greene are expecting a baby.