Birthing News
Study: Elective Inducement, Early Admission Boost Caesarean Rates
A study of 41,000 births at 20 hospitals over three years concludes that Caesarean birth rates soar when first time mothers with "normal" pregnancies were either electively induced or admitted too soon to the hospital at the start of labor. "This study is the first of its considerable size to clearly show how two very common hospital practices are important contributors to Caesarean birth risk," one obstetrics expert said. UPI
Dateline Story Highlights Safety Concerns for Birthing Women in Hospitals
On June 4, the Dateline NBC television news program aired a segment on the death of a birthing woman at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC. The story has made national news because it has brought to light the problem of infections contracted by hospital patients - and by otherwise healthy birthing women, in particular. The piece shared the fact that infections contracted in hospitals are the fourth biggest killer in the US, causing as many deaths as auto accidents, breast cancer and AIDS combined. Two million Americans get infections in hospitals each year and an estimated 103,000 of them die. Since most American babies are currently born in hospitals, this problem is getting the attention of expectant parents, as well as professionals and advocates in maternal-child health. It has also drawn renewed attention to birthing options for healthy, low-risk women, such as freestanding birth centers and midwife-attended home births. For the transcript of the Dateline NBC story, go to www.msnbc.msn.com. To find out where your state stands on mandatory reporting of healthcare-associated infections, go to www.apic.org. For the CDC's recommendations on protecting patients from contracting infections, go to www.cdc.gov.
While we make no warranty as to value or content, for your convenience a list of childbirth related sites is provided below:
American Association of Birth Centers (AABC) Web Page
Great site! Comprehensive information on midwifery and Birth Centers.
La Leche League
Valuable resource for breastfeeding women.
PubMed
Resource for searching medical journals and databases.
HealthGate
Valuable medical research tool for both consumers and physicians.
Mommie Enduring Neonatal Death
A non-profit Christian group that reaches out to families who have lost a child to miscarriage, stillbirth or infant death.
National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health
American College of Nurse-Midwives
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Academy of Family Physicians
Other links:
Stuart C. Marmorstein, D.C.
("Head to Foot" Chiropractic Health Care)
