News

New moms want to spend their maternity leave bonding with their baby, but because of procrastination or poor planning, many aren't making the most of their days away from their desk, says Kathy Peel, an author of parenting books.

In a new survey of working mothers and mothers-to-be conducted by iVillage, 73 percent they were most concerned about spending quality time with their newborns. Some of these women, however, get distracted in the days and weeks following labor because they didn't research immunization schedules (44 percent) or child care options (49 percent) beforehand.

Of the 1,366 women polled, 25 percent said they never fully completed either of those tasks before going back to work.

"Moms-to-be are doing some advance work -- shopping for baby products, decorating -- but there is a disconnect somewhere," Peel says.

"Especially with the first baby, new moms get excited about the fun things but it's very important do things like talk to pediatrician, who'll be a very important person in your life. Ask about office hours and their child care philosophies."

The average leave is 11 1/2 weeks, and 94 percent of women said they enjoyed being home with their baby in that time, with 13 percent saying they missed going to work.

IVillage is a network of online and offline media properties that targets women, teenage girls and parents.

Early eye tests prevent later problems

Children's eyes should be tested before they get to kindergarten -- and that's not happening in enough families, placing kids at a greater risk for vision loss as well as physical and emotional difficulties, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Information was collected regarding 12,534 children, and only 36 percent of those age 6 and under had ever received a vision test despite proof that visual cues are important in developing children's understanding and functionality in the world around them, and impaired vision can affect cognitive and neurological development, the CDC reported.

Many cases of visual impairment, however, can eliminated though timely diagnosis and treatment, says Dr. Elaine Hathaway, an ophthalmologist speaking on behalf of the Vision Council of America, a not-for-profit trade group that conducts a "Check yearly, see clearly" campaign.

"Amblyopia is the leading cause of vision loss in young Americans," she stated, "but vision loss can be avoided with early detection and treatment. If we're serious about preventing vision loss, we need to make sure that children receive the necessary preventative vision care," Hathaway said.

Aside from taking children for an eye exam, there are some warning signs that can alert parents to a potential vision problem:

• Squinting, closing or covering one eye, excessive blinking or rubbing of the eyes.

• Dislike or avoidance of close work, a short attention span or frequent daydreaming.

• Placing the head close to a book when reading or losing place while reading.

• Complaints of headaches, nausea and dizziness, or excessive clumsiness.

Alpha Mom TV caters to busy parents

There are channels that focus on food, garden and home, but now comes Alpha Mom TV, a 24-7 channel that caters to mothers.

It features programming about child-rearing issues, including nutrition and safety, and women's issues, such as how women can maintain their sense of self once they become mothers. Maternity designer Liz Lange created four fashion shows, one for each trimester of pregnancy plus the post-natal period.

Other shows focus on practical parenting, tackling baby gear, travel and sleep issues.

All content will be reviewed by members of an advisory board that consists of doctors, psychologists and fitness instructors specializing in pediatrics and childhood development.

Alpha Mom TV is launching with five hours of programming, edited into 15-minute packages, in several markets as a digital cable video-on-demand network, which is intended to allow busy parents to watch the shows that most interest them when it is most convenient for them.

"Alpha Mom TV is our way of supplying moms with the necessary parenting information around-the-clock," says Isabel Kallman, a former Wall Street executive who left the world of finance when her first child was born. She is the co-founder of Alpha Mom TV.

• Most Read
• Most E-mailed
• Latest News