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In link between miscarriage and caffeinated drinks, the 'who' might surprise you
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Caffeinated beverages have been linked to increased chance of miscarriage. But the when and the who might surprise you and there's help to reduce the risk, as well. - photo by Lois M Collins
Caffeinated beverages have been linked to an increased chance of miscarriage. But the when and the who might surprise you. Besides that, there's something common that reduces the risk.

According to research by the National Institutes of Health and Ohio State University Columbus, a woman is more likely to miscarry if she and her partner have more than two caffeinated beverages a day in the weeks prior to conception. For seven weeks after, a woman's consumption increases the risk.

The researchers emphasized that the male's caffeine consumption, often overlooked, also was linked to early miscarriage.

According to an NIH news release, taking a daily multivitamin before becoming pregnant and early on in the pregnancy decreases the risk of miscarriage.

The study is published online in Fertility and Sterility.

"Our findings provide useful information for couples who are planning a pregnancy and who would like to minimize their risk for early pregnancy loss," said the study's first author, Germaine Buck Louis, director of the Division of Intramural Population Health Research at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, in a written statement.

The data researchers used comes from a large longitudinal study looking at links between fertility, lifestyle and environmental chemical exposure. Participants answered lifestyle questions like whether they smoked, how much caffeine they drank, and more. Then the researchers compared the data to pregnancy outcomes, including miscarriage in the first seven weeks of pregnancy.

The study showed links, but was never designed to prove cause and effect, the researchers said.

CBS reported that "of the 344 pregnancies, 98 ended in miscarriage about 28 percent. When both the woman and the man drank more than two caffeinated beverages a day in the weeks leading up to conception including cola, tea and coffee there was a higher risk of miscarriage."

Risk was also higher with older moms, those older than 35.

Women who take a multivitamin before conceiving and into the pregnancy reduce the risk. But as CBS noted, "If a woman only took a multivitamin preconception and didn't keep taking them during the early weeks of pregnancy, there was still a reduced risk of miscarriage, but it dropped to about 55 percent."

The article noted that the male parent taking a vitamin did not appear to make a difference.

Today quoted the researchers on future analysis of the data: "There will be answers later to questions about mercury from fish and chemicals such as pesticides."
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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