Center for the Childbearing Year, LLC » Birth & Parenting News

High Dose of Yeast Infection Drug Linked to Birth Defects, FDA Says

Patty Brennan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:00:48 +0000

Pregnant women who take ongoing, high doses of the drug fluconazole (brand name Diflucan) may be at increased risk of having babies with birth defects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned this week.

Each Wednesday, our Birth & Parenting News blog highlights the latest news items, research results, consumer alerts, and legislative action alerts of interest to expectant and new parents and the professionals who work them.

Induction may be safe for some VBACs

Patty Brennan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:00:16 +0000

A new study from the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found that induction of labor in women planning a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) did not increase the risk of uterine rupture when the total length of labor was taken into account. The study’s authors advise, “rather than absolutely avoiding labor induction in general, clinicians may choose to restrict labor induction to patients with a more favorable cervical exam to minimize uterine rupture risk.” Read the abstract. Read a news article.

Studies show unvaccinated children far less prone to allergies and disease than vaccinated children.

Patty Brennan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 06:39:59 +0000

It is commonly assumed that vaccinations are responsible for bringing about substantial improvements in public health and that humans were much more prone to developing serious disease prior to their advent. But a new survey released by VaccineInjury.info debunks this myth by showing that unvaccinated children are far less prone to developing allergies, autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, endocrine diseases, and other illnesses compared to their vaccinated counterparts. Learn more.

Circumcision and informed decision making

Patty Brennan — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 06:00:38 +0000

NOCIRC has produced a 20-minute educational video about circumcision. http://www.nocirc.org/. This free video is available to download, copy, and distribute. You can even upload it to your own website, if desired. In addition, a Circumcision Resource page has been developed for educators at http://www.icgi.org/birth_care_providers.htm. Here you will find videos, articles, and pamphlets that discuss various aspects of the circumcision decision, as well as care of the intact child.

Please also check out the website http://peacefulbeginningsrosemary.wordpress.com/. A “New York Times” article reported that the U.S. circumcision rate has fallen from 56% in 2006 to 32.5% in 2009, according to the CDC. See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/17/health/research/17circ.html?_r=2.

Recent news articles have reported on African studies that claim to show that circumcision prevents HIV. Dr. Dean Edell discusses these studies, and how they relate to our own experience in the U.S. at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlsUg0sdAtE.

Presently, eighteen states no longer fund non-therapeutic Medicaid circumcisions, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho,
Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington.

PTSD high among new mothers

Patty Brennan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:00:07 +0000

Nine percent of women in a United States national survey met the criteria for diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder following their births, according to new research in the journal Birth. Researchers found that “pressure to have an induction and epidural analgesia,” “planned cesarean birth,” and “not exclusively breastfeeding at one month” were among the predictive variables. Read the abstract.

Home Birth is a Safe Option for Healthy Low-Risk Women

Patty Brennan — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 06:00:07 +0000

In many parts of the world women give birth at home out of necessity for lack of access to a maternity care facility, for economic reasons, or because their cultural traditions have always valued home birth as a social and spiritual life event. In countries where hospital births are the norm, some mothers prefer the privacy, comfort, freedom of movement, and continuity of care that a home birth provides. There is no evidence that hospital birth is safer than home birth for healthy low-risk women.

Women who choose a home birth and the care providers that support them view pregnancy and birth as a normal physiological process in which routine medical interventions are unnecessary. Should a medical complication develop, the use of interventions should be evidence-based. The CIMS Expert Work Group found extensive evidence that supports the safety of home birth. With a home birth, mothers are much less likely to be exposed to medical interventions such as induction of labor, use of IV fluids, continuous electronic fetal monitoring, or amniotomy (breaking the bag of waters). They are also less likely to suffer from infection requiring the use of antibiotics. Perinatal outcomes are similar to planned hospital birth. Without compromising the health and well being of mothers and babies, home birth with maternity care professionals who follow the midwifery model of care also substantially reduces the odds of needing a cesarean section.

Planned home birth is as safe as planned hospital birth for similar groups of women when four important criteria are in place:

Pregnant women are low risk.
Home was chosen as the intended place for birth.
The primary care provider is qualified according to professional licensing standards and trained to assist at home births.
A collaborative relationship with consulting physicians and a medical center exist, with clear guidelines for continuity of care should a complication arise where the mother or baby would benefit from the transfer.

Home birth gives women more freedom to shape their birth environment but also requires them to take more responsibility for their own care. Women who choose to give birth at home are usually ready to take more responsibility for their care during pregnancy as well as for labor and birth. They are also willing to forgo narcotics or an epidural for pain relief. The World Health Organization recommends that healthy low-risk pregnant women should give birth where they feel safe.

To find out more about a home birth with a midwife visit MANA; ACNM; and Childbirth Connection.

Pitocin does not reduce cesarean births, forceps deliveries

Patty Brennan — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:00:42 +0000

A recent meta-analysis from the Cochrane Library found that the use of Pitocin during labor does speed labor by an average of nearly two hours but does not reduce the need for cesarean births nor forceps deliveries. Read the Cochrane review.

Baby Shampoo Toxins

Patty Brennan — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:00:17 +0000

Moms who buy special shampoo for their babies probably assume that they aren’t rubbing carcinogens into their precious child’s head during every bath. If they live in the U.S., there’s a good chance they’re wrong. Health and environmental groups have been pressuring Johnson & Johnson to remove two potentially cancer-causing chemicals from its popular baby shampoo, and for some unfathomable reason, they’re dragging their feet.

The company is definitely well aware of the problem. According to the Associated Press, since 2009 The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has met with Johnson & Johnson representatives three times about making its baby products safer by removing two chemicals. Dioxane, which is considered a likely carcinogen, is found in Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, Oatmeal Baby Wash, Moisture Care Baby Wash and Aveeno Baby Soothing Relief Creamy Wash. The shampoo also contains quaternium-15, which releases formaldehyde. Over the summer, the U.S. government officially added formaldehyde, which is used as a disinfectant and embalming fluid, to its list of known carcinogens. It’s also a skin, eye and respiratory irritant. Read more.

Homebirths on the Rise

Patty Brennan — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 06:00:09 +0000

In the context of increasingly public physician opposition to women’s choice for a home birth, the number of home births in the United States rose 20 percent from 2004 to 2008, according to research publishing in the journal Birth. According to the study, 27 states saw significant increases in the number of home births during that time period, while only four states saw declines. With a national cesarean rate of 34%, the incidence of home births is likely to increase. Read the abstract. Read a news article.

Check out this terrific interview with Robbie David-Floyd about homebirths.

To find out more about home birth, visit the Citizens for Midwifery’s website where you can:

Download the CfM TOOLKIT: Stand Up for Healthy Birth & Home Birth, a tool for grassroots organizing and advocacy.
Download the Home Birth Annotated Guide to the Literature, April 2011.
Download the Power Point presentation or view the archived video, Home Birth and the Public Health Response: Promoting Informed Choices and Healthy Outcomes, by Eugene DeClerq and Mairi Breen-Rothman from the John Hopkins-Bloomberg School of Public Health.