News, research, and more

It's time to clean out my files and bookmarks again.

Are antibiotics beneficial for preterm labor or PPROM?
Preterm Abx beneficial for PPROM, but not for preterm labor. A newly published meta-analysis has concluded that antibiotic use prolongs pregnancy and reduces neonatal morbidity in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) at a gestation of 34 weeks or less. The same analysis found little evidence, however, of a benefit from using antibiotics in preterm labor occurring at 34 weeks or less. Source: American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology 2008;199:620e1-e.

Is Acupuncture Effective at Inducing Labor?
Acupuncture to induce labor: a randomized controlled trial.
Obstet Gynecol. 2008 Nov;112(5):1067-74.
For women with a scheduled postterm induction, acupuncture sessions before the induction did not reduce the need for inductions or the length of labor. This trial used sham acupuncture, which is a great way to lessen the placebo effect of acupuncture. The conclusion from the abstract: "Two sessions of manual acupuncture, using local and distal acupuncture points, administered 2 days before a scheduled induction of labor did not reduce the need for induction methods or the duration of labor for women with a postterm pregnancy."

Precipitous births in the news:

• A UK mum gives birth in an ambulance outside restaurant. She had planned a home birth, but decided to transfer when the baby unexpectedly presented breech. On the way to the hospital, the baby flipped back to vertex and was born en route.
• Baby boy arrives on bathroom floor. The couple was planning a home birth anyway; the midwife dind't arrive on time. So dramatic! How amazing that the mother and father managed to deliver their own baby!
• A Denver woman riding a city bus goes into labor and has the baby in a public library.

Other birth-related news and articles:

• Erykah Badu gives birth at home to a girl
• Routine epidural turns deadly (this is an older article but I am trying to clear out all my extra bookmarks).
• Call for Abstracts for the Australian College of Midwives 16th Biennial Conference: "Midwives & Women: A Brilliant Blend" is being held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, from the 22 - 25 September 2009. I wish I could go!Any way I could get funding for this?
  
• Home Delivery: The Movie. From the website: "This film documents the lives of three women in New York, who for very different reasons have decided to go up against social trends and take the birth of their children into their own hands… and homes." I haven't seen this one yet. It's available for purchase here.
• BirthLove is back (don't know how long, though) on this website!
• Woman to Woman Childbirth Education shares her thoughts about the UK documentary on Freebirthing. She argues that "if doctors or midwives want to stop [unassisted births], they have two choices — scare women out of doing it, or make the alternatives more appealing."
• The Independent Childbirth blog examines Why American Women Can't Handle Labor (or why people think they can't).
• The Times (UK) discusses how pregnant women are "risk magnets." Vivienne Parry writes:

  Pregnant women are risk magnets, attracting every sort of scare about potential damage to their babies at a time of their lives when they are most fearful, for themselves and for the new life they carry. Not only are food scares (too much liver, too much fish, etc) aimed squarely at mums-to-be, but there are also horror stories about the maternity services. The irony is that the perception of risks may be more harmful than the actual risks.
  

Sewing/crafting:

• Babywearing Coat Instructions: this tutorial shows you how to alter a normal jacket or winter coat into a babywearing coat. A great project to try with a secondhand coat! I'll have to make one of these for next winter.
• CPSC grants one-year reprieve for certain products. This news has handcrafters relieved, as many were worried they'd have to shut down because of the prohibitive costs of lead & phalate testing. Forbes op-ed piece on the CPSC law (written before the reprieve was announced).

Ecological/sustainable living:

• How Women Can Bleed Green: an article about reusable menstrual products