Epidurals May Negatively Affect Breast-Feeding

Researchers found that 93 percent of the women in the study breast-fed their baby in the first week after birth. However, women who had an epidural were significantly more likely to have difficulty breast-feeding during the first few days after delivery and to breast-feed less often than other women.

At 24 weeks, 72 percent of women who did not have an epidural were breast-feeding, compared with 53 percent who received pethidine or epidurals containing bupivacaine and fentanyl (an opioid).

(link)

Pat O'Brien, a spokesman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said it was possible that fentanyl had an effect on the baby.

But he added: "There are other factors which may explain this link, including that if a woman chooses not to have an epidural, she may also be more motivated to persevere with breastfeeding.

"Also, a lot of those women who had epidurals also went on to have Caesarean sections which - unless you have a lot of support - make it difficult to breastfeed because it's harder for women to pick their babies up."

(link)

Miscarriage Risks

A new study points to factors that increase (and some that do not increase) the risk of early miscarriage. In addition to the risks to very underweight women, the study says:

Although the reasons behind miscarriage are still vague, the researchers did establish some other common risk factors. The study found that single women were at an increased risk of miscarriage, as were women who had had a previous abortion (60% higher risk) and those who had had IVF (40% higher risk). Those who took more than a year to conceive were twice as likely to miscarry as women who had conceived within the first three months.

The researchers also revealed factors in maintaining a healthy pregnancy. Two-thirds of the women they studied who took vitamin supplements during early pregnancy reduced their risk of miscarriage by around 50%. The effect was most pronounced among those taking folic acid or iron and multivitamins containing these. Eating fresh fruit, vegetables and chocolate daily was also found to halve the odds of a miscarriage.

The study also showed that

Women who suffered from nausea and sickness in the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy were almost 70% less likely to miscarry, especially those with severe sickness.

Which is small comfort to those who are severely hyperemetic.

Interestingly, and somewhat reassuringly:

Supposed risk factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking and caffeine intake were unconfirmed in the study.

HT: Perfect Work who has these comments.

Safety of Homebirth

I'm going back through some old things...

Selkie and Expectant Waiting had some great pieces on the safety of homebirth.

ADA Advises No Fluoride For Babies

The American Dental Association has done a 180 and now warns that infants under one year of age should not be given fluoridated water, such as that mixed with concentrated or powdered baby formula, according to the Organic Consumers Association.

ADA page on Infants, Formula and Fluoride.

A different take on tandem nursing

A Canadian woman is breastfeeding conjoined twins:

Although Simms breastfed her two older kids, it’s a whole new beginning with her twins.

"What’s the most challenging part of breast feeding them?" Simms said. "Positioning!"

"It’s very complicated because when one is on the breast the other has to be tilted and has to be slanted downwards.

"You’re feeding one and the other will suck on its tongue and you have to give it a soother or something because it wants food.

"We’re trying to figure out how to feed both of them at the same time," Simms said, bursting out laughing.

Simply amazing.

Blogger Beta

I've switched over to the beta version of Blogger. The good news: tags are enabled. Bad news: it will take some time before I get everything tagged and the blog reformatted. Sorry if it's a mess in the meantime.

Breastfeeding Carnival

Five blogs - Mama Knows Breast, The Lactivist, Motherwear, Breastfeeding123, and Breastfeeding Mums are starting

a monthly blog carnival focused on the topic of breastfeeding. Each month we'll pick a particular topic, write up our own posts around that topic and help you find your way to each of the five postings. We'll be starting off by blogging about breastfeeding and the holidays, be it with family, traveling or maybe even great gifts for nursing moms.

Look for their first edition on Tuesday.

Circumcision appears to reduce STD risk

Circumcision appears to reduce STD risk

Apgar Results Not As Objective As Thought

Apgar results depend on who scores the test.

Nausea Symptoms Undertreated

The New York Times reports "[a]lthough there are now safe and effective ways to prevent and to treat predictable cases [of nausea and vomiting], like those involving pregnant women and cancer patients, many people who could benefit fail to receive adequate treatment, if any treatment at all."(Nausea? There’s No Need to Suffer in Silence). Even worse,

In a clinical guidance bulletin for obstetrician-gynecologists, the [American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists] wrote that an investigator found that among women who called a help line for those with nausea and vomiting during pregnancy and who subsequently terminated pregnancy because of these afflictions, fewer than 50 percent were offered anti-emetic therapy.

“Of those offered treatment, 90 percent were offered regimens that were not likely to be effective,” the bulletin says.

Related link: Hyperemesis Education & Research Foundation

Milkscreen

An Austin company has developed Milkscreen, a kit which allows women to test their milk for the presence of alcohol.

What will they think of next?

Dads and Babies

There's not anything quite as sweet as a man wearing a baby.

Mini-blind Cord Safety

October is National Window Covering Safety Month. One child a month is killed from accidentally strangling in window cords.

If you still have the old looped miniblind cords, you can order a free repair kit from the Window Covering Safety Council.

Do it now! Let's keep our babies safe.

Caring for Your Fuzzi Bunz

Doodlebuckets has the best cloth diaper information I have come across yet, including washing instructions (with photos), and article on how to stop "wicking", and "Help! My Diapers Are Stinky!"

Twins & Height

Julie, this one's for you:

Tall Women More Likely to Have Twins

Fuzzi Bunz Update

We like the Fuzzi Bunz. My major complaint is - get this - I have a hard time determining if they are wet. That's right. Sometimes I have to take off the diaper and pull out the insert before I know if they are wet or not. Or at least stick my hand all the way into the pocket. I also think that it will work to replace the insert and only change the whole diaper every other time. That will cut down on laundry and wear & tear on the diapers. I do find that I need to change the wee one a bit more often with the cloth diapers.

Cloth dipes do seem a bit warm, too. Maybe that is because they are made of synthetic fabric, and because of the bulk. Since we are heading into winter (we don't get fall here in Texas), not a problem but on warm afternoons a disposable would seem to be more comfortable.

It seems ironic, doesn't it, that the most popular cloth diapers rely heavily on synthetic fabrics? I mean, isn't that what cloth diapering is all about, being more natural? That thought struck me today.

I bought three new Fuzzi Bunz and then three used ones on eBay. Although I saved a bit of money on the used ones (particularly since the seller mispelled "fuzzi" as "fuzi"), I am now convinced it is worth it to spend the extra few dollars and get new. Something about used diapers is just... icky.

The eBay dipes came with Hemparoo inserts whereas my new ones came with the Microterry soaker. The popular consensus is that the microterry is much more absorbent, while the hemparoos are thinner and less bulky. Maybe one of each at night, if I go to full time CD'ing.

Blog Roundup

I've come across a number of baby/birth/breastfeeding blogs today, some new discoveries and some great posts from old friends...

Injennuous (a mom/doula named Jenn) writes about Going Overdue and Prodromal Labor. Also check out her Views on Birth blog.

Millner's Dream makes the case for Doula certification.

Cooler*doula is a doula-in-training.

From The Lactivist (who's planning a waterbirth, or at least a water labor) , I found Mama Knows Breast, the blog of Andi Silverman, a non-practicing* lawyer , former journalist, and soon-to-be author.

While you're at it, check out The Lactivist's great BF advocacy products.


* In the Mommy Blawger's world, you can't be a "former lawyer". You can stop practicing, but you can't un-lawyer yourself. It's not what we do, it's what we are.

Orgasmic Birth

Via the Birth Ecology Journal, it's the Orgasmic Birth video:

Orgasmic Birth is a documentary that examines the sexual and intimate nature of birth and the powerful role it plays in women's lives when they are permitted to experience it. This documentary asks viewers to reexamine everything they thought they knew about giving birth and the potential it holds.

Yeah, I know many of you are skeptical about this whole birth-can-be-pleasurable thing. But this is about being open to possibilities. If you are convinced that childbirth can be nothing other than excruciatingly painful, well then, you are likely to have an excruciatingly painful childbirth. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe that might be painful, but it could be just hard work but not especially painful, and it might even be pleasurable, at least you have options.

Fuzzi Bunz

I'm taking a tentative step toward cloth diapering. I ordered three Fuzzi Bunz and they arrived in the mail today. We will see how we like them. They are expensive, but they have great resale value on eBay, so it's not much of a risk. I think I will like them, though. More importantly, will Andrew like them?

Chief Executive Mom got hers in the mail today, too, and posted photos.

Pre-term birth drug

Here's one to watch:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration staff questioned the effectiveness of Adeza Biomedical Corp.'s Gestiva drug because new findings were at odds with an earlier government-funded trial, according to documents released on Monday.

Data for the drug, which aims to prevent pre-term births, also showed a possible increase in miscarriages and stillbirths in women who used it, the agency staff said ahead of an FDA advisory panel scheduled to discuss the drug on Tuesday.

(link)

Andrew at Six Months, Seven Months

At six months, Andrew:

• Sits well by himself.
• Tries to get all the way up on his hands & knees; rocks back and forth. Sometimes he gets on one knee and pushes himself up with the opposite leg.
  
• Plays peek-a-boo (at least he "gets" the joke now).
• Has started solids. Just a little rice cereal and a small jar a fruit, once a day. Plus some Cheerios or a teething biscuit.
  
• Cut his first tooth.
• Can drink water or milk out of a cup.
  

At seven months, Andrew:

• Learned how to get into a sitting position from his hands and knees.
• Two days later, started crawling. Just a little.
• Will crawl a couple inches in the "proper" hands-and-knees position, then goes down and army crawl the rest of the way.
• Cut tooth #2 at 6 1/2 months, then #3 at 7 months.
• Likes to be tickled. Laughs at his brothers jumping on the bed.
• Has been known to eat a whole jar of baby food at one sitting. Usually just eats half a jar, though.

At seven and 1/2 months, Andrew:

• Tried his first vegetables (sweet potatoes).
• Crawls for real.
• Will crawl from room to room, and seems delighted with himself for figuring out this little trick.
• Tries to pull up on everything. He can pull up on the fireplace hearth, but not on the coffee table yet.
• When he sees that mommy has left the safety gate down in the kitchen, he makes a beeline for the cat food bowl. When she tells him "no", he stops, sits up, looks at her, and smiles. And then continues on.
• Thinks his big brothers are really, really funny.
  

It's good to suffer pain?

In the Netherlands, you can buy "soft" drugs in a coffee shop, but good luck getting drugs in a hospital if you are in labor and see a midwife.

(irritating discussion follows)

Things I Fished Out of Andrew's Mouth Today

Some carpet fluff.
A small piece of paper.

He made it all the way to the cat food bowl today, but I was distracted and didn't get a chance to look in his mouth to see if he was eating the cat food. He may have.

Now, where did I put that safety gate?

Things I Fished Out of Andrew's Mouth Today

Another puzzle piece from a Christmas Tree-shaped puzzle.
Another sticker that said "I've been Krogering".

Things I Fished Out of Andrew's Mouth Today

A 1 x 4 Lego brick.
A puzzle piece from a Christmas tree-shaped puzzle.
A small piece of plastic of indeterminate origin.

(actually, my husband caught the first two)

Natural "Birth Control"

Doctors need more training in natural birth control.

Well, duh. Didn't need a study to tell me that one.

Point 1: Most people refer to "natural family planning" or "natural family spacing" (or even "fertility awareness") rather than "natural birth control". That is not a term that you hear often.

Point 2: I think it's hillarious when people say "you can get pregnant while breastfeeding, you know". Well yes, but if your baby is under six months old and you are exculsively breastfeeding (and not sleep-training) you are about as likely to get pregnant as if you are on the pill. But you don't hear people warning each other "you can get pregnant on the pill, you know".

Things I Fished Out of Andrew's Mouth Today

A chess piece (the white queen).
A backgammon piece.
A brass door stopper which he managed to pull out of the baseboard.
A sticker that said "I've been Krogering".

Things I Fished Out of Andrew's Mouth Today

A raisin.
Some paper.

Things I Fished Out of Andrew's Mouth Today

A cat food kibble.
Some paper.

Things I Fished Out of Andrew's Mouth Today

A staple.
Some paper.