Homebirth in the media

This TODAY Show report - portraying homebirth as a particularly risky option - is taking a lot of flack: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/32795933#32795933

It doesn't address the sad reality that sometimes babies die, even in births at the hospital. There is no way to completely prevent infant mortality, but homebirths do result in fewer infant deaths than hospital births. Like the video points out, that is in part because homebirths are low-risk births. But all the more reason to choose homebirth if your pregnancy isn't high risk!

Here are two stories about homebirth on USA Today. These provide the positive coverage to balance out the negative stuff from the aforementioned video!

Study Shows Home Birth with Midwife as Safe as Hospital Birth
by Amanda Gardner
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-03-midwife-home-birth_N.htm?obref=obinsite

Home Births Get a Bump, Over Obstetricians' Objections
by Rita Rubin
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-09-13-home-births_n.htm

Historic Breastfeeding Photo: Migrant Mother

I linked to a story yesterday about the influence of formula upon breastfeeding trends. On that page, I recognized the woman in the photograph as the same woman in the iconic Great Depression photo by Dorothy Lange, entitled Migrant Mother. I went to Wikipedia to learn more, which I'm sharing here.

The pictured woman is Florence Owens Thompson, born in 1903 as Florence Leona Christie, died in September 1983. In the well-known photographs, taken in 1936, she is 32 years old.

Florence is nursing her baby, Norma. Her daughter Ruby is hiding behind her. Florence had seven children total. The family were pea pickers in Nipomo, California.

Her gravestone reads, "Migrant Mother – A Legend of the Strength of American Motherhood."

You can read more at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Owens_Thompson

A historical look at the impact of infant formula on breastfeeding

This column was written a week ago, by Toni Parker of the Houston Examiner.

http://www.examiner.com/x-17146-Dallas-Womens-Health-Examiner~y2009m8d3-A-historical-look-at-the-impact-of-infant-formula-on-breastfeeding

"There are at least 400 nutrients in breast milk that processed milk cannot duplicate. These nutrients work in tandem, which maximizes their nutritional effectiveness. Conversely, any isolated, synthetic vitamin that is found in infant formulas offers no real nutritional value because they lack the whole food property of breast milk. Hopefully, we will correct the wrongs of our 19th century sisters and revert back to the days of yester year-the days when a human baby received it’s nourishment from another human being. If you are unable to breastfeed, you do have options, such as using a wet-nurse, patronizing a breast milk bank, or making your own healthy, homemade recipe of infant formula."

Support for PPD

Here's a list of 50 blogs and online resources for women suffering from postpartum depression: http://nursepractitionerschools.org/top-50-post-partum-support-blogs/

First Certifying Birth

Yesterday I attended another birth at the Austin Area Birth Center. The biggest difference between this birth and every other birth I've attended so far was that it will count towards my DONA certification! I was with the laboring mom for almost 24 hours, from 4 centimeters dilation onwards. I will send evaluation forms to the mom and the two midwives and will write up my report of the birth within the next few days.

One down, two to go!

Yay!

Happy News from the WHO

Not that we really needed any global government organization to tell us about the benefits of a mother breastfeeding her baby, but here we have it. :)

http://www.happynews.com/news/8202009/breast-feeding-save-million-lives.htm

Raising the global breastfeeding rate for infants to six months to 90% would apparently save an estimated 13 percent of the 10 million under-age-5 deaths a year.

And I thought this was a good point... "WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said it was also important that mothers in disaster zones be given the support they need to continue or restart breast-feeding. "During emergencies, unsolicited or uncontrolled donations of breast milk substitutes may undermine breast-feeding and should be avoided," Chan said, arguing abandoning breast-feeding could put vulnerable child lives at extra risk. "The focus should be on active protection and support of breast-feeding.""

"A mother may breastfeed her baby in any location, public or private, where the mother is otherwise authorized to be..."

I didn't need another reason to love Chick-Fil-A, but I got one anyway. :) A Chick-Fil-A location in Florida warmly welcomed breastfeeding mothers to help them spread awareness that law protects mothers who choose to breastfeed in public.

http://www.happynews.com/news/8172009/chikfila-breastfeeding-location-moms.htm