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Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

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Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#151

Post by mensetmanusman »

garmaine wrote: post #21
dzink wrote: post #10

Here is entirely anecdotal speculation as to why this is happening (credentials - mom of two). In the late stages of pregnancy the uterus starts preparing for birth by doing Braxton hicks contractions. The uterus flexes its muscles. They get stronger and physically push the baby down like a ping pong ball coming out of a balloon. BH contractions are also like clock ticks to pregnancy, the closer you get to delivery t…

I would think that stress levels are higher now...

Depends on how much media you consume. Go outside, walks even, read classics, breathe, write in a journal, get some sunshine.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#152

Post by ThomPete »

My son was born 10 weeks (started having issues 14 weeks) too early. One of the primary reasons he was born that early was that my wifes Cervical was expanding too fast. The remedy lay down don't move.

A simple explanation could simply be that by people having stayed at home they are less likely to be physically active and stressed.

I'll bet you that's the primary reason.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#153

Post by ghaff »

mattigames wrote: post #123
nostromo wrote: post #8

Heart attacks are similarly down 40-60%. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/well/live/coronavirus-doc... And cancer diagnoses are down by half. https://youtu.be/TWF8KLKy-I0 Of course, no, they aren’t down, it’s just that people that absolutely should be going to the hospital aren’t and they’re endangering their lives trying to avoid COVID-19. Could something similar be at play here? I laughed out loud when they sugge…

It short-sighted to look at those reductions in heart attacks and cancer and claim that they are all the result of people not going to the hospital, I'm sure for some percentage is true but there are dozens more factors likely involved: Less going out means less exposure to smog/contamination, less car accidents, less commute-caused stress, less physical confrontations with coworkers and strangers (eg thieves), more…

I'm sure there's some truth in all those other factors but I'm not sure how much any of them have to do with heart attack rate, much less cancer.

People are absolutely putting off going to the doctor or hospital for symptoms and problems that they can at least convince themselves are "nothing" or which will get better on their own.

I did it myself in May for a probable pinched nerve. (I did talk to a doctor friend of mine admittedly and she didn't think it was something that needed urgent medical attention and it has largely subsided on its own for now.) But it was definitely at the point where I would normally have gone to see my doctor.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#154

Post by Viliam1234 »

jariel wrote: post #6

The stress of non-cummuting may have been offset by the stress of 'OMG there's a pandemic' - a more existential kind of things. The Scientologists have some very aggressive rules about 'quiet' around baby and birth, rather extremist, but I think there is something to it. Even in the womb, we are picking up information - imagine all the noise, hormones, moving around etc. we get from pre-birth to age 1. I wonder if we…

I am pretty sure most people don't remember whether someone said something during their birth. Generally, people remember very little from their first years. For a child below 5 years, if you talk about something that happened a year ago, from their perspective it never happened (unless you remind them of the thing repeatedly, in which case they actually remember your repetition, not the original event). Also, the babies themselves contribute some of the noise.

The "something is to it" part is probably that you shouldn't play loud metal music in the hospital. Which probably no one does anyway. But being afraid to say a word... that's just superstition.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#155

Post by arrrg »

GekkePrutser wrote: post #66
acituan wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Of course, no, they aren’t down, it’s just that people that absolutely should be going to the hospital aren’t and they’re endangering their lives trying to avoid COVID-19. Do we have any clear data for this link of causality ? Isn't it just one guess among many as to why? It is unlikely single factor explains the entirety of the changes in these metrics and I actually doubt healthcare usage reluctance will turn out…

Here in Spain it's almost impossible to see a doctor if you're not dropping dead. If I try to book an appointment with my GP it tells me I can't, they only do over the phone consultancies unless it's an emergency. So at least here it's not even reluctance but rather the lack of possibility to see a doctor.

Those differences are so wild!

Here in Germany it was easy for my partner to get an appointment at her GP. She also asked and that particular GP didn’t see a single COVID case. Not every German city is like that, certainly, but that shows what a difference in the lived experience different reaction times, measures and luck played.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#156

Post by jariel »

Viliam1234 wrote: post #154
jariel wrote: post #6

The stress of non-cummuting may have been offset by the stress of 'OMG there's a pandemic' - a more existential kind of things. The Scientologists have some very aggressive rules about 'quiet' around baby and birth, rather extremist, but I think there is something to it. Even in the womb, we are picking up information - imagine all the noise, hormones, moving around etc. we get from pre-birth to age 1. I wonder if we…

I am pretty sure most people don't remember whether someone said something during their birth. Generally, people remember very little from their first years. For a child below 5 years, if you talk about something that happened a year ago, from their perspective it never happened (unless you remind them of the thing repeatedly, in which case they actually remember your repetition, not the original event). Also, the ba…

"whether someone said something during their birth. Generally, people remember very little from their first years"

You're missing the context here. Babies don't understand speech, so it's not like words are going to matter.

And this has nothing to do with 'memories'.

Loud noises, unnatural humming sounds like vehicles, the constancy of it all - is highly unnatural.

The possibility that hormones can alter our development is implied in the article, it's not entirely unreasonable that other stressors can affect us as well.

We were 'designed' to come into a very quiet world (granted, it was a rugged place) but it was audibly very quiet.

Since all of us - adults, children, react in a variety of ways to sound (stressing, soothing etc.) I suggest that audio, in the very earliest phases of one's life can possibly be a stressor.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#157

Post by bananaface »

mensetmanusman wrote: post #143
nostromo wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Half of premature babies are delivered via c-section and many more are induced, usually because there is some risk to the mother or baby at holding the baby to term.

c-sections are money makers, we left our hospital in Boston when we found they had a 50% c-section rate, ha

That's straight-up cyberpunk horror territory. What the actual fuck

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#158

Post by XorNot »

tasogare wrote: post #38
dzink wrote: post #10

Here is entirely anecdotal speculation as to why this is happening (credentials - mom of two). In the late stages of pregnancy the uterus starts preparing for birth by doing Braxton hicks contractions. The uterus flexes its muscles. They get stronger and physically push the baby down like a ping pong ball coming out of a balloon. BH contractions are also like clock ticks to pregnancy, the closer you get to delivery t…

> Late stage pregnancy mothers legitimately need less physical strain and more opportunity to take care of their bodies or the baby comes early. Keeping the same active pace of work for a few weeks in the third trimester can cost years of additional effort and suffering as a premature baby may accrue permanent damage. You are rediscovering why in traditional societies woman stop working when getting pregnant. This is…

> You are rediscovering why in traditional societies woman stop working when getting pregnant.

Which "traditional" societies? Because you sure as hell didn't stop working in any pre-agrarian, post-agrarian, industrial or ... you know any society on Earth prior to the invention of the white-collar job.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#159

Post by x87678r »

ancientworldnow wrote: post #69
GekkePrutser wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I was thinking the same.. This is not a low stress time. I've not been so stressed (and depressed) for a long time.

There's lots of evidence from fitness tracker companies that most people (who use fitness trackers at least) are indeed less stressed.

There isn't much point wearing your fitness tracker if you never leave the house.

Re: Fewer premature babies born since Covid-19 lockdown

#160

Post by alistairSH »

bananaface wrote: post #157
mensetmanusman wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

c-sections are money makers, we left our hospital in Boston when we found they had a 50% c-section rate, ha

That's straight-up cyberpunk horror territory. What the actual fuck

Could many of those C-sections be at the request of the mother? I know quite a few professional women who have scheduled C-sections (or just induced births) so they can "manage" the delivery better. Seems crazy to me, but not my body, child, or career.
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