Monday, February 02, 2009

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:

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."
    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:

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the links! I especially love the babywearing coat instructions, what a great idea!

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  2. I can never bring myself to link or post about high drama accounts of babies born in cars, public paces or, OMG, BATHROOMS! WHAT?! I actually thought of you when I first read the bathroom baby story.

    Library Baby was cute. I guess if she popped a squat in the Periodicals section and used a back issue of Midwifery Today or AJOG like a Chux pad, you'd have to create a tag called "Irony."

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  3. After realizing how much press these unplanned UCs get, I was kind of bummed that I didn't think to call the news when our 2nd child made her quick appearance in our living room. I can just see the headline "Med student delivers own baby"! Would have been a fun clipping for dd to keep, though

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  4. I love the babywearing coat... have been dying to make one myself for some time... will have to make the time now!!

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  5. Ha! Too bad you forgot to alert the press on that one. I could always write you up an article, complete with lots of drama and excitement, and we could doctor it up to look original. LOL

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  6. Rixa, I have a DivaCup and have been using it for almost a year now. I LOVE IT. It's a really great product that is easy to use, environmentally and woman-friendly, and is less expensive than most options.

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  7. i second the DivaCup. I do love it!!

    although i've heard complaints from other women about not being able to insert it right. however, i've had no issues in that area.

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