C-sections

A survey from Seattle found that the most common explanation for a c-section in medical records was "elective" or "maternal request."

The Silent Struggle

This New York Times article talks about the theory of pregnancy that has a mom and baby struggling over nutrients.

Death in a baggie: Parents change buying habits

Wax paper and coated containers are all the rage in preschools as parents become increasingly worried about hidden dangers in plastics (login: marsae, pword: ethan6).

A Wrongful Birth?

In this New York Times story by Elizabeth Weil, a mom of a severely handicapped child is suing her former doctors for "wrongful birth."

Pregnant mom tip: Your obstetrician or midwife should measure your uterus at every visit. Your "bump" will grow about 1 cm. a week!

Is Home Birth Safe?

An in-depth Swedish study of the attitudes of five home birthing couples recently appeared in Midwifery. The three main reasons couples chose home birth over a hospital birth were the desire for a natural, uninterrupted birth, the desire to have control over the birthing process, and trusting the midwife couples had chosen to help them with birth. Even though the couples were concerned about potential risks of birthing at home, they were willing to shoulder the consequences of their decision and wanted to avoid the risk of being deprived of that decision-making power in a hospital. The overriding theme was the couples’ fundamental trust in the ability of a woman to give birth, and their feeling that it would be easier to relax and go with the forces of birth in an environment where they felt safe. Two excellent Web sites for learning more about home birth are the British site, www.homebirth.org, that lists numerous birthing studies, and in the U.S, , gentlebirth.org. A midwife locator is offered by the American College of Nurse-Midwives at their site.

Hold Your Breath and Push?

The typical medical practice of coaching women to hold their breaths while pushing to the count of 10 is now coming into question, called the Valsalva maneuver, or "purple pushing." A study of 320 birthing women reported in the January, 2006, issue of Journal of the American Obstetrics and Gynecology conducted by researchers at the University of Texas’ Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, found that although coaching birthing women about when and how long to push served to shorten the pushing stage of labor by about 13 minutes, it conveyed no other benefits to mothers or babies over simply allowing women to follow their own pushing urges. The researchers concluded that although coached pushing was associated with a slightly shorter second stage for labor, it conferred “no other advantages.”

Don't Worry: Stress Can Cause Miscarriage

Stress in pregnancy may disrupt normal hormone functioning and could cause miscarriages. Cortisol levels rise when women have low energy, infections, injuries and severe conflicts, and cortisol is thought to lower progesterone, a hormone essential to maintaining pregnancy. One study to be released in an upcoming issue of Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences found that elevated cortisol levels, a biochemical indicator of stress, was associated with an increased risk of miscarriage very early in pregnancy. Of the 12 women in the study who had normal or low cortisol levels during the first few weeks of pregnancy, only 4 suffered miscarriages. But 9 out of the 10 pregnancies in which pregnant women’s cortisol concentrations rose above normal levels, miscarriage occurred. The researchers note that it is unclear whether the rise in cortisol levels was caused by outside stress, or the result of internal hormonal imbalances.

Yale: Pregnant Women Should Avoid Chemlawn®

Pregnant mice are being used to test the effects of methoxychlor, a pesticide that has recently been banned by Yale University School of Medicine researchers who are finding that it causes hormone changes that affect the lining of the uterus of mice. The pesticide is in the family of chemicals called "endocrine disrupters" that could lead to a generation of infertile offspring. It’s believed the pesticide may have a similar effect on humans. Other endocrine disrupters include alkylphenol ethoxylates and atrazine. Safe levels of such compounds are unknown, but studies from the past 20 years show that relatively low exposure has the potential of harming fetuses at vulnerable times, such as around conception and during fetal growth. Using organic produce, washing vegetables and fruits them thoroughly, and peeling them may help to reduce, but not eliminate, pesticide exposure. Nix lawn services that spray lawns with pest and weed killers that could get tracked into the house, too. Click here for more information on endocrine disrupters and nontoxic pesticide options.

Bad News About Antidepressants?

Two new studies have found that women on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such as Prozac during pregnancy could affect their babies. Meanwhile, studies are showing that women who stop taking the drugs may go back into depression, which itself has been linked with preterm delivery and low birth weight. One study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found an expectant mom's taking SSRIs after the 20th week of pregnancy raised the risk of a rare, but serious condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in which an infant's circulatory system does not develop properly. The Food and Drug Administration has labeled these findings "very concerning" and could be moving to change labels on the drugs. Another study reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that 30 percent of babies born to women on SSRIs experienced several days of withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping and tremors. Talk with your healthcare provider.

Pregnancy News

The New York Times reports that prisons often shackle pregnant inmates in labor.