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Marianne Clay |
While the news rarely provides delight, hasn't the news of late been
particularly hard?
The panoramic shots of the miles of devastation along the Louisiana and
Alabama coastlines and the stories of the people working to rebuild their
lives after losing so much has us all casting for helpful ways to respond. In
addition to the check you've already fi red off, consider participating in any
one of the programs the doll world is offering in the aftermath of Hurricane
Katrina and listed on page 22.
My family and I live in landlocked Pennsylvania, so we know Hurricane
Katrina only through the news and through our Texas relatives who opened their
homes including a cousin and his wife, a doctor and nurse, who also offered
medical care in New Orleans. But the unsolved case of the Alabama teen lost
in Aruba, Natalee Holloway, did touch us. My daughter and Natalee met several
times when Natalee, whom my daughter describes as being as bright, as
beautiful, and as level-headed as any 18-year-old child can be, visited the
college my daughter attends. Her parents' steadfast devotion to solving their
daughter's disappearance resonates in every parent's heart and reminds us no
matter whether our child is 8 days old or 18 years — my daughter's and
Natalee's age — our children forever remain our babies whom we try to
protect. Little wonder, then, amid the tragedy of Natalee and Hurricane
Katrina, I gleefully unwrapped this delicious nugget of happy news.
In case you missed it, a 2004 Finnish study found eating chocolate during
pregnancy is good for the baby, especially if the mother is feeling stressed.
These University of Helsinki researchers asked 305 pregnant women to note
their chocolate consumption and rate their stress levels. Then, six months
after the babies were born, the researchers looked to see if the amount of
chocolate the mothers consumed impacted babies' behavior. Babies born to
mothers who ate chocolate daily were more active, more likely to smile and
laugh, and more confi dent in new situations. Chocolate contains more than
300 known chemicals including several known to promote health and feelings of
well being. The researchers speculate that when the mothers ate the
chocolate, the chemicals associated with positive feelings passed to the
baby.
For me, the conclusion is simple: we should share chocolate with every
pregnant woman we know. And, since this issue celebrates baby dolls, we
really should nibble on a piece while consuming these pages. (I'll take that
piece of dark chocolate with almonds, please.)
Promote happiness and babies, eat chocolate!
Marianne Clay
Editor
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