birth
The U.S. is not the safest place to give birth:
Infant Mortality Rate Increase
After years of steady progress
toward improved health in the U.S., there are signs of a
downturn that may soon translate into movement in the wrong
direction, according to a new report released here at the
132nd annual meeting of the American Public Health Association
(APHA).
The report, "America's Health State: State Health Rankings," uncovers
key troubling trends: one including the first rise in infant
mortality rates in four decades. The increase in infant mortality
from 6.9 to 7.0 births per 1,000 puts the U.S. 28th internationally
in infant mortality, as well as the finding that 14 states
have preterm birth rates that exceed 13%.
This increase brings
up much speculation and legitimate concern: If the US is
so technologically advanced in health care why are we 28th
internationally in infant mortality rate? Perhaps it is not
technology that allows for safer, less complicated births...
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/493512
The Rise in Technology
"Birth today has become a technological
experience where a natural process has been replaced with artificial
procedures and schedules. Without the necessary support during
pregnancy, women enter the birth process with fear and are
led to rely on drugs instead of their bodies' own natural
strengths. These drugs weaken her body's ability to function
and lead to even further interventions.
The more interventions
used in birth, the greater the risk of injury to both the mother
and baby. One such increased intervention is c-sections. During
this surgical procedure, most women experience a great tugging
sensation as the doctor is pulling on the baby. The struggle
and pulling used to extract a baby out from the mother's
small incision is often not seen by the parents.
This surgical
procedure is becoming more common and therefore more accepted
today. Mothers have been erroneously convinced that this procedure
could actually be better than a natural process! Unfortunately,
they are not aware of the dangers and resulting injuries associated
with them.
Medical research on birth trauma tells us that, "Forceful
pulling on the baby's neck particularly when combined with
stretching of the spine. has been considered the most important
cause of infant spinal and brain stem injury."
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine
revealed startling data. It reports that difficult labor
itself and the method of delivery may lead to brain injuries
and deaths in babies."
http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/chiropractic/birthtrauma.htm
Is More Medical Providers Always Better?
The United States has significantly
greater neonatal intensive care resources per capita, compared with 3 other
developed countries, without having consistently better birth weight-specific
mortality. Despite low birth weight rates that exceed other
countries, the United States has proportionately more providers
per low birth weight infant, but offers less extensive preconception
and prenatal services. This study questions the effectiveness
of the current distribution of US reproductive care resources
and its emphasis on neonatal intensive care.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/109/6/1036
Should
obstetricians see women with normal pregnancies?
A multicentre
randomised controlled trial of routine antenatal care by
general practitioners and midwives in Scotland compared with
shared care led by obstetricians. The results concluded with
these findings: Routine obstetric visits for women initially
at low risk of pregnancy complications offer little or no
clinical or consumer benefit.
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/312/7030/554
Natural
Birthing
" If left alone in labor, the body of a woman produces most easily the baby that
is not interfered with... If left alone, just courage and patience are required." ~
Grantly Dick-Read, Childbirth without Fear: The Principles and Practice of Natural
Childbirth
http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/pregnancy/natural.htm
Informed Health Care Choices
Choosing our birth care
provider is of utmost importance. As seen in the literature,
those trained for crisis care may lead
to further intervention and crisis.
"Under no circumstances do the California data for 1989 and 1990 allow the obstetric
profession to uphold the claim that for the large majority of low-risk women
hospital birth is "safer" with respect to perinatal mortality. Our data also
suggest that even for the high-risk levels of our Study Population the natural
approach (including transfers) produces the same perinatal mortality outcomes
as the obstetric approach."
"Given no differences in perinatal mortality
it must be noted that the natural approach shows significant advantages
with respect to lower maternity care cost as well as reduced
mortality and morbidity from unnecessary cesareans and other
obstetric interventions, and significant benefits from avoiding
negative long-term consequences from unnecessary obstetric
interventions and procedures. These advantages of the natural
approach are of such a large order of magnitude as to raise
serious doubts concerning the appropriateness of conventional "obstetric" treatment
for low-risk childbirth."
- PETER F. SCHLENZKA http://www.vbfree.org/docs/meadsum.html
Before we decide, we must be informed!
Enhancing your Potential
for a Safer, Easier more Natural Birth
Encourage your family
members and friends to choose chiropractic care in their pregnancies.
Doctors of Chiropractic work to restore a state of balance
in the pregnant woman's pelvis creating an environment for
a easier birth. Easier births need fewer interventions and
are therefore safer for the mother and baby. Visit the ICPA
web site to find a Doctor of Chiropractic who works with the
special needs of pregnancy: http://www.icpa4kids.org/find.htm
Night Time Births in the Hospital
Show Increase Risks for Neonatal Deaths
The authors of this Swedish study found that
infants born at night were 28% more likely to die during
the first week of life than infants born during the day.
The
authors add that nighttime birth was associated with an increased
risk of intrapartum death, suggesting that nighttime factors
may only affect early infant care, and not the deliveries themselves.
Although
the reasons behind the increased mortality risk for nighttime
births are unclear, lead author Dr. Olof Stephansson, from
the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and colleagues note
that previous research has suggested that increased fatigue
among hospital staff may affect care.
Stephansson O, Dickman
PW, Johansson AL, Kieler H, Cnattingius S Time
of birth and risk of intrapartum and early neonatal death Epidemiology
2003 (Mar); 14 (2): 218-222
Women shun products with chemical linked
to birth defects
Moser, 26, thinks her perfume may have something
to do with the difficulty her 5-year-old daughter has in
talking. And with her erratic spinning around the room. And
with all the other symptoms that doctors suspect might indicate
autism. But, then again, she wonders if her daughter's problems
might be linked to nail polish, which Moser now uses only
sparingly. Or her hand lotion. Or her other makeup, all of
which is gathering dust on her bathroom shelf.
"I have cut down almost completely on makeup,
much as I hate to say it, because I have a lot of imperfections
on my face," said Moser, a lawyer who lives in Ohio and is
the mother of two children. "But I am afraid it's going to
do something to me or the kids."
Sally Jacobs Scent
of trouble surrounds cosmetics: Women shun products with
chemical linked to birth defects Boston
Globe 10/16/2002
C-Section Tied to Risk of Allergies
Researchers
recently unearthed another reason for parents to choose natural
childbirth over elective Caesarean section (C-section): allergy
prevention. It seems that
C-section delivery may predispose an infant to atopic disease,
according to a paper presented at the annual meeting of the
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in Orlando,
Florida.
Investigators in Finland analyzed umbilical
cord blood from 16 infants delivered via elective C-section
and 12 infants delivered vaginally. The study found that
cord blood from babies delivered via C-section contained
one-third the number of IgA antibodies, compared with controls.
In addition, cord blood from infants delivered via C-section
had less interleukin 6 and 12. Experts speculate that stress
from C-section delivery initiates biochemical changes that
make infants more susceptible to allergy. However, the study's
authors stress that more research is necessary before a clear
link may be established. Specifically, they note that studies
involving older children are needed.
Sütas Y. The role of mode
of delivery in atopy: elective caesarean section delivery
impairs the capacity to generate IgA and IL 12 American
Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 551h Annual
Meeting March 15,1999.
Premature Infants Delayed From IV
Fluids
The New England Journal of Medicine recently
reported that there may be unsafe levels of aluminum in the
intravenous fluids used for infants born prematurely. The
study showed lower developmental test scores in infants using
the standard IV fluid as compared to the group using IV fluid
where most of the aluminum was taken out. They are unsure
at this time how the aluminum gets into the solution.
Bishop
NJ, Morley R, Day JP, Lucas A Aluminum
neurotoxicity in preterm infants receiving intravenous-feeding
solutions N Engl J Med 1997 (May 29); 336
(22): 1557-1561
Birth Trauma
Upper
Cervical Chiropractic Care For A Nine-Year-Old Male With
Tourette Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder,
Depression, Asthma, Insomnia, and Headaches: A Case Report The
onset of symptoms soon after the boy's delivery; the immediate
reduction in symptoms correlating with the initiation of
care; and the complete absence of symptoms within six weeks
of care; suggest a link between the patient's traumatic
birth, the upper cervical subluxation, and his neurological
conditions. Further investigation into upper cervical trauma
as a contributing factor to Tourette Syndrome, ADHD, depression,
insomnia, headaches, and asthma should be pursued. JVSR
July 12, 2003, pp. 1-11
Breastfeeding Reduces Child's Risk
Of Cancer
The May issue of Parenting magazine reports
that breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer not
only in the breatfeeding mother, but also in the child. The
Study showed a 25% reduction of breast cancer in women who
were breastfed as infants.
Circumcision Doesn't Reduce
Infection Rates
The April issue of the Journal of the
American Medical Association reports that circumcised men have
a higher rate of sexually transmitted diseases. The study was
conducted at the University of Chicago on over 1,300 men. The
most notable was found with chlamydia. There were 26
cases of this disease and all of them were circumcised.
More
on Birthing:
Visit
our research section on birth trauma
Visit our section on Natural Birthing
Chiropractic
Care in Pregnancy for Safer, Easier Births
The
Importance of a Non-Invasive Birth
Birth
- What are the Philosophical Options?
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