A study in JAMA Neurology found pregnancy significantly increased the risk of stroke in women younger than 35 years, compared with their nonpregnant contemporaries. The findings, based on data for over 19,000 women hospitalized for stroke from 2003 to 2012 in New York, did not show pregnancy increased the risk for stroke among older women.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has issued updated guidance saying that healthy women with uncomplicated pregnancies of 37 to 45 weeks can receive water immersion during the first stage of labor but should not deliver in water. Those seeking underwater delivery should be informed of possible complications and insufficient studies on its perinatal benefits and risks, according to the guidelines, which were endorsed by the AAP.

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommended that health care providers encourage breast-feeding among women during pregnancy, offer one-on-one counseling to new mothers and provide psychological support to those needing breast-feeding reassurance. However, the recommendations in the Journal of the American Medical Association, based on a review of 43 studies, advised against unnecessary pressure on mothers who don't wish to or cannot breast-feed.

The American Academy of Pediatrics released an updated policy statement in Pediatrics recommending that parents consider their tiredness when feeding their baby to curb their risk of falling asleep in unsafe sleeping environments, such as a sofa or armchair. The statement also advises that infants sleep in their parents' room until age 1 or at least age 6 months and that soft bedding is kept out of a baby's crib or sleep area.

Researchers found no association between neonatal phototherapy and type 1 diabetes among children in unadjusted analyses or after adjusting for hyperbilirubinemia and other covariates. The findings in Pediatrics, based on 499,642 children born at 35 weeks of gestation or greater from 1995 to 2011, revealed that the incidence of type 1 diabetes was strongly correlated with race and ethnicity, with the highest risk seen in whites and the lowest risk seen among Asian patients.

Fewer than 90 infants have had their whole exomes sequenced through the BabySeq Project, but researchers uncovered genetic variants in five that could have health consequences, lead investigator Robert Green said in a presentation at the American Society of Human Genetics' annual meeting. Only pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants strongly associated with childhood-onset diseases are reported to participating families, though researchers made an exception to the rule to report a baby boy's BRCA2 variant to his family.

NANN is partnering with AWHONN to host the highly regarded Emerging Leader Program (ELP), a selective, formal, leadership training program. Nurses interested in nurturing their leadership potential and becoming more involved in NANN activities are encouraged to apply for the 2017 ELP. This year-long program offers training sessions on a variety of leadership and management topics, increases awareness of advocacy and legislative action, enhances the participants' professional network, and provides opportunities for NANN leadership experience. In addition to formal learning sessions, participants work on a project with their identified mentor that will be presented in poster format at the 2018 NANN Annual Education Conference. Application due Nov. 18, 2016. Learn more.

The National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) Program Planning Committee invites you to submit an abstract to present at its 33rd Annual Educational Conference taking place Oct. 11-14 in Providence, R.I. The planning committee and Education Provider Committee have identified the need to cover a wide range of topics that will appeal to both the novice and expert neonatal nurse. As a result, we have provided a list of topics and areas of interest in order to make the application selection process less cumbersome and more diverse to better meet the educational needs of the conference attendees. We encourage you to suggest your own ideas, present your own research findings, or share your knowledge on a topic of interest. Abstract Submission Deadline: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2016 at 5 p.m. Central Time. Late submissions will not be accepted. There will be no deadline extensions.