Women who experience anxiety while pregnant are more likely to give birth earlier than women who don't.
Children born at 37-38 weeks gestation scored significantly higher on teacher rating scales for ADHD, inattention, and cognitive problems than children born between 39-41 weeks.
Preterm babies who were fed maternal milk during and after a stay in NICU had greater academic achievement, higher IQs, and reduced risk of ADHD than their preterm peers who were not fed maternal milk.
Exposure to multiple phthalates during pregnancy increases the risk for preterm birth, researchers report.
Brain connectivity at birth may impact emotional processing and social development later in childhood, especially in children born preterm. Researchers found children born preterm with a weaker uncinate fasciculus, the white-matter tract that connects brain regions associated with emotional processing, were more likely to interpret situations in a negative light.
Preterm birth was associated with a profound reduction in connectivity between multiple brain regions and with the reconfiguration of the organization of functional brain networks.
Average IQ was significantly lower for adults who were born with either a very low birth weight or born very prematurely, a new study reports.
Using exercise programs that help boost motor skills can help reduce problems with impulse control and aid cognitive development in children born preterm.
Stress and depression during pregnancy can affect the fetus' sex and increase the risk of preterm birth. Mothers who experienced physical and psychological stress during pregnancy were less likely to have a baby boy. During pregnancy, the fetuses of stressed mothers had reduced heart rate movement coupling, indicating slower central nervous system development.
A new study reports the brains of baby boys born prematurely are affected differently and more severely than premature females.
Preterm birth has significant and selective effects on functional networks in the frontal lobe, researchers report.
It has been well known for a number of years that placing a baby to sleep on their stomachs increases the risk of SIDS. Researchers report a developmental abnormality more prevalent in premature and male babies, may contribute to SIDS risk, in conjunction to the sleep position.
