Sugary colas increase risk of diabetes during pregnancy

Women who drink five or more sugar-sweetened colas a week are more likely to develop diabetes when they become pregnant, according to a new study. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common complications of pregnancy and affects about 4 percent of all pregnant women, according to the American Diabetes Association. Though its cause is unknown, scientists know that women with the condition develop insulin resistance, causing an increase in blood-glucose levels.

A team led by Dr. Liwei Chen of Louisiana State University studied 13,475 women who are part of the Nurses’ Health Study II, an ongoing project involving more than 116,000 female nurses. The women, who were 22 to 44 when the study began, became pregnant during the next 10 years and 860 were subsequently diagnosed with GDM. Women were asked how often they consumed Coke, Pepsi, or other colas with sugar (with and without caffeine); and about their consumption of diet colas and other drinks.

About one-third of the women reported drinking 5 or more sugar-sweetened colas a week, and they were 22 percent more likely to develop GDM than women who had fewer than 3 sugar-sweetened colas a month. There was no significant increase in risk from consumption of diet colas or other drinks. “Based on these findings, I would advise patients to stay away from sugar-sweetened beverages’’ if they are trying to get pregnant, said Dr. Paul Robertson, professor of medicine at the University of Washington and president of the American Diabetes Association.

BOTTOM LINE: Women who regularly consume large quantities of sugar-sweetened colas before pregnancy are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

CAUTIONS: Cola consumption wasn’t tracked during pregnancy, but Chen said other studies suggest that pregnant women don’t change dietary routine.

source: http://www.boston.com/community/moms/articles/2009/12/07/sugary_colas_increase_risk_of_diabetes_during_pregnancy/

photo: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ZdyW1sSvWQJvpM:http://sylviagarza.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/pop-cans.jpg

Nursting Mothers & the New Health Bill

Nursing Mothers Get A Break

Employers would be required to provide an unpaid "reasonable break time for nursing mothers" in the first year after giving birth. Women would be provided a private place, other than a bathroom, to use a breast pump. The provision exempts companies with fewer than 50 workers if the requirement would impose "an undue hardship," a determination left to the employer to make.

This provision was inserted by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who in June introduced the Breastfeeding Promotion Act. Merkley is promoting breast feeding partly as a way to cut health costs. He cites studies showing breast-fed children have a lower rate of disease and illness in their lifetime.

But employers see yet another expense. "Every additional mandated rule further burdens employers who are struggling to keep jobs afloat," says Neil Trautwein, vice president of the National Retail Federation.

Twenty-four states already have protections for nursing mothers in the workplace, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120946217

Mary Agnes Carey, Phil Galewitz and Laurie McGinley

Babies and Chiropractors

By Tara A. Trower from over @ Mama Drama

I admit that when a doula first suggested that I go to a chiropractor I must have looked at her like she had two heads. Why would I do that? What good would that do?

But I quickly found the value in a good chiropractor during my first pregnancy. Unable to take much in the way of pain relief medication and suffering from debilitating pelvic pain in my fourth month, I sought out a chiropractor out of desperation. (My regular doctor recommended exercises that I not only couldn’t perform but seemed to be making my pain worse.)

A specialist in pregnant patients, my new found chiro also proved useful in helping rotate both my babies what later proved to be two speedy deliveries. But I still raised an eyebrow when he mentioned one day that he adjusted infants as well.

No. He doesn’t put them on the table and do the same snap, crackle, pop that adults get. It’s a much gentler version and I got to witness him put one 10 -month-old to sleep during an adjustment.

I talked to several chiropractors in town to find out the value in getting kids adjusted. They say, birth can be especially traumatic for infants and a good adjustment can help resolve a multitude of problems: reflux, nursing difficulty, colic, constipation, etc.

I finally decided to give it a try with Elizabeth last week. For the first two months of her life, it’s been pretty much a given that if she’s awake and not eating, then she’s pretty cranky. I figured I didn’t have anything to lose, and I had a high degree of trust in my own chiropractor.

While some pediatricians will concede that chiropractic care has some value, some do not recommend it at all. And virtually all pediatricians will remind parents that chiropractic care should not replace a primary care physician. Some ailments, especially infections, should be seen by a medical doctor. even so, alternative care is on the rise.

According to the American Chiropractic Association, survey data indicates that the number of chiropractic patients under 17 years of age has increased at least 8.5 percent since 1991, says the American Chiropractic Association. And a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study indicated that nearly 3 percent of children in the United States were treated with chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation in 2007, making it the most common form of doctor-directed complementary or alternative medicine used by children.

I have to say, a week after our first visit, Elizabeth has pulled herself together. She immediately started having more regular bowl movements, has decided that she likes more than one nursing position (she refused to eat any way besides the football hold.) and best of all has started making “happy noises” with a surprising degree of regularity. Even my husband said “we haven’t heard this before.”

I suppose its possible that with her approaching three months old that it was just time for things to start working, but given that fact that all three things happened within hours of our visit, I’m inclined to give the chiropractor his due.

source:
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/mamadrama/entries/2009/11/30/babies_and_chiropractors.html

From C-Section to Home Birth, and becoming a Midwife Inbetween!

This is powerful video details Lindsey's journey from the traumatic cesarean birth of first child, daughter Dylyn, to becoming a Doula, Childbirth Educator & Midwife in it's aftermath. It ends with the Home Water Birth of her son River.

http://vimeo.com/6885221

Lindsey Meehleis-Matthews is a Certified Doula (DONA), Certified Childbirth Educator, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Prenatal Yoga Teacher, & Midwife in Orange County, CA.


Here's Lindsey's birth philosophy: I believe that birth is a profound rite of passage that every woman should be able to experience with being surrounded by options, love, and support. But all and all, I think Gerri Ryan states this best, "Deep within every woman is the ability to birth. When she has confidence in her own abilities, the encouragement and freedom to tap into her innate wisdom, and has the loving support of family, friends and professionals who believe this too, she will truly have a satisfying birth experience."

Here's a link to her doula info: http://www.ocdoulas.com/lindsey_meehleis.htm

image from: http://www.ocdoulas.com/Assets/courtney_portrait.jpg

Uplifting Art: Bras for a Cause

Feeling creative? Great fun for a worthy cause - if you enter, send me a photo of your ArtBra!

Community artists and creative folks are invited to submit a decorative art bra to A Woman’s Touch for Uplifting Art: Bras for a Cause, an art contest and charity auction benefitting ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

What is an "art bra"?

It’s anything you want it to be. Decorate, design, embellish and create bras in a way that says "art", "beauty", or "celebration of women" to you. Use any medium you like (no perishables, please). We encourage you to submit a fun name, theme, or dedication with your submission. Anybody can enter, including businesses and organizations. Have some fun with it!

Submissions must be accompanied by an entry form, and are due by January 9, 2010. Early submissions are encouraged, and may even be featured online or media or public relations for the event. Please see our Design Guidelines & Contest Rules for more information.

ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis provides free personalized information and support to people affected by breast cancer. Created to complement the work of health care providers, ABCD offers breast cancer support through its signature One-to-One mentoring support service, and provides a variety of resources for breast cancer patients and their loved ones. To learn more about ABCD and their current programs, call 414-919-9222, or visit them online at http://www.abcdbreastcancersupport.org.

For more information about Uplifting Art: Bras for a Cause, please see our Design Guidelines & Contest Rules, or contact the Milwaukee location of A Woman’s Touch at:

200 N Jefferson Street, Suite 101, Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: (414) 221-0400 * Email: awt.milwaukee@gmail.com

http://www.awomanstouchonline.com/upliftingart.php

Canadian Home Birth Study Finds Home Birth As Safe or Safer Than Hospital Birth

by Jennifer Margulis, Mothering Magazine's website (emphasis theirs)

A study by Canadian researchers published in the September 2009 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) concludes that planned home births with a midwife in attendance have comparable or better outcomes than hospital births in British Columbia, a province of Canada with some 4.4 million inhabitants.

The researchers studied over 2,800 planned home births attended by the same group of registered midwives over a 4-year period.

They found that women who planned home births had lower rates of invasive and negative interventions than women who had planned hospital births, whether the hospital births were attended by a midwife or a doctor.

Women birthing at home were less likely to experience:

• Electronic fetal monitoring
• C-sections
• Episiotomies
• Augmentation of labor with oxytocin or amniotomy (artificial rupture of the fetal membranes)
• And the use of drugs during labor, among other interventions 


While there were at least six infant deaths in the hospital births, there were no infant deaths among the women who gave birth at home.

Mothers who had a planned home birth had far fewer severe tears or postpartum hemorrhage, and health problems for the mother was much lower among women who had home births. Home birth proved safer in almost every category measured.

Newborns born at home had fewer incidents of:

• Birth trauma
• Meconium aspiration
• Need for resuscitation at birth
• Need for oxygen therapy beyond 24 hours. 


However, they were at a slightly higher risk to be admitted to the hospital after birth. The researchers hypothesize this was for jaundice treatment, for which the newborns born in the hospital would simply stay longer.

This was a highly controlled study of all comparable births attended by the same group of midwives and comparable physician-attended hospital births.

Despite this study and dozens of other large studies showing home birth is safe, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) cites safety reasons for its continued opposition of home birth.

This Canadian study adds to the growing evidence that the widespread American bias against delivering babies at home is not guided by science but by politics, business interests, and misinformation.

http://mothering.com/canadian-homebirth-study

photo: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:gD87BJ1d6eHOhM:http://www.attachmentscatalog.com/images/born_at_home_lavender.jpg

Infertility Stories: In the Know Short Film Winners

One in eight couples experience infertility issues, and they often feel isolated and alone on this challenging journey.


RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, and the pharmaceutical company EMD Serono joined together to solicit film diaries from couples struggling to conceive.

The goal was to diminish the stigma attached to infertility and inspire hope and encouragement through shared stories.

The In The Know Short Film Competition call for entries was held earlier in the year, and here are the three families who sent the most compelling films:

www.fertilitylifelines.com/film/