Family News & Events

Family News & Events
High blood pressure and child development issues

High blood pressure in pregnancy, or pre-eclampsia, an already established threat to a mother, has been found to increase the risk for several developmental problems in children.

The study published by JAMA Psychiatry, using a Norwegian health database, observed 980,560 children. Of these, 28,068 were exposed to pre-eclampsia in full-term pregnancies. The researchers followed each child for five years on average and as long as 14 years in some cases.

There was a 50% increase in the relative risk for epilepsy and the same for intellectual disability to those exposed to pre-eclampsia. For 21% there was higher risk of sight or hearing loss and increased risk for cerebral palsy, ADHD and autism spectrum disorder.

Dr. Allen J. Wilcox, senior author, explained that the total risk for full-term babies having developmental disorders is very small, so the potential increase in cases would also be small. The study showed only an association between pre-eclampsia and these issues not a proven cause.

 

Sweeter Dreams

One of the things that has been shown to be helpful for sleep issues as well as those suffering from insomnia, chronic pain conditions or restless leg syndrome, is a weighted blanket.

The pressure is said to help reduce cortisol, the stress hormone and encourage the production of happiness hormones like serotonin. They have also been shown to have benefits for those with depression or autism.

Weighted blankets are blankets filled with beads of plastic or glass, making them heavier and most are designed, not to replace a duvet but to add on top.

You would ideally want a blanket that is around 10% of your body weight or slightly heavier. They come at a variety of different weights, from 5lbs to 30lbs and the price ranges from €25 to over €100; with the sweet spot between quality and affordability at around €50.

 

Obstacles that don’t stop the fun

One creative way to get everyone energised, laughing and exercised for the day is an obstacle course. You won’t need to go and source any equipment and its better when parents and kids get involved.

You could start off running backwards, doing jumping jacks or another physical challenge. Then take an old sack or a cardboard box and hop to the next exercise. You could then spin around five times and ‘walk the plank’ and try and balance your way across a beam (maybe the edge of  a flowerbed or just a plank slightly elevated by a few bricks). You could then crawl through a tunnel or limbo under a blanket between two chairs. You could create a spider web with rope strung over and back between two posts (on a swing set, between trees, on your stairs) and try and get through it without touching the web. These can be adjusted for indoors and outdoors and there are plenty of ways to set new challenges, like completing it wearing wellies or hopping on one foot!