http://twitter.com/solace4mothers

Get all the latest web links about Postpartum PTSD or birth trauma.

Peter Jurich Reporting

Southfield (WWJ)  -- The Tree of Hope Foundation is holding its annual 5K Run, Walk & Stroll on Saturday, June 21, at Metro Beach Metropark to raise awareness of Postpartum Depression, or PPD.

The Tree of Hope was established in July 2005 "to raise awareness and provide support and education for families struggling with the condition," said Pam Moffitt, president of the organization.

The Foundation also provides information for medical professionals who may have patients dealing with the disorder.

PPD is a condition that affects one in every ten women after childbirth, but most women become symptomatic during pregnancy.

It is "actually the number one complication of childbirth," Moffitt said.

PPD combines various symptom of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, bipolar, and posttraumatic stress disorders.

Symptoms include -- but are not limited to -- debilitating depression, lack of interest in the baby or self, feelings of inadequacy as a wife or mother, visual or auditory hallucinations.

"Our organization was instituted after a personal loss," said Moffitt. "My sister-in-law took her own life and that of her five-week-old daughter in July of 2004.

"Having been through such a terrible event, you know you have to go forward and try to prevent that kind of tragedy from happening to any other families."

Click here for a walk registration form and more information about The Tree of Hope Foundation.

Check-in begins at 8:15 a.m.

WWJ Newsradio 950 - Walk To Raise Awareness For Postpartum Depression

MICHELLE A. BLAND
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
MISSOURI WESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
Sponsored by: BRIAN CRONK (cronk@missouriwestern.edu)

---

ABSTRACT

Recent research indicates that postpartum depression affects from 8-26% of new mothers. It is considered to be a serious problem, as its consequences have been demonstrated to be detrimental to the child. The purpose of this study is to see if birth experience, control over the birth process, and place of birth (operating room, labor/delivery room, or home) are related to postpartum depression. The participants consist of three groups: women who have had vaginal hospital deliveries, women who have had caesarean hospital deliveries, and women who have had planned home deliveries. The following self-report scales have been used: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), a 25-item scale combining questions for both birth experience satisfaction and perceived level of control, and a revised 29-item scale also measuring satisfaction and control. Data from the present study were combined with data from the original study in all categories except satisfaction. The surveys were completed as follows: Women in the home delivery group received the surveys from their midwife, and returned them in a self addressed stamped envelope to the researcher. Women who had hospital deliveries completed them in the waiting room of their doctor¿s office while at their postpartum check-up. The incidence and severity of postpartum depression has been found to be related to the place and type of delivery, the perceived level of control over the birth experience, and the satisfaction level. The home birth group was found to have the lowest rates of depression, have felt the most control over their birth experience, and were the most satisfied. While the caesarean patients were found to have had the least control over their birth experiences, the data regarding their depression levels were inconclusive. When pain was considered as part of labor and delivery satisfaction, the caesarean patients were found to be more satisfied than the traditional hospital patients. However, when pain was not considered, both the vaginal hospital group and the caesarean group scored similarly for satisfaction. Lack of technological and human intervention in the home birth groups may have given the women more freedom to move about, thus increasing comfort levels, as well as the number of choices that could be made. The increased intervention involved in a caesarean birth may have played a role in the lack of control that the caesarean group experienced.

THE INFLUENCE OF BIRTH EXPERIENCE ON POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION: A FOLLOW-UP STUDY

Effectiveness of a Counseling Intervention after a Traumatic Childbirth: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Jenny Gamble, RN, RM, PhD ^a *, Debra Creedy, RN, PhD ^a , Wendy Moyle, RN, PhD ^a , Joan Webster, RN, RM, BA ^a , Margaret McAllister, RN, EDD ^a , and Paul Dickson, BPsych(Hons) ^a

^a Jenny Gamble, Debra Creedy, Wendy Moyle, Margaret McAllister and Paul Dickson are in the Research Centre for Clinical Practice Innovation, Griffith University, Meadowbrook; and Joan Webster is Director of Nursing & Women's Health Research Centre at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Correspondence to * Dr Jenny Gamble, School of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing and Health, Griffith University, Logan Campus, University Drive, Meadowbrook. Queensland 4131 Australia.

This study was supported by a grant from the Queensland Nursing Council and a scholarship from the Faculty of Nursing & Health, Griffith University, Meadowbrook, Queensland, Australia.

Copyright Blackwell Publishing, Inc. 2005

ABSTRACT

Abstract:  Adverse childbirth experiences can evoke fear and overwhelming anxiety for some women and precipitate posttraumatic stress disorder. The objective of this study was to assess a midwife¿led brief counseling intervention for postpartum women at risk of developing psychological trauma symptoms. Method: Of 348 women screened for trauma symptoms, 103 met inclusion criteria and were randomized into an intervention (n = 50) or a control (n = 53) group. The intervention group received face¿to¿face counseling within 72 hours of birth and again via telephone at 4 to 6 weeks postpartum. Main outcome measures were posttraumatic stress symptoms, depression, self¿blame, and confidence about a future pregnancy. Results: At 3¿month follow¿up, intervention group women reported decreased trauma symptoms, low relative risk of depression, low relative risk of stress, and low feelings of self¿blame. Confidence about a future pregnancy was higher for these women than for control group women. Three intervention group women compared with 9 control group women met the diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder at 3 months postpartum, but this result was not statistically significant. Discussion: A high prevalence of postpartum depression and trauma symptoms occurred after childbirth. Although most women improved over time, the intervention markedly affected participants' trajectory toward recovery compared with women who did not receive counseling. Conclusions: A brief, midwife¿led counseling intervention for women who report a distressing birth experience was effective in reducing symptoms of trauma, depression, stress, and feelings of self¿blame. The intervention is within the scope of midwifery practice, caused no harm to participants, was perceived as helpful, and enhanced women's confidence about a future pregnancy.

---

Received: 28 February 2002; Accepted: 09 September 2002;

Wiley InterScience :: JOURNALS :: Birth

How Circumcision Affects Sexuality

Circumcision is a primal wound that causes pain and trauma to an infant¿s penis ¿ his organ of pleasure and procreation. Initially, circumcision interferes with the maternal infant bond, disrupts breastfeeding and normal sleep patterns, and undermines the successful completion of the baby¿s first developmental task of establishing trust. Even when analgesia is used, circumcision causes pain to the penis, and every experience of that organ, from then on, is overlaid on a neuronal background of pain.  Read more....

Marilyn Milos' How Circumcision Affects Sexuality (unedited) has been uploaded to the Conscious Woman registration system.  1.5 Contact Hours available from MEAC, credits for doulas and chiropractors as well. Appropriate for general audiences. 

Buy it now!  Only $17.50 

How Circumcision Affects Sexuality,
with Marilyn Milos,RN (CEUs available for Midwives, Doulas, and Chiropractors!)

Meditate Online with Barbara Wilder

Barbara Wilder, one of CW's Conscious Women of the Month, leads a Live Guided Healing and Empowering Meditation on the phone every Sunday Night. 

This powerful light energy healing meditation relieves stress, promotes wellness, and helps you to open your heart to the joy, love and prosperity of the universe in a community of loving, caring, like-minded others

. Read more...

CONSCIOUS WOMAN FAVORITES

Winning Through Enlightenment, by Ron Smotherman, M.D. 
"You are already responsible for your life, totally.  The only question is, 'Will you acknowledge that?'"

MONEY FOR NON-PROFITS

Non-profit organizations may now receive a code good for $2.50 off each of Conscious Woman's pre-recorded programs, with an additional $5 per purchase to be donated by Conscious Woman to your organization.  Email your 501(c)(3) letter, contact name and mailing address to info@consciouswoman.org , and we'll send you a discount code specific to your organization. Qualifying organizations subject to our approval.

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Conscious Woman, Inc. is an online community that focuses on women¿s health, children¿s health and welfare, and the environment.  Conscious Woman actively and aggressively promotes informed choice through compassionate education, love and support. 

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From HealthNewsDigest.com

Research
Repeat C-sections Climb by More Than 40 Percent in 10 Years
By
Apr 15, 2009 - 10:52:30 AM

(HealthNewsDigest.com) - The percentage of pregnant women undergoing a repeat Cesarean section (C-section) delivery jumped from 65 percent to 90 percent between 1997 and 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
C-sections are performed for medical reasons and they can be elective. Medical reasons include a previous c-section, mal-position of the baby in the uterus; the mother having active genital herpes; the baby¿s head being too large to pass through the mother¿s pelvis; or problems with the umbilical cord.
AHRQ also found that:
Nearly one-third of the 4.3 million childbirths in 2006 were delivered via C-section, compared with one-fifth in 1997.
C-sections are more costly than vaginal deliveries, $4,500 versus $2,600 in deliveries without complications, and $6,100 versus $3,500 in deliveries with complications.
Therefore, although C-sections account for 31 percent of all deliveries, they account for 45 percent of all costs associated with delivery.
C-sections account for 34 percent of all deliveries by women who are privately insured but only 25 percent of deliveries by women who are uninsured.
This AHRQ News and Numbers is based on data in Hospitalizations Related to Childbirth, 2006. The report uses statistics from the 2006 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital inpatient stays that is nationally representative of inpatient stays in all short-term, non-Federal hospitals. The data are drawn from hospitals that comprise 90 percent of all discharges in the United States and include all patients, regardless of insurance type, as well as the uninsured.
www.ahrq.hhs.gov
www.HealthNewsDigest.com
© Copyright by HealthNewsDigest.com

Repeat C-sections Climb by More Than 40 Percent in 10 Years

Written by Cyndi Gross on April 8, 2009 - 2:43pm

Her Writer

Cyndi Gross

MyBirthTeam intends to join the March of Dimes Prematurity Awareness campaign by helping to educate women of their choices and matching them with providers who meet those needs.

The March of Dimes has recently completed a report on the prematurity rate across the US.

The United States scored a ¿D¿ in that report. In a country as great as ours, how is this possible? The report states that an increase of elective inductions and Cesarean sections are largely to blame......

Increasing Prematurity Awareness | EmpowHer - Women's Health Online

May 11, 2009

BY BOBBY L. RUSH

One of the most profound questions Jesus asked during his ministry was put before a sick man who had spent 38 years waiting near the base of the Bethesda well for his turn at treatment. ''Do you want to get well?'' Jesus queried, as the man lay surrounded by other broken, paralyzed, blind, mentally and spiritually infirmed people waiting for his turn to be healed.

Today, the man from this story could be any one of America's poor or uninsured who lay in wait within the nation's many overburdened hospital emergency rooms. It is only because of faith and perseverance that I am not one of them. As a recovering cancer patient, I have experienced firsthand the lifesaving work of physicians, nurses and other health care workers who are able to focus on restoring a person's health rather than being saddled by administrative policy and financial restrictions.

Recently, a hospital in my district has come under fire for reportedly engaging in a deplorable practice known as "patient dumping," the inhumane exercise of turning away poor, uninsured and elderly patients to other facilities, refusing to administer care due to overcrowding and other obstacles. It should be no surprise that a majority of the patients being turned away are poor, and often people of color. This practice is even more startling when you consider that six hospitals have closed on Chicago's South Side, placing an enormous burden on any hospital whose doors are still open, with thousands of people depending on fewer hospitals, atop the over restrictive nature of an already-broken health care system.

Nearly 47 million Americans are without health insurance. Since the beginning of the recession, an estimated 4 million more Americans have lost their health insurance. On average, 14,000 Americans lose their coverage every day. Where, then, do these citizens go and to whom do they turn when they need to get well? Are they condemned to suffer silently, waiting for 38 years like the man at the foot of the Bethesda well?

Health care reform is the single most important domestic issue facing our nation. In 2007, we spent $2.2 trillion on health care. This is why expanding coverage and making insurance affordable has been one of my top priorities since taking office in 1993. We are increasingly becoming a nation of the "have-mores" vs. the "have-nots" -- the invisible people who linger on the margins of society as they seek the American Dream.

This is why I have co-sponsored the "Access to Emergency Medical Services Act of 2009" (H.R.1188/S.468) and am an original co-sponsor to H.R. 1678, both of which will improve access, quality and efficiency of emergency care.

I also sponsored pioneering health legislation called the Melanie Blocker Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act (H.R.20/S.324). This bill will provide immediate attention and resources toward one of the most underdiagnosed conditions after childbirth. It has passed the House and is on its way to becoming law.

There is growing support for my Medicare bill (H.R. 444), which will expand the federal discount drug program to make it easier for the underinsured and low-income patients to access the medication they need. These efforts are just a small piece of the health care reform puzzle that must be put together. And I urge all of you to call on your elected officials to get engaged in these issues, as well.

President Obama and Congress have made it a top priority to pass comprehensive health care reform legislation this year that lowers costs, improves quality, increases coverage and preserves patient choice of plan and doctors. Left alone, our broken health care system will cost the American people another $2.2 trillion. We need reform now. Families cannot wait. America cannot wait.

When it comes to U.S. health care reform, lawmakers can no longer act like Sisyphus, a man condemned to forever roll a ball up a never-ending hill, moving forward but never making progress. It is time for America's health care system to answer the question, "Do we want to get well?"

U.S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush represents the 1st Congressional District of Illinois.

Thyatiria Towns

Office of Congressman Bobby L. Rush

700 East 79th Street

Chicago, Illinois 60619

773-224-6500 (office)

773-224-9624 (fax)

202-230-3249 (mobile)

Sign up for Congressman Bobby L. Rush's Issue Alerts and our E-Newsletter at: http://www.house.gov/rush/

Join MomsBloom and Grand Rapids Women's Health on May 12! and more

In This Issue...

• Join MomsBloom and Grand Rapids Women's Health on May 12!
• Networking Adventures!
• Can Family Therapy Help The Depressed Patient?
• Prayer Marketing 101 ¿The heavenly strategy to manifest anything you need now!¿
• Being your best advocate in the delivery room
• A New Method For Assessing Mood Changes
• Study: Many Labor Inductions are Unnecessary
• More Recent Articles
• Search Pampered Pregger & Beyond's Sound Bites

Join MomsBloom and Grand Rapids Women's Health on May 12!

A Cup of Comfort for New Mothers, a new book release by Adams Media, is the focus for the event. Local author Kristina Riggle will read from her essay in the book entitled "Small Sacrifices" which talks about her postpartum emotional struggles and getting through this difficult time in her life. The book features essays by new mothers and how they individually coped with new motherhood.

The new release communicates an honest portrayal of new parenthood, sometimes very challenging, with reflections from diverse points of view about new motherhood.
Physicians of Grand Rapids Women's Health will be at the event to impart information on postpartum depression. A question and answer session will also be held with guests who attend. The book will also be available at the event for sale by Schuler Books.
Where:
Grand Rapids Women's Health (555 MidTowne Street NE, Grand Rapids)
When:
May 12, 2009, 6:00 - 7:00 pm
Cost:
FREE
What:
¿ Introduction from MomsBloom Executive Director, Sara Binkley-Tow.
¿ Reading from A Cup of Comfort - "Small Sacrifices" by Kristina Riggle.
¿ Information by Physicians of Grand Rapids Women's Health and Mary S. Gilbert, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist from Psychology Associates of the Women's Health Center of West Michigan about motherhood and postpartum issues.
¿ Q&A with new and pregnant mothers.
¿ A Cup of Comfort for New Mothers available for sale by Schuler Books.

¿ Email to a friend ¿ Article Search ¿ Related ¿ ¿

Networking Adventures!

Stop on by and see what these members have to offer!

Dont be shy-stop on by and add them as a friend or send a personal message.
Jennifer Bent:
http://www.pamperedpreggerandbeyond.com/profile/JenniferBent
Boriquita:
http://www.pamperedpreggerandbeyond.com/profile/Boriquita
Melissa Tamburro:
http://www.pamperedpreggerandbeyond.com/profile/MelissaTamburro
Julie:
http://www.pamperedpreggerandbeyond.com/profile/Julie
Let's get networking!
Jenifer

¿ Email to a friend ¿ Article Search ¿ Related ¿ ¿

Can Family Therapy Help The Depressed Patient?

A study published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics suggests that single-family and multi-family therapy may benefit hospitalized patients with major depression, and may help the partners of the patients to become aware of the patient's improvement more quickly.

Read on...

¿ Email to a friend ¿ Article Search ¿ Related ¿ ¿

Prayer Marketing 101 ¿The heavenly strategy to manifest anything you need now!¿

Join Kathleen Ronald of Speaktacular for an outrageous, uplifting session of inspiration¿¿AND LEARN HOW TO SPEAK TO YOUR ANGELS
In this session:
¿ Become aware of angels and their powers; experience their unconditional support.
¿ Discover a profound untapped resource¿your own angels.
¿ Learn a powerful, yet simple, angel connection process:
Simply ASK, BELIEVE, RELEASE and SAY ¿THANK YOU¿!
From "The Power of Miracle Thinking" ~ "Professional speaker, Kathleen Ronald, makes no sales calls to attract new clients, yet ever since she began her business, her phone has been ringing off the hook, and she speaks before thousands of people every year."
¿Thank you for a wonderful day...it was the best use of my time and $39 I could ever imagine! I left feeling empowered, and full of ideas about what might be possible out of asking my angels for assistance.¿
¿CJ Hathaway, President CJ Hathaway Event Marketing
All times are EST!
Register Now! Only $39!
Purchase YOUR Special Offer: A 3 Session Series Offered By Kathleen Ronald During the Show!
or

¿ Email to a friend ¿ Article Search ¿ Related ¿ ¿

Being your best advocate in the delivery room

Hospital delivery rooms can be overwhelming on the big day, especially with all the excitement and people involved. It's easy to lose your voice or start your relationship with your delivery team on the wrong foot. During the course of this telesupport presentation, we'll talk about some strategies to help you be your own best advocate in labor.
Guest Speaker: Dr. Didi Saint-Louis
Call 1-712-421-7475
Conference Passcode: 241404
Time: May 5, 2009 from 10am to 11am EST
Location: Your Telephone!

Details

¿ Email to a friend ¿ Article Search ¿ Related ¿ ¿

A New Method For Assessing Mood Changes

This investigation suggests that the MOODS-SR is sensitive to change in depression status and may help the clinician to detect symptoms and signs not considered by established symptom severity scales.
Read the entire article HERE...

¿ Email to a friend ¿ Article Search ¿ Related ¿ ¿

Study: Many Labor Inductions are Unnecessary

Widespread Use of Induction Potentially Harmful to Woman and Baby
NEW YORK, NY ¿ Induction of labor is on the rise in the U.S., standing at 41% according to a large national survey of women who gave birth in 2005. But, a new study published in the April issue of BJOG, the peer-reviewed journal of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, finds that the best available evidence does not support many reasons medical providers give for using drugs or other measures to cause labor to begin.
The investigators found support only for inducing labor at or beyond 41 completed weeks of gestation and under some conditions when a woman's membranes break before labor. However, there is not good evidence for inducing labor in many other situations, including when the fetus is believed to be large or to have restricted growth, or when a woman is pregnant with twins, has insulin-dependent diabetes, or has low levels of amniotic fluid.
The study¿s lead author, Dr. Ellen Mozurkewich, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Michigan, said, ¿The best available evidence does not support routine inductions in many situations for which induction is currently being recommended to patients. More research is necessary to clarify the risks and benefits of induction in these situations."
Many pregnant women may be receiving inappropriate care. For example, 17% of women who participated in Childbirth Connection's national Listening to Mothers II survey in 2005 said they had been induced because their caregiver was concerned that their baby was too big. However, best evidence suggests that labor induction is not beneficial in this case.
¿We now know that every week of gestation counts in terms of brain and lung development. When there is no good reason to end pregnancy, mothers and babies benefit from waiting for labor to begin on its own,¿ said Carol Sakala, Director of Programs, Childbirth Connection. ¿Starting labor early can lead to negative outcomes for the woman and/or baby."
To foster high quality maternity care, Childbirth Connection, a research and advocacy organization, commissioned this study through a grant from the Transforming Birth Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Concerns about inducing labor without an established medical rationale include increased risk of cesarean section for some mothers (e.g., first-time mothers and women with a cervix that is firm and closed), and babies who are born before full lung and brain maturation. Estimates of how long a fetus has been developing can be off by up to two weeks, and labor induction can unwittingly end with a preterm birth.
Childbirth Connection
Founded in 1918, Childbirth Connection is a not-for-profit organization working to improve the quality of maternity care through research, education, advocacy and policy. As a voice for the needs and interests of childbearing families, Childbirth Connection uses best research evidence and the results of its periodic national Listening to Mothers surveys to inform policy, practice, education and research.

¿ Email to a friend ¿ Article Search ¿ Related ¿ ¿

More Recent Articles

• What is Depression? What Causes Depression?
• Suicide: The Risk Factors
• Physical Illness And Depression - Special MJA Supplement
• Battling Bed Rest Depression
• A Proactive Pregnancy

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Written by Cate Nelson

Published on May 1st, 2009

Posted in Baby, Health, Parenting, Pregnancy

There has been a bit of controversy about unassisted childbirth after Janet Fraser, the birth activist who coined the term ¿birth rape¿, gave birth to a baby girl who died. Afterward, the was a lot of finger-pointing, some support and sorrow.

In my traversing this natural parenting bloggy world, I¿ve been lucky enough to encounter a handful of amazing, brave women who have had incredible unassisted birth experiences.

I thought I¿d share one with you. Introducing Sheryl, who writes at A Much Better Way, the bloggy site for her store. After enduring a bad, bad experience with a ¿medwife¿, she chose an unassisted birth for her second daughter. She was kind enough to enlighten me (and you, too, I hope!).

How did you learn about unassisted childbirth?

I often wondered about unassisted childbirth during my first pregnancy. If high school girls could deliver babies in bathroom stalls and women could deliver in their cars on the way to the hospital, why can¿t we all?   I secretly wanted to just ¿have her¿ in my bedroom all alone because I was terrified of what would happen at the hospital. I did not consider a homebirth however,  because of sanitary concerns and the ¿what if something goes wrong¿ argument.  Like most other women, I believed I was doing the right thing for my child.

After my first daughter¿s birth, I started nosing around on the internet because I was so unhappy with the entire birthing experience and I had a gut feeling that the birth could have been very different.  I found Laura Shanley¿s website, and I cried out loud. I just sobbed.  I read every page of it.  In my head I was screaming, ¿I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!¿ ........

Unassisted Childbirth: One Woman¿s Story : Eco Child¿s Play

1 May 2009
ICAN eNews
Volume 09, Issue 1

In This Issue:
News
Research
From the Women of ICAN
Get Active!

......

eNews Archives

......

Donate Today

......

In the news

Choosing a Birth Care Provider? The Birth Survey Now Offers Access to Reviews of Local Maternity Care Providers and Facilities

The CIMS Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Birth Survey is the first ever consumer ratings website dedicated solely to providing feedback on obstetricians, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and home birth services. More than 17,500 ratings for providers and 6,500 ratings for facilities have been submitted since the national launch six months ago. Now, parents-to-be can retrieve consumer reviews that include overall ratings and recommendations for birth facilities and care providers. A national average of ratings is also displayed to provide comparison with individual ratings. Read Full Article.

Modern medicine increasingly intervenes in the birth process

In the decade through 2002, something momentous happened to babies in the wombs of American women, especially white women. The average time fetuses spent there decreased from 40 weeks to 39. The decline, reported in a 2006 study in the medical journal Seminars in Perinatology, appears to have little to do with nature. Instead, earlier births may be the outcome of ¿increased use of induction (of labor) and other obstetric interventions such as cesarean delivery,¿ said a January report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Prematurity rose 20 percent since 1990, the report said, and the rate of low birth-weight babies hit a 40-year high. Read Full Article.

U.S. teen birth rate up again, fewer pre-term babies

The U.S. teen birth rate rose for a second straight year in 2007 after a long decline and more babies were born to all mothers than even at the peak of the baby boom after World War Two, officials said on Wednesday.

In an encouraging development, the rate of premature births and low birth weight babies declined after a long upward trend, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics.

But Cesarean deliveries rose for an 11th straight year to a new high -- up 2 percent to 31.8 percent of births. Read Full Article.

In the research

The National Center for Health Statistics released its latest report, "Births: Preliminary Data for 2007," in which it announces the most recent record cesarean delivery rate in the United States of 31.8 percent, an increase of 2 percent over the 2006 rate of 31.1 percent.  

Read Full Article.

From the women of ICAN

Many thanks from the ICAN Board to the Speakers, the Conference Committee, the Chapter Leaders and everyone who attended the ICAN conference 2009: Real Women Real Lives. 

Get active!

Available Positions at ICAN

We have several opportunities left for you to volunteer with ICAN 

Open volunteer positions with ICAN include:

• eNews Editor

• Publications Director

• IT Coordinator

• Vice-President of ICAN

• Development Director

• Media Director

• International Director

• Editor-in-Chief, Clarion

• Spanish Webmaster

If interested, you may apply here
http://www.ican-online.org/volunteer/apply

We also have a commission-based opening for an advertising sales representative. Please contact Pam Udy directly at president@ican-online.org

Copyright 2008 International Cesarean Awareness Network

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May 2009

Dear Colleague,
The Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act has passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority but faces a tougher struggle in the Senate, where it currently awaits markup by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee. But the current battle over the MOTHERS ACT is being waged online, between proponents of the bill and the misinformed few who believe the Act is a Trojan horse full of pills sent by Big Pharma. Google MOTHERS Act and you'll get an idea of which side is shouting louder: "MOTHERS Act Seeks to Drug Expectant Mothers with Antidepressants," "Mothers Act Fuels Multibillion Dollar Industry," "Branding Pregnancy as Mental Illness." The shouters are few in number but extremely vocal and hard at work lobbying our senators to vote against the bill. It's imperative that everyone who wants to see greater awareness of PPD and more money allocated to research, education, and treatments call or write their Senator today. Now is our chance to shine a light on an illness that keeps so many women and their families in the dark.
Let your voice heard above the fray:

• Women's reproductive health expert Susan Dowd Stone's Web site has a growing list of names of supporters. These lists of constituents will be presented to our senators around Mother's Day. To add your name to the list, write to susanstonelcsw@aol.com and include your name, state, and any affiliations or credentials.
• Contact any or all of the senators on the HELP committee and encourage them to support the bill, and contact your own senator to let them know how you feel about the importance of continued research on PPD and ensuring women's access to information and services.

Medical Updates
Universal screening for postpartum depression: an inquiry into provider attitudes and practice.
Delatte R, Cao H, Meltzer-Brody S, Menard MK. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009 May;200(5):e63-4.
This study examined obstetricians' use of and attitude toward the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale to screen for PPD.
Effectiveness of a discharge education program in reducing the severity of postpartum depression. A randomized controlled evaluation study.
Ho SM, Heh SS, Jevitt CM, Huang LH, Fu YY, Wang LL. Patient Educ Couns. 2009 Apr 17. [Epub ahead of print]
This randomized controlled study found that women who received discharge education intervention on postnatal depression were less likely to have high depression scores when compared to the control group at three months postpartum.
Is difficult childbirth related to postpartum maternal outcomes in the early postpartum period?
Hunker DF, Patrick TE, Albrecht SA, Wisner KL. Arch Womens Ment Health. 2009 Apr 7. [Epub ahead of print]
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of adverse events in labor or delivery and depressive symptoms, functional status and infant care at 2-weeks postpartum.
View More»
In The News
Taking the edge off of postpartum depression
Canada.com, April 24, 2009
Postpartum doulas can help moms cope with new responsibilities and provide emotional support during the weeks and months after childbirth.
Bloggers find supportive community
Straight.com, April 23, 2009
Moms with PPD are growing a community online by blogging about their experiences and supporting others who have been there.
Understanding Male Post-Partum Depression
Newsweek.com, April 7, 2009
Dr. Will Courtenay talks about the signs, causes, and treatment of male postpartum depression.
View More»
Events Calendar
Perinatal Mood Disorders: Components of Care
When: May 7-8
Where: Bethesda, MD
Second International Conference for Individualized Pharmacotherapy in Pregnancy
When: May 20-21
Where: Indianapolis, IN
2nd Annual Sounds of Silence, Friends of the Postpartum Resource Center of New York Charity Event 5k run/walk/stroller walk
When: May 9
Where: Jones Beach, Wantagh, Long Island
Med Ed Resources
The Jennifer Mudd Houghtaling Postpartum Depression Foundation
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Every Wednesday (for women) and Monday (for men), up to 15 callers can chat with an expert facilitator and one another about coping, or helping a loved one cope, with PPD.
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In this edition...

Contact CIMS

Denna L. Suko, MA
Executive Director

1500 Sunday Dr.
Suite 102
Raleigh, NC  27607

Tel 1: 888-282-CIMS

Tel 2: 919-863-9482

Fax: 919-787-4916

www.motherfriendly.org

info@motherfriendly.org

CIMS Organizational Members

Academy of Certified Birth Educators

American Association of Birth Centers

American College of Community Midwives

American College of Nurse-Midwives

Association pour la santé publique du Québec

Birth Network of Santa Cruz County

Birth Works International (BWI)

Birthing From Within

BirthNet

BirthNetwork National

Choices in Childbirth, Inc.

Citizens for Midwifery

Dayton Area Labor Support

DONA International

Doulas Association of Southern California (DASC)

Geneva Woods Birth Center

InJoy Birth & Parenting Videos

International Childbirth Education Association

Island Families of Micronesia

Lamaze International

Midwives Alliance of North America

North American Registry of Midwives

Our Bodies Ourselves

Perinatal Education Associates, Inc.

Reading Birth & Women's Center

Sage Femme (Producer of the Motherbaby International Film Festival)

The Bowen Center for Women's Health

The Tatia Oden French Memorial Foundation

Women's Healthcare and Wellness, PA

CIMS Links

CIMS Home

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Support CIMS

Turn every online purchase into a donation for CIMS

Online shopping can help you find the right products at the right price.  Now, you can turn every online purchase into a donation for CIMS.  Access your favorite online stores through GoodShop.com and iGive.com and help CIMS to make Mother-Friendly Care a reality.

e-CIMS News
April 30, 2009

CIMS' The Birth Survey gives parents-to-be free online access to more than 17,500 provider ratings and 6,500 facility ratings

The CIMS Grassroots Advocates Committee (GAC) is pleased to announce that consumer reviews of obstetricians, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and home birth services are now available through the website www.thebirthsurvey.com.  The site offers facility intervention rates and information on finding good care in addition to overall ratings and recommendations for birth facilities and care providers that are based on the consumer reviews, including consumer feedback derived from a seven-item set of questions regarding providers' interpersonal and communication skills.  While the release of this initial data is a milestone event, The Birth Survey is an ongoing project.  In the summer of 2009, free-text responses will be displayed on the website, and in 2010, detailed information on patients' experiences with prenatal, labor, birth and postpartum care will be added to the website as searchable custom reports.
The Birth Survey is a central part of the CIMS' Transparency in Maternity Care Project.  Amy Romano, MSN, CNM, a perinatal research & advocacy consultant to Lamaze International, and a The Birth Survey volunteer, recently addressed The Birth Survey's potential to increase transparency in maternity care in her blog post, "Can Consumer Survey Results from The Birth Survey Promote Evidence-Based Maternity Care?"  CIMS extends its heartfelt gratitude to the GAC, Amy and the hundreds of The Birth Survey volunteers who are helping to develop, market and maintain this important consumer resource.
Here are three ways that you can support The Birth Survey: 

• Become a The Birth Survey Ambassador. Visit the CIMS' Grassroots Advocates Committee page for upcoming volunteer training dates.
• Join CIMS as an Individual Member. Your tax-deductible membership helps in so many ways! Together, we can make Mother-Friendly Care a reality.
• Circulate the CIMS' Press Release (PDF) to your local media outlets.

CIMS participates in key policy recommendations to improve health care

CIMS was among the 165 co-signers of the important recommendations of Stand for Quality's report, "Building a Foundation for High Quality, Affordable Health Care: Linking Performance Measurement to Health Reform," (PDF) which was delivered to Congress and the Obama Administration on March 24, 2009.  Stand for Quality is a collaborative project of a coalition of consumer groups, health professionals, health plans, hospitals, and employers that developed six recommendations to improve access, quality, and affordability of healthcare in the United States.  Included in the recommendations is the support for informed decision making and patient-centered health care.  As a coalition of health professionals, consumer advocates, and grassroots organizations, CIMS took this opportunity to voice its concerns about the importance of transparency and consumer involvement in all aspects of health care reform.  Stand for Quality is one of several collaboratives that CIMS has joined as part of our mission to promote Mother-Friendly Care. 

CIMS joins national health care leaders in calls for improved maternity care policy

On April 3, 2009, CIMS joined over 230 health care leaders in Washington, DC, for Childbirth Connection's national invitational policy symposium, Transforming Maternity Care: A High Value Proposition.  The symposium brought together stakeholder workgroups of quality and measurement experts, consumers and their advocates, maternity care clinicians and educators, hospitals, health systems and other delivery care models, and health plans, purchasers, and liability insurers.  CIMS leadership and other symposium participants reviewed and offered feedback on workgroup recommendations answering the question "Who needs to do what, to, for, and with whom to improve the quality of care in the next five years?"  Symposium proceedings and the compiled Blueprint for Action will be published in a special issue of the journal Women's Health Issues in late 2009.

ACNM issues Seven Key Principles to Health Care Reform

The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) recently outlined Seven Key Principles of Health Care Reform (PDF) as part of its legislative campaign to improve the quality of women's health care and access to midwifery services.  The principles reaffirm ACNM's commitment to universal and improved access to high quality care, reducing health disparities, focusing health care resources on wellness, disease prevention and primary care, and aligning payment systems with evidence-based practice and optimal outcomes.  CIMS supports ACNM and others who are working to promote wellness models of evidence-based maternity care in the ongoing healthcare reform discussions.

Informed Consent and Refusal in Maternity Care

Perinatal mortality and morbidity rates, obstetrical interventions, and health disparities between different groups of mothers are on the rise.  The benefits of informed decision making may help close the gaps and contribute to improved outcomes for mothers and infants across the board.  New research published in the Journal of Perinatal Education highlights the urgent need to address the gap between legal mandates for informed consent and refusal, and maternity care as it is currently practiced in the United States.  "Women of childbearing age are a special sub-group of health consumers: they want more information about options than any other group, and when they participate in making healthcare decisions, mothers feel an increased sense of responsibility for their own health as well as the health of their baby," stated Holly Goldberg, author of the study.  Co-author Tabare Depaep explained, "Mothers who are involved in making decisions during labor have less fear, suffer fewer depressive episodes, show less symptoms of post-traumatic stress, and have shorter recovery periods."

The CIMS Evidence and Action Committee (EAC) is currently developing patient education brochures and will host a Webinar on this topic on June 19 (registration coming soon). To volunteer with the EAC, contact CIMS. 

CIMS collaborates with the March of Dimes to develop new fact sheets

Dr. Charles Mahan, founding chair of the Florida March of Dimes Prematurity Work Group, and members of the CIMS Evidence and Action Committee (EAC) are collaborating on the development of four key fact sheets: cesarean section, epidural anesthesia for labor, elective induction of labor, and VBAC.  The fact sheets will include topic-specific informed consent/refusal questions to help women make fully informed decisions that meet their needs.  "The majority of childbearing women in the United States are not aware of the risks and ultimate consequences of current birth practices and interventions on their health or the health of their babies," stated Barbara Hotelling, MSN, WHNP-BC, LCCE, CD(DONA), chair of the EAC.  "Consumer education pamphlets are often not fully transparent and omit or reduce the full negative outcomes of these practices, which can significantly influence a woman's choice to accept or refuse them." CIMS and the March of Dimes want both childbearing women and health professionals to be aware of the health impact of these care practices and are working to facilitate change towards more Mother-Friendly Care. 

Dr. Charles Mahan and the Florida Chapter March of Dimes Prematurity Workgroup

New consumer resource for information on home birth and midwifery care

Mothers Naturally is a web-based public education program from the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA).  It was developed to increase awareness about safe natural birth options and the midwifery model of care.  This site provides expectant parents with questions and answers to guide them through discussions about home birth, non medicated labor, and the empowering experience of a woman-centered, supportive birth.  Mothers Naturally also helps parents locate midwives in their communities.  Through the Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery, MANA grants funds to non-profit organizations for programs and projects that educate the general public and/or policy makers about the midwifery model of care, increase access to midwifery care, or support research activities relating to midwifery care.

Breastfeeding Is Priceless - a new fact sheet from CIMS

CIMS has recently published an updated evidence-based fact sheet, Breastfeeding Is Priceless: There is no Substitute for Human Milk (PDF).  In addition to including the latest research on the health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby, this fact sheet for the first time has collated the research evidence linking the impact of routine birth interventions, invasive procedures, and medications on breastfeeding.  "Maternity care providers may not be aware that common birth practices can complicate labor and birth and interfere with the initiation and success of breastfeeding," stated Nicette Jukelevics, MA, ICCE, author of Understanding the Dangers of Cesarean Birth: Making Informed Decisions, and co-author of the fact sheet.  

Another important addition to the fact sheet is the inclusion of CDC recommended guidelines for birth facilities to increase the number of mothers who initiate and continue to breastfeed.  "The CDC recent national survey of hospitals found that care providers are not doing an adequate job of helping mothers with breastfeeding, especially in not keeping healthy mothers and babies together and skin to skin in the all important minutes and hours after birth when the baby is likely to be alert and ready to breastfeed," said Ruth Wilf, CNM, PhD, CIMS' representative to the United States Breastfeeding Committee, and co-author of the fact with Jukelevics.  "We hope that this evidence will increase awareness of this issue and encourage providers to establish evidence-based practices to support mothers and families with breastfeeding. " 

The CDC's Laurence Grummer-Strawn, MPA, MA, PhD, at the 2009 CIMS Forum presented "The State of Maternity Practices in the U.S.: Are Hospitals Supporting Breastfeeding?" This presenentation and others are available for download from the CIMS Web site.

Research Update from The Baby-Friendly Initiative

• An early first breastfeed is recommended for infants of diabetic mothers
  New research underscores the importance of an early first breastfeed for babies of diabetic mothers.  Babies of diabetic mothers are at increased risk of hypoglycaemia and, as such, an early feed is recommended.  The study, published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, was carried out to ascertain both the impact of an early feed and to establish what type of feeding provided the best option to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.
• Breastfeeding malnutrition; reducing incidence by audit and change in practice
  Hypernatraemic dehydration (HD) is a potentially serious complication in breastfed babies.  New research published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood recommends the introduction of proactive guidelines for care to reduce HD and increase breastfeeding rates.  For the study, an audit was carried out of admissions to one UK hospital over a 15-month period.  Following this initial audit, new guidelines for care were introduced and a second audit was carried out six months later which showed a reduction in the incidence of HD and an increase in breastfeeding rates.

About Us
You are receiving this e-CIMS News to keep you up to date on CIMS' activities, research, policy issues, and conferences that may be of interest to you. If you have suggestions on what resources or information you would like to see in upcoming editions of e-CIMS News, please e-mail us at info@motherfriendly.org.

CIMS is a not-for-profit organization recognized as tax-exempt under Internal Revenue Code section 501(c)(3). Our mission is to promote a wellness model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and substantially reduce costs.

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Dear Friends:
We have some very exciting news to announce!  The Business of Being Born is now available for online rental in English and Spanish.  Now, you can rent the film on our website and then receive a 20% off coupon for the purchase of the DVD.  Our new book Your Best Birth hits bookstores on May 1st and we are simultaneously launching our new online childbirth community My Best Birth! Read on for all the details and please spread the word.
Warmest,
Ricki & Abby

We are thrilled to announce that you can now rent and watch The Business of Being Born directly from our website! It only costs $6.99 and you have 24 hours to watch the film from the time of purchase. With all online rentals you receive a coupon code for 20% off your purchase of a BoBB DVD. That way if you enjoy the film, you can then buy the DVD to have it home and share with friends. You can also select a version with Spanish subtitles. Click HERE to rent and watch the film now.
TELL A FRIEND THEY CAN WATCH BOBB ONLINE!
Let any pregnant friends, clients and colleagues know that you can now rent BoBB online in English or Spanish for only $6.99. This is a fantastic opportunity for your friends who live outside of the US and have not yet been able to see the film. Click HERE to spread the word.
DUE MAY 1ST:
Beginning May 1st, we are expanding our popular message board, Ricki's Room into an interactive social network called "My Best Birth." You can create your own personal page on mybestbirth.com to post blogs, share birth stories, videos, photos and connect with other moms and moms-to-be. We will have weekly forums on all the childbirth topics that matter to you, led by the most renowned experts in the world. You will also be able to see weekly webisodes of celebrity birth stories and follow Ricki & Abby behind the scenes on their book tour. You can sign up now and create your own profile by going to mybestbirth.com.

WIN INVITES TO OUR BOOK LAUNCH PARTY ON MAY 5!
Meet Ricki & Abby and join us for an evening of fun at Citibabes. We will be honoring Ina May Gaskin and Dr Jacques Moritz, as well as celebrating the publication of "Your Best Birth." The first five people to email us with "May 5th Party" in the subject line will win an invite for themselves plus a guest to our book launch party.  The event is May 5, 6:30PM in NYC.  Email info@thebusinessofbeingborn.com to win!
PRESS, SIGNINGS & EVENTS, ALL STARTING TOMORROW MAY 1 WITH THE TODAY SHOW!
Ricki and Abby are kicking off the publication of Your Best Birth with a Today Show interview on May 1 during the 8am hour of the show.  Click HERE for a full list of TV press, events and book signings in New York, LA & San Francsico throughout May.
SAN FRANCISCO BENEFIT
Help our educational fund and Mother's Naturally, and meet Ricki & Abby at an evening in SF with entertainment, food & auctions on May 15, 7-10PM.  Click HERE to purchase a ticket or go to yourbestbirth.eventbrite.com.
YOUR BEST BIRTH BOOK PARTIES! HOST YOUR OWN!

Book parties and events are being planned throughout the month of May to celebrate the publication of Your Best Birth and raise awareness about birth options in local communities.  On May 13th Ricki and Abby will broadcast a live online Q&A where groups can ask them questions and screen the webcast at their events. Email us at info@thebusinessofbeingborn.com to get more information on how to host your own book party, promote it and use as a way to raise money for your cause.
GIVE $5 FOR INA MAY ¿ ONLY ONE WEEK LEFT TO DONATE!
Because Ina May Gaskin is such an inspiration to us personally and has done so much for pregnant women and her fellow midwives around the world, we are honoring her with our first "Best Birth" Award. This award will be presented on May 5th at Citibabes in NYC.

As part of the award and to support Ina May¿s incredible Safe Motherhood Quilt project which seeks to expose preventable maternal deaths, we would like to present Ina May with a check. This money will be used toward her mission to have a federal review of maternal death rates and reduce this continuing problem.  We are asking everyone to consider making a $5.00 donation, and BoBB will match each one with another $5.00, so that we can support Ina May and honor her work.  If everyone on our mailing list donates $5 for Ina May, we could present her with a check for thousands of dollars on May 5th along with a thank you note from every single one of you who contributed to the award.
Click HERE to read more about The Safe Motherhood Quilt.
Please make your $5 donation for Ina May via paypal.com to the account barrancaprod@gmail.com.  Click HERE to Send Money Now, enter our account name and follow instructions to give either a credit card or bank account for payment.  If you prefer to send a check, please make it out to "Business of Birth LLC" and mail it to: Business of Birth, 15 W. 11th St.  #3A  NY, NY 10011.  Email us at info@thebusinessofbeingborn.com if you have any questions.
Warmly,
Ricki, Abby & The BoBB Team

© 2008 Business of Birth LLC. All rights reserved.
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Swine Flu Concerns Draw Attention to Need for Midwives, Sick Leave

Posted:

The swine flu news of recent days has sparked calls from advocacy organizations for attention to issues that a pandemic may exacerbate, such as the lack of paid sick leave and the lack of  of availability of licensed midwives to attend home births. MomsRising, a campaign to bring "important motherhood and ...
[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Recognizing the ¿Big Picture¿ of Women¿s Health: Dr. Barbara Keddy

Posted:

Entrant: Josephine B. Etowa Nominee: Dr. Barbara Keddy, Professor Emeritus, Dalhousie University I am writing to nominate Dr. Barbara Keddy of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada as a Women¿s Health Hero. I have known her for over a period of ten years, in various capacities, including being my course professor, thesis supervisor, and ...
[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Improving the Care Women Receive: Dr. Tito Lopes

Posted:

Entrant: Jeannette Preston Nominee: Dr. Tito Lopes, Lead Gynaecological Cancer Surgeon at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Truro, Cornwall UK NHS Dr. Tito Lopes is the lead Gynaecological Cancer surgeon at the Royal Cornwall Hospital here in the UK. He heads an amazing team who work hard to deliver the best possible care ...
[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Fighting Fatigue and Offering Hope: Sandy Robinson

Posted:

Entrant: Self Nominee: Sandy Robinson, Fighting Fatigue CFS/FM Website Owner I have been ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), Fibromyalgia (FMS), and Interstitial Cystitis for almost 20 years.  As a chronically ill patient, wife and mother, I have had to learn how to balance life while being sick all of the time.  ...
[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Breaking News: Senate Approves Sebelius to be HHS Secretary

Posted:

The U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to be secretary of Health & Human Services. The vote was 65-31. From the AP: Sixty votes in the 100-seat Senate were necessary for approval. Immediately after the vote Sebelius resigned as governor in Kansas and headed to Washington to be ...
[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Taking Back Birth: Ina May Gaskin

Posted:

Entrant: Venessa Tarbell Nominee: Ina May Gaskin, Midwife, Director of the Farm Midwifery Center Ina May Gaskin has been a tireless advocate for midwifery and the health of women for nearly forty years. Her unyielding faith in the ability of a woman's body to birth a child, her trust in the process ...
[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

Quality of Life: Jessica LeRoy

Posted:

Entrant: Mark LeRoy Nomninee: Jessica LeRoy, Clinical Director I want to nominate my hero and my wife, Jessica LeRoy. She had quite the tumultuous childhood rife with abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism and drug abuse.  As a teenager she fell into drugs, alcohol, and ditching of classes.  She had a great time in high ...
[This is a content summary only. Click the headline to visit Our Bodies, Our Blog for the full post, links, other content and more!]

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Doulas of Central New York seeks positive birth stories

Posted by Gina Chen / The Post-Standard April 29, 2009 9:27AM

Categories: Babies, Pregnancy

Jupiter ImagesShare your positive birth story with Doulas of Central New York.

Do you have a positive birth story? Doulas of Central New York would like to hear it. (And by the way, by positive, that doesn't mean childbirth was easy -- just that your story is strengthening and encouraging.)

The group is compiling positive birth story into a book it plans to self-publish. They are looking for responses from single moms, teen moms, married moms, moms of multiples, moms who had VBAC (vaginal birth after a Cesarean-section), any moms.

The group is based here in Syracuse, but stories from anywhere in the world are welcome. To get your story included, e-mail it to cnydoulas@verizon.net by June 30.

Chris Goldman, of Lyncourt, decided to compile the stories, along with Heather Haywood, because she feels women hear far too many birth horror stories. She wants women to know birth can be beautiful, not scary. She wanted to celebrate birth.

Chris is co-founder of Doulas of CNY, and Heather is a doula who works with her. Doulas trained and experienced professionals who provides support to mothers before, during and after birth.

Doulas of Central New York seeks positive birth stories - Family Life Blog on syracuse.com

Restoration: Treating Adhesions

Trauma to the abdomen and/or pelvic regions - the core of our balance and power - is a major contributor to a variety of subsequent health issues. Following cesarean surgery, episiotomies and/or instrumental deliveries, women may experience any number health problems; the ramifications can be very serious and are entirely preventable through proper treatment.  This is a fascinating and unique presentation by Tanya Tarail, PT, MsT, CST, a physical therapist of more than 20 years who practices CranioSacral Therapy, Visceral Manipulation and Urogenital Manipulation. Tanya has worked extensively with women following birth trauma; her specialty is scar tissue and trauma from any cause. Read More....

1.5 Contact Hours available from MEAC, 1.5 R-CERPS through IBLCE, credits for doulas and chiropractors as well. Appropriate for general audiences. 

Buy It Now! Only $17.50 

Restoration: Treating Adhesions, with Tanya Tarail (CEUs available for Lactation Consultants, Midwives, Doulas, and Chiropractors.  Appropriate for general audiences.)

International Day of the Midwife

Tuesday, May 5, 2009 

In honor of  International Day of the Midwife, Conscious Woman is now offering $5 off all of our pre-recorded programs. Now through Tuesday, May 5th, type MIDWIFE (case sensitive) into the discount code section at checkout to get your discount. One week only!

CONSCIOUS WOMAN FAVORITES: British TV Comedy, "William & Mary"

William Shawcross (Martin Clunes, Shakespeare in Love, Men Behaving Badly) is looking for love, but few women are excited at the prospect of dating an undertaker. William sees Mary on a dating service video and is captivated - only she's too busy bringing people into the world as a midwife to date someone whose job is to see them out. Julie Graham (Dirty Tricks, Butterfly Collectors) co-stars in this brilliantly written, quirky and often moving British TV comedy about two people tripping down the imperfect path of romance together.  Available on Amazon.com (check out Nancy Wainer's review of the series!).

HIGHLIGHT: FAMILIES FOR CONSCIOUS LIVING

Conscious Woman will now highlight organizations who have recently joined our non-profit affiliate program.

Families for Conscious Living, a 501(c)(c3) national nonprofit since 1996, empowers and affirms families who wish to make conscious, compassionate and informed choices through a national networking of local and online community groups.  Find your local group or start your own at www.familiesforconsciousliving.org.</DIV">

Conscious Woman, Inc.

www.consciouswoman.org

Conscious Woman, Inc. is an online community that focuses on women¿s health, children¿s health and welfare, and the environment.  Conscious Woman actively and aggressively promotes informed choice through compassionate education, love and support.  </DIV"></DIV"></DIV">
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Public release date: 28-Apr-2009
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Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central

Regional blocks superior to general anesthesia for cesarean section

General anesthesia (GA) is associated with an increased risk of infant intubation and low Apgar scores, relative to regional anesthesia. An analysis of 50,806 cesarean deliveries, published in the open access journal BMC Medicine, strongly supports guidelines that regional anesthesia is to be preferred over GA for most cesarean sections.

Charles Algert, from the Kolling Institute at the Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, was part of a team of researchers who studied births in the state of New South Wales, Australia, between 1998 and 2004. He said, "We have shown that general anesthesia poses significant risks to the neonate of both resuscitation requiring intubation and of a poor Apgar score at 5 minutes. The greatest relative risk of both adverse outcomes occurred in low-risk, planned, repeat cesarean deliveries under GA, but the greatest excess in risk attributable to GA was for emergency deliveries for fetal distress where the infant would already have been compromised to some extent".

Although current guidelines recommend regional blocks, GA was still used for 12.6% of cesareans across NSW in 2006. According to the NHS Maternity Statistics, 8.7% of cesarean sections in England in 2006-2007 were performed using GA. It is generally presumed that any harm caused by GA is short-lasting, with most studies focusing on resuscitation and the Apgar score at one minute. According to Algert, however, this may not be the case, "The increased rates of neonatal intubation after GA shown in this study represent harm in and of itself, and the persistence of low 5-minute Apgar scores suggests that deleterious effects may last longer than the immediate aftermath of delivery".

The authors conclude, "Clinicians considering the use of GA for a cesarean delivery should be aware of these possible consequences for the infant, for both planned and emergency sections".

###

Notes to Editors

1. Regional block versus general anaesthesia for caesarean section and neonatal outcomes: a population-based study
Charles S Algert, Jennifer R Bowen, Warwick B Giles, Greg E Knoblanche, Samantha L Lain and Christine L Roberts
BMC Medicine (in press)

During embargo, article available here: http://www.biomedcentral.com/imedia/6303200082624361_article.pdf?random=414577

After the embargo, article available at journal website: http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmed/

Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central's open access policy.

Article citation and URL available on request at press@biomedcentral.com on the day of publication

2. BMC Medicine - the flagship medical journal of the BMC series - publishes original research articles, commentaries and reviews in all areas of medical science and clinical practice. To be appropriate for BMC Medicine, articles need to be of outstanding quality, broad interest and special importance. BMC Medicine (ISSN 1741-7015) is indexed/tracked/covered by PubMed, MEDLINE, BIOSIS, CAS, Scopus, EMBASE, Current Contents, Thomson Reuters (ISI) and Google Scholar.

3. BioMed Central (www.biomedcentral.com) is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector.

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Regional blocks superior to general anesthesia for cesarean section

By Joey Bartolomeo

Women use many different words to describe childbirth: amazing, painful, miraculous.

For Ricki Lake, it was also healing.

In her new book for expectant moms, Your Best Birth, the actress, 40, reveals that having her own children ¿ Milo, 12, and Owen, 7 ¿ helped her overcome a traumatic childhood experience. "I was sexually abused [around] age six or seven," she tells PEOPLE.

Giving birth helped her overcome the shame she carried around for years. "I was able to look at my body and see what it was able to do and embrace it," says Lake. "Sort of let go of all the body image issues."

She hopes other survivors who become moms can do the same. "There's a potential healing process that can take place for women," she says, "if they're just in touch with it."

Lake, who had battled weight issues for years, believes the abuse was one reason she ballooned up to 270 pounds at one point. "I didn't want to be attractive," she writes.

In a chapter entitled "For Sexual Abuse Survivors, a Healing," the actress recalls how she lost weight easily after Owen was born.....

Childbirth Healed Ricki Lake of Pain of Sexual Abuse - Ricki Lake : People.com

Posted by: "Denna Suko" dsuko@FirstPointResources.com dennasuko

Tue Apr 28, 2009 2:34 pm (PDT)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Denna Suko, Executive Director
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services
Tel: 919.863.9482
dsuko@motherfriendly.org
Choosing a Birth Care Provider? The Birth Survey Now Offers Access to
Reviews of Local Maternity Care Providers and Facilities.
Raleigh, NC (April 28th, 2009)-CIMS, the Coalition for Improving
Maternity Services, a group working toward transparency in maternity
care, today announced that consumer survey results rating health care
providers and birth facilities are now available online at
www.thebirthsurvey.com.
The CIMS Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Birth Survey is the
first ever consumer ratings website dedicated solely to providing
feedback on obstetricians, midwives, hospitals, birth centers, and home
birth services. The consumer reviews include overall ratings and
recommendations for birth facilities and care providers, and also a
seven-item set of questions on providers' interpersonal and
communication skills, facility intervention rates, and information on
finding good care. A national average of ratings is also displayed to
provide comparison with individual ratings.
"While consumers have long been sharing information online about
products and services, more data was available for the purchase of a
digital camera than had ever been available to women as consumers of
maternity care. The Birth Survey directly addresses that information
deficit," said Robin Elise Weiss, LCCE, author of The Complete
Illustrated Guide to Pregnancy and member of The Birth Survey Committee.
The Birth Survey is a user-friendly, free Website where mothers who have
given birth within the last three years can provide detailed, anonymous
feedback about their experiences. The survey questions are based upon
the Mother Friendly Childbirth Initiative, an evidence-based model of
high quality maternity care. Additionally, the interpersonal and
communication questions are based upon an AHRQ survey, which represents
a well known set of questions currently used by doctors and hospitals.
More than 17,500 ratings for providers and 6,500 ratings for facilities
have been submitted since the national launch in August 2008. Now,
parents-to-be can retrieve the pooled reporting on local providers and
facilities.
The national averages of the consumer feedback collected indicate that
midwives were rated more highly than the physicians. For example, 58
percent of respondents would recommend their doctors to family and
friends, compared to 90 percent who would recommend their midwives.
Across all providers, 77 percent of women reported that they had their
questions answered completely, and 73 percent felt they were as free as
they wanted to be in making their own decisions about their care.
Averages, however, varied widely between individual providers.
The Website ratings pages also provide links to hospital and birth
center obstetric intervention rates, such as c-section, for facilities
in nine states. This information is part of The Birth Survey's
nationwide campaign to make facility-level intervention data available
to the public. This kind of public reporting supports informed choice
and fosters transparency, which improves outcomes.
Consistent with a new series of government Public Service announcements
that encourage consumers to get involved in their health care and ask
questions of their care providers, The Birth Survey offers links to
information on how to choose and evaluate providers, including the "CIMS
Ten Questions to Ask." B y offering more than a conventional five-star
rating, The Birth Survey offers information that is vital for women to
make more informed decisions.
"A woman who looks at a list of names from her insurance company is
often choosing a provider on nothing but blind luck. Where and with
whom to give birth are important health care decisions. Research shows
that both provider and location have a significant impact on birth
outcomes. CIMS wants expectant parents to ask questions of their
providers and facilities, and have access to more information about
their local options," said Elan McAllister, founder of Choices in
Childbirth in New York City and Co-chair of the The Birth Survey
committee.
The Birth Survey is an ongoing project. In the summer of 2009,
free-text responses will be displayed on the website, and in 2010,
detailed information on patients' experiences with prenatal, labor,
birth and postpartum care will be added to the website as searchable
custom reports.
###
For more about The Birth Survey, to view intervention data for each
state, the survey results, or to take the survey, log on to
http://www.thebirthsurvey.com <http://www.thebirthsurvey.com/> .
About the Transparency in Maternity Care Project: The Coalition for
Improving Maternity Services CIMS) through the Transparency in Maternity
Care Project developed The Birth Survey so families can share
information, learn about the choices and birth experiences of others,
and view data on hospital and birth center intervention rates and
practices. It is also designed to help providers and facilities improve
the quality and transparency of their care. At the heart of the project
is an on-going online consumer survey that asks women to provide
feedback about their pregnancy and birth care specific to the particular
doctor, midwife, hospital or birth center that served them. Responses
are made available online to other women in their community who are
deciding where and with whom to birth. Paired with this experiential
data, are official statistics from state departments- of-health listing
obstetrical intervention rates at the facility level.
About the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services: The Coalition for
Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a coalition of individuals and
national organizations with concern for the care and well-being of
mothers, babies, and families. Our mission is to promote a wellness
model of maternity care that will improve birth outcomes and
substantially reduce costs. This evidence-based mother-, baby-, and
family-friendly model focuses on prevention and wellness as the
alternatives to high-cost screening, diagnosis, and treatment programs.
For more information, log on to http://www.motherfriendly.org/.
Denna L. Suko
Executive Director
Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS)
1500 Sunday Dr Ste 102
Raleigh, NC 27607
Tel: 919.863.9482
Fax: 919-787-4916
dsuko@motherfriendly.org <mailto:dsuko@firstpointresources.com>
Endorse The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative!
www.motherfriendly.org/mfci.php
<http://www.motherfriendly.org/forum.php>