With the October focus on National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it’s a good time to discuss the impact of abuse on pregnant women too. A new study has shown that children of abused moms are more likely to be underweight at birth and may experience stunted early childhood growth.

Researchers at Uppsala University in Sweden studied 3,164 children until they were 2 years old. The results showed that 42% of the children born to abused mothers were underweight, compared to 37% of children born to mothers who were not abused. Children born to abused mothers were also 5% more likely to …read more

Did everyone see Oprah yesterday? About the battered women and what staying in this type of situation does to their children?
 
I know this column will reach a battered woman, because according to the US Justice Department, 30 percent of women are beaten by a significant other at one time or another.
 
This is an issue very close to my heart as I was a battered girlfriend for two years, between 14 and 16-years-old, so I actually know why these women stay. I also know how much courage it took to leave.
 
In college, when a boyfriend started getting abusive I left quickly. …read more