January 15, 2008

Give me a break -- so now they're telling us we cause our kids' asthma!!

Okay, I wasn't even planning on writing a post today, but I'm just incensed by this article that just this minute hit the internet..... It's what I'd peg as another "meanstream" media story.

So, here it is: according to Canadian researchers who apparently studied 14,000 kids born in 1995, of whom 7% were diagnosed with asthma by the time they reached the age of 7. The researchers focused only on maternal stress/depression as a factor causing the incidence of asthma. According to them, the result of the study shows that kids who have moms that are depressed are 25% more likely to develop asthma.

Now, down towards the end of this article, it does say: "The researchers aren't blaming stressed moms for children's asthma." Yeah, sure they aren't....

Is something wrong here?!?! What about factors that actually have a direct correlation to asthma, ... say, I don't know, like AIR QUALITY?

I swear, as if we moms who've survived postpartum depression don't already have enough to feel guilty over.... now we have to worry about our kids blaming us for their asthma.....

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ignore the article...the media just keep writing stuff to sell themselves to the public!
By the way...cute pic with the kid :)
ps: thanks for adding me to the blogroll..i will add you back.

Kristin said...

Yeah, I guess I need to keep some perspective. It's just a story that sells. But just look at the expense....

Thanks for stopping by!! I'll keep visiting your blog too.

Warmly,
Kristin

Anonymous said...

Of course, our kids are going to blame us for something totally outside of our control...why not asthma?

My sister still blames my mom for the fact that my sister took up smoking as a teenager and kept smoking until she was ~30. My mom didn't even know that my sister smoked until my sister became seriously ill in her late 20s, and mom went to take care of her for a week or two. But mom did smoke when she was pregnant -- they didn't know then what they know now. (Of course, mom also smoked while pregnant with me and I never took up smoking. So you never know.)

Kristin said...

You got it right! There's always something to blame mom with.... I guess it's all part of "mother guilt," huh?

Thanks so much for your comment!!

Warmly,
Kristin

Anonymous said...

While I do believe that a mother's mental stability affects her child in the womb to an extent (which I think we'd all agree about), I think this is a crock of crap.

You are right - AIR QUALITY, FOOD QUALITY, INGREDIENTS IN VACCINATIONS, manufacturers CHEMICALS in products we buy for our children, etc... are more likely to be a reason.

But also GENETICS.
My youngest son was born with asthma and that was the most amazing pregnancy, natural delivery, breastfeeding, stress-free time in my life. I call bull on this one.