Sunday, June 7, 2009

Spotlight
When a baby is born, the doctors do more than count all the fingers and toes. The Apgar Score rates the baby's heart rate, respiration, muscle tone, skin color, and response to stimuli immediately after birth and five minutes later. The system was developed in 1952 by Dr. Virginia Apgar, who was born exactly a century ago today. Dr. Apgar was interested in assessing the baby's well-being right after birth, before the child was whisked away to the nursery. This way, if there was a need, the child could receive immediate medical attention. In her studies, Dr. Apgar also determined that anesthetics given to women during childbirth can have a negative impact on the newborn. This led to a rethinking of the kinds of painkillers women should receive while in the throes of labor.

Quote
"Babies are such a nice way to start people." — Don Herold

Question of the Day
Is infant breathing normally erratic?
Since infants are easily stimulated by the external environment, they are more likely to respond deliberately with changes in breathing rate and depth. The respiratory center regulates an even breathing pattern varied by rate and depth according to PaCo2 (level of carbon dioxide) and Pa02 levels in the blood. This can be seen more easily while the infant is asleep, displaying an innate and unlearned breathing pattern.

Infants have to "learn" to regulate their own breathing over time. It is somewhat instinctual, but is erratic for several months after birth. Infants will instinctively match their breathing patterns to their parent/caregiver when face to face or in close contact with them. If you're worried about increased risk of SIDS make sure you have some face to face, and skin to skin contact every day, and especially before putting them to bed alone for a long period of time.

Word of the day
juniper

Any of various evergreen trees or shrubs of the genus Juniperus, having needlelike or scalelike, often pointed leaves and aromatic, bluish-gray, berrylike, seed-bearing cones.

(© Houghton Mifflin Company)

Today's History

• Treaty of Tordesillas: divided the New World between Spain and Portugal (1494)
• Continental Congress: the delegates heard a motion to declare the United Colonies free and independent from England (1776)
• Vatican City: became an independent, sovereign state as the Lateran Treaty was signed in Rome (1929)
• The $64,000 Question: game show premiered on CBS (1955)
• Operation Opera: an Israeli airstrike took out Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor (1981)

Today's Birthdays

Allen Iverson

• Paul Gauguin (1848-1903): Post-Impressionist painter
• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000): Illinois' Pulitzer Prize-winning poet laureate; other writers born on this date include Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973), Nikki Giovanni (66) and Louise Erdrich (55)
• Liam Neeson (57): actor, Schindler's List and, more recently, Taken; also, actors Jessica Tandy (1909-1994), Colleen Camp (56) and Michael Cera (21)
• Prince (51): musician, Purple Rain; singers Dean Martin (1917-1995) and Tom Jones (69) share this birthday
• Allen Iverson (34): basketball's shortest MVP and one of its fastest
• Anna Kournikova (28): tennis player and model