Breastfeeding in Louisville June 29, 2007

In a 2007 issue of Fit Pregnancy Magazine, Louisville was graded (among the 50 largest cities) in an article on the best places to have a baby.

Here’s Louisville’s Report Card:

REPORT CARD Overall Rank: 25
	Affordability	B-		Fertility Laws/Resources	D+
	Maternal and Infant Health Risk	F+		Access to Hospitals/Doctors	B
	Breastfeeding	F		Child Care	A
	Birthing Options	D+		Safety	B+
	Stroller Friendliness	C		See our complete list of resources >

Makes you proud, doesn’t it?

According to their research:

• “Once Louisville-Jefferson mothers begin breastfeeding, they are 26 percent less likely than average to continue through 6 months. That’s the 2nd lowest level of follow-through of any city in our report.”
• “51 percent of Louisville-Jefferson mothers attempt breastfeeding. That’s the 2nd lowest percentage of any city in our report. Moms here are 32 percent less likely than average to try breastfeeding.”
• “By six months of age, 80 percent of Louisville-Jefferson babies aren’t being breastfed at all. That’s the 2nd poorest percentage of any city in our report.”
• “6.6 percent of Louisville-Jefferson mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively (meaning no solids, formula or other liquids) for 6 months or longer as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. That’s among the bottom 14 percent of cities in our survey.”

What the Pro’s Say:

American Academy of Pediatrics Policy Statement: Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk.  “The AAP outlines 15 recommended breastfeeding practices and a number of statements on the role of pediatricians in promoting and protecting breastfeeding. Among other things, they recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months and that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired.” (quote from kellymom.com)

 

World Health Organization — “infants should be exclusively breastfed(1) for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development and health(2). Thereafter, to meet their evolving nutritional requirements, infants should receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods while breastfeeding continues for up to two years of age or beyond. Exclusive breastfeeding from birth is possible except for a few medical conditions, and unrestricted exclusive breastfeeding results in ample milk production.”

 

The AAFP recommends that all babies, with rare exceptions, be breastfed and/or receive expressed human milk exclusively for about the first six months of life. Breastfeeding should continue with the addition of complementary foods throughout the second half of the first year. Breastfeeding beyond the first year offers considerable benefits to both mother and child, and should continue as long as mutually desired. Family physicians should have the knowledge to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding. (1989) (2001)

 

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that exclusive breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and health protection for the first 6 months of life, and breastfeeding with complementary foods for at least 12 months is the ideal feeding pattern for infants.

 
Mothering Magazine’s International Breastfeeding Symbol

 

 

 

“You Should Be Grateful” June 29, 2007

An essay from an ICAN friend.

 Here’s what she says about the piece:

“This is the first thing I wrote about my experience with a cesarean.  I wrote it in early 2001 after the birth of my daughter, at home.  It’s an angry piece of writing but I haven’t changed my feelings about the phrase “you should be grateful you have a healthy baby” or “all that matters is a healthy baby”.  Mostly I get positive responses, from women who never knew anyone else felt the way they did.  Sometimes, people are really offended.  That’s ok, sometimes being offended is the first step toward thinking about things a different way.”

Louisville meeting of KAAM June 28, 2007

Please join us for our first meeting on July 2nd, covering the topic
“Supporting my midwife: How to become an advocate for midwifery care.”

Our bi-monthly meetings are held in the basement of the Crescent Hill Library from 6 – 8 pm.

All community members interested in supporting midwifery care are encouraged to join us at these educational meetings, and they are always free to attend.

For more information about midwifery care in Kentucky contact:
Jennifer birthrootmidwife@gmail.com

The Kentucky Alliance for the Advancement of Midwifery (KAAM) is a statewide organization formed to educate consumers and professionals about midwifery. We seek to improve maternity care by supporting midwives in hospital, birth center, and home. We believe that midwives and doctors can work together to provide comprehensive, quality health care to all pregnant women.

A homework assignment June 28, 2007

When you get a minute, call some of your local hospitals.

You’ll get the information desk; tell him/her that you want to get some information about labor & deliver. (at this point, this person will either try to answer some of the questions himself, or will transfer you around…. despite all the transfers, stick with it until you get someone who *can* answer the questions. Sometimes it’s the labor/deliver floor manager, sometimes it’s the lady who gives the LDR tours — just stick with it!)

Ask:

• What is the hospital’s cesarean rate? they may try to transfer you to billing — you don’t want to know how much to costs, you want to know the percentage of cesareans performed last year.
• Of those cesareans, how many were primary cesareans and how many were repeat cesareans? they may say that they don’t know…. Ask who you can talk to to find out, or when you should call back so that they have time to look up the info (by the way, they HAVE the info [somewhere]
• Does the hospital allow planned VBACs? be prepared to explain Vaginal_Birth_After_A_Cesarean
• Can you tell me the VBAC rate?
• What is the hospital’s epidural rate?
• What percentage of deliveries use vacuum or forceps?
  
• On average, what is the nurse to laboring-mother ratio?
  

You may be asked if you’re expecting, if you’re a reporter, or why you’re asking so many questions. Be honest: I want to find out about the common procedures in the area… and I’m shopping around, checking out my birth options.

Be persistent — they have the records, it just may take some call-transfers to get to the right person.

Birth options in the Louisville area June 28, 2007

As a newly expectant mother 2 summers ago, I had no idea that I had care provider options. I quickly called a local OB’s office and made an appointment. I just went along with — what I thought was — the norm.

An unnecasarean later, I am now more aware of the expectant couple’s options in Louisville:

An Obstetrician/Gynecologist is a physician who has completed specialized education and training in the management of pregnancy, labor, and the time following childbirth. An Obstetrician is a specialist who provides medical & surgical care. Should you select an OB as your care provider, the likelihood of experiencing interventions is increased as they are trained in surgery and tend to view birth from a pathological viewpoint.

A Perinatologist is a maternal/fetal specialist. When complications are anticipated (because of a mother’s medical history) or if they shown during pregnancy and threaten the health of the baby or mother, women are usually referred to a maternal-fetal specialist. The Perinatologist has completed an additional clinical & research fellowship in addition to the basic Ob/gyn training.

A Family Practitioner is a physician who provides primary care. He/she treats acute and chronic illnesses, provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. Some also care for hospitalized patients, do minor surgery and/or obstetrics, where they have hospital privileges. An Family Practitioner has completed a three-year family medicine residency in addition to the undergraduate and doctoral studies.

A Certified-nurse midwife is a registered nurse who has taken her post-baccalaureate specializing in midwifery. CNM’s work in private practices, hospitals, and birth centers. CNM practice in collaboration with physicians.

A Direct Entry Midwife – also called traditional midwife, and can be a certified professional midwife – enter the field of midwifery through an apprenticeship, community-based training, or a field other than formalized nursing education. Most often, DEMs provide care to women who are giving birth at home. Midwives are specialists in normal pregnancy and birth. They view pregnancy as a safe and normal passage in a woman’s life.

The city of Louisville has no Certified Nurse Midwives with hospital privileges. For that type of care, you’ll have to cross the river and birth in Indiana (which isn’t a bad idea at all!!). I’d like to see this change though. If there was a consumer demand for nurse midwives, I think Louisville doctors and hospitals would provide the service… but Louisville’s birth philosophy and practices would have really to change — and that’s another post for another time.

The state of midwifery in Kentucky is iffy. Despite what some may tell you, it is not illegal for you to have a homebirth! For more information, contact the Kentucky Midwifery Taskforce and the Kentucky Alliance for the Advancement of Midwifery.

Check out The Midwives Model of Care. There are doctors who agree with and follow that mindset, and I encourage you to find one of those diamonds in the rough.

Learn what your options are in our community. Make informed decisions. The Birth Care Network is a great resource, and ICAN of Louisville can help too.

Did you know…. June 26, 2007

The United States has the second worst infant mortality rate in the developed world? 

Read CNN’s article.

Taking the Red Pill June 26, 2007

In The Matrix, Morpheus gives Neo a choice: the red pill or the blue pill. Many of the ladies on the ICAN E-list have taken the red pill / blue pill idea and brought it over into what it means in the birth community.

The Red Pill lets you see and learn. When Neo takes the red pill he is removed from the Matrix and begins to experience what it’s all about.

The blue pill lets you go on with life as before, maybe even in ignorance.

“

You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake in your bed and you believe whatever you want to believe.

”

Sometimes I wish I could take the blue pill. It’s so tempting. After all, ignorance is bliss. Sometimes I want to have a conversation over dinner without uttering the words WHO, VBAC stats, third party candidates or vaccine risks.

Sometimes it’s easier to think that Christian means Republican, that all doctors have our best interest at heart, and that I’ll be told everything I need to know.

But – that red pill – it keeps me questioning. It forces me to learn. There is no rest period. You have to ask why. Whether you’re in the OB office, the delivery room, the family doctor’s lab room, or your pediatrician’s office, you need to ask questions. Learn more!

• Why is this test being done? / Why is this vaccine being given? /Why is this drug being prescribed?
• Is it urgent?
• What are the risks?
• Can I read the package insert?
• Can I think about it?

With the red pill comes hard work, sick stomachs, and lumps in throats. The red pill means standing up to people with letters behind their names. It means listening to professional advise, thinking, and asking more questions. It means making people (friends & family, too) uncomfortable. It means learning from them.

Once you take the red pill, it’s hard to go back.

This one hit really close to home June 25, 2007

We were flipping through the channels the other day, and landed on the Family Guy.  I didn’t see the whole episode, but I could relate to an exhausted Lois and a clingy baby:

This reminds me of what my friend (a mother of 6) said to her husband when he came home one afternoon:

“I’m changing my name!” 

“I apologize for the hassle and inconvenience” June 25, 2007

That’s what the video rental store manager said today when she called to say that our account was closed, as we had requested.

Whew! Well, now I feel better.

Is that what’s it’s come to? She’s apologizing for hassle? For inconvenience?

• Not for the employee making a mistake.
• Not for our account having SIX videos charged to it that weren’t ours
• Not for renting pornography in a family store?
• Not for embarrassing my husband in front a store full of people
• Not for accusing my husband of renting, watching, keeping, and lying about pornography

I explained that hassle and being inconvenienced was not the issue. I told her that not having a secure account was inexcusable (a new employee in training entered the next customer’s order on our account). I explained that we can not and will not support a company that supports pornography. I told her that their store is a Family store and that we had NO IDEA that there was a back room.

She apologized again, and explained that she didn’t condone pornography. I told her that I felt that she was supporting the industry by working there. She said she had bills to pay. I can think of better jobs with better hours with better ethical standards.

Anyway, it’s over. We no longer have an account there, and the hassle of it all has been apologized for. Whew -I feel better.

grrrr

I hate big ol fat Reality Checks June 24, 2007

… but they’re good for us.

Our little family has had quite a few realizations in the past couple days.  In all my ICAN work, birth and VBAC issues are always on my mind.   The more and more I learn, the more I realize that I have to learn.

Through a local yahoo group friend, I found Children of God for Life, a non-profit whose website has information on vaccines.   Why didn’t I know that many of the common vaccines that are injected into our children are from aborted babies?  Yes, you heard me right.  Check it out.  And, please… if you have any other information on this, please share!!

Then, we have a situation with a local movie rental store.  You can read about it on my husband’s blog.   We are so upset that 1) our  rental account was being used by someone else, 2) that my husband was accused of renting (and being late returning!) 6 pornoographic videos, 3) that we had NO idea that the “FAMILY Video” chain had an “adult” section.

I have to talk to the manager tomorrow (apparently, she’ll be calling here) — and I WILL talk with her, but this reality check has opened up a new can of reality checks:

What else are we supporting unknowingly?

We really have our homework to do.  Can a little family of three make a difference?  I’d like to think so.  And we have friends — can they make a difference?

It’s sort of like the Ron Paul “issue:”  Everyone I’ve spoken with so far says that they really like him, and that he’s the best man for  the job.  BUT – he can’t win, so they’ll vote for someone who can.  Hmmm.  If everyone who actually liked him would actually vote for him — he could win!  He really could.

One more reality check: Have you heard about the Nestle Boycott?

http://www.babymilkaction.org/resources/boycott/nestlefree.html
Boycott groups around the world have declared July 2-8 to be International
Nestlé-Free Week.

Again… more homework.