As mentioned last week, with October here we have entered into respiratory virus season, and it’s important to take precautions now to avoid serious illness. This week we will share blogs on these illnesses (RSV, COVID-19, and flu), the precautions you can take now, how to find vaccines, and other vital information to help keep [...]
With the recent recall of some formula many use to feed infants, finding the right food for your baby may be more difficult than expected. Some families may become frustrated and could be tempted to take matters into their own hands by trying to make their own. Even with the best of intentions or a [...]
An ADHS program to educate pregnant and postpartum women about the benefits of prenatal care and childhood immunizations is resulting in healthier babies across Arizona. A comprehensive evaluation covering 2006-2016 found that participation in Arizona’s Health Start Program improved low birthweight and preterm birth outcomes, prenatal care attendance, and on-time child immunizations. The report, which [...]
How excited did you feel the first time you felt your baby move? What begins like a small flutter in the early stages of pregnancy often progresses to full blown kicks (and punches!) by the third trimester. While it can be great fun for parents to feel or see their baby moving around, paying close [...]
Data from the latest Child Fatality Review shows that more than 82 children less than one year old died in an unsafe sleep environment in Arizona last year. That is a devastating loss to our community, which is why providing education about safe sleeping environments is one of our top priorities. We have been working on reducing [...]
The March of Dimes released its 2015 Premature Birth Report Card today giving our state a “B” grade. New this year, the annual report card ranked state cities and revealed Arizona has a 9 percent preterm birth rate. The report card grades Arizona cities with the greatest number of births on their 2013 preterm birth rates. [...]
Between April and September, the Arizona WIC Program's outreach efforts included a new project to increase awareness of the WIC Program and increase participation among eligible women, infants, and children. The project has been a success with an increase of more than 10,000 participants a month. In September, more than 153,000 individuals received WIC services [...]
Perinatal depression is one of the most common medical complications women experience during pregnancy and the first 12 months after delivery. It can affect up to one in seven women and if left untreated and undetected, perinatal depression can be damaging to the growth and healthy development of very young children as well as the [...]
Increasing the percentage of women that choose to breastfeed is a critical evidence-based practice for addressing the childhood obesity epidemic. Here in Arizona, we have a lot to celebrate during World Breastfeeding Week- because of our collective work to increase breastfeeding is paying off. Arizona’s percentage of babies who begin breastfeeding has jumped to 83% [...]
Decisions about what to do to protect babies born at home from Group B Streptococcus caused quite a stir as we were developing our final regulations for the practice of Midwifery in AZ. Group B Streptococcus bacteria are commonly found in healthy women. In fact, about 25% carry the bacteria. It doesn’t cause much of [...]
