Tuesday, November 29, 2011

British Study: Half Of All Pregnant Women Could Give Birth At Home Safely

LONDON -- A new study in England shows little difference in complications among the babies of women with low-risk pregnancies who delivered in hospitals versus those who gave birth with midwives at home or in birthing centers.

Based on the findings, researchers said women with uncomplicated pregnancies in England should be able to choose where they want to give birth – and one expert said about half of all pregnant women here could potentially safely give birth outside a hospital.

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Friday, November 25, 2011

Dr. Sears Addresses Recent Co-Sleeping Concerns

Every night millions of mothers and babies the world over sleep close to each other, and the babies wake up just fine. Instead of alarming conscientious parents, like the recent shocking and insensitive ad campaign in Milwaukee did, as reported in the Journal Sentinel, sleep advisors should be teaching parents how to co-sleep safely.

Since I’m a show-me-the-science doctor, consider the following:

To read the rest of this article click here.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Pre-Eclampsia Linked With Low Vitamin D During Pregnancy

Vitamin D deficiency early in pregnancy is associated with a five-fold increased risk of preeclampsia, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Statewide project helps mothers avoid C-sections


BY Patricia Anstett

DETROIT FREE PRESS MEDICAL WRITER

A Michigan project considered a national model is helping women avoid medically unnecessary C-sections and contributing to healthier outcomes for their babies, project organizers report.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Study: Two-Thirds of OB-GYN Clinical Guidelines Have No Basis in Science

Majority of ACOG Recommendations for Patient Care Found to Be Based on Opinion and Inconsistent Evidence

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 15, 2011)—A study published this month in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the journal of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, found that barely one-third of the organization’s clinical guidelines for OB/GYN practice meet the Level A standard of “good and consistent scientific evidence.” The authors of the study found instead that the majority of ACOG recommendations for patient care rank at Levels B and C, based on research that relies on “limited or inconsistent evidence” and on “expert opinion,” both of which are known to be inadequate predictors of safety or efficacy.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Breastfeeding tied to lower blood pressure risk-study

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Mothers who breastfeed for the recommended period of time, at least six months exclusively, may have a somewhat lower risk of developing high blood pressure later on, a U.S. study of more than 50,000 women said.

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Caesarean link to respiratory infections in babies


3/11/2011-
A new study from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research has found that babies born by elective caesarean are more likely to be admitted to hospital with the serious respiratory infection, bronchiolitis, in the first year of life.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

First Foods: Why White Rice Cereal Is Bad for Your Baby


White rice cereal is one of the most commonly recommended first foods for infants. It is easy to make, easy for infants to eat, and easy to sell to parents since it is fortified with important vitamins and minerals like iron.

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Monday, November 7, 2011

Cord around the neck – what parents & practitioners should know


This article shares information about the common practice of checking for a nuchal cord during the second stage of labour, and unlooping or cutting the cord – interventions that are not evidence-based and can cause birth trauma.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Childbirth classes help ease anxiety

By Linda Charping
Health Department
Published: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 12:38 p.m.

Having a baby can be a wonderful experience, but for most first-time mothers, there are lots of questions, fears and concerns, especially related to labor and delivery. Talking with a health care provider and taking childbirth education classes can help to reassure women and reduce the normal anxieties of childbirth.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Birth is not a crisis

By Elizabeth Payne, Ottawa Citizen October 18, 2011

While having a baby at home and live online may seem wacky, it draws attention to how rare natural childbirth has become, writes Elizabeth Payne.

To read the rest of this article click here.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Bali-Based Midwife in Bid for CNN Hero


More than 20 years ago, a series of tragic events changed Robin Lim’s life forever: her sister, her best friend and the midwife who helped her when she gave birth all lost their lives in the same year.

“Three people, all females, that you love died. You have to decide why you are living,” she said.

Two years later, Lim, a US citizen, decided to move to Ubud, Bali with her family and start over.

“We were reinventing our life,” she said of the reason she and her husband made the transition. “And we heard that Bali had a reputation for strong family values, that parents really take good care of their children.”http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Lim’s sister had died while giving birth, despite being in a modern hospital in the United States. A midwife herself, Robin already had a strong commitment to natural childbirth and a link to Asia ­­— she is half Filipino­ and spent part of her childhood in the Philippines, where her maternal grandmother was a traditional birthing assistant.

Today Lim is known to many as Ibu Robin, or Mother Robin, and leads a non-profit, donation-based organization called Yayasan Bumi Sehat (Healthy Mother Earth Foundation) that focuses on prenatal care, maternal health and child survival.

To read more click here - and don't forget to vote!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Artist turns childbirth into an exhibition by delivering her baby boy in a gallery


A woman has turned childbirth into a work of art by delivering her baby inside an art gallery.

Performance artist Marni Kotak gave birth to her 9lb 2oz son in a specially designed ‘home birth centre’ at the Microscope Gallery in New York.

The 36-year-old chose to have her baby in front of art enthusiasts at the Brooklyn gallery as she believes giving birth is the “highest form of art”.
To read the rest of this article click here.