So it's not an old wives tale, after all. Pregnancy really does alter your foot size and shape. According to an article in Science Daily, the arch of the foot flattens during pregnancy, due to the extra weight and laxity of the joints.
The new University of Iowa study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation claims the arch change may be permanent. It's not all in your mind.
"I had heard women reporting changes in their shoe size with pregnancy, but found nothing about that in medical journals or textbooks," says Neil Segal, M.D., UI associate professor of orthopaedics and rehabilitation. "In order to study this more scientifically, we measured women's feet at the beginning of their pregnancy and five months after delivery. We found that pregnancy does indeed lead to permanent changes in the feet."
Of the nearly 50 women studied, 60 to 70 percent experienced changes to arch dimensions five months following childbirth, with their feet becoming longer and wider.
On average, a woman's arch dropped and her foot length increased between 2 and 10 mm, primarily during a first pregnancy. Further pregnancies did not appear to radically alter proportions.
It also means that pregnancy takes its toll on our bodies in other ways, giving us a higher risk for pain or arthritis in feet, knees, hips and spines than men.
Further research will now be carried out to see whether these changes to foot structure contribute to health problems in later life, and what if anything can be done to safeguard a woman's "musculoskeletal health" during pregnancy.
Did your feet radically change after childbirth? Spill it.
Is one of your classmates struggling with a mental health issue or addiction? Take Action!
Lights, camera, action, that is. As part of Children’s Mental Health Week from May 5-11, Children's Mental Health Ontario (CMHO) has launched the fourth annual Change the View contest on YouTube, to promote "healthy school environments for students with mental health and/or addictions problems."
What can your kid's school do to support students experiencing mental health issues? Think you know? Then post a video for a chance to win cash prizes.
According to the press release, contest rules and submission guidelines are available to view at www.kidsmentalhealth.ca.
“Gone are the days when we thought that mental health issues were limited to adults facing adult challenges” says Gordon Floyd, President and CEO of Children’s Mental Health Ontario. “One in five Ontario children and youth has a diagnosable mental illness.” They shouldn't have to suffer in silence or wallow in shame.
The theme of this year's Change the View was decided by CMHO’s Youth Action Committee (YAC), a team of young people from across Ontario working together to reduce stigma and improve mental health services for children and youth.
The YAC will judge the video submissions. Winners will receive cash prizes for first, second and third place. CMHO will announce winners during Children’s Mental Health Week. The deadline for submissions is April 10, 2013.
View last year's winning entry below.
All eyes on the iPad, parents. A 5-year-old British boy found out the hard way that not all 'free' apps are actually free. A fan of a Zombie iPad game, the little guy's parents were staggered when they received a bill for £1,700 ($2,625CD).
Unbeknownst to young Danny Kitchen, he had racked up the charges through the game's many add-ons.
After receiving an initial bill of £69.99 for apps to help play the game, mom Sharon has tried to contact Apple to obtain a refund, and heard nothing.
“We had lots of visitors in the house and were both a little preoccupied," she explained. When her son asked for the password for the 'free' app, her parents complied. But alarm bells that should have sounded went undetected.
Later on they received a call from their credit card company inquiring about 19 transactions of £69.99 ($108CD). Ouch.
According to the article in the UK Sun, a few days later the tally was £1,700.
“Danny was in tears when we told him how much money he had spent," said his mother. “Loads of parents in the playground said similar things had happened to them but for a lot less money.”
“All iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod touch) have built in parental controls that give parents and guardians the ability to restrict access to content," explained an Apple spokesperson. “Parental controls also give parents and guardians the option to turn off functionality such as purchasing from iTunes and the ability to turn off in-app purchases ... The first thing we recommend is not to share your password."
An honest mistake or parental ignorance? Should Apple refund Danny's parents? Have you been stung with surprise app extras?
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