Boulder Mother-Infant Pairs for Environmental Exposures (DIMPLE Trial)

The goal of this observational study is to characterize and evaluate micro- and nano-plastic (MNP) exposures among mothers and infants in mother-infant dyads one-month postpartum living in Denver and Boulder, Colorado. The main questions it aims to answer are: What MNPs are present in breastmilk and maternal blood samples and in their infants stool sample? Are there associations between amount of maternal MNPs in breast milk and mass of MNP particles in infant stool? Which environmental and lifestyle factors are most predictive of maternal MNP burden? Is infant exposure to MNPs associated with birth weight and postnatal growth trajectories? Participants will: Complete several questionnaires assessing medical histories, lifestyle factors, environmental exposures, eating behaviors, etc. Provide biological specimens including: maternal blood, stool, and breastmilk; infant stool Clinical visit to have anthropometric measures documented including maternal height and weight, infant weight, length, and skin-fold thickness