Back on the blog wagon

So I inadvertently took a month off from adding any new posts, partially due to the holidays and partially from many life changes….new job, new school for my son and much more soon to come. So thank you for sticking around!  I have some great classes coming up and herbs floating around my mind that I’m itching to write about soon.

United States Maternity Care Facts and Figures December 2009

Citizens for Midwifery has posted the latest stats in full here

Hospital Care of Childbearing Women and Newborns
Of those discharged from U.S. hospitals in 2007, 25% were childbearing women and newborns. Care of childbearing women and their newborns was by far the most common reason for hospitalization (3).

Six of the ten most common hospital procedures in 2007 were maternity-related (3):

	Rank Among	Cumulative Increase
Maternal and Newborn Procedures	All Procedures	1997-2007
prophylactic vaccinations and inoculations	2	189%
cesarean section	3	85%
repair of obstetric laceration	5	27%
circumcision	7	12%
fetal monitoring	8	25%
artificial rupture of membranes to assist delivery	10	56%

Cesarean section was the most common operating room procedure in the country in 2007 (3). The cesarean rate of 31.8% marked the 11th consecutive year of increase and a record-level national rate (2). The cesarean rate varied across states in 2007, from a low of 22.2% in Utah to a high of 38.3% in New Jersey. It reached 49.2% in Puerto Rico (2). In 2006, the cesarean section rate varied by payer — from private insurance (33.7%) to Medicaid (29.8%) to uninsured women (25.4%) (4).

The rate of vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) within childbirth-related hospitalizations was 9.7% in 2006, a decline of 73% from 1997, when the VBAC rate was 35.3% (4).

Maternity Outcomes
The rate of preterm birth has generally risen for more than two decades. This rate was 10.6% in 1990, reached 12.8% in 2006, and declined modesty in 2007 to 12.7%. Across states, the preterm birth rate in 2006 ranged from 9.2% in Vermont to 18.3% in Mississippi. It reached 19.4% in Puerto Rico (2).

The rate of low birthweight has been rising fairly steadily over a quarter century. This rate was 6.7% in 1984, reached 8.3% in 2006, and declined modestly in 2007 to 8.2% (2).

In comparison with both non-Hispanic white and Hispanic infants, non-Hispanic black infants experienced much higher rates of both preterm birth and low birthweight (2).

Mom fights for a VBAC and gets it…by moving 6 hours away!

(CNN) — Seven months into her pregnancy with her fourth child, Joy Szabo’s obstetrician gave her some news she didn’t want to hear: Because she’d had a previous Caesarean section, the hospital where she planned to deliver was insisting she have another one.

Szabo wanted a vaginal delivery, and argued with hospital executives, but they stood firm: They refused to do vaginal births after Caesareans (VBACs) because they have a slightly higher risk for complications.

After they lost that fight, Szabo and her husband, Jeff, made an unusual decision. About three weeks before her due date, Szabo moved nearly six hours away from their home in Page, Arizona, to Phoenix to give birth at a hospital that does permit women to have VBACs. (read full article here).

Also check out CNN’s Elizabeth Cohen on How to Fight for a Vaginal Birth here

Baby carrier recall

A recall was announced today for 447,000 Dorel baby carriers after the company received 77 hazard reports about the carrying handle coming off, resulting in at least three infant injuries. Brands that used the Dorel-manufactured carrier include Safety 1st, Cosco, Eddie Bauer and Disney. They were sold nationwide between January 2008 and December 2009 and cost between $120 and $220.

It’s the Catchiest Tune About Man-Midwifery You’ll Ever Hear

Check out The Unnecesarean blog post on Norman Casserley, an underground male-midwife that was banned in San Diego, California in the 1970’s. See awesome post here and make sure to listen to the song…you can also make it your ring-tone!

January and February 2010 classes listed!

I will be co-teaching a Birthing From Within holistic childbirth preparation class and a Botanical Bellies & Babies class at Mountain Midwifery Center as well as a Womb Healing class as part of the Red Tent series at my house! For more information click here.

There are also other very exciting classes on the horizon, just ironing out some dates and location details, so check back in soon! Upcoming classes include-

• Healthy Preconception- what to do before/while “trying”
• Herbal Teas- an evening of blending and tasting
• Sweet Dreams -herbs, teas and more to help you sleep soundly
• Spirit of the Medicine Horse -hands on healing with horses
• Dias de los Muertos -make sugar skulls and “Catrina” ladies
• Herb Walks, local plant harvesting and more

And for the professional -

• Herbalism 101 for the Childbirth Professional-back by popular demand
• Beyond Fenugreek- holistic lactation and herbs during breastfeeding

Also I am available as a guest speaker, for small group classes and out-of-town/state for workshops. If you want me to teach a class that is not listed above please contact me, my 2010 calendar is already filling!

Free ovulation and pregnancy tests…

…via the non-profit Sacred Heart Mission. You can choose any combo of ovulation and/or pregnancy tests for a total of ten, even free shipping. If interested, find more information or place your order here.

Ginger Ale to compete with OTC drugs

See article here

Babies-the movie trailer

Cord clamping/cutting…we can be much kinder video

View here

Picture of Maude Callen, Nurse Midwife cutting a newborn infant umbilical cord in 1951 South Carolina

Serious Pregnancy Complication Detected With MRI

“Due to the increase in cesarean sections and other surgeries that leave scarring on the uterine wall, coupled with women giving birth later in life, the incidence of accreta has increased dramatically over the past 20 years,” for full article click here

Colorado Public News Video on Alternative Childbirth

Featuring Mountain Midwifery Center, watch here

Colorado Again Scores “D” for Premature Birth Rate

Colorado’s premature birth rate as 12.2%, a slight improvement over the rate reported in 2008’s report card (12.3%) but not enough of one to change the overall grade. This equates to one in eight babies, or more than 8,500. A baby is considered premature when he is born three or more weeks early. A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks.

Report card grades are determined by comparing statistics to the Healthy People 2010 premature birth rate goal of 7.6%. The United States (with a most-recent premature birth rate of 12.7%) received a “D” on the March of Dimes report card. No state earned an “A.” Just one (Vermont) received a “B.” Twelve received a “C”; 20 a “D”; and, 19 an “F.” (The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are included in the evaluation.)

Three preventable criteria that contribute to premature birth are noted on the report card: rates of uninsured women (reported at 21% in both years), women who smoke and late premature birth. The latter (when a baby is born between 34 and 36 weeks of pregnancy) dropped in Colorado to 8.8% from the 8.9% reported last year. The rate of childbearing-age women who smoke saw the biggest decline, from 19.8% in the 2008 report card to 17.4% this year.

For full article click here

Birds & Bees Teas

I am starting a tea company with two friends called Birds & Bees Teas ! We will be making delicious hand blended herbal teas for the whole family, specializing in fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, nursing and general wellness. I have had so much fun coming up with the formulations, and it’s exciting finally seeing things come together. We are currently mixing 6 different blends to be ready for the holiday season, they can be ordered online and I will also be selling them at the Denver Metro Holistic Moms Network holiday shopping and potluck party! Stay tuned for more exciting tea news…..

Red Tent Class – Yoni Infections

This Wednesday I will be teaching the Red Tent Class (holistic and herbal self-care) on yoni infections (i.e. vaginal infections, UTI’s, STI’s etc) through Denver Free School (i.e. it’s free) from 6:30-8:30….email if you would like to R.S.V.P.

Belly Dance for Birth

Dance of the Womb

Helpful Midwifery Tricks

Via Gloria Lemay

Children should be allowed to play in the dirt

Scientists have discovered that bacteria on the surface of the skin play an important role in combating inflammation when we get hurt.

So having a vaginal birth, keeping indoor pets, and letting your kids play in the dirt are all important to health and have been shown to cut down on inflammation, asthma, allergies and more. I think it’s high time to cross stitch some lovely little pillows with the below quotes

Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.  ~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller’s Housekeeping Hints, 1966

Nature abhors a vacuum.  And so do I.  ~Anne Gibbons

Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy.  ~Author Unknown



More oxytocin loveliness…

The Biology Behind the Milk of Human Kindness

Crib recall: 2.1 million deemed unsafe

Consumer safety officials say drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft can cause suffocation or other injuries.