Northern Virginia Midwifery

Northern Virginia Midwifery is now on Facebook

2010-01-24T13:14:00.001-08:00

I won't be posting here anymore. Come on over to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Northern-Virginia-Midwifery/115869881626 for regular posts.

Video: Placenta Preparation for Ingestion Workshop

2009-12-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

I hosted a workshop on Saturday, 12/5. I went over the benefits of ingesting one's placenta post partum, and then we had hands-on practice of preparing it for raw consumption as well as for encapsulation or powder form. Followed by a great lunch where we talked about all things woman!

I'd love to lead another one - let me know if you'd like to gather a group together to do it! Fun!

[View in High Quality, larger size, here:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1297863210789]

The Natural Healing Power of the Placenta book

2009-12-05T17:15:00.000-08:00

Don't miss out - great book! All about the benenfits of placenta ingestion, and how to prepare the placenta both raw and encapsulated/dried. http://birthingconcepts.com/home/the-natural-healing-power-of-the-placenta/

More on homeopathy

2009-10-27T11:28:00.001-07:00

Having discussed the swine flu and homeopathy in an earlier post, the Washington Post called me to interview me about this in their Medical Mystery section.

For me, homeopathy is not a mystery - it just works with the right remedy. Really not rocket science most of the time. The article from the Post came out today, and it didn't seem to me that they followed up with my suggestions to get more information from the National Center for Homeopathy, right here in Alexandria, nor to look at the data on Flu Solution (homeopathy for influenza).

So, the article is biased against homeopathy. That's ok. They interviewed one of my homebirth moms who is very well educated and she did a good job.

At least more people now know that this is an option and one they may look into. Like homebirth. Like not vaccinating, and other non-mainstream decisions. At least Homeopathy is on the front page of the Post's Health section today. Cheers!

International Breech Conference

2009-10-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

I can't say enough about this conference. It is probably one of the most important I will ever attend. The information (and great recent research!) I have added to my knowledge base on breech birth (in addition to what I have seen in attending breech births), and the empowerment to serve more breech babies and their mommas, is invaluable! I'll be sharing more.

Needless to say, these photos say it all:

So, who's afraid of a little bum? Not I!!!!

Systematic Review: Vaginal birth after two caesarean sections

2009-10-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

[Never quite found research to support my HBA5C momma last year - and she had a GREAT VBAC!]

Vaginal birth after two caesarean sections (VBAC-2)—a systematic review with meta-analysis of success rate and adverse outcomes of VBAC-2 versus VBAC-1 and repeat (third) caesarean sections
Samina Tahseen a , Malcolm Griffiths b
a Leeds University Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK b Luton & Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Luton UK
Correspondence to Dr S Tahseen, 20 Malthouse Green, Luton LU2 8SN, UK. Email stjavaid@yahoo.co.uk
Copyright Journal compilation © 2009 RCOG
KEYWORDS
Complications uterine rupture vaginal birth after two caesarean sections
ABSTRACT
Background Trial of vaginal birth after Caesarean (VBAC) is considered acceptable after one caesarean section (CS), however, women wishing to have trial after two CS are generally not allowed or counselled appropriately of efficacy and complications.

Objective To perform a systematic review of literature on success rate of vaginal birth after two caesarean sections (VBAC-2) and associated adverse maternal and fetal outcomes; and compare with commonly accepted VBAC-1 and the alternative option of repeat third CS (RCS).

Search strategy We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Current Controlled Trials, HMIC Database, Grey Literature Databases (SIGLE, Biomed Central), using search terms Caesarean section, caesarian, C*rean, C*rian, and MeSH headings 'Vaginal birth after caesarean section', combined with second search string two, twice, second, multiple.

Selection criteria No randomised studies were available, case series or cohort studies were assessed for quality (STROBE), 20/23 available studies included.

Data collection and analysis Two independent reviewers selected studies and abstracted and tabulated data and pooled estimates were obtained on success rate, uterine rupture and other adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. Meta-analyses were performed using RevMan-5 to compare VBAC-1 versus VBAC-2 and VBAC-2 versus RCS.

Main results VBAC-2 success rate was 71.1%, uterine rupture rate 1.36%, hysterectomy rate 0.55%, blood transfusion 2.01%, neonatal unit admission rate 7.78% and perinatal asphyxial injury/death 0.09%. VBAC-2 versus VBAC-1 success rates were 4064/5666 (71.1%) versus 38 814/50 685 (76.5%) (P < 0.001); associated uterine rupture rate 1.59% versus 0.72% (P < 0.001) and hysterectomy rates were 0.56% versus 0.19% (P = 0.001) respectively. Comparing VBAC-2 versus RCS, the hysterectomy rates were 0.40% versus 0.63% (P = 0.63), transfusion 1.68% versus 1.67% (P = 0.86) and febrile morbidity 6.03% versus 6.39%, respectively (P = 0.27). Maternal morbidity of VBAC-2 was comparable to RCS. Neonatal morbidity data were too limited to draw valid conclusions, however, no significant differences were indicated in VBAC-2, VBAC-1 and RCS groups in NNU admission rates and asphyxial injury/neonatal death rates (Mantel–Haenszel).

Conclusions Women requesting for a trial of vaginal delivery after two caesarean sections should be counselled appropriately considering available data of success rate 71.1%, uterine rupture rate 1.36% and of a comparative maternal morbidity with repeat CS option.

"Push for the Plate"

2009-10-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

Wanna know more? Join us here!

Use and Misuse of Oxytocin During Delivery

2009-09-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

From Sweden (2009):

http://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2:210374

Abstract(en) :
Obstetric malpractice claims, concerning delivery during a period of eight years, were analysed for motives behind disciplinary actions, and for the frequency of inappropriate oxytocin use. Failure to respond to signs of foetal distress, injudicious use of oxytocin and a failure to effect a timely delivery were the recurrent problems that accounted for the majority of disciplinary actions. Inappropriate use of oxytocin was more frequent than reported in earlier studies. (Paper I)

In a case-control study, differences in the obstetric management in neonates born with and without acidaemia (umbilical artery pH hyperactivity and oxytocin use were independently associated to acidaemia at birth. The increased uterine activity was related to oxytocin treatment in 75 % of cases. Pathological cardiotocographic patterns occurred significantly more often in the case group. The results indicate that guidelines on oxytocin use and foetal surveillance are not followed. The duration of bearing down is less important when uterine contraction frequency has been considered. (Paper II)

In a subset of study II, cases with metabolic acidosis (umbilical artery pH Suboptimal care consisted of injudicious use of oxytocin and a failure of appropriate action upon signs of foetal distress. A high rate of NICU admissions and diagnosis of encephalopathy in the case group confirms that metabolic acidosis should be avoided. We estimate that metabolic acidosis could probably have been prevented in 40-50% of the cases.(PaperIII)

Women (n=103) scheduled for elective caesarean section in regional anaesthesia were randomised to 5 or 10 units oxytocin, given as an intravenous bolus (double blinded), and electrocardiograms were analysed for ST depressions as a sign of myocardial ischaemia. ST depressions were associated with oxytocin administration significantly more often in subjects receiving 10 compared with 5 units. A dose of 10 units resulted in a more marked decrease of the mean arterial blood pressure, but no difference in increase of the heartrate. There was no difference in estimated blood loss. (paper IV)

"Girl, 6, Helps Mom Give Birth"

2009-09-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Unassisted birth works, even unplanned. No freaking out required. Good job, Diyana!

A mom listening to her baby- no doppler required

2009-09-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

These are the shots I love to capture with the women I serve. There is nothing else in the world going on but the sound of her baby's heartbeat:

Pregnancy and childbirth 'make women stronger'

2009-09-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.bounty.com/node/1143

The physical demands of pregnancy and childbirth make women stronger of body and more wilful of mind.

At least that is the opinion of a professor of applied sport and exercise science at Liverpool John Moores University, who has claimed that a surge in hormones during pregnancy can increase muscle strength.

Professor Greg Whyte explained: "This could improve aerobic capacity, enabling a woman to run, cycle or swim at a certain pace for longer."

He added that increases in hormones such as relaxin, which loosen hip joints to prepare pregnant women for labour, could improve joint mobility.

This theory has been proved true in Kim Clijsters, the Belgian tennis player who won the US Open last week after retiring two years ago to start a family by giving birth to her first child.

The 26-year-old revealed that she prepared for her winning match by watching Ice Age with her daughter Jada.

[You can Google Professor Greg Whyte to see other related articles]

Swine Flu - Homeopathy

2009-09-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

Washington Homeopathics sent this out today:

The current strain of Influenzinium 09-10 will be released in 3 to 4 weeks. We are accepting standing orders now. This will help us prepare for the demand and release orders most efficiently. We will send out a special announcement newsletter as soon as we have Influenzinum 09-10 available for purchase. We do not know what virus strains will be included in the 09-10 vaccine at this time.

In order for WHP to manufacture a homeopathic version of the swine flu vaccine it must be approved and amended in the Homeopathic Pharmacoepia of the United States (HPUS). We are anticipating this action. However, Influenzinum 08-09 which was manufactured in accordance with the HPUS from the current flu vaccine included three influenza virus strains as stated by the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC):

A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1)-like virus
A/Brisbane/10/2007 (H3N2)-like virus
B/Brisbane 60/2008-like antigens.

In their newsletter is a link to Flu solution: Homeopathy for Influenza They are are looking for sick people with confirmed H1N1 infection in order to develop a pandemic symptom database. We need to talk to them and will offer free homeopathic treatment for the flu.

WHP wrote in their newsletter that In an attempt to help our customers be better prepared for this yearÂ’s flu season we are offering a special discount. The 08-09 Influenzinum can be administered while we wait for the current flu and swine flu vaccinations to be released.

I still have some leftover from 08-09 and will go ahead and start it until 09-10 is released. Tammi

My Wife Died After Giving Birth

2009-08-14T17:35:00.001-07:00

Judah Schiller lost his wife in 2007, three days after their son was born. Here, he shares his story to draw attention to the more than 400 women in the U.S. who will die this year from pregnancy or birth-related causes......

This article is in the September 2009 Harper's Bazaar which will be sold soon. The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and Ina May Gaskin (The Safe Motherhood Quilt Project) made this article happen, to bring the tragedy of maternal mortality to light.

The Effect of Pregnancy on Hypnotizability

2009-08-11T16:40:00.000-07:00

Last year I became certified as a HypnoBirthing Practitioner. Even before that, I truly saw the benefits of hypnosis, not only for birth. It is for prenatal, post partum, and actually, for life.

This study is from the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Jul 2009.

Conclusion:

Our study supports previous research (Tiba, 1990) suggesting that hypnotizability increases in pregnancy. If confirmed, the increase in hypnotizability during pregnancy should help emphasize to practitioners that hypnosis is particularly worth considering as a non pharmacological analgesic adjunct during pregnancy and childbirth. Hypnosis for childbirth has been associated with less use of sedatives and analgesia, and increased satisfaction with pain management, increased incidence of vaginal birth and higher Apgar scores (VandeVusse, Irland, Berner, Fuller & Adams, 2007; Smith, Collins, Cyna, & Crowther, 2006; Cyna, Andrew & McAuliffe, 2006). Hypnosis in childbirth is not widely used despite such positive findings and in spite of the fact that it does not appear to be associated with serious complications associated with medical interventions (Cyna, McAuliffe & Andrew, 2004). It also serves as an option for women wanting to experience a more natural labor. Our study findings suggest that it would be reasonable for hypnosis to be considered of potential value during late pregnancy and childbirth even if women are found to be categorized as 'low hypnotizability' prior to becoming pregnant.

Breastfeeding linked to lower risk in women with a family history of breast cancer

2009-08-10T18:13:00.000-07:00

Article: Women with a family history of breast cancer may have a new weapon against the disease: breast-feeding. In a new study of more than 60,000 women, nursing a baby for at least three months cut the risk of breast cancer in half for those who had a family history of the disease.

The abstract: In this large, prospective cohort study of parous premenopausal women, having ever breastfed was inversely associated with incidence of breast cancer among women with a family history of breast cancer.

Truly amazing news - twins born vaginally in a hospital

2009-08-07T14:07:00.001-07:00

Now if you want amazing news, actress Molly Ringwald at 41 (elderly multip, oh my!) having her twins vaginally, no less baby #2, her son, being born breech, in a hospital is amazing. She was very much seeking to not have a cesarean. She agreed to be induced because a cesarean could be done quickly, should her uterus rupture (yep, they must have fed her that load of info). Anyway, good for her and the babies. Boy, she must have been stressing her docs out throughout her pregnancy. Good for her!

More breaking news - pregnant women should exercise

2009-08-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

I know you will be shocked to learn this. Well, at least it is documented...

Exercising while pregnant is beneficial and should be recommended, even to those who have not previously exercised
Posted August 5, 2009

By LiveScience Staff, LiveScience
Pregnant women should be encouraged to engage in low to moderate levels of exercise during their pregnancy even if they did not exercise before, according to a new review of findings on the topic.

The abstract, is here.

Determination of Placental Weight Using Two-dimensional Sonography and Volumetric Mathematic Modeling

2009-08-04T08:42:00.000-07:00

The NY Post published an article on this yesterday.

An abnormally decreased placental weight has been linked to increased perinatal complications, including intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) and fetal growth restriction (IUGR)... Click here for the abstract of the study.

Poor Sleep In Children May Have Prenatal Origins

2009-08-02T14:55:00.000-07:00

Science Daily (Aug. 2, 2009) — A new study found that alcohol consumption during pregnancy and small body size at birth predict poorer sleep and higher risk of sleep disturbances in 8-year-old children born at term. Findings are clinically significant, as poor sleep and sleep disturbances in children are associated with obesity, depressive symptoms, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and poor neurobehavioral functioning....

I'm going to try to find the study, itself. Would like to know more specific details (what is considered "low levels of weekly prenatal exposure to alcohol." Wonder if someone has studied French children, whose moms routinely drink wine, n'est ce pas?

Any comments?

Pregnancy: Summer Heat Increases Risk Of Amniotic Fluid Level Deficiency, Study Reveals

2009-08-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Science Daily (July 31, 2009) — Pregnant women have a higher incidence of insufficient amniotic fluid levels (oligohydramnios) in the summer months due to dehydration, according to a study conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU)...

I hope they could figure this out on their own as to why. The message is good about staying hydrated.

Homebirth on the Today Show: Postponed

2009-07-31T08:52:00.001-07:00

A segment was to have aired yesterday am. From Marsden Wagner:
"About the Today Show on Homebirth from Marsden: It was postponed. I will let you know when it is again to be shown." Marsden

Will definitely post when it is rescheduled. Tammi

Where's The Birth Plan? Jennifer Block

2009-07-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Kim Durdin for this link.

Obama "won't rest" until he's cut health care costs and improved quality?
Over here, Mr. President, says Jennie Joseph, a certified professional midwife who runs a birth center in Winter Garden, Florida. Midwives like Joseph provide what you could call "less-is-more care." More....

Northern Virginia Midwifery is now on Facebook

2009-07-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Become a fan!

ACOG Issues New Guidelines for Induction of Labor - no cytotec if hx of uterine surgery!

2009-07-22T17:57:00.000-07:00

Misoprostol [i.e., cytotec] should not be used for inducing labor in women with a history of uterine surgery or a prior cesarean delivery, according to new guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

Article, here: http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/15184

Hallellujah! Tammi

Petition in support of CPMs and OOH maternity care in health care reform

2009-07-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here’s the link to sign:

http://tinyurl.com/Support-CPMs-Petition

And while the petition is hosted on our website, it is not a “Big Push” petition—it is very much intended in a spirit of unified support for CPMs and OOH, as well as a counter to misinformation being circulated, not an endorsement of our campaign.

Many thanks!

Susan

Susan Jenkins JD Legal Counsel TheBigPushForMidwives.org 202-686-1348 JOIN US on Facebook! SIGN UP for PushAlerts

Envisioning a safer, less-costly model of maternity care in the United States.

Sign up for the MAMA Campaign

2009-07-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

The MAMA Campaign: Advocating for CPMs as a High-value option for quality cost effective maternity care.

Thanks for considering.

ACNM opposes federal recognition of apprentice-trained CPMs

2009-07-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

Do know that the ACNM does not necessarily represent the wishes of their full membership, and that many of our CNM sisters are speaking out against this letter to Congress from the ACNM.

United we stand, divided we fall......

July 15, 2009

Special Alert to ACNM Members: Recent Developments Related to Attempts to
Provide Federal Recognition to All CPMs

As we enter into the critical next few weeks of federal health reform debate, ACNM...

And their letter to Congress.....

Memory set in fetus of 30 weeks

2009-07-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Title: Memory set in fetus of 30 weeks
Publication Date: 15-07-2009
Source: Press Release
Author: Staff Communication Service

The results of the study appear tomorrow in the influential U.S. journal Child Development.
It is a further step is a development, with gynecologists twenty-five years ago found that a fetus is behaving like a man with all the elements of human behavior as breathing, sleeping, awake and sucking. Then we tried to answer the question of neurological research in the fetus is possible. By extension, the question of whether or absence of memory in a fetus.

Results
The results of the investigation Fetale Learning and Memory show that the memory of a fetus from ten to thirty minutes to four weeks to develop in fetuses of 34 weeks and 36 weeks.
The test consisted of a irritation of the bone with a vibration and noise (a vibro-acoustic stimulus).

This is the first time experienced unsafe (The memory plays an important role in interpreting signals as' safe 'or' unsafe '. The type of the heating at night is safe, but when someone at night trying to front force is interpreted as unsafe and scared you awake). However, after several 'recognize' the fetus responds to stimulus and he no longer as "unsafe." The next test "reminds" the fetus is that the incentive is safe, and it reacts much less often. The difference in number of incentives which the fetus is not responding is the 'size' for the memory.

This test is in this study performed in fetuses of 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 weeks.

Step forward
"It is another step forward in understanding the development of the fetus for birth", explains Prof. Jan Nijhuis the importance of the investigation. "By better understanding all aspects of the development stages through which a fetus may perhaps in time using neurological examination to better determine at what point a baby is best able to 'get' when to be addressed. Moreover, we in the future potential shortcomings and defects in this development and thus better able to identify high-risk children."

Children 'should sleep with parents until they're five'

2009-07-14T16:49:00.000-07:00

Margot Sunderland, director of education at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London, says the practice, known as “co-sleeping”, makes children more likely to grow up as calm, healthy adults.

Sunderland, author of 20 books, outlines her advice in The Science of Parenting, to be published later this month.

She is so sure of the findings in the new book, based on 800 scientific studies, that she is calling for health visitors to be issued with fact sheets to educate parents about co-sleeping.

See the rest of the article, here.

TIME Magazine - Afterbirth for Dinner

2009-07-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

The article is here.

And don't miss the video:

Eating Placenta

Birth Matters VA! video contest winners!

2009-06-30T15:19:00.001-07:00

Congrats to all who won and to all who participated!

Prevent Cesarean Surgery was the winner:

ACOG's new practice bulletin on fetal heart rate monitoring in labor

2009-06-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Snippets:

A meta-analysis synthesizing the results of the randomized clinical trials comparing the modalities had the following conclusions (8):

The use of EFM compared with intermittent auscultation increased the overall cesarean delivery rate (relative risk [RR], 1.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.30–2.13) and the cesarean delivery rate for abnormal FHR or acidosis or both (RR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.88–3.00).

The use of EFM increased the risk of both vacuum and forceps operative vaginal delivery (RR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.01–1.32).

The use of EFM did not reduce perinatal mortality (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.59–1.23).

The use of EFM reduced the risk of neonatal seizures (RR, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.31–0.80).

The use of EFM did not reduce the risk of cerebral palsy (RR, 1.74; 95% CI, 0.97–3.11).

Available data, although limited in quantity, suggest that the use of EFM does not result in a reduction in cerebral palsy (8). This is consistent with data that suggest that the occurrence of cerebral palsy has been stable over time, despite the widespread introduction of EFM (10).

AMA Resolution Would Seek to Label “Ungrateful” Patients

2009-06-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

[Thanks to the Grassroots Network from Citizens for Midwifery for this]

From ICAN: AMA Resolution Would Seek to Label “Ungrateful” Patients

Redondo Beach, CA, June 11, 2009 - At the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Annual Meeting next week, delegates will vote on a resolution which proposes to develop CPT (billing) codes to identify and label “non-compliant” patients (1) [2]

The resolution complains:

“The stress of dealing with ungrateful patients is adding to the stress of physicians leading to decreased physician satisfaction.”

“This resolution is alarming in its arrogance and its failure to recognize, or even pay lip service to, patient autonomy,” said Desirre Andrews, the newly elected president of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN).

If approved, the resolution could hold implications for women receiving maternity care. For pregnant women seeking quality care and good outcomes, “non-compliance” is often their only alternative to accepting sub-standard care. Physicians routinely order interventions like induction, episiotomy, or cesarean section unnecessarily.

Liz Dutzy, a mother from Olathe, Kansas, delivered her first two babies by cesarean and was told by her obstetrician that she needed another surgical delivery. “My doctor told me that I needed to have a cesarean delivery at 39 weeks, or my uterus would rupture and my baby would die.” She sought out another care provider and had a healthy and safe intervention-free {home} birth at 41 weeks and 3 days gestation.

A recent report by Childbirth Connection and The Milbank Memorial Fund, called “Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve ,” (2) [3] shows that the state of maternity care in the U.S. is worrisome, driven largely by a failure of care providers to heed evidence-based care practices. For most women in the U.S., care practices that have been proven to make childbirth easier and safer are underused, and interventions that may increase risks to mothers and babies are routinely overused. The authors of the report point to the “perinatal paradox” of doing more, but accomplishing less.

The resolution proposed by the Michigan delegation of the AMA could threaten patient care and patient autonomy for several reasons:

Billing codes that would categorize any disagreement and exercise of autonomy on the part of the patient as “non-compliance” “abuse” or “hostility” could create a pathway for insurance companies to deny coverage to patients
Use of these labels fails to recognize patients as competent partners with physicians in their own care
Tagging patients as “non-compliant” fails to recognize that there is not a “one size fits all” approach to care, that different opinions among physicians abound, and that patients are entitled to these very same differences of opinion
Labeling patients as “non-compliant” may, in fact, be punitive, jeopardizing a patient’s ability to seek out other care providers

The resolution also fails to address how it would implicate patients navigating controversial issues in medical care, like vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC). While a substantive body of medical research demonstrates that VBAC is reasonably safe, if not safer, than repeat cesareans, most physicians and hospitals refuse to support VBAC. (3) [4] The language in the resolution suggests that patients who assert their right to opt for VBAC could be tagged as non-compliant, even though their choice would be consistent with the medical research.

“The reality is that the balance of power in the physician-patient relationship is decidedly tipped towards physicians. The least patients should have is the right to disagree with their doctors and not be labeled a ‘naughty’ patient,” said Andrews.

About Cesareans: When a cesarean is medically necessary, it can be a lifesaving technique for both mother and baby, and worth the risks involved. Potential risks to babies from cesareans include: low birth weight, prematurity, respiratory problems, and lacerations. Potential risks to women include [5]: hemorrhage, infection, hysterectomy, surgical mistakes, re-hospitalization, dangerous placental abnormalities in future pregnancies, unexplained stillbirth in future pregnancies and increased percentage of maternal death.

Mission statement: ICAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. ICAN has 110 chapters in North America and Europe, which hold educational and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery.

(1) Resolution 710 “Identifying Abusive, Hostile or Non-Compliant Patients” [6]

(2) Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve [7]

(3) http://www.ican-online.org/ican-in-the-news/trouble-repeat-cesareans [8]

Birth stories sought from survivors

2009-06-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

From the 6/10 Midwifery Today Enews:

Giving Birth is a powerful life event; for survivors of sexual and other abuse it can be an opportunity for healing and transformation. If you are a survivor, please consider submitting your birth story; how it offered healing, transformation, ecstasy, etc.; and the way you prepared or planned for your birth. Your story will be considered for our upcoming book and for our Web site to help others prepare by reading positive birth stories. Please visit http://tinyurl.com/okgzz4 to submit your story. (Book by Elizabeth Davis and Debra Pascali-Bonaro coming from Rodale in 2010.)

You will be asked to choose how you would like to be credited; full name, first name only, fictional name or anonymous. We appreciate your help, because we believe that birth stories are a powerful way to pass on knowledge and help women prepare for their own journey with birth.

— Elizabeth Davis and Debra Pascali-Bonaro

Grassroots Network Message 906029: Big Push action alert

2009-06-03T19:47:00.000-07:00

Grassroots Network Message 906029
Big Push action alert

Dear Friends,

Katherine Prown sent a message to the members of The Big Push for Midwives Campaign with a request to forward it to state lists and midwives, as well as friends and family, so I am forwarding it here. We can each take advantage of every opportunity that becomes available to make sure our message gets to the Federal Government: Recognize Certified Professional Midwives so all women, including those on Medicaid, can have access. Care from Certified Professional Midwives improves outcomes and saves everyone money!

Sincerely,

Susan Hodges “gatekeeper”

--------------------
Subject: Let's set a record! NEW action alert!

As many of you may know, the White House issued a call this week asking citizens from across the country to send emails about what they would like to see in health care reform. Not long afterwards, the server accepting the emails crashed.

Why? Because it got flooded with emails about the President’s birth certificate!

Now the press is reporting about it, just as they did when grassroots organizers for the legalization of marijuana set the record for the most number of emails sent during the transition—a mere 6000. We can top that!

It turns out there is another, lesser-known online form for submitting comments about health care reform. Let’s use it!

If we top 6000 emails—and I know we can—we will set a new record and get the White House’s attention on how strong support for out-of-hospital maternity care and Certified Professional Midwives is.

So please go to the following link and fill out the form with a short, simple message about why you want all women, including those on Medicaid, to have access to out-of-hospital maternity care and Certified Professional Midwives who are specially trained to provide it.

http://www.facebook.com/l/; http://www.healthreform.gov/communityreports/comments.html

Pick one or two points to include in your own words: And always use the title, Certified Professional Midwives, spelled out.

* Certified Professional Midwives are specially trained as experts in out-of-hospital maternity care and deliver babies in private homes and in freestanding birth centers.

* Research consistently shows that low-risk women planning to deliver their babies at home under the care of Certified Professional Midwives experience outcomes equal to low-risk women who deliver in the hospital, but with far fewer costly and preventable interventions, including a five-fold decrease in cesarean section.

* Babies delivered under the care of Certified Professional Midwives have significantly reduced rates of prematurity and low-birth weight, two of the leading contributing factors to racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes and to the costs associated with long-term care.

* David Anderson, Professor of Economics at Center College with a specialization in the costs of out-of-hospital maternity care, calculates that increasing use of Certified Professional Midwives and of out-of-hospital maternity care by less than 10% would result in savings of $9.1 billion annually, while actually improving outcomes.

* The state of Washington reports a savings of $3.1 million dollars over a period of two years to the state Medicaid system when women experiencing healthy, low-risk pregnancies give birth with licensed midwives instead of in the hospital.

* The recent Milbank Report conservatively estimates savings of $2.5 billion dollars a year if the cesarean surgery rate is brought down to 15% in the U.S.

* Certified Professional Midwives are the only providers specially trained in out-of-hospital birth in the event that hospitals become unsafe for healthy pregnant women during a disaster.

Thank you to everyone who is reaching out—it only takes a few minutes but it is so very helpful. We are making amazing progress in DC and now is not the time to let up! So please forward this to family and friends who can help,
and thank you for doing your part to get Certified Professional Midwives and out-of-hospital maternity care included in health care reform.

ATTENTION MIDWIVES! Yes, we are shouting at you! Please send this action alert with a personal appeal to your networks of clients—it only takes a few minutes, and people are especially motivated to act when they get a personal request from their midwife.

STATE GROUPS! Please be sure to post this alert to your state lists!

Katherine Prown, PhD | Campaign Manager |
http://www.facebook.com/l/;TheBigPushForMidwives.org |
http://www.facebook.com/l/;414.550.8025 | JOIN US on Facebook! | SIGN UP
for PushAlerts

Envisioning a safer, less-costly model of maternity care in the United
States.

Birth Matters VA! video contest finalists announced!

2009-06-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

http://birthmattersva.org/videocontest.html 11 out of 38 submissions have made it through.

The guest judges are Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein, acclaimed producers of The Business of Being Born. Sarah Buckley, M.D., international birth expert and author of Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering.

They hope to announce the winners soon!

HypnoBirthing items giveaway contest

2009-05-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

From Life More Simply. She's a HypnoBirthing momma making this possible. Ends noon on 5/31.

Low levels of vitamin D linked to common vaginal infection in pregnant women

2009-05-22T15:00:00.000-07:00

Low levels of vitamin D linked to common vaginal infection in pregnant women

Findings may explain higher rates of infection among African-Americans

PITTSBURGH, May 22 – Pregnant women with low levels of vitamin D may be more likely to suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV) – a common vaginal infection that increases a woman's risk for preterm delivery, according to a University of Pittsburgh study. Available online and published in the June issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the study may explain why African-American women, who often lack adequate vitamin D, are three times more likely than white women to develop BV.

"Bacterial vaginosis affects nearly one in three reproductive-aged women, so there is great need to understand how it can be prevented," said Lisa M. Bodnar, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., assistant professor of epidemiology, obstetrics and gynecology, University of Pittsburgh. "It is not only associated with a number of gynecologic conditions, but also may contribute to premature delivery – the leading cause of neonatal mortality – making it of particular concern to pregnant women."

The study, which included 469 pregnant women, sought to determine whether poor vitamin D status played a role in predisposing women, especially African-Americans, to BV. Dr. Bodnar and colleagues at Magee-Womens Research Institute found that 41 percent of the study participants had BV and of these, 93 percent had insufficient levels of vitamin D. They also found that the prevalence of BV decreased as vitamin D levels rose.

Vitamin D may play a role in BV by regulating the production and function of antimicrobial molecules, which in turn may help the immune system prevent and control bacterial infection. However, only about one in four Americans gets enough vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency may be more common in African-Americans because dark pigmentation limits the amount of vitamin D that can be made in the skin through casual exposure to sunlight. African-American women also are less likely to meet dietary recommendations of vitamin D.

"Although this is a preliminary study, it points out an interesting connection between vitamin D and BV," said Dr. Bodnar. "We don't recommend pregnant women take mega-doses of vitamin D based on these findings, but they should talk with their doctor if they have concerns about their vitamin D status. All women should be encouraged to eat a healthy diet and take a prenatal vitamin before they become pregnant or as soon as they find out they are pregnant."

###
Co-authors of the study include Marijane A. Krohn, Ph.D., and Hyagriv N. Simhan, M.D., with the University of Pittsburgh and Magee-Womens Research Institute. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

2009 Womens’ Health Heroes

2009-05-19T13:19:00.001-07:00

http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/womens-health-heroes-2009

Don't forget the Birth Matters VA! video contest

2009-05-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

Make a 4-7 Minute Video About Childbirth Options and Win $1000! Deadline for Entry is 11:59pm on Mother's Day, May 10, 2009*

More online.....

Free Meal for new moms - MD/DC/VA

2009-05-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

This was passed onto me - enjoy, for those moms with births and adoptions from 5/11/08 - 5/23/09.

http://thedishblog.com

MD/VA Locations: Baltimore • Columbia • Alexandria • Ashburn • Fairfax

Wise Woman Scholarship Fund

2009-04-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

I received this in my email and wanted to pass onto you - Susun is a phenomenal herbalist:

Due to a generous donation, there is currently $2075 in the Wise Woman Scholarship fund, to be used only by women of African-American or Native American heritage. If you or someone you know qualifies and would like to study with Susun Weed, please write to Susun Weed PO Box 64 Woodstock NY 12498.

In your letter please verify your qualification and state which teaching opportunity you would like to apply for, include phone number and address in your letter.

Green Blessings,

Wise Woman Team
www.wisewomanweb.com

Intro to HypnoBirthing

2009-04-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Stephanie Kraft is local to me in Northern Virginia. She is a phenomenal resource, as a HypnoBirthing Practitioner, Hypnotherapist, and so much more.

Enjoy her video and learn more about HypnoBirthing.

BJOG release: New figures on the safety of home births

2009-04-16T15:07:00.000-07:00

"We conclude that women can safely choose where they want to give birth, provided the maternity care system is well equipped for homebirths.” -- BJOG

Hear, hear!

Signs of Pre-Birth Communication

2009-04-10T12:59:00.000-07:00

A major part of my work with mothers and their babies is teaching them about prenatal communication between them. Often, babies are discounted as not knowing anything, let alone before they are born. For those who already get this, bravo!

Enjoy this article.

Eating Lightly During Labor May Not Affect Obstetric or Neonatal Outcomes

2009-04-07T14:07:00.001-07:00

Breaking news - and shocking to many of you, I'm sure.....

News Author: Laurie Barclay, MD
CME Author: Charles Vega, MD, FAAFP

March 30, 2009 — Eating a light diet during labor did not affect obstetric or neonatal outcomes or increase vomiting, according to the results of a prospective, randomized controlled trial reported online first in the March 25 issue of the British Medical Journal.

"The current rationale for women fasting during labour is to protect them from pulmonary aspiration should general anaesthesia be needed for an emergency operative delivery," write Geraldine O'Sullivan, MD, from St. Thomas' Hospital, Guy's and St. Thomas' National Health Service Foundation Trust in London, United Kingdom, and colleagues. "However, prolonged fasting in labour has never been proved to influence the incidence of pulmonary aspiration, and some clinicians and midwives consider that preventing food intake can be detrimental to the mother, her baby, and the progress of labour. Whether food intake in labour will influence the ability to deliver normally, the length of labour, or other obstetric and neonatal end points is not known."

The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of feeding during labor on obstetric and neonatal outcomes. At a birth center in a London teaching hospital, 2426 participants at term were randomly assigned to receive a light diet or water during labor. The diet consisted of low-fat, low-residue foods eaten during regular intervals during labor. Foods included bread, biscuits, vegetables, fruit, yogurt, soup, and fruit juice. Inclusion criteria were nulliparity, lack of diabetes, singleton pregnancy, cephalic presentation, and cervical dilatation of less than 6 cm.

Spontaneous vaginal delivery rate was the main study endpoint, and secondary outcomes were duration of labor, need for augmentation of labor, rates of instrumental and cesarean delivery, incidence of vomiting, and neonatal outcomes.
Both groups had the same rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery (44%; relative risk, 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90 – 1.08) and similar neonatal outcomes. There were no clinically meaningful between-group differences in the duration of labor (geometric mean: eating, 597 minutes vs water, 612 minutes; ratio of geometric means, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.93 – 1.03), the cesarean delivery rate (30% vs 30%; relative risk, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.87 – 1.12), or the incidence of vomiting (35% vs 34%; relative risk, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.9 – 1.2).

"Consumption of a light diet during labour did not influence obstetric or neonatal outcomes in participants, nor did it increase the incidence of vomiting," the study authors write. "Women who are allowed to eat in labour have similar lengths of labour and operative delivery rates to those allowed water only."

Limitations of this study include insufficient power to show evidence of harm.
"Aspiration pneumonitis/pneumonia is significantly associated with intubation and ventilation," the study authors conclude. "In modern obstetric practice it is the use of regional anaesthesia, thereby avoiding intubation, rather [than] fasting regimens that is likely to have reduced mortality from aspiration. Although the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended, on the basis of consensus opinion, that women in normal labour may eat/drink in labour, our trial shows that this will not improve their obstetric and neonatal outcomes."

The Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association and the Special Trustees of the St Thomas' Hospital supported this study. One of the study authors is supported by Tommy's—The Baby Charity. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
BMJ. Published online March 25, 2009.

Clinical Context
Some published guidelines recommend strict restrictions on the intake of solid foods during labor. The principal concern behind these recommendations is pulmonary aspiration if general anesthesia is required during an emergency delivery. However, the authors of the current study note that the rate of aspiration has actually decreased in the past 2 decades despite a more open attitude in general toward eating during labor.

Previous small, randomized trials have generally found that eating during labor does not promote negative outcomes, although 1 study suggested a higher rate of cesarean delivery among women who consumed food. The current study uses a larger cohort of women to address the safety of eating during labor.

Study Highlights
• The study was completed at 1 hospital in London. Women eligible for participation were at least 18 years old and nulliparous. All of the study cohort had a pregnancy at more than 36 weeks' gestation with a singleton fetus in cephalic presentation. Women with a history of diabetes were excluded from study participation.
• Women were randomly assigned to an "eating" or "water-only" group while in labor. All women had a cervical dilation of less than 6 cm at the time of randomization. The eating group was advised to consume small amounts of a low-fat, low-residue diet during regular intervals during labor. Foods consisted of bread, biscuits, vegetables, fruit, yogurt, soup, and fruit juice.
• The exact amount of food consumed was at the patient's discretion. Her diet during labor was recorded.
• Otherwise, women in both treatment groups received the same obstetric management protocols.
• The primary outcome measure was the rate of spontaneous vaginal delivery, and the main secondary outcome was the duration of labor. Researchers also followed neonatal outcomes.
• 2443 women participated in the trial, and 2426 participants provided data for study analysis. The mean age was 29 years, and nearly one quarter of women were African or Caribbean. More than 70% of participants had a light meal or snack in the 6 hours before labor.
• 20% of women in the water-only group broke protocol and consumed food during labor, while 29% of women in eating group did not consume food.
• The rates of normal vaginal delivery were 44% in both treatment groups.
• The mean durations of labor in the eating and water-only groups were 597 and 612 minutes, a nonsignificant difference.
• Rates of instrumental and cesarean delivery were similar between randomized groups, as was the rate of vomiting. There was no difference between groups in the use of epidural anesthesia or oxytocin for augmentation of labor.
• The mean birth weight was 3421 g in the eating group and 3428 g in the water-only group. There was no difference between groups in neonates' Apgar scores or rates of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit.
• A per protocol analysis failed to alter the study's main finding.
Pearls for Practice
• Eating during labor has been traditionally discouraged because of the possibility of pulmonary aspiration if general anesthesia is required for an emergency delivery.
• In the current study, eating during labor did not significantly affect delivery or neonatal outcomes compared with advice to drink water only.

EFT World Summit

2009-04-03T11:36:00.001-07:00

Learn EFT for free - another tool for your toolbox.

"EFT stands for "Emotional Freedom Techniques" and is a simple and amazingly fast "tapping" technique. You just lightly but firmly tap on certain acupuncture/acupressure points on the face, head and upper body and astonishing events begin to take place. The process quickly and easily activates the body's own "energy meridian system" and has great potential for releasing virtually anything that's "wrong" with you.

EFT has been shown to provide relief from chronic pain, emotional problems, disorders, addictions, phobias, post traumatic stress disorder, and physical issues. While EFT and the use of "energy systems" in general is somewhat new to the Western world, it is set to revolutionize the field of health and wellness, using healing concepts that have been in practice in Eastern medicine for over 5,000 years.

Like acupuncture and acupressure, EFT is a set of specific techniques which utilize the body's energy meridian points. You can stimulate these meridian points simply by tapping on them with your fingertips – literally tapping into your body's own energy and healing power.
Your body is more powerful than you can imagine. . . filled with life, energy, and a compelling ability for self-healing. With EFT, you can take control of that power."

Tums - Category D!

2009-04-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

It is in my paperwork the problems with Tums, including seeing calcium deposits on placentas. This is from today's Midwifery Today E-News:

Tums (calcium carbonate) is category D in pregnancy. Extended heavy use of calcium antacids (20 grams or more daily for a prolonged time) may cause excess calcium in the blood, which can lead to kidney stones and reduced kidney function. People who already have impaired kidneys may develop milk-alkali syndrome (causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and mental confusion) with as little as four grams a day. (The amounts listed are incredibly high intake amounts and far exceed the normal dosage recommendations.)

Cesarean rate on the rise....

2009-03-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

31.8%. Can't wait to hear what the stats are for Northern Virginia hospitals....

Thanks to the Grassroots News!

Grassroots Network Message 903011
CDC releases birth stats for 2007

Dear Friends,

Today the CDC released the Preliminary Data for births in 2007. The birth rate is up, and so is the cesarean section rate, now nearly 32% of all births: “The cesarean delivery rate rose 2 percent in 2007, to 31.8 percent, marking the 11th consecutive year of increase and another record high for the United States.”

The CDC’s press release is included below. And you can find the entire report at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_12.pdf

Sincerely,
Susan Hodges “gatekeeper”

http://www.cdc.gov/media/pressrel/2009/r090318.htm
For Immediate Release: March 18, 2009
Contact: CDC National Center for Health Statistics
Office of Communication, (301) 458-4800

Teen Birth Rates Up Slightly in 2007 for Second Consecutive Year

The birth rate for U.S. teens aged 15 to 19 increased by about 1 percent in 2007, from 41.9 births per 1,000 in 2006 to 42.5 in 2007, according to a report Printable PDF released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is the second year in a row that teen births have gone up. They increased 3 percent in 2006 following a 14-year decline.

Birth rates also increased for women in their 20s, 30s and early 40s, but remained unchanged for younger teens and pre-teens aged 10-14. Only Hispanic teens noted a decline in the birth rate, which fell 2 percent in 2007 to 81.7 births per 1,000.

Unmarried childbearing increased to historic levels in 2007 for women aged 15-44. An estimated 1.7 million babies were born to unmarried women in 2007, accounting for 39.7 percent of all births in the United States an increase of 4 percent from 2006. Unmarried childbearing has increased 26 percent since 2002 when the recent steep increases began.

The report, “Births: Preliminary Data for 2007,” Printable PDF from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics [ http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_12.pdf ] is based on an analysis of nearly 99 percent of birth records reported by 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories as part of the National Vital Statistics System.

Other findings:
* Total U.S. births rose in 2007 to over 4, 317,119, the highest number of births ever registered in the United States.

* The cesarean delivery rate rose 2 percent in 2007, to 31.8 percent, marking the 11th consecutive year of increase and another record high for the United States.
* The percentage of low birthweight babies declined slightly between 2006 and 2007, from 8.3 percent to 8.2 percent. This is the first decline in the percentage of low birthweight babies since 1984.
* The preterm birth rate (infants delivered at less than 37 weeks of pregnancy) decreased 1 percent in 2007 to 12.7 percent. The decline was seen mostly among infants born late preterm (between 34 and 36 weeks).

The full report and a separate report with state births data are available at www.cdc.gov/nchs.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Nominate Your Women's Health Hero!

2009-03-18T13:56:00.001-07:00

Our Bodies, Ourselves will begin accepting nominations on April 1, 2009 (through May 1, 2009) for their Women’s Health Hero contest. The goal of the contest is to honor those who make a significant difference in women’s lives.

"Whoever your heroes are, we want to know about them! We’ve created the Our Bodies Ourselves Women’s Health Heroes awards to honor those who make significant contributions to the health and well-being of women. It’s a great way to publicly recognize people who make a difference in your life or the lives of others."

More EFT - for menstrual issues

2009-03-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

LOVING Susun Weed's Wise Woman Herbal Healing Ezine - March 8 - 2009 . She included an article on EFT for menstrual issues.

Susun Weed's Breast Self Massage

2009-03-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

I was thinking as I read her article today - hmmm - would be a whole lot more fun with infused herbal oils. Think of the smells of lavender or eucalyptus during your self exam. Smells good already!

US DHHS recognizes CPMs for low risk care!

2009-03-05T17:09:00.001-08:00

http://www.womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant/prenatal-care-tests.cfm

Even the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognizes the care of CNMs and CPMs.

Quote of the Week

2009-03-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

Love this quote from this week's Midwifery Today Enews:

"Birth is not only about making babies. It's about making mothers—strong, competent, capable mothers who trust themselves and believe in their inner strength."
— Barbara Katz Rothman

BirthLove resource

2009-02-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

Leilah has compiled an amazing wealth of information at http://birthlove.cyclzone.com/ Enjoy!

TIME Magazine - The Trouble with Repeat Cesareans

2009-02-19T16:16:00.001-08:00

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1880665-1,00.html

Using EFT for pregnancy and birth (and beyond)

2009-02-15T19:03:00.000-08:00

The Emotional Freedom Technique can be used for many emotional issues needing a release. You can learn the uses and applications for such here and search on pregnancy, birth, etc.

High vitamin C linked to lower BP in young women

2009-02-09T18:37:00.000-08:00

Reuters ran this recently. The research is all over the place on this - Vitamin C doesn't help preeclampsia, Vit C does help. Would be interested to get something more definitive. Maybe use of it for just strengthening membranes alone (as in the research) has an positive effect.

Salma Hayek nurses baby at African clinic

2009-02-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

Yay, Salma (video)! She was overseas working on a UNICEF effort.

AMBY Baby Hammock

2009-02-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

I saw one yesterday and had forgotten about them when I last saw one a few years ago. http://www.ambybaby.com/benefits-features.php Anyone out there using one? This family loved it and used it for all 3 children instead of a co-sleeper or crib.

The Octuplets

2009-01-28T15:55:00.000-08:00

And they are worried about CPMs? Docs are helping women become pregnant with 8 babies, and we are what the med model is worrying about? With the risks to the moms and each baby when multiples of that order occur (prenatally, near term and long term)? And those docs are so proud of themselves at Kaiser. Yea. Looked more like relief from not losing the mother and/or any of her babies. They won’t be around for the longer term ramifications – onto their next botched fertility work.

Med model seems to have more serious issues than the midwives. And I’m glad that some docs are bringing up the ethics in all of this. First, do no harm, right?

Update on my Vitamin D journey

2009-01-21T11:04:00.000-08:00

I hear from friends that I have inspired them to get their levels checked. It's another marker to not forget about looking at.

Dr. Mercola came out with more info on Vit D recently, that the research on the amount needed is even higher. I had been taking 1 TB/day of CLO - which got me to 1200iu/day. I really can't increase it more because of the amount of Vit A in CLO, and Carlson's has the lowest level of VitA:Vit D of CLOs. Now they are saying that the minimum needed is 2000iu/day, and the Vitamin D Council says for deficient people that they should take 5000iu! Of course, you should go in for regular blood level checkups to adjust your intake as appropriate.

So, I went over to the Vitamin D Council and am trying their recommended source for Vitamin D3 - Bio-Tech Pharmacal. I have chosen to take the D3-5 (Vitamin D3 - 5000iu).

I can't tell you how much better I am feeling - one of the least foggy winters I can remember.

Vitamin D Deficiency Boosts C-Section Risk

2009-01-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to find out what ICAN's thoughts were on this. Tammi

------
Vitamin D Deficiency Boosts C-Section Risk
Low Levels of Vitamin D in Pregnant Women May Increase Chances of C-
Sections

By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Medical News Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 23, 2008 -- Vitamin D deficiency is common in pregnant women,
and it may lead to an increased risk for cesarean delivery, early
research suggests.

Vitamin D researcher Michael Holick, MD, PhD, and colleagues from
the Boston Medical Center report that women in their study who were
severely vitamin D deficient during childbirth were about four times
more likely to deliver by cesarean section as women with higher
vitamin D levels.

In a separate analysis, the research team found that a little more
than one in three women (36%) were vitamin D deficient and slightly
less than one in four (23%) were severely deficient when they gave
birth.

"We are just beginning to recognize that a large percentage of
pregnant women are vitamin D deficient and that being on a prenatal
vitamin is totally inadequate to bring levels up to where they need
to be," Holick tells WebMD.

Holick believes that along with a prenatal vitamin, which typically
contains about 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D, pregnant
women should take an additional 1,000 IU of the vitamin.

Not So Fast, Expert Says

But maternal-fetal medicine specialist Carl P. Weiner, MD, says more
research is needed before such a recommendation would be justified.
Weiner is chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of
Kansas Medical Center.

"This is an interesting study, but very preliminary, and it should
not be seen as the basis for a change in clinical practice," Weiner
tells WebMD. "We really can't say if there is a downside or an
upside to additional vitamin D."

Just 43 (17%) of the 253 women in the study had cesarean deliveries.

Holick, study co-author Anne Merewood, MPH, and colleagues accessed
maternal and infant vitamin D levels, as measured by serum 25-
hydroxyvitamin D.

Although there is no consensus on optimal levels of serum vitamin D,
Holick says a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level of 15 nanograms (ng)
per milliliter or below indicates severe vitamin D insufficiency.

A total of 28% of the women in the study had serum vitamin D levels
of 15 ng per milliliter or below.

After controlling for maternal risk factors for cesarean delivery,
including age, race, and insurance status, the researchers found
that women with severe vitamin D deficiencies were four times more
likely to have cesarean deliveries as women with higher serum
vitamin D levels.

The research appears in the latest online issue of the Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Vitamin D and C-section

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to muscle weakness and poor
muscle performance.

Merewood tells WebMD that this might explain why women with
insufficient vitamin D stores would be more likely to require C-
sections.

"That is really just a theory at this point," she says. "We
definitely haven't identified a causal pathway."

She says that pregnant women should talk to their health care
provider before taking vitamin D supplements .

"We know that some women are more at risk for vitamin D deficiency
than others, including women with dark skin, those living in
northern climates, and women who are veiled," she says.

Weiner says the study's small size and the fact that the researchers
did not control for important fetus-related causes for C-sections
limit the ability to draw conclusions from the research.

He points out that vitamin D levels tend to rise and fall with the
seasons because exposure to sunlight is the most efficient way to
boost levels of the vitamin.

"If this were a strong association you would expect to see cesarean
section rates go down in the summer and up in the winter, but they
are not particularly seasonal," he says.

He adds, however, that a larger study examining a possible link
between vitamin D levels and C-section rates may be justified.

"If vitamin D could improve pregnancy outcomes it is in society's
best interest to find this out," he says.

SOURCES:Merewood, A. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism,
online edition.Michael F. Holick, MD, PhD, professor of medicine,
physiology and biophysics, Boston University Medical Center.Anne
Merewood, MPH, assistant professor of pediatrics, Boston University
School of Medicine.Carl P. Weiner, MD, professor and chair of
obstetrics and gynecology, University of Kansas Medical
Center.Holick, M.F. New England Journal of Medicine, July 19, 2007.

Submitted a proposal for a session at the annual MANA Conference

2009-01-15T16:51:00.000-08:00

Every year, my professional organization, Midwives Alliance of North America, has a conference, which is fabulous. I submitted a proposal to do a session! It is called, "Attachment Parenting Begins in the Womb." For those of you whom I served, you know what that means - talking to your baby prenatally, the midwife talking to your baby when palpating your belly, reminding baby that s/he is safe even when momma is stressed out, etc. There is a lot of research out there supporting this! And I want the world to know!

20/20 on alternatives in birth and breastfeeding

2009-01-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

Did you all catch the 1/2/09 show on Orgasmic Birth, homebirth and unassisted birth, and extended breastfeeding?

http://abcnews.go.com/2020

I can't knock the show because it could have been much worse. 20/20 has become the equivalent of the National Enquirer - so it could have been a bad show.

I think that any show for the mainstream is not going to state nor portray how those of us holding alternative views would want it shown. However, 20/20 did a pretty good job. Your thoughts?

Honey for Perineal tears

2009-01-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

This came through on the Midwifery Today weekly enews. It is one of my favorite tools. Plus, the moms state that when they void, there is no burning (because of not voiding directly on the tear):

The Art of Midwifery
Raw honey is a great remedy for first-degree [perineal] tears. Honey's thick consistency forms a barrier defending the wound from outside infections. The moistness allows skin cells to grow without creating a scar, even if a scab has already formed. Meanwhile, the sugars extract dirt and moisture from the wound, which helps prevent bacteria from growing, while the acidity of honey also slows or prevents the growth of many bacteria. An enzyme that bees add to honey reacts with the wound's fluids and breaks down into hydrogen peroxide, a disinfectant. Honey also acts as an anti-inflammatory and pain killer and prevents bandages from sticking to wounds. Laboratory studies have shown that honey has significant antibacterial qualities. Significant clinical observations have demonstrated the effectiveness of honey as a wound healing agent. Glucose converted into hyaluronic acid at the wound surface forms an extracellular matrix that encourages wound healing. Honey is also considered antimicrobial.— Demetria ClarkExcerpted from "Herbs for Postpartum Perineum Care: Part I," The Birthkit, Issue 46

When Medicine Meets Marketing: The business of storing umbilical-cord blood is growing. Is salesmanship outpacing science?

2008-12-16T06:30:00.000-08:00

When Medicine Meets Marketing
The business of storing umbilical-cord blood is growing. Is salesmanship outpacing science?
Mary Carmichael

NEWSWEEK
From the magazine issue dated Dec 22, 2008

Dallas Hextell was just a baby when his parents bought him a walker—not because he was late reaching a milestone, but because they worried he might never toddle on his own. At 9 months he had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a form of brain injury caused by oxygen deprivation in utero or at birth. A neurologist had told Derak and Cynthia Hextell there was no cure, that it was best to wait and see if their son improved. But Cynthia, after months of research, enrolled Dallas in a highly experimental trial at Duke University, where a pediatric-transplant surgeon infused him with a sample of his own stem cells harvested from his umbilical-cord blood. A few days later, Derak and Cynthia went home with their son, who was 18 months old and still not crawling, much less walking or talking. They "stared at him" for a week, says Cynthia. "One day he just started saying, 'Mama, mama, mama.' And I started crying." The Hextells ended up donating the walker to another child. By 2, Dallas was not only walking unaided, he was chasing the family dogs.

If the Hextells' names sound familiar to some readers, it is because, in the wake of their son's remarkable recovery, they have become minor celebrities. Their story has appeared on the "Today" show and in advertisements in almost every pregnancy magazine in the country. The ads are not for the trial at Duke, which remains a small, academic endeavor. They are for a company called Cord Blood Registry, which charges parents $2,000-plus to freeze and store samples of their children's umbilical-cord blood, a fluid rich in stem cells. Cynthia Hextell paid the company to freeze Dallas's cord blood at his birth. That sample was the source of the stem cells used in the Duke trial—and as the ads remind parents, it was available only because the Hextells had paid for it to be.

The Hextells' story has become the centerpiece of CBR's marketing efforts. Recently the company invited about 30 obstetricians and midwives to the Westin La Paloma resort in Tucson, Ariz., for a weekend of sun, golf and medical briefings, including dinner in a ballroom with the Hextells as guest speakers. Since these doctors had collected cord blood for CBR clients in the past, the company hoped to turn them into evangelists. The next day, the group went for a tour of CBR's glittering 60,000-square-foot lab. The agenda also included more time at the La Paloma, home to a Jack Nicklaus golf course, a spa, five restaurants and a swim-up bar. CBR can easily afford to put on this kind of show. Ten years ago it was a fledgling business with 10,000 clients. Today it is the country's largest private cord-blood bank, with 250,000 samples in storage, 300 employees and $100 million in annual revenue.

In medicine, money often comes with controversy—and right now, CBR has plenty of both. The company says it is providing precious biological insurance, that to freeze a child's cord-blood stem cells is to provide him a medical option for the future, perhaps a lifesaving treatment for childhood cancer or brain injuries. But critics, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, accuse private cord-blood banks like CBR of making exaggerated medical promises and exploiting vulnerable new parents. Cord blood's uses are limited at best, they say. The blood does not provide enough cells to cure an adult of a disease or injury; it is not appropriate for treating genetic conditions; and thus far there have been few trials to determine how effectively the cells can repair damaged tissue. Even Joanne Kurtzberg, the Duke transplant specialist who treated Dallas Hextell, is skeptical. She says it's difficult to know if his improvement is related to the cells or would have occurred without them—he probably would have gotten better on his own; some cerebral-palsy patients do—and she points out that her trial is small and yet to be analyzed and published. But CBR has a response for this. It says more uses for cord-blood stem cells will surely be discovered in the future. It also knows the power of a good story. David Zitlow, the company's senior vice president of public affairs, says doctors "haven't made a big enough deal about anecdotes" like the Hextells'.

So what are other parents, faced with the choice of banking their children's cord blood or brushing off the idea as a luxury—the medical equivalent of an $800 stroller—supposed to make of Dallas Hextell's case? Is it a breakthrough, a harbinger? Or is it ultimately just an anecdote, a moving tale with a happy outcome that may or may not have anything to do with cord blood and stem cells?

Doctors have been wondering if cord blood is something of a miracle cure for the past 15 years. The blood—which is usually thrown away in delivery rooms—contains a distinct type of stem cell that may act as a biochemical foreman, helping to build healthy tissues and repair damaged ones. In the early 1990s— before embryonic stem cells took over the spotlight—researchers began to explore whether cord-blood cells might be of practical medical use. At Duke, Kurtzberg performed a few cord-blood transplants on patients with leukemia and rare types of bone-marrow failure, sending them into remission. Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health started funding public banks of frozen, donated cord-blood samples, modeled on adult blood banks. A cord-blood stem-cell transplant at that point was a long shot, an experiment to see if stem cells could either become new tissue or trick the body into fixing itself. But the idea behind the public banks was to make the option available to all families who might want to try it as a last resort.

It was around this time, in 1992, that Tom Moore, a technology and pharmaceutical executive with passion for startups, hatched a plan to found a cord-blood bank of his own. Unlike the NIH banks, this one would operate for profit. Its clients would retain exclusive access to their own genetically identical samples, for a fee of $1,500 up front plus $125 for each year of storage. One problem: Moore "didn't really know anything about stem cells except the name," he admits. So he sought out David Harris, a University of Arizona immunologist and cord-blood researcher, to serve as CBR's scientific director; meanwhile, as the CEO, he took care of the business side. Now it takes care of him. CBR is the largest of 30-some private cord-blood banks in the United States, with a 45 percent share of the $250 million market. It's probably not done growing yet. Moore's "big, hairy, audacious goal" is a million clients, quadruple the company's current size.

A number of trends have likely contributed to CBR's growth, including the enormous boom in the baby-products market and the hype around stem cells in general. But one thing that has not been a factor is a rapid rise in medical uses for cord blood—because there hasn't been one yet. Just as it was in the '90s, a cord-blood stem-cell transplant is still an experimental procedure. This hasn't deterred CBR from publicizing the results of a few positive studies, including a small, preliminary trial in kids with type 1 diabetes from last year.

In Dallas Hextell, CBR has another case to promote. In ads, the Hextells call the cord-blood treatment "a miracle." But nobody really knows what has happened in Dallas's brain. The story sounds less clear-cut coming from Kurtzberg, the doctor who performed the transfusion and who examined Dallas again in November. "He has made progress, there's no question," she says. "But he still has a global developmental delay of about a year. He looks like where we would have expected him to be without cells." When she saw him at his follow-up visit, she adds, "I thought, wow, he doesn't look as good as I was expecting based on what's been in the press." (The Hextells find Kurtzberg's assessment frustrating and note that Dallas's therapists at home—who knew him before the transfusion—are impressed and surprised at his improvement.) Kurtzberg also has not completed the follow-up and analysis of the study or published the results from 50 other kids with cerebral palsy who have enrolled in her trial thus far.

Kurtzberg, it turns out, is not a big booster for private cord-blood banks; although she uses samples from CBR, she does not receive funding from the company, and also uses cells from public banks and other companies. In fact, she's one of the authors of a statement the American Academy of Pediatrics put out last year discouraging parents from using private banks on the grounds that the science isn't solid enough yet to justify a multi-thousand-dollar gamble. (The AAP does support public, nonprofit banks, which patients can use for free.) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists released its own statement in February, noting that "there is no reliable estimate of a child's likelihood of actually using his or her own saved cord blood later." Then it made a guess anyway: 1 in 2,700, which Kurtzberg calls "generous."

Why is this number so small? There are reasons to think cord-blood treatment will never be a widespread medical procedure. The blood contains only enough stem cells to treat a small child; unlike embryonic stem cells, cord-blood cells cannot be multiplied into self-rejuvenating "lines" in a petri dish. The cells are limited in other ways, too. There's little point in treating a genetic condition with a patient's own cord-blood cells, which have the same DNA and thus the same deleterious mutations. Scientists could someday overcome these hurdles; they could develop new ways of cultivating and genetically tweaking cord-blood cells in the lab. But by then, the same scientists will probably know much more about all stem cells, especially once restrictions on embryonic research are lifted—and there may be better ways of getting safe, usable cells from other sources, ways that won't require a lot of technological wizardry.

These difficulties don't deter everyone, of course. The pediatrician Robert Sears, a talk-show regular and the coauthor of popular parenting books, supports private cord-blood banking; he froze his own kids' samples with CBR. It's also possible that 1 in 2,700 is too conservative. CBR's executives toss around much more dramatic odds. Harris, the scientific director, puts them at a breathtaking 1 in 3. His calculations, unlike the professional groups', include injuries to the brain. There is, he notes, "no genetic predisposition to falling out of a crib"—so as he sees it, every child, technically, is at risk.

Until widespread trials of cord-blood treatment take place, both sides will be able to use arbitrary calculations. Those trials, alas, are probably far off: rare conditions are difficult to study on a large scale, since by definition there aren't many patients to enroll. Three years ago, Congress tried to put cord-blood trials on a faster track by expanding funds for the NIH's public banks—more donations to the banks could mean more studies—but the law hasn't made much of an impact. Public banks have collected cord blood from just 105,000 babies, and fewer than 200 hospitals in the U.S. are able to draw and ship the blood to public centers. The private banks, of course, have larger stores. But they are not huge contributors to research either: only 100 of CBR's 250,000 clients have enrolled in trials thus far.

For now, parents are left to make the same speculative wager at the heart of CBR's business model: how much should you invest in science that's promising but not proven? Back in the ballroom in Tucson, the OBs and midwives on the CBR junket were considering that question too. They pressed Cynthia Hextell for more details. How were the other kids in the Kurtzberg trial doing? Cynthia said the few other families she had talked to had seen improvements like Dallas's. And what risks were they warned about? "The only risk was that it wouldn't work and we would be out the money," she said. "But we just knew in our hearts that it was going to work." Other parents will have to decide whether they have that kind of faith.

URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/174276

Info from NARM on clinical sites

2008-12-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

If you are traveling out of the country for clinical experience towards your CPM paperwork, please check with NARM about approved clinical sites:

Out of Country Clinicals
As of January 1, 2009, prenatals, births, newborn exams, and postpartums attended in clinical sites outside of the United States and Canada may not be documented on the PEP forms as primary maternity care unless the site has been approved by NARM. Births attended at unapproved sites may only be counted as “active participant” on the PEP documentation. A clinical site may apply for approval for primary maternity care by submitting the Out of Country Primary Clinical Site Application located here.

The beauty of garlic

2008-12-10T17:04:00.001-08:00

I've known about inserting a clove of garlic vaginally to treat yeast. What I recently learned is that one can make a garlic infused oil, rub it on one's feet, and place warm socks over, before bed. Can also be used for cold and flu symptoms, I've been told. Thanks to Beth Curtis for this!

New work for me

2008-12-04T16:52:00.001-08:00

Well, I was supposed to be moving to Florida with my family in 2 weeks. Not to be. Not at this point, anyway.

6 months ago, I was so blessed with serving baby Gabriel, a baby with Trisomy 13. We didn't know anything was wrong until he was born.

And I am really glad we did not know of his condition, prenatally. Why? Because he had a beautiful birth and he was not separated from his parents. Had this diagnosis been known, he would not have had the birth experience and would have been immediately separated from his parents. To what end? Why wreck the very beginning for him and his parents?

My desire is to help the babies, and families of those babies who are not going to make it, to have a better experience than what they may be facing otherwise. You can't even imagine the lack of coordination there is right now for families facing a diagnosis of "incompatible with life." There has got to be a better way - and there is - there are great perinatal hospice programs across the country. There is one in the area through the Tepeyac Family Center.

Mommas can still talk to their babies prenatally, just like the moms I serve at home do. They can reach down and feel their baby's head being born - why not? And they would have resources they need immediately available - vice what I saw happen to Gabriel and his family.

It was an utter shame that in rich NoVA, there was no coordinated support for this family - at a facility where high risk infants are born. An utter disgrace. Once his blood work came through with his diagnosis, the hospital about wrote him off. And gave his parents contacts to make. They call a hospice and the hospice says, we don't serve newborns. I could scream! In their time of need, here is a mother in anguish reaching out, and doors are slammed on her.

That is wrong. I can only imagine how hard it is to learn that your baby may not make it. So I want to make it easier for the families I can reach out to. There is a better way. Perinatal hospice programs across the U.S. prove that. The resources provided by these programs should be available in every hospital.

It is the humane thing to do.

New research on SIDS and co-sleeping - good news!

2008-11-25T06:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/3501035/Sharing-a-bed-with-a-baby-does-not-increase-risk-of-cot-death-research-shows.html

Sharing a bed with a baby does not increase risk of cot death, research shows

Sharing a bed with a baby does not increase the risk of cot death, says study that could change the way infants are cared for.

by Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent Last Updated: 8:05PM GMT 23 Nov 2008

Co-sleeping does not in itself increase cot death risk

Parents across Britain have been put off sharing a bed with their new babies by official advice which says it is safer for all children under the age of six months to be put in a cot in their parents' room.

This was based on research which appeared to establish a strong link between "co-sleeping" and sudden infant death syndrome – or cot death.

But the new study found that sharing a bed with a baby was only more dangerous if other factors were also involved.

Parents drinking alcohol were the greatest danger for babies who shared their beds.
Other risk factors included parents smoking or taking drugs, use of heavy bedding, adult pillows and soft mattresses, and when parents were "excessively tired" – defined as having had less than four hours sleep the night before.

The British study also shows that infants are at the greatest risk of all if they and their parents fell asleep on sofas.

However, it parents avoided all the other risk factors, sleeping in a bed with their baby proved no more risky than putting them in a cot in their parents' room.

Childcare experts said last night that the news would be received with relief by many parents, while midwives said it would help them to provide better advice.

But experts on sudden infant death syndrome urged caution until new advice was given.
Of about 300 UK unexplained infant deaths which occur each year, 45 per cent happen in beds shared by babies and their parents,

Experts have known for some time that parents' behaviours and the type of bedroom environment alter the risk of infant death among families who co-sleep, but this is the first detailed study to examine those circumstances in detail.

It concludes that once other factors are stripped out, co-sleeping does not in itself increase the risk to the baby.

Drink, drugs and extreme tiredness are likely to mean parents fall into a deep sleep, and will be less sensitive to both their body movements and the cues of a baby in distress. Heavy bedding, adult pillows and soft mattresses could squash and restrict the infant.

Childcare experts said the findings were "extremely significant," because previous studies have found that mothers who share a bed with their baby are more likely to breast-feed for longer, boosting the child's immune systems and improving their long-term health.

Researcher Dr Peter Blair, who will present his research to a conference of the charity Unicef, in Glasgow, this week, said: "This study shows that it is not co-sleeping that is unsafe, but the circumstances under which some parents co-sleep that create risks".

He said he hoped the findings would be used to give parents better and more sophisticated advice about whether or not to share a bed with their babies.

Dr Blair, from the University of Bristol, said the study of sudden infant deaths occurring in four years across the South West of Britain, was the most detailed study yet of the factors which could make co-sleeping risky.

The new research highlights the risks for mothers who follow official advice to put their babies in a cot, but find themselves falling asleep when they rise in the night to feed or comfort their babies.

"Over the past decade, the proportion of unexplained infant deaths which occur when parent and child fell asleep on a sofa has doubled, it will show.

Prof Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: "It will be really useful to have research shedding light on an incredibly important area.

"Until now we have had a default position that in the absence of information about why co-sleeping appears to carry risks, it is best for mothers not to do it.

"This will allow us to give much more sophisticated advice, and it will reassure a lot of women who want to share a bed with their baby but feel anxious about it".

All the experts warned that parents should think carefully about the extra risks if any alcohol had been drunk.

"Unless further details emerge, we would have to assume any alcohol drunk by parents could put the baby at risk," Dr Warwick said.

Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said: "The findings sound extremely significant. We are really pleased to see that evidence about the safety of co-sleeping is building, because we know it improves breastfeeding rates.

"We also know a lot of parents prefer to do it but feel guilty because they are unsure about the risks".

She said precise information about the risks attached to type of bed and bedding would be vital for parents who wanted to safely share their bed with their baby.

In the absence of clear information about what kind of bed and bedding is safe, the NCT recommends the use of "alongside cots", a three-sided enclosed cot attached to the main bed, as a good compromise.

Justine Roberts, co-founder of Mumsnet, a web discussion group for mothers, said: "I think quite a few mums will be breathing a sigh of relief about these findings. Sharing beds can mean a better night's sleep all around, and a lot of mothers feel it is part of the attachment with their baby."

However, the Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths urged parents to be cautious until the new findings had been published and peer-reviewed. Director Joyce Epstein said that until the evidence had been fully considered, the charity would not change its advice that the safest place for a baby to sleep for the first six months is in a cot in the parents' room.

She pointed to other studies which found a small increase in the risk of sudden infant death when bed sharing, even when several known risk factors were excluded.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said: "Our advice remains that the safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot in a room with you for the first six months. However, we will examine this research and its findings carefully."

Safely sharing a bed with your child – what to avoid

Parents sharing a bed with a baby under the age of six months is no more dangerous than putting them in their own cot, provided:

– Parents don't smoke
– Parents don't drink
– Parents don't take drugs
– Bedding doesn't include adult pillows
– Bedding is not heavy
– Mattress is not soft
– Parents are not "excessively tired" – defined as having had less than four hours sleep the night before

Fetal RHD genotyping via maternal serum

2008-11-22T20:12:00.000-08:00

Although this test is not inexpensive ($500 the last time I checked), it is available in the U.S. and is an option for those wanting such info (although apparently not in the U.K.). Through a maternal blood test, they can detect the baby's RHD (Rh- or +) status.

British Medical Journal articles from 4/08 (please copy and paste links in their entirety if they do not launch properly):

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/bmj.39518.463206.25v1

http://www.safenoe.org/files/public/news/Universal_RHD_genotyping_in_fetuses____Kumar__10.1136_bmj.39533.358252.BE____BMJ.pdf

One of our novahomebirth moms turned me onto this info - she had tracked down the researcher before the test became available to the public! I found the company who does it so that I can offer it to my moms. I'm not sure how insurance is handling this, but as it is used more and more, I bet they start paying. Tammi

Love Notes from Baby

2008-11-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

You can subscribe to these on Kate's web site (bottom of this email). Tammi

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Hi Mama,

We found each other! I always knew we would--it's part of a promise we made a long time ago. Don't be surprised if you recognize me once Iget there -- even if with only your heart.

I love you,

Bambino

http://lovefrombaby.com

Kate Street
kate@lovefrombaby.com
http://lovefrombaby.com
173 Saybrook Rd.
Essex, CT 06426

Babies' nursing workouts build lung capacity

2008-11-17T06:11:00.000-08:00

http://in.reuters.com/article/health/idINTRE4AD6O220081114

By Anne Harding
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The exercise that babies get while suckling at the breast may be an essential component of the respiratory benefits associated with breastfeeding, new research shows.

Dr. Ikechukwu U. Ogbuanu of the University of South Carolina in Columbia and colleagues found that by 10 years old children who were breastfed for 4 months or longer had larger lung capacities than their counterparts who had been nursed for a shorter amount of time or not at all. The breastfed children were also able to expel air from their lungs more quickly.

While the children's speedier exhalations could have been related to the beneficial components of breast milk, "the lung capacity cannot be really explained by the immune factors in the breast milk," Ogbuanu told Reuters Health. Instead, Ogbuanu and his colleagues argue, the harder work required of babies who drink from the breast rather than a bottle is a more likely explanation.

Breastfeeding is known to help protect babies from developing respiratory infections, but studies of whether it may reduce their risk of asthma risk later in life have had mixed results, the researchers write in the journal Thorax. To investigate, they looked at lung function in 1,033 children who were 10 years old, born on the Isle of Wight, and were followed since birth.

The average lung capacity, as measured by the volume of air a child could exhale forcibly, was 54 milliliters greater in those who were breastfed for at least 4 months than in those who were not been breastfed at all. Peak expiratory flow, or the maximum speed at which the air can blown out of the lungs, was 180.8 milliliters per second faster in these children.

The lung function in children who had been breastfed for a shorter amount of time wasn't significantly different from the lung function of children who weren't breastfed at all.

Ogbuanu and his team note that the pressure nursing babies exert on the breast before milk begins to flow is triple that required when drinking from a bottle; nursing sessions also last 8 minutes, on average, compared with 4.4 minutes for bottle feeding. Nursing four to eight times a day "may also help to prepare these children for a lifetime of physical fitness," Ogbuanu said.

The findings suggest that babies who are bottle-fed with pumped breast milk may be missing out, Dr. Wilfried Karmaus, another researcher on the study, told Reuters Health. "We may go just in the wrong direction with the pumping and bottle feeding. That's why it's so important to really clearly consider what's going on there."
Karmaus noted that in Canada and Europe, generous maternity leave policies make it possible for women to directly breastfeed their infants for several months if they choose, while in the U.S. many women must return to work after only a few weeks. Giving U.S. women longer maternity leave might pay for itself in terms of health benefits, such as reductions in obesity, he suggested, calling for an economic analysis to address the issue.

SOURCE: Thorax, November 2008.

Waterbirth cake.....

2008-11-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2008/11/oh-mama.html

I'd love it if her belly was covered in the water - that's the purpose of water - lol! Good PR, though.

Thanks to one of my mommas for finding this!

The Cook Cervical Ripening Balloon

2008-11-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

Can you freakin' believe this?

http://medgadget.com/archives/2007/07/the_cook_cervical_ripening_balloon.html

Guess if a care provider isn't going to help the mom make sure her baby's head is in a good position (nor may not even know how to make that happen), a woman just may end up "needing" one of these.

My response when this came across a list I am on:

Lovely. Another toy. Apparently someone wanted to make money since the Foley balloon catheter was successful in doing the same thing, yet didn't take full advantage of money-making, err, marketing techniques. Oyyy.

Yesterday was a new highlight

2008-11-04T18:33:00.000-08:00

I served my first set of sisters, as of Monday afternoon. I attended her sister a little less than 3 years ago. Tammi

Pregnant Women Consuming Flaxseed Oil Have High Risk Of Premature Birth

2008-10-31T07:07:00.000-07:00

[I'd love to hear your experiences! Tammi]

ScienceDaily (Oct. 29, 2008) — A study has found that the risks of a premature birth quadruple if flaxseed oil is consumed in the last two trimesters of pregnancy. The research was conducted by Professor Anick Bérard of the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Pharmacy and the Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Center and Master's student Krystel Moussally.
In Canada, 50 percent of pregnant women take prescription medication. Yet many of them prefer to use natural health products during the pregnancy. "We believe these products to be safe because they are natural. But in reality, they are chemical products and we don't know many of the risks and benefits of these products contrarily to medication," says Bérard.

Bérard and Moussally set out to conduct one of the largest studies ever undertaken on by analyzing data from 3354 Quebec women. The first part of the research established that close to 10 percent of women between 1998 and 2003 used natural health products during their pregnancy. Before and after pregnancy they were respectively 15 and 14 percent to use these products. The increase means that about a third of women consuming natural health products stopped during the pregnancy.

The most consumed natural health products by pregnant women are chamomile (19 percent), green tea (17 percent), peppered mint (12 percent), and flaxseed oil (12 percent). Bérard and Moussally correlated these products to premature births and only one product had a very strong correlation: flaxseed oil.

"In the general population, the average rate of premature births is 2 to 3 percent. But for women consuming flaxseed oil in their last two trimesters that number jumps up to 12 percent," says Bérard. "It's an enormous risk."

The correlation existed only with flaxseed oil, yet women consuming the actual seed were unaffected. Even if more studies must be undertaken to verify these results, Bérard recommends caution when it comes to consuming flaxseed oil.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Adapted from materials provided by University of Montreal, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

More on Vitamin D

2008-10-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

I love hearing from so many who know so much about Vitamin D! [Until my Vitamin D levels get to normal, I take 1 tablespoon of Carlson's CLO (vice the recommended 1 tsp); 1/4 teaspoon of Green Pasture X-Factor Butter Oil; and the Nutrabio Coral Calcium.]

Joan says:
"Tammi,
Make sure you expose your eyes to the sun. Special hormones are released with exposure. Did you read about how important calcium is when taking lots of Vitamin D? I am not a proponent of taking calcium. I make wheatgrass juice each morning and take magnesium, silica, Vitamin K, postassium (from Fusion 4 from Whole Foods) to make calcium." [I've looked this up and apparently sun exposure to your eyes triggers the pituitary to produce human growth hormone that is good for eyesight and our immunity - TLM]

Know all those milk commercials? Vitamin D and calcium, together. Though, not really in the right forms for our bodies to use. Good marketing, though.

From a great woman who I trust and who I know does her research and follows Weston A. Price:
I agree with you about taking a tablespoon of carlsons. Did it all through the pregnancy. And the point made about "something not blocking absorbtion" is very close. Its actually, that you need something to HELP absorbtion.Its kind of like the cal/mag/zinc relationship, but its cal/D/Vitk-2.

Calcium needs vitamin D in order to be absorbed into the system. While vitamin D is called a vitamin, it actually has many similarities to a hormone, and it regulates calcium uptake, inflammation, and some cell functions. Its one of the reasons that there is so much rheumatoid arthritis - they have found that 80 percent of seniors have inadequate vitamin D levels.

So the vitamin D helps lay the calcium down, but it doesn't really know where to put it. So it dumps it in veins (calcification or hardening of the arteries) or in cartilage where tissue is supposed to be soft. The vitamin that provides the information on where to lay the calcium is Vitamin K-2 (not k-1 the clotting vitamin). Its what Weston A. Price called the X-factor, and it is extremely hard to come by, especially in the modern overprocessed diet. It should be in raw milk products such as milk, butter, and cheese. Unfortunately, if a farmer feeds grain instead of pasture, the cow will no longer produce it.

Google K-2 and you will find a host of studies that have been done in other countries testing this incredible vitamin. In japan, they administered what would be considered very high doses in this country, and the women enjoyed complete reversal of osteoperosis. It revereses hardening of the arteries. It is pretty incredible stuff. Tammi, you probably remember that I had no calcium deposits in the placenta after the birth of baby, despite being on over 1000mg of coral calcium and a tablespoon of Carlson's cod liver oil. I take a natural source vitamin k-2 about three times a week.

Make sure you find natural sources of this vitamin. You can buy x-factor butter on the web and you can find the vitamin extracted from Natto, a fermented bean paste.

Then she blessed me with more info:
The sad thing is that despite three meals a day we still need supplements. That's how bad the food supply has become. I hope you find a place in Florida where you can grow some of your own. When you have a yard, email me and I will send you a baby banana tree:)

You couldn't pay me to take a multi. I take the things I mentioned plus kelp and sometimes bee pollen. Coral calcium is highly absorbably because the coral is a living thing that already digested the calcium. here is the link for the stuff I get. http://nutrabio.com/Products/coral_calcium.htm

If anyone has more info, keep it coming! Tammi

Cochrane Review: Midwife-led versus other models of care for childbearing women

2008-10-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

Dated 10/8/08. You'll all be shocked (lol!) to learn that even a thorough review of clinical trials leads to the conclusion that "All women should be offered midwife-led models of care and women should be encouraged to ask for this option."

What to do about Vitamin D deficiency

2008-10-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

I love Weston A. Price and their articles. The only part I disagree with in this article is using the Carlson's Fish Oil (no Vitamin D) vice the Cod Liver Oil (plenty of Vitamin D, plus, if you need to bump it up, you won't go toxic with the amount of Vitamin A in it). It is very hard to find a CLO that you can bump yourself up on the D without going toxic on the A. Sure, if you only need the 400iu, then get one of the CLOs recommended by WAP. But I need more than the recommended daily value of 400iu right now.

Various sources, including the WAP article, Dr. Mercola and the Vitamin D Council talk about taking 1000iu. I'm choosing to do a tablespoon of Carlson's vice the recommended teaspoon. Gets me to 1200iu of D and not overdosing on A.

Get as much sun as possible, but realize that your latitude may be insufficient - Florida, Arizona - such latitudes seem to be the places to be! Altitude is good, too!

Some foods are Vitamin D-rich. But make sure the animals producing such food are grown such that they actually can produce the Vitamin D for the food. Some conditions the animals are in do not allow for them to become rich in Vitamin D.

Seasonal Affective Disorder has been treated successfully with vitamin D. In a recent study covering 30 days of treatment comparing vitamin D supplementation with two-hour daily use of light boxes, depression completely resolved in the D group but not in the light box group.40

Cool!

My doctor wanted me to start 50,000iu, 3 times/week. Luckily, I know to go research this stuff, and will be sending her the WAP article, which includes this tidbit:
In my experience and that of other researchers, high, infrequent dosing can lead to problems. In one recent study, blood levels rose from low to extremely high, (more than 300 nmol/l) 2 to 4 hours after a 50,000 IU oral dose,65 and then slowly returned to pretreatment suboptimal levels. Clearly this must disrupt normal feedback mechanisms in D and calcium regulation.

Lovely.

In addition to the WAP article, I got some other info from one of my natural yahoogroups:

muscle test to make sure that nothing is blocking your absorption of Vitamin D. I'm going to have my chiro do this Thursday.
sunbathe at a nude beach (lol!)

If you have more input, I'd love to hear from you! Tammi

Very low Vitamin D levels

2008-10-10T13:15:00.001-07:00

So, my wonderful, and I mean WONDERFUL chiropractor/healer/guru, Dr. Erica, told me to go get my Vit D levels checked. Mind you, I should know better, I look for such stuff for my moms. Me? Not always. I need my own healer.

Well, thank God she told me to get them checked. Mine is 13. Let me tell you what Dr. Mercola says about this:
Your vitamin D level should NEVER be below 32 ng/ml. Any levels below 20 ng/ml are considered serious deficiency states and will increase your risk of breast and prostate cancer and autoimmune diseases like MS and rheumatoid arthritis.

Let alone depression/winter blues/enter label for that, here.

So, I went to my FP on Tuesday. I love her for her allopathic abilities, but I kind of had to prod her to actually have my blood drawn for this. She just learned a new thing today - check the levels with your sluggish patients who otherwise have it together. (Just like I'm always learning from my moms all of the time!)

The nurse calls and says, we have your results. Your level is 13. I said Yes! This is terrific. She thought I was a loony. I was excited because I know that I can improve my levels and rid myself of this physiologic sluggishness due to my Vitamin D Deficiency. This can be fixed.

Well, they want me on a high dose of Vit D and I'm to come get my prescription so I can start on it. I'm not going to pick it up. I'm going on Carlson's Cod Liver Oil. If any of you have other suggestions, besides more sun or tanning beds, lay it on and comment to this post. I'm learning from you all, too.

Let's help each other out and share some information on this very important vitamin deficiency that some of us have. And that can be fixed!

What have you used to keep your Vitamin D level healthy? Tammi

Don't forget your influenzinum!

2008-10-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year! No flu shots - get your homeopathic remedy instead. I get mine from Washington Homeopathics - http://www.homeopathyworks.com/

Lots of articles here: http://nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org/services/fluforum/index.jsp

Twins!

2008-10-07T15:13:00.000-07:00

Had lovely, and I mean lovely, births of twin boys on Friday. Easier than some singleton births I've ever attended, I kid you not. She went to full term, of course, and grew some nice sized babies in the process. Don't tell me that twins can't go full term - the moms I serve make sure that happens.

And, the second twin was born in the caul.