Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Baby's Smile Lights Up Mom's Brain


Awwww you guys..how cool is this??

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By Serena Gordon, HealthDay Reporter

posted: 07 July 2008 02:41 pm ET

(HealthDay News) -- Science may have confirmed what most moms already know: When a woman sees her baby smile, certain areas of her brain activate, stimulating happy feelings.

"There's a definite biological origin to these feelings that mothers have," said study author Dr. Lane Strathearn, an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "The contrast that showed the most response in the dopaminergic system of the brain was when a mother's own baby smiled compared to an unknown baby face."

"A baby's smile is a very powerful stimulus," noted Strathearn. "It makes sense biologically. Babies are completely and utterly dependent on their caregivers. It makes sense that nature would build in a system that would reinforce that relationship."

A woman's crying infant, or even her baby with a neutral expression, doesn't evoke the same type of brain response as occurs when her baby is smiling, the study found.

Strathearn said they haven't had a chance to look at the effects on fathers. His team published its findings in the July issue of Pediatrics.

For the study, the researchers recruited 28 first-time mothers during their last trimester of pregnancy. At that time, Strathearn said the women completed "attachment interviews" to assess the types of experiences they had when being raised and what type of relationship these mothers had with their own parents.

The average age of the women was 29, and most had at least a college degree. Thirteen of the women were white, seven were black, four were Hispanic, and four listed their race as other. Most of the women -- 20 -- were married.

Then the researchers met with the mothers and the babies when the babies were about 6 months old. At that time, they videotaped them and captured smiling, crying and neutral pictures of the babies. When the babies were about 10 months old, they asked the mothers to come back in for a functional MRI (fMRI) scan that shows which areas of the brain are activated.

When the mother's saw photos of their own baby's face, an extensive brain network was activated, according to the study. But, it was when mothers saw their own infant's happy face that the dopaminergic reward system in particular was activated. This system was not activated when mothers saw their own children looking either sad or neutral.

"This study is fascinating. It's a step towards unraveling the chemistry of emotion, and it begins to show the complex chemistry of the mother-child relationship," said Dr. Michael Wasserman, a pediatrician at Ochsner Health System in New Orleans.

Strathearn explained that for some mothers, there may be a problem in this natural reward system, and that may help to explain why some women never bond with their children or even abuse their children.

Source: Live Science

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Breastfeeding linked to increased intelligence

May 06, 2008

The largest randomized study of breastfeeding ever conducted reports that breastfeeding appears to raise children’s IQs and improve their academic performance, a Canadian research team has found.

In an article entitled Breastfeeding and Child Cognitive Development, published in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, lead investigator Dr. Michael Kramer reported the results from following the same group of 14,000 children for 6.5 years.

‘Our study provides the strongest evidence to date that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding makes kids smarter,’ said Kramer, a professor of pediatrics, epidemiology and biostatistics with Montreal-based McGill University faculty of medicine.

Kramer and his colleagues evaluated the children in 31 Belarusian hospitals and clinics.
Half the mothers were exposed to an intervention that encouraged prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding. The remaining half continued their usual maternity hospital and outpatient pediatric care and follow up.

This allowed the researchers to measure the effect of breastfeeding on the children’s cognitive development without the results being biased by differences in factors such as the mother’s intelligence or her way of interacting with her baby.

The children’s cognitive ability was assessed by IQ tests administered by the children’s pediatricians and by their teachers’ ratings of their academic performance in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects.

Both sets of measures were significantly higher in the group randomized to the breastfeeding promotion intervention.

‘The effect of breastfeeding on brain development and intelligence has long been a popular and hotly debated topic,’ said Kramer.

‘While most studies have been based on association, however, we can now make a causal inference between breastfeeding and intelligence – because of the randomized design of our study.’

Source: Archives of General Psychiatry 

Click here for article: Women's Health Matters

Benefits of Labour Pains


Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about C-sections and basically his opinion on how many women are opting for c-sections instead of natural birth in order to avoid labour pains. His answer is quite an informative one, but this is what I wanted to share with you from his answer:

...a woman is bound to feel pain when in labour, but this pain has a number of benefits:

1 – It is an expiation for sin

2 – It raises her in status if she is patient and seeks reward.

3 – The woman understands the extent of the pain suffered by other mothers.

4 – She will appreciate the extent of the blessing of good health that Allaah bestows on her.

5 – It will increase her love towards her child, because the more difficult it is to attain something, the dearer it becomes.

6 – If the child is born by via the usual, well-known route, this is better for him and the woman.

7 – Damage may be expected from this surgery, because this operation weakens the wall of the uterus etc, which may tear. And it may be successful or unsuccessful.

8 – The woman who gets used to having caesareans is unlikely to give birth in the natural manner, because that is not possible, and there is the risk that the site of the surgery may rupture.

9 – Having surgery results in having fewer children, because if the abdomen is cut three times in different places, it becomes weak and future pregnancy becomes dangerous.

Women should be patient and seek reward, and should continue to give birth in the natural way, because that is better for them in this world and in the Hereafter.

For the entire answer click here: IslamQA C-Section

photo source here

Adhkaar for labour

Assalamu alikum sisters,

For those of us who are pregnant (I'm 36 weeks alhamdullilah :)).. here's a little something I found on Islam QA. Remind whoever is going to be with you when you are giving birth to do this.. and remember to make dua!!!!

Question: Does reciting al-Zalzalah at the time of childbirth make giving birth easier? Are there any du’aa’s or adhkaar that are prescribed when giving birth to make it easier? Will du’aa’s made at the time of childbirth be answered?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Writing al-Zalzalah in saffron in a vessel, and other verses which mention that Allaah knows what is in the wombs, such as the aayaahs (interpretation of the meaning):

“No fruit comes out of its sheath, nor does a female conceive nor brings forth (young), except by His Knowledge” [Fussilat 41:47]

“Allaah knows what every female bears, and by how much the wombs fall short (of their time or number) or exceed. Everything with Him is in (due) proportion” [al-Ra’d 13:8]

- this was tried, then water was poured into the vessel and stirred until the saffron was dissolved. Then the woman in labour was given it to drink, and some of it was wiped on her stomach. Or these verses were recited into water and she was given it to drink and some of it was wiped on her stomach. Or these verses were recited over the woman whilst she was experiencing labour pains. All of this was beneficial, by the grace of Allaah.

With regard to the issue of du’aa’… the du’aa’ of a woman who is experiencing labour pains – when she has contractions – deserves to be answered, because it is a time of distress, and Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

“Is not He (better than your gods) Who responds to the distressed one, when he calls on Him, and Who removes the evil, and makes you inheritors of the earth, generations after generations? Is there any ilaah (god) with Allaah?” [al-Naml 27:62]

How often has Allaah answered du’aa’s at times of distress and provided a way out! And Allaah knows best.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him.



Source: IslamQA-Labour

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Be Strong!


By Umm Hanifa

My dear sisters in Islam, a Muslim has got ONE goal in this life and it is to enter Jannah. All other goals are intermediary goals that should help us achieve that ultimate goal. So, whenever we set ourselves a goal, the first thing we should do is sincerely ask ourselves whether this will help us on our road to Jannah and this is a question that none of us will be able to answer but ourselves. Let’s take for example the goal of getting a degree. One might take a degree in English to make da’wah and another one might take the same degree but with the goal of writing romance novels. The means are the same but the goals (and intention) are completely different.

The road to Jannah, however, is not rosy-rosy. Instead, it is made of hardships. Rasulullah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said (in the meaning):

"When Allah created Paradise, He said to Jibreel: Go and look at it. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Your might, no one who hears of it will fail to enter it. He then surrounded it with disagreeable things, and said: Go and look at it, Jibreel. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, I am afraid that no one will enter it. When Allah created Hell, He said: Go and look at it, Jibreel. He went and looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might, no one who hears of it will enter it. He then surrounded it with desirable things and said: Go and look at it, Jibreel. He went, looked at it, then came and said: O my Lord! By Thy might and power, I am afraid that no one will remain who does not enter it." [Abu Dawud]

In the meaning of another hadeeth,

"The (Hell) Fire is surrounded by all kinds of desires and passions, while Paradise is surrounded by all kinds of disliked undesirable things." [Agreed upon]

So, my dear sisters, if we want that noble ultimate goal that Jannah is, we must be ready for hardships and how to face them. And this is why we have to develop a strong faith and a strong character.

First of all, we have to believe and be convinced that things happen by the Will of Allah. Rasulullah (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said to Abdulllah bin Abbaas (ra):

"Be Mindful of Allaah, and you will find Him in front of you. Recognise and Acknowledge Allaah in times of ease and prosperity, and He will Remember you in times of adversity. And know that what has passed you by [and you have failed to attain] was not going to befall you, and what has befallen you was not going to pass you by. And know that Victory comes with Patience, Relief with Affliction, and Hardship with Ease." [Tirmidhi]

In another version of the same hadeeth:

"And know that if the Nation were to gather together to benefit you with anything, they would not benefit you except with what Allaah had already prescribed for you. And if they were to gather together to harm you with anything, they would not harm you except with what Allaah had already prescribed against you." [Tirmidhi]

Secondly, we have to seek Allah’s pleasure in good times and remember Him and Allah will remember us in hard times.

Thirdly, we have to seek help with patience and prayer. Allah says:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاَةِ إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ
whose meaning is:

"And seek help with patience and prayer." [al-Baqarah:153]

Fourthly, we have to be happy with what Allah has given to us and “make do” with what we have. This does not mean that we have to live without a washing machine but, if the washing machine broke down when our husband was travelling and we had no money to either repair it or buy a new one, could we cope with it? If we had no car for a month, could we cope without it? If we couldn’t use our hand for a month, could we cope with that? If we had no running water for two days, would we be able to adapt?

It is the promise of Allah that He will test us with things like that. Allah says:

وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوفْ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الاٌّمَوَالِ وَالاٌّنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَتِ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّـبِرِينَ
whose meaning is:

"And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to As-Sabirin (the patient). [Al-Baqarah: 155]

Fifthly, we, women, should be strong to raise our family. We are often tested by our children and this is a promise from Allah. He says:

إِنَّمَا أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَأَوْلَادُكُمْ فِتْنَةٌ وَاللَّهُ عِندَهُ أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ
whose meaning is:

"Your wealth and your children are only a Fitnah, whereas Allah! With Him is a great reward." [At-Taghabun:15]

Whether that test comes with a lack of children, or with lots of children, this is a test for us. We do not decide how many children we have but it is Allah who decides how many children we have. How many women have less children than they hoped for and how many women have more children than they hoped for? So ask Allah to give you children and make lots of du’a for them to stay on the right path.

We are also tested through their behaviour, whether this behaviour is good or no. Shall we be thankful? Shall we seek our reward from Allah? Shall we be patient? However, at the same time, they are an immense source of rewards if we bring them up according to Allah’s laws. There is nothing better than leaving behind us a pious child. And if Allah decides to test us by taking them away from us while still young, then this child will wait for us at the door of Jannah insha Allah.

So sisters, be strong in this life because this is the way to attain Jannah and, especially, Jannat-ul-Firdaus and be strong for your children, ask Allah to give you the patience and the wisdom to bring up your children in a way that pleases Him and to give you the strength to do so because you will be tested through them, there is no doubt about it (and the tests from them only get harder and harder until they become adult).

Source: Be Strong!

Monday, July 7, 2008

82 year old grandmother inspires to memorize Qur'an



ASsalamu alikum sisters,

Very inspiring..perhaps if any of you are reading this you might want to join me and we can start a group to start memorizing also..

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An Interview with Umm Saalih, A Grandmother Who Completed Memorizing the Qur'an

As Read by Dr. Saleh as Saleh

Al-Hamdulillaah (All-Praise is due to Allah), the One Who said (what means): "And in truth We have made the Qur'aan easy to remember; but is there any that remembers?" Surah 54: 32

Many all over the world memorize the Qur'aan, and it is not strange to see the youth memorizing the Noble Qur'aan and an early age. Al-Hamdulillaah, the One who made the Qur'aan easy for remembrance, had made it easy for Umm Saalih age 82. In an interview with Umm Saalih, she was asked the following questions:

Q1: "What was the reason that drove you to memorize the Qur'aan after so many years?"

She said, "I always hoped to memorize the Qur'aan from the time I was young. My father always used to invoke Allaah for me to become one of the memorizers of the Qur'aan, like himself and like the elder brothers of my family who memorized it. So I memorized in the beginning about three parts and then after I completed the age of thirteen, I got married and became busy with the household and the children. After I had seven children, my husband died. They (the children) were all young so I took the time to raise them and educate them, and then after they grew up and got married, I had more time for myself. Therefore, the first thing I directed myself to focus upon was the Qur'aan.

Q2: "Tell us about your journey with the Noble Qur'aan."

She said, "My younger daughter was going to high school and she was the closest of my children to me and the most beloved, because she stayed with me after her older sisters got married and got busy with their lives, and because she was a quiet girl, upright, loving, and good. In addition, she was interested in learning the Noble Qur'aan, and her teachers encouraged her.

Furthermore, she was very enthusiastic and always told me of many women who were driven by this great motivation to memorize the Qur'aan, and this is where I started."

Q3: "Tell me about your way of memorization."

She said, "We assigned ten verses (meaning her and her daughter who was going to high school). So each day after Asr, we used to sit together. She reads and I repeat after her three times. Then she explains the meaning to me, and after a while, she repeats that three times. On the next morning, she repeats them to me before she goes to school.

She recorded also the recitations of Ash Shaykh al Husary, Rahimuhullaah, repeating each verse three times and thus I continued to listen most of the time. Therefore, the next day we would go to the next ten verses if my memorization was good. Otherwise, we would postpone taking additional verses until the day after. Moreover, we assigned the day of Friday to review the memorizations of the entire week. And this was the journey from the beginning."

Then she said, "Over four years and a half, I memorized twelve juz" according to the way I described to you. Then this young daughter got married. When her husband knew of our task concerning the memorization, he rented a house close to me, close to my house, so that he could allow the continuation of the memorization. In addition, he, May Allah reward him used to encourage us and sometimes sit with us listening, explaining and teaching.

Then after three years of her marriage, my daughter got busy with the children and the household and our schedule was interrupted, but that did not make her give up. To the contrary, she sensed that my eagerness for the memorization was still established so she looked for a special good teacher to continue the journey under her supervision. So, I completed the memorization by the success of Allaah and my daughter is still working to finish the memorization of the Glorious Qur'aan. She has a little left, In Shaa Allaah Ta'aala.

Q4: "This motivation of yours, did it have an effect on other women around you?"

She said, "It really had a good strong effect. My daughters and stepdaughters were all encouraged and worked on learning and teaching the Qur'aan to their children and learning it themselves.

Q5: "After finishing the Noble Qur'aan, don't you think about working on memorizing hadith?"

She said, "Now I have memorized ninety hadith and In Shaa Allaah I will continue the journey. I depend, in my memorization, upon the tapes and upon the Qur'aan radio station. At the end of each week, my daughter comes and checks for me the memorization of three hadith, and I am trying now to memorize more.

Q6: "Over this period of memorization of the Qur'aan, did your life change? Was it affected in one way or another?"

She said, "Yes, I went through a major change and I tried always, all praise is due to Allaah, to obey Allaah before I started the memorization. However, after I started the task of memorization, I began to feel a self-comfort, a great self-comfort and all worries began to move away from me. I even reached the stage of freeing myself from all these excessive worries concerning fearing for the children and their affairs, and my morale was boosted.

I had a noble objective to work for and this is a great Ni'mah (Favor) from Allaah . upon me, since we know that some women, when they get old and they do not have a husband, and their children got married, may be destroyed by the empty time, thoughts, worries, and so forth. But, AlHamdulillaah, I didn't go through this and I made myself busy with a great task and a great objective.

Q7: "Didn't you think at one point, to join one of the circles focusing on teaching the Noble Qur'aan?"

The answer was, "Yes, some of the women suggested this to me, but I am a woman who got used to staying at home, and I don't like to go out everyday, and Al Hamdulillaah, my daughter sufficed me from all difficulty and I was so happy while I was learning from her. My daughter had set an example in goodness and righteousness which we rarely find in our days.

She started this task and journey with me while she was an adolescent and this is a critical age many people complain of. She used to pressure herself so that she could have spare time to teach me, and she used to teach me with kindness and wisdom. Her husband was a good help to her and he exerted a lot of effort. I ask Allaah . to give them success and to bring their children up on uprightness."

Q8: "What do you say to a woman of your age who wishes to learn and memorize the Qur'aan yet she is worried about it and feeling unable to?"

She said, "I say to her there their shall be no despair with the firm, sincere and truthful determination. Begin with sincerity, firm determination and dependence on Allaah at each time. And remember that at this age you should have the time for yourself. However, do not use your time to only go out or to sleep and so forth. Rather, busy yourself with righteous work.

Q9: "Now what would you say to a woman who is still young? What would you advise her?" She, may Allaah preserve her, said: "Preserve Allaah and He will preserve you. Make use of the favor of Allaah bestowed upon you from health and ways and means of comfort. Use that to memorize the Book of Allaah. This is the light which enlivens your heart, your life and your grave after you die.

And if you have a mother then exert the effort to teach her, and there is no better favor upon a mother than one of her righteous children aiding her to be close to Allaah."

Presented on the 1st of Muharram 1426, Feb 10th 2005. Originally published in Ad-Da'wah Magazine, no.1552, 17th of Rabee' Al-Awwal 1417,corresponding to Aug 1, 1996.


Mohamed Omar
Makkah, Saudi Arabia

Thursday, July 3, 2008

More than 1 in 4 deliveries in Canada are C-sections, society says

Thanks Heifa for sending this..

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More than one in four babies born in Canada enter the world via caesarean section, a trend that increases risks in childbirth and burdens the health-care system, according to the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada.

In a news bulletin issued Wednesday, the society says that C-sections, in addition to increasing the risk of bleeding, scarring, infection and chronic pelvic pain, can also make subsequent pregnancies riskier and more prone to complications. Many women who have had one C-section also choose or require a second one, it says.

The society cites 2007 research by the Canadian Perinatal Surveillance System that finds elective C-sections also carry with them risks such as complications from anesthesia, obstetrical wounds and cardiac arrest.

It calls on medical professionals to perform the procedures only when medically necessary.

"While the individual risk for a woman having a C-section is very small, the rising rate is certainly a concern," society president Dr. Guylaine Lefebvre said in a release.

"We fear that there may be an emerging trend towards more scheduled childbirth and routine intervention. We need to be sure that C-sections are not driven by convenience, that interventions are medically indicated and that the safety of a woman and her baby are the driving factors in these decisions."

Andre Lalonde, the society's vice-president, said that C-sections are burdening the health-care system, which already has a shortage of obstetricians and other doctors.

Between 1993 and 2006, Canada's C-section rate grew to 26.3 per cent of all deliveries from 17.6 per cent. The increase is attributed an increase in the number of obese mothers, in which more pregnancy complications necessitating a C-section can arise, and older maternal ages.

Source: CBC