My regular Thursday blog features controversial topics, media reviews, and pretty much anything I think you will like.

Doula programs may be eligible for a $10,000 prize. The Amgen Foundation is sponsoring a global competition to address how patients’ voices can be elevated to improve health outcomes. Isn’t that what doulas do? Three top vote getters will win $10,000. Find out more about the Patients/Choices/Empowerment Competition by clicking here. Deadline is September 29.

Check out this amazing true story from Australia.

Miracle mum brings premature baby son back to life with two hours of loving cuddles after doctors pronounce him dead. It was a final chance to say goodbye for grieving mother Kate Ogg after doctors gave up hope of saving her premature baby. She tearfully told her lifeless son, born at 27 weeks weighing 2lb, how much she loved him and cuddled him tightly, not wanting to let him go. Read more.

Autumn Delights—Save the Date

A Chocolate and Wine Tasting to benefit Washtenaw Area Council for Children
October 15, 6:00-8:30pm
At Lake Forest Golf Club, 3110 W. Ellsworth, Ann Arbor

Spend a delightful evening sampling delicious chocolates from Schakolad and hors d’oeuvres, tasting interesting wines, enjoying lovely music by Hi-Def Quartet, and bidding at the Silent Auction. Sponsors are needed to support our work on behalf of children in the community.

Granola with Flaxseed

From Sarah Hashimoto

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
¾ cup sliced blanched almonds
¼ cup coconut or vegetable oil
¼ cup honey
½ cup dried cherries
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss together oats, coconut, and almonds in a medium bowl and set aside. Whisk together oil and honey in a small bowl and stir into oat mixture. Spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients.

My regular Thursday blog features controversial topics, media reviews, and pretty much anything I think you will like.

Check out this video regarding the latest CPR procedure. The new technique is much simpler and more efficient than traditional CPR. Forward to your friends and family–you never know, a life may be saved with this new procedure.

Child Safety

Car Seats

A study published online July 5th in the Journal of Pediatrics examines hazardous use of car seats outside of a car in the US. The study authors note that when used improperly or for unintended purposes, car seats can place children at risk for injury or death. The most common causes of injury were infants falling from car seats, car seats falling from elevated surfaces, and car seats overturning on soft surfaces.

Window Safety Tips

During the summer months, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is calling for parents to use extra caution when opening windows around small children. CPSC data shows that about eight deaths occur yearly and more than 3,000 children are injured due to falls from windows. Deaths and injuries often occur when children push themselves against window screens or climb onto furniture located next to an open window. For window safety tips.

… Continuing our discussion of business models, I now take up considerations regarding formation of a nonprofit corporation.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation is a relatively complex entity established for educational, religious, scientific, literary, or charitable purposes. Other qualifying purposes include the testing of public safety, fostering amateur sports competitions, or the prevention of cruelty to animals or children. The nonprofit status means that the organization enjoys freedom from certain types of taxes and that it is eligible to receive tax-deductible donations and grants from individuals, foundations, and government bodies. Startup requirements and costs are considerable. Simply submitting the application to the IRS costs $850, with no guarantee that the application will be approved. The designation “nonprofit” is a bit of a misnomer. Technically, nonprofits must make a profit to remain viable; no business can run at a loss for very long. However, members, officers, or directors cannot benefit financially from dissolution of the corporation. If the nonprofit does close its doors at some point in time, all remaining assets must be given, by law, to another nonprofit agency or government body.

While an individual can be the founder and executive director (ED) of a nonprofit corporation, decision-making power and fiduciary responsibility rests with a board of directors. Ongoing rules, regulations, and reporting requirements are extensive, requiring the involvement of lawyers, accountants, and nonprofit specialists over time. One risk for the visionary founder/ED is that the board of directors, comprised of good-hearted volunteers who have no real concept of the day-to-day operations of the business and have minimal overall involvement, nevertheless legally hold full decision-making authority (including the right to hire, fire, and replace the ED). The resulting built-in tension in the relationship tends to revolve around accountability issues, which may at times feel like a one-way street from the ED’s perspective. A founder/ED will understandably have a sense of ownership, while in fact she is an employee, not an owner.

Doula entrepreneurs considering formation of a nonprofit corporation may be motivated by the desire to serve low-income families by establishing doula programs, community-based childbirth education centers, breastfeeding clinics, postpartum depression support groups, and the like. These are all worthy enterprises. Given the complexity and challenges in both set up and management of a nonprofit corporation, I have devoted an entire chapter of my upcoming book to this subject.

Volunteers Needed for Research on Postpartum Depression & Insomnia

Researchers at the University of Michigan are seeking volunteers with postpartum depression to participate in a non-medication insomnia treatment research study. You may be eligible if you are a woman 18 years of age or older, have given birth in the past 12 months, feel depressed, have difficulty sleeping, are not currently receiving treatment for insomnia, and are otherwise generally healthy. Participation in this study involves receiving a non-medication treatment for insomnia. You will be asked to keep daily sleep diaries and to complete questionnaires about your sleep and daytime functioning before and after treatment. You may be paid up to $175 for completing all portions of the study. Please call 734-764-2242 or email psych-sleeplab@med.umich.edu and refer to the “Postpartum Depression and Insomnia” study for more information.

Sesame Orchata

From Alexandra Carbone

This is a nutritious drink, high in calcium and good fats. Great during pregnancy and for breastfeeding moms. Kids love it too—but use a different sweetener for babies under 12 months.

2 tablespoons toasted sesame
6–8 ounces rice, soy, or cow’s milk
honey to taste

Add whole toasted sesame to the blender and pulse it for a few seconds until ground. If you can only find untoasted sesame, roast some in a pan or in the toaster oven until it browns a bit and smells fragrant. Blend all ingredients until well mixed. Strain through a sieve into a glass and enjoy. Can also add ice in the summertime and make it a smoothie.

Serves 2

My regular Thursday blog features controversial topics, media reviews, and pretty much anything I think you will like.

WE NEED YOUR VOTES!

Many women give up breastfeeding before they want to due to concerns regarding combining medications and breastfeeding. Timely, accurate, up-to-date information on medications is essential to keep more babies at the breast. The InfantRisk Center is a call-in center, run by Thomas Hale, where moms can call for information on medications and breastfeeding. View the Medications & More Monthly Newsletter for August 2010.

The InfantRisk Center is in the running for the Pepsi Refresh Project Good Idea Challenge! If awarded the grant, the InfantRisk Center would be able to grow and expand even more, helping more and more pregnant and breastfeeding women. Please click here and vote. You will need to set up a free account on Pepsi.com, but once you have set it up, you can vote every day until the polls close. Start spreading the news to your friends and family and tell them to vote. There’s no time to lose, voting ends August 31st, 2010.