Treating Your Baby's Cold

Treating Your Baby's Cold

Safe alternatives to medication

By Alice Lesch Kelly

Many doctors applauded federal health experts last fall when they advised against the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medications for babies and children younger than 6, leading to recalls of several infant cold medicines. "Too many parents have been misusing these medications for too long," says Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D., a Boston pediatrician and CEO of Pediatrics Now. So, what's the parent of a sick baby to do? Here are some safe alternatives:

Loosen mucus with steam, saline nose spray or breast milk and remove it by suctioning with a bulb syringe, advises Tara Levy, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Oakland, Calif.

Mix two drops of eucalyptus oil into one teaspoon of safflower or olive oil and massage it on your baby's chest or back to relieve congestion, Levy suggests. (Make sure it's completely rubbed in so your baby can't get it on his fingers and then accidentally ingest it by putting his fingers in his mouth.)

Use a humidifier with a clean filter to keep the air in your baby's room moist.

Keep your child hydrated by breastfeeding or bottle-feeding more often. If your baby is 6 months or older, offer him a little water or diluted juice.

Try to be patient. "Colds are caused by viruses and the only cure is time," O'Keeffe says. "A typical virus lasts about seven days.
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February/March 2008

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A Wake Up Story

A Wake up Story by Healthy Child Healthy World
A Wake-Up Story is a must-see video for every parent and anyone that cares about the health and development of children. Watch it. Share it. Join the movement. Awakeupstory.org

A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Drinking and Eating in Labor

January 26, 2010
In Labor, a Snack or a Sip?

By RONI CARYN RABIN

Maternity wards have long forbidden women in labor to eat or drink. Even when labor goes on and on, the bill of fare is usually limited to ice chips.

Now a systematic review of existing studies has found no evidence that the restrictions have any benefit for most healthy women and their babies.

The prohibitions are meant to reduce the risk of Mendelson’s syndrome (named for Dr. Curtis L. Mendelson, the New York obstetrician who first described it in the 1940s), which can occur if the contents of the stomach are drawn into the lungs while the patient is under general anesthesia.

While rare, the syndrome can be fatal. But nowadays the use of general anesthesia during labor and delivery is also rare. Caesarean sections are generally done using regional anesthesia.

“My own view of this has always been that you could say one shouldn’t eat or drink anything before getting into a car on the same basis, because you could be in an automobile accident and you might require general anesthesia,” said Dr. Marcie Richardson, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston, who was not connected to the new study.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where Dr. Richardson delivers, estimates that just 1 to 2 percent of women in labor are given general anesthesia.

The restrictions date back almost seven decades, said Joan Tranmer, an associate professor of nursing at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, an author of the new review, published last week by the Cochrane Collaboration.

“We thought it was time to question this, now that we’re in the 2000s,” said Dr. Tranmer, who said she had seen all too many women in labor complaining of thirst and dry mouth resort to sucking wet washcloths.

“With improved anesthetic techniques, we don’t do general anesthesia a lot anymore,” she said. “And even when they have to administer general anesthesia, they’ve improved the techniques, and the risk is very, very low.

“So we turned the question around and asked: Is there any benefit to restricting oral food and fluid during labor? And we found no benefit and no harm.”

The authors acknowledged that they found relatively little evidence to analyze: 11 studies, including just 5 randomized controlled trials encompassing 3,130 women.

All of the studies looked at women who were in active labor and at low risk of requiring general anesthesia. One compared complete restriction of food and drink with complete freedom to eat and drink at will, two compared water with other liquids and foods and two compared water with carbohydrate drinks.

There were no statistically significant differences in such primary outcomes as the rate of Caesarean sections and fetal Apgar scores, or in secondary outcomes, like the need for pain relief or duration of labor. One small study, however, did find an increase in C-sections among women taking carbohydrate drinks compared with those limited to drinking water.

Some hospitals have lifted restrictions on drinking during labor in recent months, since the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued new guidelines last August allowing patients to drink clear liquids. But the guidelines kept the restriction on solid foods.

“The problem is going to be for emergency C-sections, which are rare but not unheard of,” said Dr. William Henry Barth Jr., chairman of the society’s committee on obstetrics practice. “There’s just not time in that setting to stop and do regional anesthesia. And it can be unpredictable.”

Anesthesiologists were critical of the review, saying none of the studies were large enough to evaluate the impact of eating on risks during general anesthesia.

“From an anesthesiologist’s perspective, they missed the boat on this one,” said Dr. Craig M. Palmer, chairman of the committee on obstetrical anesthesia for the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

“They looked at the impact on the progression of labor, but to be honest, that’s not an issue for anesthesiologists. Our primary concern is patient safety.”

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URGENT CALL FOR HUMAN MILK DONATIONS FOR HAITI INFANTS

URGENT CALL FOR HUMAN MILK DONATIONS FOR HAITI INFANTS

The Human Milk
Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), United States Breastfeeding
Committee (USBC), International Lactation Consultant Association/United
States Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA/USLCA), and La Leche League
International (LLLI) are jointly issuing an urgent call for human milk
donations for premature infants in Haiti, as well as sick and premature
infants in the United States.

This week the first shipment of human
milk from mothers in the United States will be shipped to the U.S. Navy
Ship "Comfort" stationed outside Haiti. "Comfort" is currently set up with
a neonatal intensive care unit and medical personnel to provide urgent
care to victims of the earthquake. An International Board Certified
Lactation Consultant stationed at the U.S. Navy base in Bethesda, MD is
assisting with providing breast pump equipment and supplies to the
"Comfort." Dr. Erika Beard-Irvine, pediatric neonatologist, is on board
the "Comfort" to coordinate distribution of the milk to infants in need.
HMBANA, USBC, ILCA/USLCA, and LLL are responding to requests to provide
milk for both premature infants and at-risk mothers who have recently
delivered babies on board the U.S.N.S. Comfort, but an urgent need exists
for additional donations.

At the current time, the infrastructure to
deliver human milk on land to Haiti infants has not yet been established.
As soon as that infrastructure is in place, additional donations will be
provided to older infants.

Mothers who are willing to donate human milk
should contact their regional Mothers' Milk Bank of HMBANA. A list of
regional milk banks is available at the HMBANA website at www.hmbana.org.
Currently milk banks are already low on donor milk. New milk donations
will be used for both Haiti victims as well as to replenish donor supplies
to continue to serve sick and premature infants in the U.S. Donor milk
provides unique protection for fragile preterm infants. Financial
donations are also strongly encouraged to allow HMBANA, a nonprofit
organization, to continue serving infants in need.

UNICEF, the World
Health Organization, the Emergency Nutrition Network, and medical
professionals all recommend that breastfeeding and human milk be used for
infants in disasters or emergencies. Human milk is life-saving due to its
disease prevention properties. It is safe, clean, and does not depend on
water which is often unavailable or contaminated in an emergency. Relief
workers, health care providers, and other volunteers are urged to provide
support for breastfeeding mothers to enable them to continue
breastfeeding, and to assist pregnant and postpartum women in initiating
and sustaining breastfeeding.

For more information, contact HMBANA at
408-998-4550 or www.hmbana.org . Additional information can be provided
from the United States Breastfeeding Committee at 202-367-1132
(www.usbreastfeeding.org), ILCA/USLCA at 1-800-452-2478 (www.ilca.org ; or
www.uslca.org ), or La Leche League at 847-519-7730 (www.llli.org) .
Sincerely,



Angela Smith, President
ILCA Board of Directors

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10 Tips to Avoid a Cesarean Section

10 Tips to Avoid a Cesarean Section

Did you know that the United States has a 31.1% Cesarean rate?

Did you know that the hospitals in our area have an even greater rate...40-50%?!

We need to realize that cesareans are major abdominal surgery and that includes all of the risks that go along with major surgery. To name a few: longer hospital stay; longer and more painful recovery; higher risk of infection, organ damage, adhesions, hemorrhage, embolism, and hysterectomy; higher chance of a complication with the next pregnancy; less initial contact with the baby; less success breastfeeding; higher risk of respiratory problems for the baby; and the most catastrophic complication of all: maternal death.

In Susan J. Buckley, M.D.'s book Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering, she states, "Studies show that the risk of the mother dying after cesarean surgery, although low overall, is around four times higher than after vaginal birth, even considering maternal health conditions."(1-3)

Wow! So what can we as women do about this? The following list is a compilation of tips to help any expectant mother avoid the possibility of major abdominal surgery...a Cesarean section.

10 Tips to Avoid a C-Section

1.Choose a doctor who is supportive of normal vaginal deliveries and one who believes cesareans ought to be avoided.


2. Choose a spontaneous labor.


3. Hire a doula, or labor assistant.


4. Choose to move in labor. Upright positions generally give the best results.


5. Choose intermittent fetal monitoring instead of continuous.


6. Choose an unmedicated birth. If you choose an epidural, wait until you are dilated at least 5 cm to get it. Taking a Childbirth Education Class or HypnoBirthing Class can offer many options for non-medicated births.


7. Learn about different pushing positions and talk to your doctor about this.


8. Take good care of you and your baby during pregnancy. Eat 80 to 100 grams of protein daily.


9. Learn about optimal fetal positioning. http://www.spinningbabies.com/


10. Stay at home until you're sure it's labor.

Educate yourself. Know your options. Ask questions. Know the benefits and risks of various procedures.

THE BIG THREE:
*ALLOW LABOR TO START SPONTANEOUSLY
*STAY AT HOME UNTIL YOU'RE SURE IT'S LABOR
*WAIT UNTIL 5CM IF YOU GET AN EPIDURAL

Afterthoughts: We must realize that in some cases a cesarean is needed in order to have a healthy mother, healthy baby. We are thankful for the technology we have today for those few cases that truly need that kind of intervention. If you do find yourself in this category, there is still hope. Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) is a safe and empowering option. You can find out more information and support at the following website: http://www.ican-online.org/


References:
1. Harper MA, Byington RP, Espeland MA, Naughton M, Meyer R, Lane K. Pregnancy-related death and health care services. Obstet Gynecol. Aug 2003;102(2):273-278.
2. Enkin M, Keirse M, Neilson J, et al. Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. 3rd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2000.
3. Deneux-Tharaux C, Carmona E, Bouvier-Colle MH, Breart G. Postpartum maternal mortality and cesarean delivery. Obstet Gynecol. Sep 2006;108(3 Pt 1);541-548.

Childbirth Classes New York & New Jersey

Birthing Wisdom –Childbirth Classes

Please register early as the spaces fill quickly.
It's recommended that you sign up for a childbirth course three months prior to your due date.

This is a comprehensive 8 week series of childbirth and parenting education classes.
Extensive lectures in the birth process, birthing options and numerous relaxation techniques are taught. Other topics include: exercise, nutrition, anatomy, birth planning, cesarean section prevention, breastfeeding and baby care.

The philosophy of the class is based on the belief that birth is a normal and natural function of the human body. Expectant women/couples need to understand the process that lies ahead but also and more importantly, to prepare for this journey physically, mentally and emotionally. With the knowledge gained from the classes, many fears regarding birth and parenting are diminished and or relieved allowing an expectant mother to understand and trust the physical sensations she experiences.
The coach or birth partner is taught how to physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually support her throughout this wondrous journey.

Pauline Nardella shares with her expectant families 20 plus years experience as a Maternal Child health Nurse and 17 plus years as a childbirth and parenting educator.

Location: Blauvelt, NY
Date & Time: April 27th – June 15th on Tuesday evenings from 7:30-9:30pm
For further information contact:
Pauline Nardella RN, MPA
Clinical Nursing Professor
Certified Childbirth Educator
Board Certified Lactation Consultant
845-323-1830
info@BirthingWisdom.com
www.BirthingWisdom.com

HypnoBirthing® Classes in New York/ New Jersey

HypnoBirthing® -The Mongan Method

Birthing Wisdom

Please register early as the spaces fill quickly.

This is a comprehensive 5 week series of childbirth, parenting and self hypnosis education classes.
Hypnobirthing® is as much as philosophy as it is a technique. It is a rewarding, relaxing, stress-free method of birthing that is based on the belief that when a mother is properly prepared for birthing physically, mentally, and spiritually, she can experience the joy of birthing her baby in an easier, more comfortable manner.
The method is based on the belief that severe discomfort does not need to be a natural accompaniment of labor.
The aim of the program is to build confidence in the mother and for her to have confidence in her own ability to birth her baby. The philosophy of the Hypnobirthing® program is to educate the mother about the wonders of her body, to eliminate fear, as well as teach her the skills to work with the birthing process rather than fight against it. In many cases it is fear that undermines the mothers confidence in herself. The mother is introduced to techniques of self hypnosis utilizing controlled deep breathing, visualization and imagery to produce deep relaxation.

The coach and birth partner is taught how to physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually support her throughout this wondrous journey. Extensive lectures in the birth process, birthing options and numerous self- hypnotic & relaxation techniques are taught. Other topics include: exercise, nutrition, anatomy, birth planning, c-section prevention, breastfeeding and baby care.

Location: Blauvelt, NY
Date & Time: March 9th - April 13th Tuesday evenings from 7:00-9:30pm
For further information contact:
Pauline Nardella RN, MPA, CCE
845-680-0385
info@BirthingWisdom.com
www.BirthingWisdom.com
National website for HypnoBirthing: www.HypnoBirthing.com