Resources
Mamas on Bedrest: The Truth About Chemical Ingredients During Pregnancy
April 13th, 2012
I love it when other bloggers create well written blogs about really pertinent information. So it is with The Truth about Chemical Ingredients During Pregnancy. Aremisa May-Hailey, a doula, peer breastfeeding counselor and herbalist. In her post on Examiner.com, Aremisa gives great information about the effects certain chemicals found in cosmetics can have on your unborn baby. Citing information regarding Kourteny Kardashian having her hair dyed while pregnant, Aremisa provides the following information about potentially harmful chemicals for unborn babies.
Parabens
Parabens which are commonly used as a preservative in skin care products, have been linked to having adverse affects on the reproductive systems of baby boys. Although this research is fairly new, parabens should be avoided.
Phythalates
Phythalates, also listed as DBP (diputyl phathalates), is an ingredient used in nail polish. Absorption in the mother’s blood stream has been linked to genital changes in baby boys.
Toulenes
Toulenes is another ingredient used in nail polish. The constant inhalation of these fumes is believed to cause developmental damage to the fetus.
Lead
In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 popular brands of lipstick. Out of those tested, 61% of them contained unsafe levels of lead. The issue here is that lead exposure can crosses the placenta very easily and can interfere with fetal development.
Retonoids
Retonoids is a form of Vitamin A commonly used in acne treatments and wrinkle creams. High doses of Vitamin A are known to be harmful to the fetus.
Hair Dyes
The Organization for Teratology Information Specialist (OTIS) reports that low levels of hair dye can be absorbed through the skin after application. It is also known that the dye is excreted through the urine. Therefore, there is no significant danger that has been proven as of yet.
Aremisa’s post contained many of the same chemicals we mentioned in our post where we relayed the recommendations and warnings from the American Academy of Pediatrics on chemicals and their effects of pregnant women, unborn babies, infants and children. Many chemicals, though not ingested orally are in fact absorbed through the skin, our largest organ. Once in a mama’s system, the chemicals have access to the unborn baby via the placenta. While the placenta acts as a filter for many substances such as nutrients, blood, oxygen and fluids, many other particles (chemicals) are able to penetrate the protective barrier. For some chemicals, such as those found in cosmetics and personal products, the amount of the chemicals in the products may be small, but because the products are used repeatedly (sometimes 2 and 3 times daily) the effective exposure can become significant. So as Aremisa, the American Academy of pediatrics and others have pointed out, mamas need to be aware of the ingredients in their personal products, avoid those products that have the harmful chemicals listed and use care when using products so as not to produce a cumulative effect.
For more information on pregnancy and chemicals visit otispregnancy.org and or safecosmetics.org
Aremisa May-Hailey, Dallas Pregnancy Health Examiner
Aremisa May-Hailey is a full circle doula (ICTC), breastfeeding peer counselor, and acting state rep for International Center for Traditional Childbearing. She also owns and operates Indigenous Doula Services as well as Indigenous Remedies, which is a resource for herbal and holistic sciences….
Mamas on Bedrest: How The US Can Overcome Barriers to Breastfeeding
April 11th, 2012
Human breastmilk is the best food for human babies.
Everyone from the American Academy of Pediatrics to Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD., have extolled its virtues and clearly stated, in no uncertain terms, that “Breastmilk is Best.” We know that infants who are breastfed are at decreased risk of lower respiratory tract infections in the first year, lower incidence of diarrhea and vomiting, have fewer ear infections, are less likely to develop asthma, childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, Sudden Infant Death, eczema, acute lymphocytic and acute myelogenous leukemia. In preterm infants, lack of breastfeeding is linked to a 138% increase in necrotizing enterocolitis, a potentially life-threatening problem. Breastfeeding also benefits mamas. The risks for breast cancer and for ovarian cancer are increased in women who have never breastfed.
So it is a huge disappointment to see that in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only 74% of mothers start breastfeeding exclusively at birth. By six months, that number dips to approximately 43% exclusively breastfeeding and by one year that number is a sparse 23% who are still breastfeeding. What is even more disappointing is that amongst African American mothers, only 60% initiate breastfeeding and only 28% are still breastfeeding at six months.
These numbers are far from the targets set for Healthy People 2020.
Breastfeeding Goal Current Rate
Ever-breastfed infants 82% 74%
Exclusive breastfeeding at 3 mos 44% 33%
Breastfeeding at 6 mos 61% 43%
Exclusive breastfeeding at 6 mos 24% 14%
Breastfeeding at 12 mos 34% 23%
New Mothers Need Breastfeeding Support to Continue Breastfeeding long term
What the CDC and the data from the Infant Feeding Practices Study II (IFPS II) showed is that while many mothers started with the intention of breastfeeding, there is a large lack of support provided to new mothers in order to be successful. The surgeon general’s call to action cited the following five obstacles to breastfeeding,
- Lack of experience and/or lack of understanding amongst family members, consequently lack of support for the nursing family
- Limited support from other nursing mothers
- No support of provisions available for breastmilk pumping for moms at work.
- Lack of up-to-date instruction and information from health care professionals
- Hospital practices that impede successful breastfeeding and hinder getting professional help from a knowledgeable nurse or lactation consultant
Support from Qualified, Educated Hospital Personnel is Critical to Breastfeeding Success
These barriers are directly addressed and removed when hospitals are educated and willing to support new mothers who wish to breastfeed. The US Breastfeeding committee also recommends placing a newborn immediately on mama’s chest at birth, even before cutting the umbilical cord, because evidence shows that
“a baby who is placed skin-to-skin will likely find the breast and initiate breastfeeding within the first 60 minutes of life”
To better ensure that hospital staff are able to support and educate new mothers about the benefits of breastfeeding and to assist with any potential problems, The CDC developed Baby Friendly Hospital Practices as part of the IFPS II. These practices have also been promoted by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, which includes a breastfeeding-promotion component. The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative has identified “10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding”
- Have a written breastfeeding policy that is routinely communicated to all health care staff
- Train all healthcare staff in skills necessary to implement this policy
- Inform all pregnant women about the benefits and management of breastfeeding
- Help mothers initiate breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth
- Show mothers how to breastfeed and how to maintain lactation, even if they should be separated from their infants
- Give newborn infants no food or drink other than breast milk unless medically indicated
- Practice rooming-in by allowing mothers and infants to remain together 24 h/d
- Encourage breastfeeding on demand
- Give no artificial teats, pacifiers, dummies, or soothers to breastfeeding infants
- Foster the establishment of breastfeeding support groups and refer mothers to them upon discharge from the hospital or clinic.
Sometimes a mama and her baby must be separated following delivery. In these cases, mamas should be taught to use breast pumps and to express breast milk that can be stored and given to their infants for feedings. When the infants are stable enough to breastfeed, mama and baby should be coached on best breastfeeding techniques by a trained lactation consultant to ensure the best chance of success.
Ensuring Success after Discharge Home
Prior to discharge, a trained lactation consultant should meet with mama again to ensure that principles of latching on, milk letdown, normal infant stooling patterns and weight gain are understood. Mama should be evaluated to ensure that she is not experiencing nipple pain, has adequate experience expressing milk and knows how to pump if needed, has all of her questions answered, has resources and numbers to call if she has subsequent questions and/or needs support.
For Resources on Breastfeeding Support, check out our resources page here.
For useful books on Breastfeeding, Check out our store and look in the breastfeeding section.
Mamas on Bedrest: Pregnancy, Labor & Delivery Complications Can Have Longstanding Effects
April 9th, 2012Every now and then I’ll read something and ask, “What were they thinking?”
Such was the case when I read an article/blog post on FitPregnancy.com. In what I am assuming was an attempt to mitigate fear and worry in pregnant women about to deliver, Marjorie Greenfield, M.D., a professor of OB-GYN at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine was quoted as saying,
“Most ‘complications’ are irrelevant. They have no impact on the health of the mother or the baby.”
I found this statement appalling because many complications have longstanding effects-both physically and emotionally- on mothers and their children. As a woman who had significant intra partum bleeding (I use the word hemorrhage but that isn’t the official notation in my chart) my delivery “complication” had significant effects on me, my daughter (who spent 10 days in the NICU) and my husband who witnesses this traumatic birth.
Pregnancy complications have a significant impact on mamas and this is especially true for mamas on bed rest who have an increased risk of complications during labor and delivery (in addition to their bed rest complications) and who are at increased risk of post partum mood disorders. Mamas experience a wide range of feelings and emotions. Speaking from personal experience, I felt like my body failed me and my daughter because my delivery was so complicated and resulted in my daughter landing in the NICU. I experienced a profound sense of loss. My daughter never stayed in my room with me and I felt robbed of that experience. I hurt. I had delivered via c-section and on top of everything else, my body simply ached.
I felt “wrong” on many levels. I had a scheduled c-section. I had done a lot of research and saw that many “authorities” extolled the virtues of vaginal birth. Yet because of my reproductive history, I was told my body was unable to deliver vaginally without a significant risk of uterine rupture. My OB, husband and I discussed my options at length and decided on the c-section. After my delivery, I questioned my decision to have a scheduled c-section thinking perhaps if I had delivered vaginally my daughter and I would have fared better. I felt I had let may daughter down and that it was somehow my fault that she ended up in the NICU. I also felt that I had let my husband down. I had a tremendous amount of guilt that stayed with me for a long time.
Amazingly, I didn’t suffer from post partum depression. Amy Przeworski, PhD is an associate professor of psychology at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio who specializes in research of post partum depression and post traumatic stress symptom. She too read the article on FitPregnancy.com and penned a very well delineated response entitled The Relevant Woman, The Psychological Effects of Pregnancy Complications. Her blog post appears on Psychologytoday.com, Don’t Worry Mom, Coping with Anxiety in Families. She presents 3 important points in why pregnancy and delivery complications are “relevant”.
1. Labor and delivery complications are not irrelevant. Women who experience labor and delivery complications are at an increased risk for postpartum depression and often experience symptoms such as a sad mood that lasts for as long as two weeks, decreased interest in activities, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, worthlessness or excessive guilt, feeling slowed down or agitated, difficulty concentrating, and even thoughts of suicide. Women who have experienced labor and delivery complications often report feelings of failure and incompetence as a woman and a mother. Further, labor and delivery complications can have a real psychological impact on the mother, the mother’s relationship with her significant other, and her relationship with the baby.
2. Complications don’t just sound scary, they are scary. Labor and delivery complications are traumas and can cause post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, such as emotional numbing, distress at reminders of the trauma, avoidance of thoughts and feeling associated with the trauma, inability to recall aspects of the trauma, decreased interest in activities, feeling detached from others, difficulty falling or staying asleep, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Women can dissociate during these events, mentally checking out of them when the terror overwhelms them…The experience is also terrifying for significant others who helplessly watch their wives and girlfriends endure invasive and painful procedures or who fear for the life of their baby. (Which is exactly what happened to my husband!!
3. Isolation. Women often do not talk about their psychological reactions to the complications, experiencing shame that they have not “gotten over it” and continued feelings of failure as a mother because of their distress. Feelings of isolation and inferiority to other women who had “normal” deliveries are common. Few women who experienced complications are made aware of the high rates of postpartum depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms following labor and delivery complications. This contributes to women’s views that they are alone or that there is something wrong with them for continuing to experience distress after something as common as a C-section.
While I appreciate FitPregnancy.com’s attempt to give mothers reassurance that their labors and delivery are most likely going to progress just fine, this isn’t always the case. Pregnancy complications can have longstanding effects on a mother, her partner and her baby. Mamas need to have support, information about potential post partum depression signs and symptoms and resources quickly at hand to help.
If you had a complicated pregnancy, here are some resources that may be helpful to you.
Definitions of post partum mood disorders
Support for Birth Complications
