A group of Indian mothers has urged the government to take a resolute action against the alarming rise of online promotion of nicotine products targeting the youth called Mothers Against Vaping. The coalition has written to different ministries including home affairs and health and family welfare.

Mothers' group urges govt crackdown on digital nicotine publicity

<p>A team of researchers have made a new and stunning finding that infants are able to see faces because of their mother's scent.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Researchers from different institutes carried out a study to understand how babies use the scent of their mothers to perceive faces. The study's findings are intriguing and never heard of.</p>

<p>The researchers discovered that the infant's this specific ability sees great improvement between four and 12 months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, older infants are able to primarily use visual information for perceiving faces and do not need concurrent cues.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/babies-movements-tracked-with-intelligent-onesies-could-help-diagnose-autism-adhd-740051">Babies' movements tracked with 'intelligent onesies' could help diagnose autism, ADHD</a></p>

<p>Université de Bourgogne's Center for Taste, Smell and Feeding Sciences (CSGA) associate professor of psychology and neuroscience Dr Arnaud Leleu said, “I have a longstanding interest in how sensory perception works in the human brain. Despite its apparent simplicity (e.g., we open our eyes to see), perception is a complex neurocognitive ability derived from past experience with various stimulations coming from all the senses at the same time.”</p>

<p>Dr&nbsp;Leleu said how the young infant brain treats the multisensory inputs is important to understanding perception in the different senses and how it develops in adulthood.</p>

<h2><strong>Babies' brains and their sensory perception</strong></h2>

<p>Dr&nbsp;Leleu carried out the research to investigate how the development of visual perception is shaped by the olfaction in the infant's brain.</p>

<p>In the study, it was discovered that the rapid perception of faces which increases by the odour of the mother declined when infants grew older and were able to efficiently perceive faces just by visual cues.</p>

<p>Dr&nbsp;Leleu underlined the early exposure to concurrent sensory inputs' importance from&nbsp;different modalities to enhance perceptual learning in the babies.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Nigeria Bomb Attack: Woman with baby on her back carries out suicide attack</strong></p>

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<p>“Together with the large body of research on multisensory perception in infants, our findings reveal the importance of the early exposure to concurrent sensory inputs from different modalities for perceptual learning,” Dr Leleu said.</p>

<p>“Such early exposure to repeated intersensory associations is also a building block for the later development of higher-level abilities such as semantic memory, language and conceptual reasoning. It is therefore important to expose infants to a variety of cues related to the same objects as early as possible," he added.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A team of researchers have made a new and stunning finding that infants are able to see faces because of their mother's scent. Researchers from different institutes carried out a study to understand how babies use the scent of their mothers to perceive faces.

A team of researchers have made a new and stunning finding that infants are able to see faces because of their mother's scent. Researchers from different institutes carried out a study to understand how babies use the scent of their mothers to perceive faces. The study's findings are intriguing and never heard of. The researchers discovered that the infant's this specific ability sees great improvement between four and 12 months. However, older infants are able to primarily use visual information for perceiving faces and do not need concurrent cues. Also Read: Babies' movements tracked with 'intelligent onesies' could help diagnose autism, ADHD Université de Bourgogne's Center for Taste, Smell and Feeding Sciences (CSGA) associate professor of psychology and neuroscience Dr Arnaud Leleu said, “I have a longstanding interest in how sensory perception works in the human brain. Despite its apparent simplicity (e.g., we open our eyes to see), perception is a complex neurocognitive ability derived from past experience with various stimulations coming from all the senses at the same time.” Dr Leleu said how the young infant brain treats the multisensory inputs is important to understanding perception in the different senses and how it develops in adulthood. Babies' brains and their sensory perception Dr Leleu carried out the research to investigate how the development of visual perception is shaped by the olfaction in the infant's brain. In the study, it was discovered that the rapid perception of faces which increases by the odour of the mother declined when infants grew older and were able to efficiently perceive faces just by visual cues. Dr Leleu underlined the early exposure to concurrent sensory inputs' importance from different modalities to enhance perceptual learning in the babies. Watch: Nigeria Bomb Attack: Woman with baby on her back carries out suicide attack “Together with the large body of research on multisensory perception in infants, our findings reveal the importance of the early exposure to concurrent sensory inputs from different modalities for perceptual learning,” Dr Leleu said. “Such early exposure to repeated intersensory associations is also a building block for the later development of higher-level abilities such as semantic memory, language and conceptual reasoning. It is therefore important to expose infants to a variety of cues related to the same objects as early as possible," he added. (With inputs from agencies)

Babies use scent of their mothers to 'see' faces of people: Study

<p>A heartwarming gesture was seen on Mother's Day, celebrated on May 12 this year, as Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal orchestrated a delightful surprise for the unsung heroes behind his employees - their mothers.</p>

<p>The world celebrated Mother's Day on May 12, a special day dedicated to honouring the remarkable women who have shaped our lives with their love and support. Goyal decided to honour the mothers of his company's employees by inviting them to the Zomato office for a special celebration.</p>

<p>In a post on Instagram, "And here's the surprise! We invited ZoMoms (moms of our employees) to celebrate the day with us at the office. Also got great feedback on how to run @zomato better. So much love all around today,"&nbsp;</p>

<p>The office ambience was transformed into a jubilant haven as mothers mingled with Zomato employees and shared invaluable feedback to improve the company.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-four-schools-in-jaipur-receive-bomb-threats-staff-students-evacuated-720769">India: Four schools in Jaipur receive bomb threats, staff and students evacuated</a></p>

<p>The highlight of the celebration was a jubilant moment captured on video, where a group of mothers joyously cut a cake adorned with the endearing word "Mom." The cake-cutting elicited cheers and applause from everyone present at the office.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Goyal engages with employees' mothers</strong></h2>

<p>Goyal personally engaged with the proud mothers, who were beaming alongside the employees. The occasion was also marked with the display of artwork lovingly crafted by the mothers that adorned their children's work desks with sentiments of love and pride.</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepals-president-advisor-resigns-after-criticising-inclusion-of-indian-areas-in-map-on-new-currency-720758">Nepal's president advisor resigns after criticising inclusion of Indian areas in map on new currency</a></p>

<p>In a social media post, Goyal shared glimpses of the artistic side of the mothers. Ever since the post was made by the CEO, it has garnered a flurry of reactions online, with users lauding the heartfelt initiative and praising Zomato's exemplary work environment.</p>

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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C63jlWwSEKO/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal)</a></p>
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<p>"Definitely a very good gesture," one user said about the thoughtful event. "Great work environment, great people, and you're such an inspiration for me," added another while commenting on the positive impact of Goyal's leadership.</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/india-elections-2024-phase-4-1717-candidates-10-states-96-seats-up-for-grabs-today-720817">India Elections 2024 Phase 4: 1,717 candidates, 10 States, 96 seats up for grabs today</a></strong></p>

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<p>A third user chimed in and expressed admiration for the inclusive celebration. "Sir @deepigoyal this is so cool... I mean I can't tell how happy each mom would have felt after being invited to the child's office ...."</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


A heartwarming gesture was seen on Mother's Day, celebrated on May 12 this year, as Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal orchestrated a delightful surprise for the unsung heroes behind his employees - their mothers.

A heartwarming gesture was seen on Mother's Day, celebrated on May 12 this year, as Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal orchestrated a delightful surprise for the unsung heroes behind his employees - their mothers. The world celebrated Mother's Day on May 12, a special day dedicated to honouring the remarkable women who have shaped our lives with their love and support. Goyal decided to honour the mothers of his company's employees by inviting them to the Zomato office for a special celebration. In a post on Instagram, "And here's the surprise! We invited ZoMoms (moms of our employees) to celebrate the day with us at the office. Also got great feedback on how to run @zomato better. So much love all around today," The office ambience was transformed into a jubilant haven as mothers mingled with Zomato employees and shared invaluable feedback to improve the company. Also Read | India: Four schools in Jaipur receive bomb threats, staff and students evacuated The highlight of the celebration was a jubilant moment captured on video, where a group of mothers joyously cut a cake adorned with the endearing word "Mom." The cake-cutting elicited cheers and applause from everyone present at the office. Goyal engages with employees' mothers Goyal personally engaged with the proud mothers, who were beaming alongside the employees. The occasion was also marked with the display of artwork lovingly crafted by the mothers that adorned their children's work desks with sentiments of love and pride. Also Read | Nepal's president advisor resigns after criticising inclusion of Indian areas in map on new currency In a social media post, Goyal shared glimpses of the artistic side of the mothers. Ever since the post was made by the CEO, it has garnered a flurry of reactions online, with users lauding the heartfelt initiative and praising Zomato's exemplary work environment. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) × "Definitely a very good gesture," one user said about the thoughtful event. "Great work environment, great people, and you're such an inspiration for me," added another while commenting on the positive impact of Goyal's leadership. Watch | India Elections 2024 Phase 4: 1,717 candidates, 10 States, 96 seats up for grabs today × A third user chimed in and expressed admiration for the inclusive celebration. "Sir @deepigoyal this is so cool... I mean I can't tell how happy each mom would have felt after being invited to the child's office ...." (With inputs from agencies)

Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal's surprise for employees' moms steals hearts on Mother's Day

<p>A rare cross-border kidney swap transplant to save the lives of two mothers was conducted in India’s financial capital city Mumbai, for the very first time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Two sons, one from Tanzania, a country in East Africa, and the second from India exchanged kidneys to save each other’s mothers in Mumbai.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Doctors termed this case to be the rarest of the rare.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In September 2023, a 58-year-old Francisca Zacharia from Tanzania travelled to Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city to seek treatment for stage five chronic kidney disease. After all the necessary tests, doctors told them that a transplant was necessary.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-13-arrested-in-isis-case-after-nia-raids-in-maharashtra-karnataka-667857">India: 13 arrested in ISIS terror conspiracy case after raids in Maharashtra, Karnataka by NIA</a></p>

<p>Her 32-year-old son hoping for a cure, came to Mumbai and sought a second opinion from one of the biggest private hospitals. Test results mentioned that he and his ill mother were incompatible for the transplant due to differences in the blood group.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After numerous discussions, concerned doctors advised them for a swap kidney transplant. In the next couple of days, they discovered a compatible match in Mumbai’s Chembur area.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-modi-dominates-global-leader-approval-ratings-tops-the-chart-with-impressive-76-percent-667794">PM Modi dominates Global Leader Approval ratings, tops the chart with impressive 76 percent</a></p>

<p>On the other hand, this news was a blessing for the second patient, 57-year-old Sheela Chainani, who was also suffering from stage five chronic kidney disease. She had been undergoing dialysis for two years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>“In both cases, they had earlier struggled and faced difficulties in finding a suitable match for the kidney transplant. The procedures were successful and everyone is recovering slowly,” said one of the concerned doctors.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/how-rbi-pause-impacts-consumers-667832">How RBI pause impacts consumers</a></strong></p>

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<p>After securing the patient’s consent and confirming compatibility, both hospitals commenced an extensive documentation and interview process.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Finally, on December 4, Francisca’s kidney transplant, with Sheela’s son as her donor, was conducted at Nanavati Hospital. Simultaneously, Sheela underwent surgery at Sushrut Hospital, with Francisca’s son as her donor.<br />
<br />
This has created a special bond between all four of them which they say will cherish for lifetime.&nbsp;</p>


A rare cross-border kidney swap transplant to save the lives of two mothers was conducted in India’s financial capital city Mumbai, for the very first time. Two sons, one from Tanzania, a country in East Africa, and the second from India exchanged kidneys to save each other’s mothers in Mumbai.

A rare cross-border kidney swap transplant to save the lives of two mothers was conducted in India’s financial capital city Mumbai, for the very first time. Two sons, one from Tanzania, a country in East Africa, and the second from India exchanged kidneys to save each other’s mothers in Mumbai. Doctors termed this case to be the rarest of the rare. In September 2023, a 58-year-old Francisca Zacharia from Tanzania travelled to Gujarat’s Ahmedabad city to seek treatment for stage five chronic kidney disease. After all the necessary tests, doctors told them that a transplant was necessary. Also Read | India: 13 arrested in ISIS terror conspiracy case after raids in Maharashtra, Karnataka by NIA Her 32-year-old son hoping for a cure, came to Mumbai and sought a second opinion from one of the biggest private hospitals. Test results mentioned that he and his ill mother were incompatible for the transplant due to differences in the blood group. After numerous discussions, concerned doctors advised them for a swap kidney transplant. In the next couple of days, they discovered a compatible match in Mumbai’s Chembur area. Also Read | PM Modi dominates Global Leader Approval ratings, tops the chart with impressive 76 percent On the other hand, this news was a blessing for the second patient, 57-year-old Sheela Chainani, who was also suffering from stage five chronic kidney disease. She had been undergoing dialysis for two years. “In both cases, they had earlier struggled and faced difficulties in finding a suitable match for the kidney transplant. The procedures were successful and everyone is recovering slowly,” said one of the concerned doctors. Watch | How RBI pause impacts consumers × After securing the patient’s consent and confirming compatibility, both hospitals commenced an extensive documentation and interview process. Finally, on December 4, Francisca’s kidney transplant, with Sheela’s son as her donor, was conducted at Nanavati Hospital. Simultaneously, Sheela underwent surgery at Sushrut Hospital, with Francisca’s son as her donor. This has created a special bond between all four of them which they say will cherish for lifetime.

‘Rarest of rare’ kidney swap saves lives of two mothers from India and Tanzania

If you're an expectant mother, chatting as much as possible could give your baby a headstart when it comes to learning to talk. That's because new research has found your unborn son or daughter will start learning the language you speak before they're even born.

Gravitas: New study suggest advises mothers to talk to their baby bumps

In Iraq’s largely conservative and patriarchal society, a catering business is helping single mothers achieve financial security. These young and brilliant women are offering the taste of Mosul. They are celebrating the culture of a city ravaged by the deadly Islamic state rule.

Iraq: Revolution budding in Mosul's Kitchen

<p>What do we usually do on Mother’s Day?<br />
Rhetorical question.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
I’ll be honest about this. Though I usually loathe the concept of a single day dedicated to acknowledging and expressing one’s feelings for loved ones, there’s also a tiny bit of a paradox here. I secretly love the gifts and the fact that the family makes an effort to pamper us mothers and well, sometimes, there are Mother’s Days where we actually get to wake up late and also get (hold your breath) breakfast in bed!<br />
<br />
So, what are our basic needs really?&nbsp;<br />
<br />
To be seen, heard, appreciated and loved. Days like these are somewhat a bit of that and it is an acknowledgement of our efforts that go into raising our children, through chaos, strife, adversity and woe which is the mainstay of everybody’s life.&nbsp;<br />
Oh, sorry, not everybody.<br />
<br />
There will always be a section which has it much easier and there will always be some who have it harder. I don’t mean just mothers. I mean all parents who ‘mother’ their children. It could be a dad or a grandmother, a grandfather or even people who take on the responsibility of caring for children who are not their biological offspring.<br />
<br />
The definition of ‘mother’ as ‘female parent’ according to most dictionaries, including the Merriam Webster, is now wholly redundant, given the fact that the stereotypical ‘mom’ role is being redefined every single day as we march forward to the future.&nbsp;Single parents, irrespective of gender, can be the 'mother.'<br />
<br />
The times we live in are such that it is not necessary that only the female parent ‘mothers’ the child. Single parents are increasing and it could be because of a circumstance like death or by choice like divorce or even rape, abandonment or a single-person adoption. Studies show that families are breaking up with alarming alacrity all over the world and the Covid era taught us that death need not come with any warning. This was the time when so many children lost their biological parents and are today being raised by either single parents or a family.<br />
<br />
<strong>ALSO READ|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/mothers-day-when-ms-dhoni-led-indian-team-paid-tribute-to-mothers-by-sporting-their-names-on-jerseys-477315">Mother's Day: When MS Dhoni-led Indian team paid tribute to mothers by sporting their names on jerseys</a></strong><br />
<br />
A new Pew Research Center study of 130 countries and territories shows that the US has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households. Almost a quarter of American children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do so (7%). In comparison, 3% of children in China, 4% of children in Nigeria and 5% of children in India live in single-parent households. In neighbouring Canada, the share is 15%.<br />
<br />
This tells us what we already know: single parenting is a reality today. It also reminds me of a quote by former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg who had to become a resilient single parent after the sudden death of her beloved husband Dave. She said, “For me, this is still a new and unfamiliar world. Before, I did not quite get it. I did not really get how hard it is to succeed at work when you are overwhelmed at home. I did not understand how often I would look at my son’s or daughter’s crying face and not know how to stop the tears. How often situations would come up that Dave and I had never talked about and that I did not know how to handle on my own. What would Dave do if he were here?”<br />
<br />
Her words, (though she did outline that she was privileged because she never had to endure poverty or abuse that so many single mothers have had to) since then, haunted me and brought home the reality that on Mother’s Day, we should stop glorifying the ‘breakfast in bed’ made by the ever-smiling and supportive family that we can afford to be smug about. This, in Sandberg's&nbsp;words, is what the real picture is.<br />
<br />
And that’s where mothers, or anybody who does the mothering, who looks after a child and raises them single-handedly, should be celebrated. That is the real challenge and how many of us can claim to have been through that and survived?<br />
<br />
It reminds me of people I know who are ‘mothering' their children through it all. A divorced dad who tries to be the best parent he can when he sees his kids every once in a while, a widow who works extra hard so that her kid has the best of everything in life, a same-sex couple who brought home a child and one chose to stay home and take care of the baby, and then a single mother with a physical disability who decided to adopt a child.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
This is who we should be celebrating on Mother's Day.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
If governments, employers and society can support single parents, then this whole brouhaha about Mother’s Day will get some semblance of a meaning. They need the support the most and we should be there to give it to them.<br />
<br />
Motherhood is precious, humbling, beautiful, painful and everything else rolled into one and it is the journey of raising a child from infancy to adulthood that takes up your whole life. Surely, there can be no greater cause than this?&nbsp;<br />
<br />
And for all the frivolities that she was usually associated with, perhaps nobody put it better than former US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who said: “If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much."<br />
<br />
A truth we can't really ignore and indeed an arduous task.<br />
<br />
On this Mother’s Day and every other Mother’s Day, I've decided to stop celebrating myself and instead raise a toast to celebrate and support single parenthood, the people who are the real, resilient, courageous ‘mothers’ all over the world.<br />
<br />
Happy Mother's Day 2023!<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)</strong></p>


What do we usually do on Mother’s Day? Rhetorical question. I’ll be honest about this. Though I usually loathe the concept of a single day dedicated to acknowledging and expressing one’s feelings for loved ones, there’s also a tiny bit of a paradox here.

What do we usually do on Mother’s Day? Rhetorical question. I’ll be honest about this. Though I usually loathe the concept of a single day dedicated to acknowledging and expressing one’s feelings for loved ones, there’s also a tiny bit of a paradox here. I secretly love the gifts and the fact that the family makes an effort to pamper us mothers and well, sometimes, there are Mother’s Days where we actually get to wake up late and also get (hold your breath) breakfast in bed! So, what are our basic needs really? To be seen, heard, appreciated and loved. Days like these are somewhat a bit of that and it is an acknowledgement of our efforts that go into raising our children, through chaos, strife, adversity and woe which is the mainstay of everybody’s life. Oh, sorry, not everybody. There will always be a section which has it much easier and there will always be some who have it harder. I don’t mean just mothers. I mean all parents who ‘mother’ their children. It could be a dad or a grandmother, a grandfather or even people who take on the responsibility of caring for children who are not their biological offspring. The definition of ‘mother’ as ‘female parent’ according to most dictionaries, including the Merriam Webster, is now wholly redundant, given the fact that the stereotypical ‘mom’ role is being redefined every single day as we march forward to the future. Single parents, irrespective of gender, can be the 'mother.' The times we live in are such that it is not necessary that only the female parent ‘mothers’ the child. Single parents are increasing and it could be because of a circumstance like death or by choice like divorce or even rape, abandonment or a single-person adoption. Studies show that families are breaking up with alarming alacrity all over the world and the Covid era taught us that death need not come with any warning. This was the time when so many children lost their biological parents and are today being raised by either single parents or a family. ALSO READ| Mother's Day: When MS Dhoni-led Indian team paid tribute to mothers by sporting their names on jerseys A new Pew Research Center study of 130 countries and territories shows that the US has the world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households. Almost a quarter of American children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%), more than three times the share of children around the world who do so (7%). In comparison, 3% of children in China, 4% of children in Nigeria and 5% of children in India live in single-parent households. In neighbouring Canada, the share is 15%. This tells us what we already know: single parenting is a reality today. It also reminds me of a quote by former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg who had to become a resilient single parent after the sudden death of her beloved husband Dave. She said, “For me, this is still a new and unfamiliar world. Before, I did not quite get it. I did not really get how hard it is to succeed at work when you are overwhelmed at home. I did not understand how often I would look at my son’s or daughter’s crying face and not know how to stop the tears. How often situations would come up that Dave and I had never talked about and that I did not know how to handle on my own. What would Dave do if he were here?” Her words, (though she did outline that she was privileged because she never had to endure poverty or abuse that so many single mothers have had to) since then, haunted me and brought home the reality that on Mother’s Day, we should stop glorifying the ‘breakfast in bed’ made by the ever-smiling and supportive family that we can afford to be smug about. This, in Sandberg's words, is what the real picture is. And that’s where mothers, or anybody who does the mothering, who looks after a child and raises them single-handedly, should be celebrated. That is the real challenge and how many of us can claim to have been through that and survived? It reminds me of people I know who are ‘mothering' their children through it all. A divorced dad who tries to be the best parent he can when he sees his kids every once in a while, a widow who works extra hard so that her kid has the best of everything in life, a same-sex couple who brought home a child and one chose to stay home and take care of the baby, and then a single mother with a physical disability who decided to adopt a child. This is who we should be celebrating on Mother's Day. If governments, employers and society can support single parents, then this whole brouhaha about Mother’s Day will get some semblance of a meaning. They need the support the most and we should be there to give it to them. Motherhood is precious, humbling, beautiful, painful and everything else rolled into one and it is the journey of raising a child from infancy to adulthood that takes up your whole life. Surely, there can be no greater cause than this? And for all the frivolities that she was usually associated with, perhaps nobody put it better than former US first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who said: “If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much." A truth we can't really ignore and indeed an arduous task. On this Mother’s Day and every other Mother’s Day, I've decided to stop celebrating myself and instead raise a toast to celebrate and support single parenthood, the people who are the real, resilient, courageous ‘mothers’ all over the world. Happy Mother's Day 2023! (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Mother’s Day 2023: Why we should be celebrating single parenthood today

<p>For the first time, scientists have found microplastics in breast milk, raising concerns over potential health risks for infants.</p>

<p>Microplastics, as the name implies, are tiny plastic particles which are less than five millimetres (0.2 inches) in diametre—smaller than the standard pearl used in jewellery.</p>

<p>They cause pollution by entering ecosystems from a variety of sources like cosmetics, clothing, food packaging, and industrial processes.</p>

<p>Though first discovered in 2004, microplastics have permeated everywhere—in deep oceans; Arctic snow and Antarctic ice; in shellfish, table salt, drinking water. These tiny pieces could take decades or more to degrade fully.</p>

<p>However, the discovery of these tiny particles in breast milk has started scientists.</p>

<p>According to the Guardian, microplastics were found in the breast milk samples taken from 34 healthy mothers, a week after giving birth in Rome, Italy. The scientists detected microplastics in 75 per cent of them.</p>

<p>The study, which was published in Polymers journal, discovered microplastics composed of polyethene, PVC and polypropylene.</p>

<p>Plastics contain harmful chemicals, such as phthalates, which have been found in breast milk before.</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Microplastics in breast milk raise concerns over infant's health</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/microplastics-in-breast-milk-raise-concerns-over-infants-health-523614/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>In their study, the researchers recorded the mothers’ consumption of food and drink in plastic packaging and of seafood, as well as the use of plastic-containing personal hygiene products. But they did not find any link with the presence of microplastics.</p>

<p>This suggests the ubiquitous presence of microplastics in the environment makes human exposure inevitable, the researchers said.</p>

<p>“So, the proof of microplastics’ presence in breast milk increases our great concern for the extremely vulnerable population of infants,” Dr Valentina Notarstefano, from Università Politecnica delle Marche, in Ancona, Italy, said.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beijing-thanks-elon-musk-after-his-suggestion-on-how-to-end-china-taiwan-tensions-523863" hreflang="en">Beijing thanks Elon Musk after his suggestion on how to end China-Taiwan tensions</a></p>

<p>“It will be crucial to assess ways to reduce exposure to these contaminants during pregnancy and lactation,” she said.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-summons-wheelchair-bound-man-to-fight-in-the-ukrainian-war-523914" hreflang="en">Russia summons wheelchair-bound man to fight in the Ukrainian war</a></p>

<p>“But it must be stressed that the advantages of breastfeeding are much greater than the disadvantages caused by the presence of polluting microplastics. Studies like ours must not reduce breastfeeding of children, but instead, raise public awareness to pressure politicians to promote laws that reduce pollution.”</p>

<p>(With inputs from agencies)</p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE: </strong></p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


For the first time, scientists have found microplastics in breast milk, raising concerns over potential health risks for infants. Microplastics, as the name implies, are tiny plastic particles which are less than five millimetres (0.

For the first time, scientists have found microplastics in breast milk, raising concerns over potential health risks for infants. Microplastics, as the name implies, are tiny plastic particles which are less than five millimetres (0.2 inches) in diametre—smaller than the standard pearl used in jewellery. They cause pollution by entering ecosystems from a variety of sources like cosmetics, clothing, food packaging, and industrial processes. Though first discovered in 2004, microplastics have permeated everywhere—in deep oceans; Arctic snow and Antarctic ice; in shellfish, table salt, drinking water. These tiny pieces could take decades or more to degrade fully. However, the discovery of these tiny particles in breast milk has started scientists. According to the Guardian, microplastics were found in the breast milk samples taken from 34 healthy mothers, a week after giving birth in Rome, Italy. The scientists detected microplastics in 75 per cent of them. The study, which was published in Polymers journal, discovered microplastics composed of polyethene, PVC and polypropylene. Plastics contain harmful chemicals, such as phthalates, which have been found in breast milk before. Watch | Microplastics in breast milk raise concerns over infant's health In their study, the researchers recorded the mothers’ consumption of food and drink in plastic packaging and of seafood, as well as the use of plastic-containing personal hygiene products. But they did not find any link with the presence of microplastics. This suggests the ubiquitous presence of microplastics in the environment makes human exposure inevitable, the researchers said. “So, the proof of microplastics’ presence in breast milk increases our great concern for the extremely vulnerable population of infants,” Dr Valentina Notarstefano, from Università Politecnica delle Marche, in Ancona, Italy, said. Also read | Beijing thanks Elon Musk after his suggestion on how to end China-Taiwan tensions “It will be crucial to assess ways to reduce exposure to these contaminants during pregnancy and lactation,” she said. Also read | Russia summons wheelchair-bound man to fight in the Ukrainian war “But it must be stressed that the advantages of breastfeeding are much greater than the disadvantages caused by the presence of polluting microplastics. Studies like ours must not reduce breastfeeding of children, but instead, raise public awareness to pressure politicians to promote laws that reduce pollution.” (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Microplastics detected in human breast milk for first time, scientists startled

Companies making infant formula are saturating mothers' social media. The social media algorithms are automatically display ads they think are relevant to users. Watch this report to know more.

How infant formula makers are saturating mothers' social media with ads

<p>There are so many ways to do motherhood wrong, or so a mother is told. She can be overbearing or remote. She can smother or neglect. She can mother in such a specifically bad way that she is assigned a bad-mom archetype: stage mother, refrigerator mother, “cool mom.” She can hover like a helicopter mom or bully like a bulldozer mom. But the thing she cannot do — the thing that is so taboo, it rivals actually murdering her offspring — is leave.</p>

<p>The mother who abandons her children haunts our family narratives. She is made into a lurid tabloid figure, an exotic exception to the common deadbeat father. Or she is sketched into the background of a plot, her absence lending a protagonist a propulsive origin story. This figure arouses our ridicule (consider Meryl Streep’s daffy American president in “Don’t Look Up,” who forgets to save her son as she flees the apocalypse) or our pity (see “Parallel Mothers,” where an actress has ditched her daughter for lousy television parts). But lately the vanishing mother has provoked a fresh response: respect.</p>

<p>In Maggie Gyllenhaal’s film “The Lost Daughter,” she is Leda (played, across two decades, by Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman), a promising translator who deserts her young daughters for several years to pursue her career (and a dalliance with an Auden scholar). In HBO’s “Scenes From a Marriage,” a gender-scrambled remake of Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 miniseries, she is Mira (Jessica Chastain), a Boston tech executive who jets to Tel Aviv, Israel, for an affair disguised as a work project. And in Claire Vaye Watkins’ autofictional novel “I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness,” she is also Claire Vaye Watkins, a novelist who leaves her infant to smoke a ton of weed, sleep with a guy who lives in a van and confront her own troubled upbringing.</p>

<p>In each case, her children are not abandoned outright; they are left in the care of fathers and other relatives. When a man leaves in this way, he is unexceptional. When a woman does it, she becomes a monster, or perhaps an antiheroine riding out a dark maternal fantasy. Feminism has supplied women with options, but a choice also represents a foreclosure, and women, because they are people, do not always know what they want. As these protagonists thrash against their own decisions, they also bump up against the limits of that freedom, revealing how women’s choices are rarely socially supported but always thoroughly judged.</p>

<p>A mother losing her children is a nightmare. The title of 'The Lost Daughter'&nbsp;refers in part to such an incident, when a child disappears at the beach. But a mother <em>leaving</em> her children — that’s a daydream, an imagined but repressed alternate life. In the “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That … ,” Miranda — now the mother of a teenager — counsels a professor who is considering having children.</p>

<p>“There are so many nights when I would love to be a judge and go home to an empty house,” she says.</p>

<p>And on Instagram, the airbrushed mirage of mothering is being challenged by displays of raw desperation. The Not Safe for Mom Group, which surfaces confessions of anonymous mothers, pulses with idle threats of role refusal like, “I want to be alone!!! I don’t want to make your lunch!!”</p>

<p>Being alone: That is the mother’s reasonable and functionally impossible dream. Especially recently, when avenues of escape have been sealed off: schools closed, day care centers suspended, offices shuttered, jobs lost or abandoned in crisis. Now the house is never empty, and also you can never leave. During a pandemic, a plucky middle-class gal can still “have it all,” as long as she can manage job and children simultaneously, from the floor of a lawless living room.</p>

<p>Each of our absent mothers has her reasons. Leda’s academic husband has prioritized his career over hers, and this makes her decisions legible, even sympathetic. But in “I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness,” Watkins lends her doppelgänger no exculpatory circumstances. Claire has a doula, day care, Obamacare breast pump, tenure-track job, several therapists and the world’s most understanding husband. When she starts sleeping in a hammock on campus, her husband says, “I think it’s cool you’re following your … heart, or … whatever … is happening … out there.” Nothing obvious impedes her from capable mothering, but ​​like Bartleby, the Child-bearer, she would simply prefer not to.</p>

<p>In heaping privileges upon Claire, Watkins suggests that there are burdens of motherhood that cannot be solved with money, lifted by a co-parent or cured by a mental health professional. The trouble is motherhood itself and its ideal of total selfless devotion. Motherhood had turned Claire into a “blank,” a figure who “didn’t seem to think much” and “had trouble completing her sentences.”</p>

<p>As these women discover, their menu of life choices is not so expansive after all. They long to be offered a different position: dad. Claire wants to “behave like a man, a slightly bad one.” As Mira abruptly exits, she assures her husband, “Men do it all the time.”</p>

<p>These women may leave, but they don’t quite get away with it. Mira eventually loses both job and boyfriend and begs for her old life back. Leda’s abandonment becomes a dark secret in a thriller that builds to a violent end. Only Claire is curiously impervious to consequence. She follows her selfish impulses all the way to the desert, where she spends her days crying and masturbating alone in a tent. Then she calls her husband, who flies out to her, happy tot in tow; eventually, Claire claims a life where she can “read and write and nap and teach and soak and smoke” and see her daughter on breaks. By exacting no cosmic punishment on Claire, Watkins refuses to facilitate the reader’s judgment. But she also makes it harder to care.</p>

<p>When I was pregnant, I had a fantasy, too. In it, I was single, childless, still very young somehow and living out an alternate life in a van in Wyoming. Reading “I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness” broke the spell. As Claire ripped bongs and circled new sexual partners, she struck me not as a monster or a hero but something perhaps worse: boring. Even as these stories work to uncover motherhood’s complex emotional truths, they indulge their own little fiction: that a mother only becomes interesting when she stops being one.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


There are so many ways to do motherhood wrong, or so a mother is told. She can be overbearing or remote. She can smother or neglect. She can mother in such a specifically bad way that she is assigned a bad-mom archetype: stage mother, refrigerator mother, “cool mom.

There are so many ways to do motherhood wrong, or so a mother is told. She can be overbearing or remote. She can smother or neglect. She can mother in such a specifically bad way that she is assigned a bad-mom archetype: stage mother, refrigerator mother, “cool mom.” She can hover like a helicopter mom or bully like a bulldozer mom. But the thing she cannot do — the thing that is so taboo, it rivals actually murdering her offspring — is leave. The mother who abandons her children haunts our family narratives. She is made into a lurid tabloid figure, an exotic exception to the common deadbeat father. Or she is sketched into the background of a plot, her absence lending a protagonist a propulsive origin story. This figure arouses our ridicule (consider Meryl Streep’s daffy American president in “Don’t Look Up,” who forgets to save her son as she flees the apocalypse) or our pity (see “Parallel Mothers,” where an actress has ditched her daughter for lousy television parts). But lately the vanishing mother has provoked a fresh response: respect. In Maggie Gyllenhaal’s film “The Lost Daughter,” she is Leda (played, across two decades, by Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman), a promising translator who deserts her young daughters for several years to pursue her career (and a dalliance with an Auden scholar). In HBO’s “Scenes From a Marriage,” a gender-scrambled remake of Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 miniseries, she is Mira (Jessica Chastain), a Boston tech executive who jets to Tel Aviv, Israel, for an affair disguised as a work project. And in Claire Vaye Watkins’ autofictional novel “I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness,” she is also Claire Vaye Watkins, a novelist who leaves her infant to smoke a ton of weed, sleep with a guy who lives in a van and confront her own troubled upbringing. In each case, her children are not abandoned outright; they are left in the care of fathers and other relatives. When a man leaves in this way, he is unexceptional. When a woman does it, she becomes a monster, or perhaps an antiheroine riding out a dark maternal fantasy. Feminism has supplied women with options, but a choice also represents a foreclosure, and women, because they are people, do not always know what they want. As these protagonists thrash against their own decisions, they also bump up against the limits of that freedom, revealing how women’s choices are rarely socially supported but always thoroughly judged. A mother losing her children is a nightmare. The title of 'The Lost Daughter' refers in part to such an incident, when a child disappears at the beach. But a mother leaving her children — that’s a daydream, an imagined but repressed alternate life. In the “Sex and the City” reboot “And Just Like That … ,” Miranda — now the mother of a teenager — counsels a professor who is considering having children. “There are so many nights when I would love to be a judge and go home to an empty house,” she says. And on Instagram, the airbrushed mirage of mothering is being challenged by displays of raw desperation. The Not Safe for Mom Group, which surfaces confessions of anonymous mothers, pulses with idle threats of role refusal like, “I want to be alone!!! I don’t want to make your lunch!!” Being alone: That is the mother’s reasonable and functionally impossible dream. Especially recently, when avenues of escape have been sealed off: schools closed, day care centers suspended, offices shuttered, jobs lost or abandoned in crisis. Now the house is never empty, and also you can never leave. During a pandemic, a plucky middle-class gal can still “have it all,” as long as she can manage job and children simultaneously, from the floor of a lawless living room. Each of our absent mothers has her reasons. Leda’s academic husband has prioritized his career over hers, and this makes her decisions legible, even sympathetic. But in “I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness,” Watkins lends her doppelgänger no exculpatory circumstances. Claire has a doula, day care, Obamacare breast pump, tenure-track job, several therapists and the world’s most understanding husband. When she starts sleeping in a hammock on campus, her husband says, “I think it’s cool you’re following your … heart, or … whatever … is happening … out there.” Nothing obvious impedes her from capable mothering, but like Bartleby, the Child-bearer, she would simply prefer not to. In heaping privileges upon Claire, Watkins suggests that there are burdens of motherhood that cannot be solved with money, lifted by a co-parent or cured by a mental health professional. The trouble is motherhood itself and its ideal of total selfless devotion. Motherhood had turned Claire into a “blank,” a figure who “didn’t seem to think much” and “had trouble completing her sentences.” As these women discover, their menu of life choices is not so expansive after all. They long to be offered a different position: dad. Claire wants to “behave like a man, a slightly bad one.” As Mira abruptly exits, she assures her husband, “Men do it all the time.” These women may leave, but they don’t quite get away with it. Mira eventually loses both job and boyfriend and begs for her old life back. Leda’s abandonment becomes a dark secret in a thriller that builds to a violent end. Only Claire is curiously impervious to consequence. She follows her selfish impulses all the way to the desert, where she spends her days crying and masturbating alone in a tent. Then she calls her husband, who flies out to her, happy tot in tow; eventually, Claire claims a life where she can “read and write and nap and teach and soak and smoke” and see her daughter on breaks. By exacting no cosmic punishment on Claire, Watkins refuses to facilitate the reader’s judgment. But she also makes it harder to care. When I was pregnant, I had a fantasy, too. In it, I was single, childless, still very young somehow and living out an alternate life in a van in Wyoming. Reading “I Love You but I’ve Chosen Darkness” broke the spell. As Claire ripped bongs and circled new sexual partners, she struck me not as a monster or a hero but something perhaps worse: boring. Even as these stories work to uncover motherhood’s complex emotional truths, they indulge their own little fiction: that a mother only becomes interesting when she stops being one.

Mommy is going away for a while

<p>A new study has revealed that women’s breast milk, especially in the US, carried a high amount of toxic chemicals, raising alarms for newborns’ health.</p>

<p>In the study, the researchers collected 50 samples and found that the PFAS contamination was nearly 2,000 times higher than the level of normal drinking water.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/we-finally-know-why-cats-love-to-sit-in-square-like-boxes-384538" hreflang="en">We finally know why cats love to sit in square-like boxes!</a></strong></p>

<p>"The study shows that PFAS contamination of breast milk is likely universal in the US, and that these harmful chemicals are contaminating what should be nature’s perfect food," said Erika Schreder, a co-author of the report.</p>

<p>PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’ consists of nearly 9,000 compounds and is used in manufacturing food packaging, clothing, carpeting water and stain resistant.</p>

<p>These chemicals are linked to deadly diseases such as cancer, thyroid, lower sperm counts, liver disease and many more. One of the deadliest things about ‘forever chemicals’ is that these do not break down and usually accumulate in human beings.</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-we-urgently-need-to-vaccinate-children-382826"><strong>Watch |</strong></a></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-why-we-urgently-need-to-vaccinate-children-382826/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The study was peer-reviewed and published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal on Thursday.</p>

<p>While the research has sounded alarm bells, the experts have also added that a thorough analysis of the effect the PFAS has on newborns is missing, as it is extremely difficult to study babies, Sheela Sathyanarayana, a co-author of the study said.</p>


A new study has revealed that women’s breast milk, especially in the US, carried a high amount of toxic chemicals, raising alarms for newborns’ health. In the study, the researchers collected 50 samples and found that the PFAS contamination was nearly 2,000 times higher than the level of normal drinking water.

A new study has revealed that women’s breast milk, especially in the US, carried a high amount of toxic chemicals, raising alarms for newborns’ health. In the study, the researchers collected 50 samples and found that the PFAS contamination was nearly 2,000 times higher than the level of normal drinking water. Also read | We finally know why cats love to sit in square-like boxes! "The study shows that PFAS contamination of breast milk is likely universal in the US, and that these harmful chemicals are contaminating what should be nature’s perfect food," said Erika Schreder, a co-author of the report. PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’ consists of nearly 9,000 compounds and is used in manufacturing food packaging, clothing, carpeting water and stain resistant. These chemicals are linked to deadly diseases such as cancer, thyroid, lower sperm counts, liver disease and many more. One of the deadliest things about ‘forever chemicals’ is that these do not break down and usually accumulate in human beings. Watch | The study was peer-reviewed and published in the Environmental Science and Technology journal on Thursday. While the research has sounded alarm bells, the experts have also added that a thorough analysis of the effect the PFAS has on newborns is missing, as it is extremely difficult to study babies, Sheela Sathyanarayana, a co-author of the study said.

High amount of 'forever chemicals' found in breast milk: Study

Los Angeles' downtown flower market saw a brisk trade on Thursday morning (May 7) after California Governor Gavin Newsom gave the green light to retail florist stores to begin opening on Friday (May 8), ahead of Mother's Day in the U.S.

Los Angeles wholesale flower market busy ahead of florists re-opening for Mother's Day

<p>The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nicaragua-unrest-mounts-as-government-opposition-talks-resume-147062">Nicaraguan government</a> said it freed more than 90 people on Monday&nbsp;who&nbsp;rights groups say were jailed for anti-government activity, including about a dozen people&nbsp;who&nbsp;were arrested after ferrying water to a group of&nbsp;mothers&nbsp;on&nbsp;hunger&nbsp;strike.</p>

<p>Dozens of people have been jailed since April 2018, after demonstrations against President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/daniel-ortega-wins-third-consecutive-term-as-nicaragua-president-8504">Daniel Ortega</a>'s attempt to cut welfare benefits escalated into broader protests of his rule.</p>

<p>The protests also left more than 300 people dead, according to rights groups.</p>

<p><img alt="Blue and White National Unity" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="e8f7d399-d26c-46e1-8ecd-9bb19f096dcf" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2810%29_9.jpg" /></p>

<p>The interior ministry said 91 people have been released as part of a "special act" aimed at national reconciliation, including prominent student protester Amaya Coppens.</p>

<p>The&nbsp;Nicaraguan and Belgian national, along with a dozen other&nbsp;protesters, delivered water last month to nine&nbsp;mothers&nbsp;who&nbsp;were on a&nbsp;hunger&nbsp;strike&nbsp;demanding the release of their children that they consider to be political prisoners.</p>

<p>The police cut off water and electricity supplies to the church in the city of Masaya soon after the&nbsp;hunger&nbsp;strike&nbsp;began. The&nbsp;mothers&nbsp;were later transported to a hospital.</p>

<p>During the&nbsp;strike, the government accused 13 activists&nbsp;who&nbsp;brought water to the&nbsp;mothers&nbsp;of planning to carry out terrorist attacks.</p>

<p>On Monday, a video posted on social media showed Coppens waving a large blue-and-white&nbsp;Nicaraguan flag, chanting, "Yes, we did it!"</p>

<p><img alt="Blue and White National Unity" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cf9b9012-6ea7-430b-8406-33a8b320781a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2811%29_6.jpg" /></p>

<p>Another freed prisoner, Olga Valle, said in a separate video: "Families, take in your people. We left, we did it. Long live free&nbsp;Nicaragua."</p>

<p>The opposition Blue and White National Unity movement said about 80 people are still jailed for political reasons.</p>

<p>"We continue demanding the liberation of every single political prisoner," the grouping of opposition organizations said in a statement.</p>


The Nicaraguan government said it freed more than 90 people on Monday who rights groups say were jailed for anti-government activity, including about a dozen people who were arrested after ferrying water to a group of mothers on hunger strike.

The Nicaraguan government said it freed more than 90 people on Monday who rights groups say were jailed for anti-government activity, including about a dozen people who were arrested after ferrying water to a group of mothers on hunger strike. Dozens of people have been jailed since April 2018, after demonstrations against President Daniel Ortega's attempt to cut welfare benefits escalated into broader protests of his rule. The protests also left more than 300 people dead, according to rights groups. The interior ministry said 91 people have been released as part of a "special act" aimed at national reconciliation, including prominent student protester Amaya Coppens. The Nicaraguan and Belgian national, along with a dozen other protesters, delivered water last month to nine mothers who were on a hunger strike demanding the release of their children that they consider to be political prisoners. The police cut off water and electricity supplies to the church in the city of Masaya soon after the hunger strike began. The mothers were later transported to a hospital. During the strike, the government accused 13 activists who brought water to the mothers of planning to carry out terrorist attacks. On Monday, a video posted on social media showed Coppens waving a large blue-and-white Nicaraguan flag, chanting, "Yes, we did it!" Another freed prisoner, Olga Valle, said in a separate video: "Families, take in your people. We left, we did it. Long live free Nicaragua." The opposition Blue and White National Unity movement said about 80 people are still jailed for political reasons. "We continue demanding the liberation of every single political prisoner," the grouping of opposition organizations said in a statement.

Nicaragua frees protesters who aided mothers on hunger strike

London, May 28 (IANS) Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence.`<br />
<br />
<br />
According to the researchers, nearly 2.6 million children worldwide were stillborn at 28 weeks or more in 2015, with the wide geographical variation in prevalence suggesting that most of these deaths were preventable.<br />
<br />
&quot;Stillbirth is one of the most neglected tragedies in global health today,&quot; said Marie Pedersen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">WHO rejects call for Olympics to moved due to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ZikaVirus?src=hash">#ZikaVirus</a> <a href="https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx">https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx</a></p>
&mdash; dna (@dna) <a href="https://twitter.com/dna/status/736460787665883137">May 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script><br />
The findings showed that specifically, a 4 microgram per cubic meter (&micro;g/m3) increase in exposure to small particulate matter of less than 2.5 in diameter (PM2.5) was associated with a 2 percent increased risk of stillbirth.<br />
<br />
Further, particles less than or equal to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone also showed to increase stillbirth risks.<br />
<br />
&quot;The existing evidence is suggestive of causality for air pollution and stillbirth without precise identification of the timing of exposure,&quot; Pedersen added.<br />
<br />
For the study, published online in Occupational &amp; Environmental Medicine, the reviewed 13 studies, which found an association between exposure to air pollution -- particularly during the third term of pregnancy -- and a heightened risk of stillbirth.<br />
<br />
&quot;With the limited studies on the relevant topic, our review suggests strong priorities for future research. If the evidence of an association between ambient air population and stillbirth is confirmed in future studies, it would be of major public health importance,&quot; Pedersen noted.<br />
<br />
--IANS

Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence

London, May 28 (IANS) Would-be mothers please take note! Prenatal exposure to harmful air-borne pollutants can likely increase the risk of stillbirth during the pregnancy`s third trimester, finds a new study based on `suggestive evidence.` According to the researchers, nearly 2.6 million children worldwide were stillborn at 28 weeks or more in 2015, with the wide geographical variation in prevalence suggesting that most of these deaths were preventable. "Stillbirth is one of the most neglected tragedies in global health today," said Marie Pedersen from University of Copenhagen in Denmark. WHO rejects call for Olympics to moved due to #ZikaVirus https://t.co/dXLSk0wBCx — dna (@dna) May 28, 2016 The findings showed that specifically, a 4 microgram per cubic meter (µg/m3) increase in exposure to small particulate matter of less than 2.5 in diameter (PM2.5) was associated with a 2 percent increased risk of stillbirth. Further, particles less than or equal to 10 micrometers in diameter (PM10), carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone also showed to increase stillbirth risks. "The existing evidence is suggestive of causality for air pollution and stillbirth without precise identification of the timing of exposure," Pedersen added. For the study, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, the reviewed 13 studies, which found an association between exposure to air pollution -- particularly during the third term of pregnancy -- and a heightened risk of stillbirth. "With the limited studies on the relevant topic, our review suggests strong priorities for future research. If the evidence of an association between ambient air population and stillbirth is confirmed in future studies, it would be of major public health importance," Pedersen noted. --IANS

Air pollution may up stillbirth risk during third trimester

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