Just in time for Mother's Day: a slew of mom-related health studies

Researchers must have Mother's Day on the brain, because this week a seeming flood of new reports and studies relating to mothers and health has been released, on everything from birth control, mothers' ages and different parenting techniques' effects on children's growth.

One study on moms released by the Pew Research Center found that mothers in the United States are increasingly older, better educated and single. Finding that "the demography of motherhood in the United States has shifted strikingly in the past two decades," the report says that "The higher share of college-educated mothers stems both from their rising birth rates and from women's increasing educational attainment." Part of this can be attributed to shifting attitudes about unmarried motherhood, which no longer carries the stigma it once did.

A separate study, this one headed by researchers at Brazil's Federal University of Pelotas and published in the Journal of Pediatrics, found that postpartum depression in mothers does not seem to affect a newborn's growth and development, in contrast with widely held beliefs. Though they found postpartum depression to be extremely high in the sampling of mothers they studied - about 30 percent - they found that the condition didn't necessarily impact the children's growth rates and weight gain.

Yet another study, from the University of Montreal, links television viewing among toddlers with poor health and bad behavior. The study of Canadian children noted their television habits from ages 2 to 5; then assessed those kids' health and academic performance once they reached fourth grade. Those who watched more than two hours of TV a day performed poorer in math and participated less in class. They were also more likely to consume junk food.

Finally, experts are also warning pregnant women of yet another reason to refrain from drinking while expecting. In addition to numerous health risks, like Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, this study finds that alcohol consumption might be tied to a rare form of leukemia in children. French researchers looked at the ties between alcohol consumption among pregnant women and two rare cancers: acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. According to BusinessWeek, "Drinking during pregnancy boosted the risk only for acute myeloid leukemia, the researchers found. No greater impact was found during any stage of pregnancy, but the risk increased with the amount of alcohol consumed."

That's a lot for mothers or potential mothers to keep in mind. But, raising healthy children is a pretty worthy pursuit if ever there was one. So here's to healthy, and health-conscious moms.

Photo credit: Myles Grant