If possible victims of child abuse could be identified early on, it could save a lot of heartache and pain for everyone involved. Paying attention to babies' injuries may be an important step. A recent study found that infants who are victims of child abuse are more likely to have had another earlier unlikely injury when they were even younger – before they could even crawl. Among a group of abused and nonabused babies evaluated at a hospital, only the abused children had histories of previous injuries, such as bruising. The researchers found that babies with a suspicious minor inj...

Alcohol and pregnancy don't mix. And neither does alcoholism and a baby's first year of life. Mothers who don't have alcohol problems are much more likely to see their babies grow up.

There is no known single cause for autism. However, certain diseases or medications during pregnancy have been linked to autism. One culprit may be a medication used to treat epilepsy.

Some mental disorders are linked to specific genes. But that does not mean a person with a certain gene is destined to develop that disorder. Healthy practices may decrease the risk.

Mental illness often runs in families. Children are generally at a higher risk for a mental disorder if a parent has one. These patterns can show up very early in children's lives.

The dangers of secondhand smoke for children can often show up in unexpected ways. Even some bacterial illnesses can pose a higher risk to children if they're around secondhand smoke.

Pregnant women with depression have tough choices to make. Do they treat the depression with medication or skip the meds? How might either choice affect their baby?

A number of pregnancy conditions can restrict the flow of oxygen to the baby. Researchers are learning more about how these conditions might affect children later on.

So it's pretty clear that smoking while pregnant is a bad idea. But what if it's just those around you who are smoking? Does that affect unborn babies too? Possibly.

With the increase in cases of autism, researchers are constantly looking for possible causes of the condition. A new study looks at whether air pollution from traffic might play a role.