Interview with Ina May Gaskin

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September 1, 2011   Posted in: Birthing Options, Childbirth Education  Comments Closed

Sobering Statistics

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August 2, 2011   Posted in: Research  Comments Closed

Institute of Medicine Report

AMCHP is pleased to share that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a new report today recommending eight preventive health services for women. These services will be added to the services that health plans will cover at no cost to patients under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). At the request of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the IOM’s Preventive Services for Women Committee identified critical gaps in preventive services for women as well as measures that will further ensure women’s health and well-being. HHS is expected to respond to these recommendation by the end of August. The proposed recommendations contribute significantly to state efforts to improve women’s health overall, and support efforts to promote preconception and inter-conception care for women of child bearing age.

The IOM recommends that HHS require health insurance plans cover the following preventive services for women with no cost sharing:
* screening for gestational diabetes
* human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as part of cervical cancer screening for women over 30
* counseling on sexually transmitted infections
* counseling and screening for HIV
* contraceptive methods and counseling to prevent unintended pregnancies
* lactation counseling and equipment to promote breast-feeding
* screening and counseling to detect and prevent interpersonal and domestic violence
* yearly well-woman preventive care visits to obtain recommended preventive services

AMCHP Chief Executive Officer Michael Fraser, PhD, CAE, stated, “I am pleased that these IOM recommendations recognize the unique health needs of women and strongly support their widespread adoption. AMCHP urges the Department of Health and Human Services to implement these scientifically based recommendations and develop the guidelines necessary to afford women access to comprehensive preventive services.”

A summary of the IOM report is here<http://www.iom.edu/~/media/Files/Report%20Files/2011/Clinical-Preventive-Services-for-Women-Closing-the-Gaps/Preventive%20Services%20Women%202011%20Report%20Brief.pdf>; the full report is here<http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13181&page=R1>; and AMCHP’s Comments to the Institute of Medicine are here<http://www.amchp.org/Advocacy/health-reform/Documents/AMCHP%20Comments%20Preventive%20Services%20for%20Women.pdf>.

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July 25, 2011   Posted in: Breastfeeding  Comments Closed

VBAC Update

 

CIMS Urges ACOG to Remove Additional Barriers to VBAC 
Join us in asking ACOG to take steps that will increase VBAC, reduce cesareans, and ultimately avoid unnecessary harms to mothers and infants.

 In a Sept. 9, 2010, letter to Dr. Richard Waldman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), CIMS and 18 co-signing organizations urged ACOG to revise its current recommendation that VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean) should take place in hospitals where emergency cesareans are “immediately available.”

 CIMS will collect the names of additional organizations and individuals in support of this request through October 31, 2010, and will send the updated list of co-signers to Dr. Waldman. Add your name or your organization’s name now!

    

This request follows the March 2010 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Statement on VBAC, which found that VBAC is a reasonable choice for the majority of affected women. The NIH also reported that the “immediately available” recommendation was not based on strong support from high-quality evidence and had influenced about one-third of hospitals and one-half of physicians to stop providing care for women who wanted to plan a VBAC.

CIMS and the co-signing organizations also urged ACOG to revise its patient education publications and online consumer resources to include comprehensive information on the benefits and risks of cesarean section and VBAC. Without transparency about the short- and long-term benefits and risks of routine repeat cesarean and VBAC, women cannot make a truly informed choice about how they want to give birth.

Additional Information:

 

Take Action: Add your name or your organization’s name now!

    

 

 

 

 

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September 29, 2010   Posted in: Birthing Options  Comments Closed

Maternal Deaths on the Rise in U.S.

Despite International Decline, Maternal Deaths a Growing Concern in U.S.
Read the rest of this post »

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May 13, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed

Breastfeeding in Haiti

Margie Forest, RN, IBCLC – Palms West Hospital, Wellington, FL
Hi All!
I am back from Haiti, and have one really nasty sore throat! (at least the gastrointestinal stuff is over). We all came back intact, and did some really good work there.
Thank you, everyone, for your prayers and words of support. We all felt loved and supported in all of our work there. We felt safe the entire time.
This disaster is the worst one I have ever worked. I have been a Red Cross Disaster Nurse since hurricane Andrew in 1992 (and a Red Cross volunteer for over 40 years!). Read the rest of this post »
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February 11, 2010   Posted in: Breastfeeding  Comments Closed

Information on H1N1

Options and positions on H1N1
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/preg_H1N1fluvirus.asp
 
Clinical data
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/QA/vteuH1N1qa.htm  
 
Dr. Sears’ look at four vaccines, their manufacturers and recommendations
http://www.askdrsears.com/thevaccinebook/2009/09/four-swine-flu-vaccines-approved-by-fda.asp
 
Statistics on incidence and rate of complications (Canadian)
http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/h1n1/H1N1-decision-aid.pdf
 
Breastfeeding with H1N1
http://www.ilca.org/files/in_the_news/press_room/Swineflu%20Listserv%20to%20ILCA%20Members.pdf  
 
Centers for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/

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November 12, 2009  Tags: , , , ,   Posted in: H1N1  Comments Closed

H1N1 Information

The following is from the package insert from the H1N1 vaccine.  To read the full insert from the FDA go to

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM182401.pdf.  

 

8.1 Pregnancy
Pregnancy Category C:  Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A
(H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or AFLURIA.  It is also not known whether these vaccines
can cause fetal harm when administered to  a pregnant woman or  can affect reproduction
capacity.  Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman
only if clearly needed.
 
 
8.3 Nursing Mothers
Neither Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine nor AFLURIA has been evaluated in
nursing mothers.  It is not known whether Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine or
AFLURIA is excreted in human milk.  Because many drugs are excreted in human milk,
caution should be exercised when Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine is
administered to a nursing woman.
 
 
8.4 Pediatric Use 
Neither Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Monovalent Vaccine nor AFLURIA
has been evaluated in children. Safety and effectiveness in the pediatric population have not been established.

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October 27, 2009   Posted in: Research  Comments Closed

New SIDS Study

Research

Hazardous cosleeping environments and risk factors amenable to change: case-control study of SIDS in south west England

Peter S Blair, senior research fellow1, Peter Sidebotham, associate professor in child health2, Carol Evason-Coombe, research health visitor1, Margaret Edmonds, research health visitor1, Ellen M A Heckstall-Smith, research assistant1, Peter Fleming, professor of infant health and developmental physiology1

1 Department of Community Based Medicine, University of Bristol, 2 Health Sciences Research Institute, University of Warwick

Correspondence to: P Fleming, FSID Research Unit, St Michael’s Hospital, Bristol BS2 8EG peter.fleming@bris.ac.uk

Abstract

Objectives To investigate the factors associated with sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) from birth to age 2 years, whether recent advice has been followed, whether any new risk factors have emerged, and the specific circumstances in which SIDS occurs while cosleeping (infant sharing the same bed or sofa with an adult or child).

Design Four year population based case-control study. Parents were interviewed shortly after the death or after the reference sleep (within 24 hours) of the two control groups.

Setting South west region of England (population 4.9 million, 184 800 births).

Participants 80 SIDS infants and two control groups weighted for age and time of reference sleep: 87 randomly selected controls and 82 controls at high risk of SIDS (young, socially deprived, multiparous mothers who smoked).

Results The median age at death (66 days) was more than three weeks less than in a study in the same region a decade earlier. Of the SIDS infants, 54% died while cosleeping compared with 20% among both control groups. Much of this excess may be explained by a significant multivariable interaction between cosleeping and recent parental use of alcohol or drugs (31% v 3% random controls) and the increased proportion of SIDS infants who had coslept on a sofa (17% v 1%). Read the rest of this post »

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October 20, 2009   Posted in: Sleep Options  Comments Closed

Tenth Month Vision

Tenth Month Doula Services has been around since 1994.  Over the years, doulas have become more well known and have been in the news more and more.   In 1994, in South Florida there were no doula services.  Many hospitals were hesitant to make referrals.  Read the rest of this post »

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October 4, 2009  Tags: , , , , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  Comments Closed