Normally, I would not share this type of information, but with the general lack of child-specific medical research out there, I thought you might be interested.  The National Institutes of Health announced the first research centers for The National Children’s Study, which will look at environmental effects on the health and well-being of children from before birth to age 21 - yes, among other things, they are looking for the effects of all that stuff pregnant women are exposed to these days just by breathing.  We may all want to go find a nice bubble to live in when the results are reported.  Personally, I see signs around city buildings and parking lots indicating that the air in these spaces could cause birth defects, and when I was pregnant, I always wondered if that meant my child would have three ears.  It will be fascinating to see what this study finds.  Check out the website for the latest and greatest news, or join the listserve. 

It appears this is going to be a big deal.  The National Children’s Study will follow over 100,000 children, and will examine multiple factors and how they influence children’s lives.  It will be nice to have the information from this project to drive our policies and in some cases, parenting approaches.  Ok, so how do I find my way to the bubble in the meantime?