Dr. Bapu Jena, an economist and physician at Harvard Medical School, delves into the chaotic world of panic headlines that influence parenting choices. He discusses how misleading headlines about everyday products often create unnecessary fears among parents. The conversation highlights the critical difference between correlation and causation in research. Jena also explores the biases in scientific studies and the role of media, emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in navigating nutrition research and reassuring parents facing anxiety.

If you spend any time in parenting circles, it’s hard to avoid being inundated with “types” of parenting. Parenting labels are not neutral. Some are positive, some negative, but they’re never just descriptive. And lately, the most ink has been spilled over "gentle" parenting (also called permissive or respectful parenting). Gentle parenting, at its core, is an approach to behavior characterized by acknowledging a child’s feelings and not using punishments or rewards.But does it work? Let's see what the evidence says!Today on ParentData, Emily reads her recent article on gentle parenting aloud, digging into both the data, and also how hard the data is to evaluate.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

The United States is one of the only countries in the world that doesn’t guarantee paid parental leave. We point out this fact a lot, but what does it really mean when a family doesn't have the ability to take time off when a baby is born?It means a lot of things. It means moms going back to work while still recovering from childbirth, it means parents struggling to figure out child care for their baby, and it often means babies going to group child care settings, which may be wonderful but do expose them to germs —  germs that are more dangerous when babies are small than when they’re bigger. We can talk about these different challenges and why they might matter for kids’ and families’ outcomes, but to figure out how much they matter and in what ways...that’s what research is for.Today on ParentData, we're joined by Dr. Katherine Ahrens and Dr. Jennifer Hutcheon, who are both epidemiologists and professors. They recently published a paper titled “Paid Family Leave and Prevention of Acute Respiratory Infections in Young Infants," an analysis of paid leave in New York State, and the impacts of that paid leave on hospitalizations for infants, mostly for RSV. The paper's bottom line is that paid family leave keeps babies healthier and keeps them out of the hospital, and now we have the data to prove it and to show that the effects are large in terms of numbers. But putting together a research paper like this is surprisingly tricky. You need to know what questions you’re asking, and you need to think about how you’re going to determine causality rather than just correlation. So we’re going to take their research from idea to final peer-reviewed paper, and we’re going to talk about everything you always wanted to know about how research is conducted. Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

Bess Kalb, a TV writer and author, shares her humorous insights on parenting while navigating anxiety. She discusses the best places to relocate for climate change, revealing her late-night Googling frenzies for reassurance. Bess explores the irony of childhood food experiences impacting parenting choices and introduces innovative techniques like 'designated worry time' for kids. She also entertains with her guilty pleasure of s'mores Pop Tarts, highlighting the absurd yet relatable nature of modern parenting.

Nutrition, along with sleep and screens, is one of the most contentious parenting topics there is. And questions about nutrition are particularly hard to answer with data, because disentangling correlation from causation is nearly impossible. What we eat is so wrapped up in everything else we do that it’s very challenging to point to a particular food or even a particular eating pattern and say that it’s healthy or unhealthy. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we know nothing.Today on ParentData, Dr. Robert Davis is here to talk us through what we do know. Robert has a PhD in health policy, is an award-winning health journalist, and, most importantly, he’s a voice of sanity who realistically explores the nuances of nutrition, the food industry, childhood obesity, and how challenging it is for individual parents to try to parse it all. We talk about diet versus eating habits and the importance of language around that issue, food fads in the recent past and what we keep not learning from them, what Robert calls “nutritionism” (like obsessing about omega-3s instead of thinking holistically about our diets), whether ultra-processed foods are really as bad as we’re led to believe, kids and Ozempic, and how heavy a hand parents are supposed to take when it comes to their kids’ nutrition.This is a tough topic. We need to eat, we need to feed our kids, and we don’t fully process how stressful it is to feel responsible for our kids’ health and, as they get older, their body image. Hopefully this conversation can help alleviate some of that stress.Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting. Listen to Emily's article on ultra-processed foods. Robert Davis' website

Tamar Avishai, producer of ParentData and creator of The Lonely Palette podcast, discusses the intersection of motherhood and art, focusing on feminist artist Mary Kelly's 'Postpartum Document.' She delves into the challenges of new motherhood, especially during the pandemic, highlighting feelings of isolation and the transformative power of artistic expression. The conversation celebrates the emotional journey of parenting, revealing how documenting maternal experiences serves as both a coping mechanism and a connection to past generations.

Dr. Karen Tang, a minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon and author of "It's Not Hysteria," is on a mission to enhance women's health education. She discusses the urgent need for better communication with healthcare providers and how systemic biases affect women's pain perception. Karen also explains why reclaiming the term 'hysteria' is crucial and sheds light on the often-overlooked challenges of conditions like endometriosis. Her insights aim to empower women to advocate for their health with confidence and knowledge.

Pop quiz: what’s the only organ that you grow from nothing and then casually discard, that magically bosses around your hormones, and actually your entire body, and that is actually made up of two different people’s cells? Obviously it’s the placenta. Less obvious is how completely awesome it is. We're all wrapped up in this new baby on our chest, and since the placenta is so easy to deliver, relatively, and so gross to look at, we forget how incredible it is, and how absolutely crucial for the health of your baby.So today on ParentData, we’re going to finally give it its due. We've invited Dr. Gillian Goddard back for a mini episode to talk about all things placenta. We’re going to follow its journey through conception to pregnancy to delivery and - if you’re so inclined - beyond, and answer any of the questions you might have about this truly magical and sadly ephemeral organ. Subscribe to ParentData.org for free access to new articles every week on data-driven pregnancy and parenting.

Molly Schnell, an assistant professor of economics at Northwestern University, dives into the alarming racial disparities in C-section rates, revealing that Black mothers are 25% more likely to undergo unscheduled C-sections than their white counterparts. She discusses the implications of implicit bias in healthcare and the potential financial incentives affecting medical decisions. Exploring big data, Molly emphasizes the need for policy changes, such as promoting doulas and increasing workforce diversity, to improve maternal outcomes and combat these disparities.

Ultra-processed foods have become a hot topic in nutrition, stirring confusion and concern. This discussion clarifies their health implications, linking them to serious issues like heart disease and dementia. The NOVA classification system is explained, helping listeners better understand what qualifies as ultra-processed. The episode offers smart tips for navigating food choices and decoding sensational headlines. This information empowers informed and balanced eating habits in a world of mixed messages.