Diabetes and Breastfeeding

Between early contractions and cervical changes, bad skin, breech and low amniotic fluid--I feel like this pregnancy has been one problem after another. However, no gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia! I guess I should stick to the positive!

I am now armed with three breast pumps-not that you need that many! However, I am excited about my new travel pump. It is really, really small, but still plugs in or runs on batteries. It will be very convenient for trips!

Did any of you have gestational diabetes? (Gestational diabetes affects about 4% of all pregnant women - about 135,000 cases of gestational diabetes in the United States each year.)

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week:
If women do develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy -- breastfeeding could help reduce their risk for future health problems. An analysis of data from a long-term study of nearly 14-hundred women finds the longer a woman nurses her baby, the less likely she is to develop metabolic syndrome later in life. Metabolic syndrome is a group of risk factors for diabetes and heart problems. That apparent protective effect was found to be particularly strong among women who'd had gestational diabetes.

FROM THE LA LECHE LEAGUE

What are the benefits of breastfeeding my baby?

There are many benefits to breastfeeding your baby! "Human milk provides the specific nutrients that babies need to grow, both in size and maturity... " (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, 7th Revised Edition, page 340). Your milk is made to order for your baby. Research points to the significant value to infants, mothers, families and the environment from breastfeeding.

Benefits for Baby

Chapter 18 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, 7th Revised Edition, "Human Milk for Human Babies ," documents the benefits of breastfeeding such as the antibodies in it to protect the baby from illness. For example, a study in the Philippines showed that, "Deaths from respiratory infections and diarrhea were eight to ten times higher in babies who were artificially fed than in those who were even partially breastfed for six months " (THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, 7th Revised Edition, page 350). Breastfed babies have a decreased likelihood for allergies and dental caries. They also benefit from appropriate jaw, teeth and speech development as well as overall facial development. This means that people who were artificially fed may experience more trips to doctors and dentists

Benefits for Mother

Chapter 19 of THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, "How Breastfeeding Affects a Mother," describes some of the physical benefits of breastfeeding for the mother such as reduced rates of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The time saved for mother is immense also. As a breastfeeding mother, you can feed your baby even during stressful times such as when normal supplies of food and water are not available.

Benefits for Employers

Breastfed babies are healthier babies; thus, mothers who are employed outside the home are likely to miss fewer days of work according to a study in the BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, 3rd Revised edition. on page 242, To learn more about working and breastfeeding see our collection of breastfeeding resources.

Benefits for the Environment

The article "A Quick Look at Breastfeeding's Most Revolutionary Year Yet," by Dia Michels describes the environmentally friendly benefits of breastfeeding. Simply put, human milk is delivered without excess packaging or processing and thus contributes to the health of our planet.

Resources for Additional Information:

A variety of benefits to mother and baby articles can be found in our benefits of breastfeeding resource page.

These items are available from the LLLI online store or through your local Leader.

THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING, published by La Leche League International, is the most complete resource available for the breastfeeding mother.

La Leche League International's BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK, 3rd Revised Edition, by Nancy Mohrbacher and Julie Stock is a popular resource book that includes up-to-date references, expanded information, and three new chapters. This publication is an indispensable resource for all who counsel breastfeeding mothers.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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TV & High Blood Pressure

FROM CNN: There's a startling new connection between how much TV kids watch and their blood pressure and it's not just overweight kids. Researchers followed kids between the ages of 3 and 9 years-old-about 100 kids-for a period of time trying to figure out what was going on-what was making their blood pressure increase. They found kids who watched more than 30 minutes of TV a day-which isn't much-saw an increase in blood pressure of about 6-7 points. When they tried to figure out exactly why that was, a couple things emerged. One was what kids tended to eat while they were watching television. Poor choices in food-high calorie food, low nutrition food-frankly wasn't good for them. The other thing was that the television watching often interferes with their sleep. We know that lack of sleep or poor sleep can also be associated with high blood pressure. So is a 6-7 point change in blood pressure in kids a big deal? Dr. Sanjay Gupta says we don't know for sure because we're not used to monitoring blood pressure in kids that young. What we do know is that kids with hypertension-even low levels-as children tend to become hypertension adults. We are starting to see evidence of thickening of arteries in 8-year-olds similar to what we used to see in 5-year-olds.

I wish I could say my kids watch less than a half hour of TV of day, but that's just not true. They usually don't eat while they watch TV though. Well, sometimes I will leave the TV on while they eat breakfast/lunch, but it's not junk food. We already have major sleep issues with my almost 6-year-old. We have ruled out the TV. We tried leaving it off for a week or so (that was hard.) It had no impact on his sleep problems. So I guess I am not that worried about it at this point. I will just try harder to limit TV watching. It will be a lot easier to do that when school starts in just a week and a half! I can hardly believe it!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? You don't have to be afraid to wear shorts because you are embarrassed by unwanted hair or unsightly varicose veins. Call 674-Skin to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair removal consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute.

Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.

C-section Complications

My breech baby is not likely to turn. There is not enough amniotic fluid and the placenta is in a bad spot. I have been dwelling on this for four days now. I am trying to accept that I will probably have to have a c-section. So, I thought it was only fitting to post this story on c-section complications for moms. I just watched a c-section on BABY CENTER and it was very helpful. At least I know what to expect.

From USA TODAY: As the rate of cesarean deliveries in the USA has risen, so has the rate of rare but severe complications in mothers.

With more than a million performed annually, C-section is the country's most common operation. In 2006, the most recent year available, 31.1% of all U.S. births were C-sections, up 50% from 1998. While a number of studies have focused on C-sections' effects on newborns, few have looked at the effects on moms.

The new study, by government researchers, examined the rate of severe complications in women who delivered in U.S. hospitals in two time periods: 1998-99 vs. 2004-05.

They found a 90% increase in blood transfusions and a 50% increase in pulmonary embolisms, or blood clots in the lungs. They also found about a 20% increase in rates of kidney failure, respiratory distress syndrome, shock and the need for a ventilator.

While the study doesn't prove that C-sections cause complications, tracking those complications could be useful, says co-author Susan Meikle, a medical officer at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

The actual number of deliveries with at least one complication was 0.64% in 1998-99 and 0.81% in 2004-05. "Even though the absolute numbers are low, the rates are increasing. … We could do a better job at tracking these complications," says Meikle, an obstetrician. "There may be short-term trade-offs and long-term trade-offs (depending on mode of delivery). We don't know that yet."

Although the average age of women giving birth has been rising, that didn't seem to play a big role in the complication rates, the researchers write in the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. But they found that the rising cesarean rate seemed to explain the hikes in kidney failure, respiratory distress syndrome and ventilation. The rise in C-sections only partially contributed to increases in shock, pulmonary embolisms and transfusions.

The authors lacked information about race and whether the women were overweight, both of which could impact the risk of complications. They also didn't know why C-sections were performed and whether moms who had them were sick beforehand.

The study used the largest U.S. inpatient care database, which in 2005 sampled hospitals from 37 states, constituting about 90% of hospital discharges in the country.

Michael Kramer, scientific director of the Canadian counterpart of Meikle's institute, notes that in some cases, a complication might have triggered a C-section, not vice-versa. Still, says Kramer, co-author of a 2007 report that found more severe maternal complications in planned C-sections than in vaginal deliveries, doctors tend to underestimate C-section risks.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? You don't have to be afraid to wear shorts because you are embarrassed by unwanted hair or unsightly varicose veins. Call 674-Skin to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair removal consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute.

Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.

A Mother's Diet

What women eat *before* becoming pregnant may play a role in their child's health. Studies presented at the meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction looked at how a mother's diet affects her children. A study in sheep and rodents found mothers who did not have sufficient levels of vitamin b-12 and folic acid had offspring that were fatter, and they had an increased risk for high blood pressure and insulin resistance later in life.

A study in mice found mothers who had low protein levels in the earliest days of pregnancy were more likely to have babies with abnormal growth and cardiovascular disease. Finally, another study in mice found those with diabetes were more likely to have babies with defects than non-diabetic mice. Many cases of type two diabetes are caused by a poor diet. However, exerts say women with type one or type two diabetes can have normal pregnancies if they keep their blood sugar in check.

So I not only need to worry about what I am eating now, but what I ate before becoming pregnant? Great-because there isn't enough pressure already! Seriously, I do not eat red meat, so I do worry about my protein levels/b-12. However, I think they're fine.

I do think what I eat during pregnancy impacts what foods my kid's eat. I am not a big veggie person. I try to eat more when I am pregnant, but it doesn't always happen. I am a fruit fanatic. Between me and my two boys, we go through two watermelons a week, a cantaloupe, 4 containers of strawberries, 10-13 bananas, two packages of grapes and usually a few apples and oranges a week. They do seem to like the same foods I do. I am sure that partially has to do with me feeding them that food more often, but I try and be diverse. I ate a ton of watermelon when I was pregnant with both of them and that is by far their favorite fruit!
Do your kids seem to like what you ate while you were pregnant?

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? You don't have to be afraid to wear shorts because you are embarrassed by unwanted hair or unsightly varicose veins. Call 674-Skin to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair removal consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute.

Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.

OSF Petition

Some local parents are concerned about some big changes scheduled to take place at OSF St. Francis Medical Center. There is now a petition circulating. As most of you know, the hospital is in the process of a multi-million dollar make-over. The parents are thrilled about most of the changes, but they do have a concern. Labor and Delivery, Antepartum, and Post Partum will soon be an entire building away from the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Right now they are only separated by one floor. That means if a baby is born early or with complications, it takes a NICU doctor about a minute to get to the baby. Many parents see this as a major benefit. The close proximity is also convenient for moms who are recovering from surgery to be able to go see their babies in the NICU.

I talked to The head of the NICU, Dr. Jim Hocker, about these concerns. He said, "What’ going to be different is that we are moving to another building. All the children’s part-the peds intensive care unit, NICU, surgeries will be over there. The babies will have to be transported to another building. Right now we don’t have to do that. The difference will be that Labor and Deliver and Post Partum will be in a separate building. It will be a 4-5 minute transfer instead of 1-2 minutes."

My first thought was, will this impact patient care? Dr. Hocker says it will not impact the health of the babies. The hospital is making accommodations. He said, "Because we will be separated, we will need an Advanced Practice Nurse in the Labor and Delivery area 24-7 to respond to any emergencies that would incur in labor or delivery or anywhere on the 5^th floor. There will still be a Level 2 nursery that will remain on the 5^th floor that can take care of babies that aren’t extremely sick but maybe need feeding tubes. "

Me: But Could that 4-5 minutes jeopardize a baby’s health? Dr. Hocker said, "No. We can give them nasal c-pap and travel in an incubator the same way they do now. We would make sure they are stable before they make the trip over. That may mean starting an IV."

Me: So which babies get sent to the NICU? Dr. Hocker: "The NICU is level 3 –the most serious cases-any baby that needs to initially be on a ventilator. All admissions from outside the hospital-which is about 1/3 of our admissions-they get transferred in to the NICU. From Labor and Delivery –babies with respiratory stress, who need surgery would be the most common to send to the NICU. Sometimes borderline kids who are just born early will go to Level 2. They need to gain weight and may need a feeding tube."

Dr. Hocker says the many positives of the Milestone Project far outweigh and negatives. "We plan to move in August of 2010 and we are going to move into a 60 bed all private room NICU. We are excited about that because we think it’s going to be a lot better for the babies and their families. We are hopeful it has specific advantages for reducing infections- maybe even some developmental advantages. Right now we have 8-9 babies per room. That is the way they were designed in the 1990’s. Its gonna be a different culture. Every baby and parents will have their own room. It will be much more comfortable for moms to pump and try nursing-a lot more privacy."

Me: Will Labor and Delivery/Post Partum ever be moved to the new building? Dr. Hocker:

"It is going to happen at some point most likely, when that’s going to be we don’t know. It is a top priority, but with the economy the way it is, there is no time line put out there. We can’t even make a guess as to when that’s going to be."

Me: Is that a concern for you and your staff? Dr. Hocker: "Not a concern, but it will create a few challenges after the moms do deliver. We want them to be able to come over and see the babies. C-sections may have to wait a little longer, I don’t know. It depends on how sick the moms are. They may have high blood pressure. It is going to be a little trickier, a little more of a challenge to bring the mom over to another building post partum. It will happen, but with the operative deliveries it may be more challenging. This is an obstetrical decision on when moms can travel."

Me: Are there enough nurses to transport these moms? That would be a good 15 minutes each time they take a mom over. Dr. Hocker: "Yes, they do that now, but it will tie them up a little longer. It is a priority to bring the moms down, and just about every time the fathers walk over with the doctors to see the NICU babies right away."

Me: You don't have any idea when the departments will be together again? Dr. Hocker: "If money was not an issue, realistically I would hope within a couple years. We hope to have the Labor and Delivery and NICU together again. It will cost several million dollars."

"Remember, this is the make-up of most Children’s Hospitals-that labor and delivery are in another building because it’s a Children hospital which means no adult patients. This is not anything new." Me: But it would be better to have them together? Dr. Hocker:"Sure, from a logistic standpoint it would be great to have them next to each other. That’s best for us."

The goal of the moms who started the petition is to let the hospital know they want putting the departments in the same building to be a priority. They're hoping by getting the support of the community, the move will happen as soon as possible.

CLICK HERE to read the petition.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

Afraid to wear shorts? Do you have unwanted hair? Embarrassed by unsightly varicose or spider veins? You don't have to be afraid to wear shorts because you are embarrassed by unwanted hair or unsightly varicose veins. Call 674-Skin to schedule your FREE leg vein or hair removal consultation at Soderstrom Skin Institute.

Soderstrom Skin Institute is positioned to be a comprehensive, full service skin care facility. Visit www.soderstromskininstitute.com to learn what Soderstrom Skin Institute can do for you.