Compromised maternal nutritional status in early pregnancy and its relation to the birth size in young rural Indian mothers

Background Low birth weight is highly prevalent in rural India. As a chronic undernutrition problem, poor birth outcomes are closely related to various nutritional factors more prominently the poor maternal anthropometry at conception. The purpose of the study was to identify how compromised maternal nutritional status in early pregnancy affects the birth size of rural Indian mothers. Methods It was a prospective observational study on singleton pregnant women (n = 204) from 14 villages in Mulshi Taluka of Pune District, Maharashtra, India. Maternal weight (Wt), height (Ht), body fat percent (BF%), head circumference (HC), and sitting height (SHT) were measured at early pregnancy (< 13 weeks of gestation) and infants’ weight and length were measured within 24 h of birth. Groups means were tested using a ‘t’ test while the trend in means was tested using ANOVA. Results Mothers were young (21.46 ± 2.09 yrs), thin (46.46 ± 6.1 kg), short (153.39 ± 5.79 cm), and poorly nourished (19.74 ± 2.41 kg/m2). Mean birth weight was low (2655 ± 507 g) and prevalence of LBW and stunting at birth was highest among mothers in the lower tertile of each of the anthropometric indicators. In particular, stunting was significantly higher for mothers in lower tertile compared to higher tertile of Wt (44.6 Vs 64.6%) and was also true for HC (43.7 Vs 60.6%). Risk for LBW and stunting at birth was almost similar and was significant (p < 0.01) for mothers in the lower tertile of Wt, Ht, BMI, SHT, HC, and BF% as compared to those in the higher tertile of these measurements. Conclusion All the anthropometric indicators of current undernutrition at first trimester as well as that in utero reflected by smaller HC, impose risk for LBW and stunting at birth especially among young rural mothers.

Human Milk Microbiome of Healthy Indian Mothers is Dominated by Genus Pseudomonas

Background: The composition of the human milk microbiome is highly variable and multifactorial. Milk microbiota from various countries show striking differences. There is a paucity of data from healthy lactating Indian mothers. Research Aim: To describe the milk microbiota of healthy North Indian women, using a culture-independent, targeted metagenomic approach. Methods: We recruited exclusively breastfeeding mothers ( N = 22) who had vaginally delivered full-term singleton infants in a tertiary care hospital less than 1 week previously and had not recently consumed systemic antibiotics. Milk samples (5 ml) were collected aseptically, and microbial deoxyribonucleic acid was extracted. Microbial composition and diversity were determined using a 454-pyrosequencing platform. Core genera were identified, and their relative abundances ranked. Heatmaps showing the variation of the ranked abundances and Shannon index were obtained using R. Results: Participants (all exclusively vegetarian) had a mean ( SD) age of 27.2 (3.4) years, postnatal age of 3.9 (1.6) days and gestation 38 (1.2) weeks. The dominant phylum was Proteobacterium (relative abundance 84%) and dominant genus Pseudomonas (relative abundance 61.78%). Eleven species of Pseudomonas were identified, all generally considered nonpathogenic. Based on abundance patterns of the core genera, the milk samples could be grouped: (a) dominated by Pseudomonas with low diversity; (b) less Pseudomonas and high diversity; and (c) dominated by Pseudomonas but high diversity. All neonates were healthy and gaining weight well at 1 month of age. Conclusions: Healthy, lactating, vegetarian, North Indian women who deliver at term gestation and have no recent exposure to antibiotics, have a unique milk microbiome dominated by Pseudomonas.

Psychological Well-Being of Indian Mothers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study explored the associations among psychological well-being (PWB), self-compassion, psychological inflexibility (PI), and parenting stress (PS) in 242 urban Indian mothers of children 10 years old and younger in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Regression analysis revealed that greater self-compassion (SC), less PS, and greater psychological flexibility were associated with psychological well-being among the participants. Findings from this study contribute to research on maternal mental health by showing that, even in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, SC, PI, and PS are related to the PWB of urban Indian mothers, thus highlighting a need for evolving gender-based policies and emphasizing specific interventions for this vulnerable population.

Black West Indian Mothering : A Canadian Perspective

Raising a family in a society where the culture, values, and beliefs differ from one's 'home country', is a challenge for most immigrants. This is especially true for Black West Indian mothers as they try to raise their children in a society where race, class, and gender are forces of oppression and marginalization. This qualitative study examined the experiences of a small group of single Black West Indian mothers raising their children in a large urban Canadian city. Black Feminist thought was used as the theoretical framework to analyze critically the social barriers and supports impacting this group. The results revealed that while these women experienced negative attitudes when working with government workers, and differences in childrearing practices between West Indian and Canadian cultures; attending community parenting programs were a source of social support and relevant parenting information. Implications for health promotion initiatives and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Black West Indian Mothering : A Canadian Perspective

Raising a family in a society where the culture, values, and beliefs differ from one's 'home country', is a challenge for most immigrants. This is especially true for Black West Indian mothers as they try to raise their children in a society where race, class, and gender are forces of oppression and marginalization. This qualitative study examined the experiences of a small group of single Black West Indian mothers raising their children in a large urban Canadian city. Black Feminist thought was used as the theoretical framework to analyze critically the social barriers and supports impacting this group. The results revealed that while these women experienced negative attitudes when working with government workers, and differences in childrearing practices between West Indian and Canadian cultures; attending community parenting programs were a source of social support and relevant parenting information. Implications for health promotion initiatives and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Neonatal death in India: Birth order in a context of maternal undernutrition

We document a novel fact about neonatal death, or death in the first month of life. Globally, neonatal mortality is disproportionately concentrated in India. We identify a large effect of birth order on neonatal mortality that is unique to India: later-born siblings have a steep survival advantage relative to the birth order gradient in other developing countries. We show that India’s high prevalence of maternal undernutrition and its correlation with age and childbearing can explain this pattern. We find that Indian mothers exit the underweight body mass range at an internationally comparatively high rate as they progress through childbearing careers.