Special Delivery articles from September 22 1996

Special Delivery archives from September 22 1996

Blessing Way: New Variations on An Old Tradition.(Navajo ritual of celebration)
September 22, 1996... The "Blessing Way" tradition is rooted in Navajo ritual, but it is so lovely that it has been adopted by many other American subcultures. While diverse groups adapt the tradition to their own lifestyles, the name "Blessing Way" remains as a...

Openings.(memories of a blessing way ceremony)
September 22, 1996... When I was pregnant the first time, my sister gave me a pendant. It was a circle, with a woman figure squatting inside. Her hands were raised over her head, and her birth canal was open -- out, to the world; in, to her full, round womb. I...

Nursing May Affect Development.(mental development in boys linked to length of time they were breastfed)
September 22, 1996... Boys' mental development is linked to the length of time they were breastfed, according to an Australian medical study. Flinders University Medical Center's study of 96 healthy babies between the ages of 10 and 14 months found that boys...

Baby Bottle Medicine Dispenser.(Rx Medi-Bottle wins Hammacher Schlemmer best new products for 1996)
September 22, 1996... Mark and Lori Burchett, a Chicago couple who combined a baby bottle and an oral syringe to help their seriously ill infant swallow medicine, are grand-prize winners in a contest run by specialty retailer Hammacher Schlemmer to find the best new...

Does Mom's Diet Affect Colic?
September 22, 1996... Researchers at the University of Minnesota looked at the diet of 272 women who were exclusively breastfeeding their babies. All babies were four months old or younger. The women were asked to keep a record of certain foods they ate for a week,...

Quote of the Quarter.(on suppression of feelings)
September 22, 1996... "We all bottle up feelings; young children often plug them with a thumb. Our children could use help finding ways and places to pull the plug and let the feelings pour out.

A Pampered Generation.(35th anniversary of usage of Pampers diapers)
September 22, 1996... Here's a factoid that will make you feel old -- the first babies who wore Pampers are old enough to run for president. Proctor and Gamble, which makes the disposable diapers, points out that their product turns 35 this year. -- Boulder...

Support for Working Mothers.(National Institute of Child Health and Human Development survey)
September 22, 1996... Today, more than two out of three children have mothers who work outside the home, up from just under half in 1972. More dramatic, however, is the rise in women with very young children at home returning to work. In 1980, 38 percent of mothers...

Weaning.(is an individual process)
September 22, 1996... Babies may enjoy the benefits of nursing for weeks, months, or years; the "right" time to wean is very individual. Weaning may be baby-led, or it may be mother-led. Baby-led weaning may be a gradual process of outgrowing breastfeeding, or...

Update on the Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative.(Coalition for Improving Maternity Services)
September 22, 1996... The Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS) is a collection of 25 maternity care organizations and 27 prominent individuals. ALACE has been an active member of this coalition, which also includes professional associations of midwives,...

Nicaraguan Midwifery Project.(Bloomingto/Posoltega Sister Cities Group)
September 22, 1996... The Bloomington/Posoltega Sister Cities group is funding a midwifery project in Nicaragua. Most women in the town of Posoltega, Nicaragua give birth at home, but midwives lack equipment, and donations are urgently needed for midwifery supplies,...

Common Knowledge.(childbirth conference to be held in Zimbabwe, Africa, in March 1998)
September 22, 1996... An Australian childbirth group, Common Knowledge, is hosting a conference in Zimbabwe, Africa, in March 1998. They will have 50 traditional midwives from different tribal groups of Zimbabwe to teach their skills and share their knowledge with...

Dateline Midwifery Coverage.(Dateline NBC)
September 22, 1996... There's a movement underway on the Internet to get Dateline NBC to do a story on how midwives and other aspects of natural childbirth are becoming increasingly popular but having to fight the establishment to do so. It would provide a nice...

Nuke Your Sponge!(foodborne infection prevention)
September 22, 1996... What's the germiest place in your home? No, it's not the rim of the toilet bowl -- it's your kitchen! Scientists from the University of Arizona sampled surfaces from kitchens and bathrooms in the same house and found that even germs spread by...

Genital Mutilation Laws.(do not provide equal protection to men)
September 22, 1996... NOCIRC is trying to use the popularity of state laws banning female genital mutilation to promote their opposition to male circumcision, which they contend is male genital mutilation. NOCIRC North Dakota has filed suit in Federal Court claiming...

UTI Drug Now Sold Over the Counter.(Pyridium now available as Uristat)
September 22, 1996... The prescription drug Pyridium has been used to alleviate the pain of urinary tract infections for more than 60 years. It is now available over the counter as Uristat.

More on Stem Cell Therapy.
September 22, 1996... Prior issues of this journal have contained several stories about the storage of umbilical cord blood as a way to preserve stem cells should the baby or another member of the family need treatment at a future date. But medical device...

Whooping Cough Update.(on immunizations)
September 22, 1996... The FDA recently approved a new whooping cough vaccine that uses only a portion of the pertussis bacterium instead of the entire bacterium used in current immunizations. This "acellular" injection causes 50 to 90 percent fewer cases of fever,...

Zinc Lozenges for Colds.
September 22, 1996... Eighty women and 19 men who had cold symptoms of less than 24 hours' duration were randomly assigned to either receive zinc lozenges or placebo lozenges. They used a lozenge every two hours while awake. The zinc group had cold symptoms for a...

STD Hotline.(from the American Social Health Association 1-800-227-8922)
September 22, 1996... The American Social Health Association provides a toll-free hotline to answer questions on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The number, 1-800-227-8922, is staffed Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 11 PM EST. The National Herpes...

Lab-Grown Egg Cells.
September 22, 1996... Scientists are now able to take an immature egg cell harvested from the ovary of a newborn mouse and grow the egg cell to maturity out of the mouse's body. The egg cell is later fertilized in vitro and then transferred to the oviduct of a...

BCPs and Sexual Desire.(birth control pills)
September 22, 1996... The type of birth control pills (BCPs) a woman uses may enhance her sexual desire and satisfaction. Researchers at San Francisco State University found that users of triphasic pills, which vary the level of an important hormonal component,...

From the Desk of ... Jessica Porter.(childbirth classes and conferences)
September 22, 1996... Executive Director Hello everyone! I hope that you all had wonderful summers and found a little time to relax or take a vacation or two. We have been, as always, very busy here at the office, and our biggest news is that we will be...

Online Study Group/Mailing List.(Internet Directory of Pregnancy Childbirth and Breastfeeding)
September 22, 1996... Tammi LaTorre is setting up an online study group/mailing list for ALACE educators and labor assistants working towards certification. To subscribe or for more information, send e-mail to talatorre@earthlink.net. This could be a great way for...

Labor Assisting Triplets.
September 22, 1996... I first met with Karen in mid-March 1995. She was expecting her fifth baby in mid-October. She had four sons whose ages ranged from 7 to 14 years of age. Her husband Mike had a vasectomy after their fourth child was born and subsequently...

Question of the Quarter.(childbirth educator asks how to ease stage fright)
September 22, 1996... Q. (A childbirth educator asks...) How can I ease my stage fright? The first night of class is the worst -- Help! A: A childbirth educator's stage fright is a common, normal, and probably healthy phenomenon. As normal anxiety about...

Sample Business Card.(from a childbirth educator)
September 22, 1996... We would like this to be a regular feature of the journal. If you have a business card of which you are especially proud, send it to Laine. We hope they will serve as inspiration for other teachers and labor assistants. This card is from...

From the Desk of ... Mayri Sagady.(on "Star Trek" births and cesarean sections)
September 22, 1996... Director of Labor Assistant Training Alright, I admit it. I'm a Star Trek fan. I've never quite made the rank of "trekkie," nor have I donned the sacred pointed ears or polyester suits, but I do love the shows. So when I learned there was...

From the Desk of ... Vicki Elson.(media portrayals of childbirth)
September 22, 1996... Director of Teacher Training Well, I'm wrapping up work on my thesis, called "Birth in the American Mass Media: Patterns of Portrayal and Audience Impact." (It's for a master's degree in anthropology at the University of Massachusetts.)...

Outline for teaching complications and procedures very fast with Childbirth Graphics slides.
September 22, 1996... How can you teach these difficult topics most efficiently? How can you help your clients gain the familiarity they need without getting bogged down in details? This is my outline, which enables me to cover this material quite adequately (and...

The Inspiration of Birth.(childbirth teacher recalls birth of her son)
September 22, 1996... Judith Light is a teacher trainee from West Chazy, NY. She writes eloquently of her own childbirth and how it inspired her to seek training as a childbirth educator: "My son was born at home with my husband, my mother-in-law and my two...

Birth Assistant Internships?(volunteer birth assistant training)
September 22, 1996... Adina Lebowitz wonders if there are places where birth assistants in training can go to do "internships" for three weeks to three months. Are there birth centers that have busier times or times when some of their regular staff might be gone on...

Teacher Training Tips.(for birth attendants)
September 22, 1996... Betsy Rourke, a teacher trainee from Seattle, WA, writes, "When organizing my pregnancy and birth books onto their own shelves in my `study nook,' I also thought of it as the beginning of my lending library. I included an herbal encyclopedia,...

Teacher Website.(Full Moon Childbirth Support Services)(http://earthlink.net/~shehina)
September 22, 1996... Cordelia Satterfield Hanna, from Monrovia, CA, has a lovely brochure advertising her services: "Childbirth Preparation and Labor Support for Home, Hospital and Birth Center." The name of her business is Full Moon Childbirth Support Services....

Birth Announcements.(from childbirth educators)
September 22, 1996... Valerie Malott, a teacher trainee from Cincinnatti, OH, reports the birth of her son on June 10, 1996. "It was empowering... left me with the firm belief that we can trust our bodies to give birth....." Gail Marie Corbin, a teacher...

Consumer Activism Urged for Perineal Models.(ask for birth education models without episiotomy lines)
September 22, 1996... Corey Lie-Nielsen, from Juneau, AK (although temporarily living in Anson, ME), encourages childbirth educators to insist that their perineal models not be marked with episiotomy lines: "After purchasing a pelvic model from Childbirth...

Free Labor Support.(childbirth assistant advertising)
September 22, 1996... In addition to the tips on the previous page, Betsy Rourke sent us a copy of a flyer she designed to advertise her services as a birth assistant. She explains her qualifications and uses excerpts from "What I Provide as a PBA" by Amy Gilliland...

Birth Stories Outside the U.S.?
September 22, 1996... Jackie Simoes writes, "I am in the process of earning my Childbirth Educator certification with ALACE, and I am also working on a book of birth experiences. I am looking for women, men, and, yes, children who will share their birth stories with...

CONGRATULATIONS!(list of newly certified childbirth educators)
September 22, 1996... Full certification as an ALACE Childbirth Educator: Renee Shirley of Lakewood CO Joan Olbrich of Brooklyn, Lauren Morris of Stockton, NJ Labor Assistant Certification: Gail Tully of Bloomington, MN Audrey Levine of...

Resources.(Full Time Dads magazine; birthday cards from birth assistants; encouragement for parents; Prepared Childbirth handbook; Expectancy Resources; Pregnancy Calendar; breastfeeding promotion; pregnancy pillow; Ancient Art Midwifery Institute; childbearing years catalog; comfort food for mothers)
September 22, 1996... Full Time Dads Magazine Goes Online Full Time Dads will no longer publish their magazine on paper. It is instead available over the internet where readers will have easier access to their extensive Resource File and to the editors with...

Cervical Cancer Vaccine.
September 22, 1996... Cancer of the cervix is diagnosed in more than 15,000 American women each year, and it kills almost 5,000 of them. Most of those cancers are thought to result from infection by the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus. Hiding inside...

Bottle Fed Eyes.(shortage of DHA)
September 22, 1996... Many formulas do not contain an essential fatty acid, DHA, needed by infants to develop normal eyesight. DHA is crucial during the final three months of pregnancy and the first six months of life, but premature babies are often fed from formula...

Sperm and Smoking.
September 22, 1996... Paternal smoking may increase the risk of birth defects and childhood cancer possibly though damage to the DNA. In evaluating a group of smokers compared to nonsmokers, the level of an oxidative byproduct of guanine was 50% higher in smokers...

UTIs and Spermicide.(nonoxynol-9 usage may increase incidence of urinary tract infection)
September 22, 1996... In the mid-1980s, physicians began noticing high numbers of urinary tract infections among women who had been using diaphragms. When repeated refittings didn't solve the problem, researchers eventually linked the trend to a popular spermicide....

PCBs Lower IQ.(polychlorinated byphenyls)
September 22, 1996... Exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) begins before birth, as a woman's blood delivers to the fetus some of the PCBs stored in her fat. Even though these chemicals have now been banned in this country, their effects are still being felt....

Preeclampsia and Exercise.(exercise during first 20 weeks of pregnancy reduces risk of preeclampsia development)
September 22, 1996... Any regular exercise during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy reduces a woman's risk of developing preeclampsia. The more a woman exercises, the more the risk is reduced. Ninety-two women who were diagnosed with preeclampsia were compared to 88...

Extramarital Affairs.(possible risk for sexually transmitted diseases and cervical cancer)
September 22, 1996... Since most cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papillomavirus, which is a sexually transmitted disease, researchers speculated that a husband's extramarital affairs might put his wife at risk of cervical cancer. Researchers from Johns...

The Risk of Early Amniocentesis.(research finds that amniocentesis is less safe than chorionic villus sampling)
September 22, 1996... Amniocentesis, usually performed at 16 weeks gestation, recently has been performed at 11 to 14 weeks as an alternative to chorionic villus sampling (CVS). Early amniocentesis lets patients know results sooner, and the technique is familiar to...

Interpreting Mammograms.(mammograms become more accurate with older patients)
September 22, 1996... Mammograms are not as accurate in young women (in their 30s) as in older patients. So clinicians should not be overly reassured by negative mammograms among young women nor overly alarmed by marginally abnormal results. In older patients,...

Postpartum Back Pain.(research on possible connection between postpartum back pain and epidural anesthesia)
September 22, 1996... A new study examines the relationship between epidural anesthesia and postpartum back pain. Two previous major studies had found a higher incidence of persistent back pain following epidurals. However, both asked patients about preexisting pain...

Vitamin C Aids Fertility.(by promoting collagen synthesis)
September 22, 1996... Vitamin C can benefit fertility by promoting the synthesis of collagen, the cement between cells. Large quantities of vitamin C are utilized during conception and are necessary for the integrity of fetal membranes. A daily supplemnt of 500 mg...

The Modern Book of Massage.(Review)
September 22, 1996... The Modern Book of Message by Anne Kent Rush Photography by Patrick Harbron Dell Publishing, 1994. $14.95 The Modern Book of Massage, subtitled Five-Minute Vacations and Sensuous Escapes is a wonderful book in many ways. Not only is it...

Jacksonville.(Review)
September 22, 1996... Jacksonville by Jim Henry on Money Sink Music (BMI), 279 Old Enfield Road, Belchertown, MA 01007. (Bookings: 1-800-461-3648) I'm not sure if I'll ever get over this. A wonderful couple came to my classes a couple of years ago. The dad...

The Women's Wheel of Life.(Review)
September 22, 1996... The Women's Wheel of Life by Elizabeth Davis and Carol Leonard $22.95 hardcover from Viking Arkana (212/366-2226) This was a book I couldn't put down! Elizabeth Davis is known to many readers as a midwife, speaker and author of Heart and...

Women, Sex and Desire.(Review)
September 22, 1996... Women, Sex and Desire by Elizabeth Davis $12.95 paperback from Hunter House, PO Box 2914 Alameda, CA 94501 In her other recently-published book, midwife and author Elizabeth Davis provides an insightful and much-needed overview on "Women,...

Errata.(to authorship of the article "The Telling" in Spring issue)
September 22, 1996... The author of The Telling mentioned on page 22 of the Spring issue of Special Delivery was listed as being written by Esther Zorn. It was actually written by Esther Bronner. Injoy Videos can be reached at 1-800-326-2082 or at (303)...