9 Months

The new baby is almost here! I meant to post something last week, but was just too exhausted. I am now 37 weeks-full term! This has once again been a tense few weeks. The little guy is still breech. I saw a perinatologist this week to see if I am a candidate for a cephalic version-where the doctor turns the baby head down. I was thrilled at the option when I heard my amniotic fluid level was up to 11.4! It was down as low as 6 just a few weeks ago. That meant the baby didn't have any room to move. I guess I was just dehydrated.

So, I got my hopes up of having a natural delivery. However, the baby seems to be positioned between the placenta and the umbilical cord. He's in a really risky spot to try a version. That was disappointing. I am still doing my pelvic tilts at least twice a day and plan on doing some somersaults in the pool this weekend. That will be a sight to see! But the c-section has been scheduled for just two weeks from now!

I got this fabulous surprise at work yesterday. A viewer made the baby a gorgeous afghan! I tried to crochet one for my second child. It didn't work out so well. It's about the size of two sheets of paper and extremely uneven. So I know it's not easy and it is very time consuming! I am so grateful to Marie Johnson for the gift!

Oh and the craziest thing happened. I think the people I work with wonder if I am losing my mind. I have a pinched nerve and am now on crutches! It's ridiculous, but funny. I guess it's not that uncommon for the baby to sit on the sciatic nerve. Maybe that's it. I am not sure. I thought about going back to the chiropractor, but it seems like the more I mess with that spot, the more inflamed it gets. So, massage it probably a better option. My co-worker, Gina Morss, says massage worked great to relieve her nerve pain during pregnancy. I just have to get motivated to find a therapist and set up an appointment. My mind is spinning with all the things I would like to do before the baby is born! Priorities!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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Starving During Pregnancy

FROM NBC: Diet and exercise are staples in many women's lives. But some women take it to an extreme ... a dangerous scenario when it happens during pregnancy. Marianne Favro takes a closer look at starving for two ... The growing problem some are calling " pregorexia". It was obvious to most people that Maggie Baumann didn't weigh enough at six months pregnant, but she couldn't see it.

(sot: Maggie Baumann, recovering eating disorder patient) "I wasn't thinking about the baby so much, it was more like, 'I'm not going to let myself get out of control again.'" After gaining 33 pounds during her first pregnancy, Bauman vowed to stay trim during her second. She ate only 12-hundred calories a day. (sot: Maggie Baumann, recovering eating disorder patient) "I was in the rigid, obsessive compulsive drive not to let my body get too big." Her doctor told her she had intra-uterine growth retardation, her baby was at risk.

(sot: maggie baumann, recovering eating disorder patient)"but all during this time I was still doing my exercise and I was still restricting my calories." Instead of eating for two, bauman was starving for two. This is Maggie just before she gave birth. The 5'8 mom, who started her pregnancy thin, had gained only 18 pounds. (standup: marianne favro, reporting) "looking back now Maggie says she had pregorexia. It's not a clinical term, but it does characterize a woman battling anorexia during pregnancy." (sot: dr. Bonnie rosenberg, internal medicine) "they are afraid of gaining weight and they also have a distortion in the way they perceive their own body."

Silicon Valley pediatrician Dr. Christine Halaburka also says pregnant women with anorexia are more likely to have babies with low birth weight. (sot: dr. Christine Halaburka, pediatrician) "Theoretically, a woman who had been on a restrictive diet eating pattern will have a child who is much more at risk for not having normal brain and spinal cord development." When Maggie delivered Whitney she weighed in at five pounds three ounces, considered low birth weight. Her newborn daughter soon developed seizures. (sot: maggie baumann, recovering eating disorder patient)"that's when the doctor, the neurologist said she could have this from poor nutrition in the womb. I did a lot of things that could have killed her."

Today Maggie's a counselor helping other women battling eating disorders and hopes they'll not make the same mistakes she did. (sot: maggie baumann, recovering eating disorder patient) "reach out and get some help and it might save your baby." After Maggie gave birth, she battled anorexia for ten more years before heart problems landed her in the hospital. That's when her recovery began. She says today she is healthy and so is her daughter Whitney.

Well, I can say I didn't have this problem. Gaining 33 pounds sounds good to me! I hope that's where I am at! If not, oh well. I will just be glad to have a healthy baby in just two weeks!

-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.

More Gardasil Worries

We have talked a lot in the last year about the dangers of Gardasil and whether it's a good idea to give young girls the shot that protects against HPV-which can lead to cervical cancer. It seems more doctors are deciding not to administer it. Here are some comments from readers on their decision whether or not to vaccinate.

"My daughter is 14 and suffering from a severe reaction to the HPV and Meningitis vaccines which she received in October of 2007, three days before her 14th birthday. She had 2 sets of seizures at the time she received the vaccines and now she suffers from chronic joint pain in her knees and periodic numbness on her left side (hand, arm, face, etc.) She has always been an accelerated learner with an outstanding memory and straight A student in honors classes with little effort. She did not have t study often as she picked things up right away when they were introduced to her. After her vaccinations we have noticed a change in her short term memory, it is just not as sharp as it has always been."

"My daughter has had 2 doses of the vaccine and has had no problems. Cervical cancer runs in our family and if there is a remote chance that we can prevent it for her we will. I think the risks in vaccines out weighs the potential outcome."

FROM ABC: The CDC recommends that all girls starting at 11 or 12 years old get vaccinated against cervical cancer. It's a disease that kills four thousand women each year, but now two studies just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association are raising new questions about the safety of this vaccine. ABC’s John Mckenzie has the details in tonight's medical minute. It is a dilemma for millions of parents across the country: Whether to vaccinate their daughters against a sexually transmitted virus, that can cause cervical cancer.

SOT Mother: "This is a difficult decision but we decided to do it (OR) not do it because, etc" Gardasil, a series of three shots, given over six months has been promoted heavily. “So far, more than 7 million Americans have received Gardasil injections. The study identifies 12–thousand (12,424) medical problems after vaccination most are mild: dizziness, headache, and fainting." But there are more than 700 reports (772) of SERIOUS medical problems, including blood clots, autoimmune disorders... and 32 cases of death.

(Dr. Sarah Feldman) (Brigham & Howard Jones)"These are initial reports. We can't assume a cause and effect relationship as many of these women had other, underlying medical conditions that may have contributed or caused their deaths or adverse outcomes." (Dr. Moritz)"Most doctors I know have stopped giving the vaccine because of questions of safety." As a gynecologist... Dr. Jacques Moritz sees the deadly effects of cervical cancer. He is also... the father of an 11–year–old daughter.

(Dr. Jacques Moritz) (St. Luke's / Roosevelt Hospital) "I have decided not to have her vaccinated." JMK: "Why not? Dr:"Until I know more I just don't think it's worth the risk. Cervical cancer is a terrible disease, but if a woman gets a PAP smear once a year her risk of getting cervical cancer is virtually zero. But I just don't know this vaccine." Making the decision to vaccinate... all the more difficult, for many parents and pediatricians(Dr. Sarah Feldman) (Brigham & Women's Hospital)"I feel that we don't have enough information or data yet to be able to persuasively say that this will "prevent" cervical cancer."

-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.

Inducing Labor Study

FROM NBC: I was surprised to hear a new study finds medically inducing a woman into labor does not increase her risk for c-section. Researchers in California looked at studies that compared women who waited for labor to start naturally, and those who were induced during late pregnancy. They found inducing labor after 41 weeks gestation lowered the risk for cesarean section by 22 percent. Experts say the longer a woman is pregnant, the less oxygen is delivered to the fetus and the fetus may show more signs of stress. Experts say whether a woman is induced or waits ... as patiently as she can... it is a decision that must be made with a doctor. Experts say it's also important doctors give time for induction to work, and not rush to a c-section.

I was surprised to read the findings. What do you think?

-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.

Autism and Pitocin

A mom wrote in with this question about a link between autism and pitocin. I found this article from Autism Today.

"I was induced 2 times for my son Cameron because of his weight. I gave birth 2 days before his due date and he weighed 9 1/2 lbs. My son is now almost 8 and has Aspergers Syndrome. Does anyone know if there is a connection with Aspergers and pitocin? If so, how can I find more information on this?"

FROM AUTISM TODAY:

To Whom It May Concern: Public health authorities have identified an enormous increase in the incidence of childhood autism. In California, the number of kids receiving state services for autistic disorders has nearly quadrupled since 1987. (1) A recent news report on National Public Radio noted 775 news cases, a 33% increase over the previous quarter in which only 550 new cases were identified. This brain development disorder results in a lack of normal language skills and inability to form human bonds of affection with parents and other people. The majority of its victims are boys. Many also suffer from epilepsy.

The physical, mental, emotional and social disabilities combined are so sever that most autistic children end up in institutions by the age of 13. This is a tragedy for the child and its parents, a loss to society and an economic burden of great proportion. Autism is now thought to affect one person in 500, making it more common than Downs syndrome or childhood cancer. According to Dr Marie Bristol Power from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, it is a not a rare disorder but a "pressing public-health problem". (1) Neither the cause of this disorder nor the reason for its exponential increase is well understood by researchers at this time.

However there is data associating autistic disorders with the use of an artificial hormone (Pitocin) which is given to pregnant women to induce or speed up labor (1, 2). Pitocin is a synthetic exogenous source of the natural hormone oxytocin which stimulates the gravid uterus to contract. It was developed as a drug by the Parke-Davis pharmaceutical company in 1953 and put into general use in 1955. It comes from the pituitary glands of cattle and includes acetic acid for pH adjustment and .5 percent chloretone as a preservative. The lead story in the July 31, 2000 issue Newsweek magazine was devoted to exploring this growing health problem. The Newsweek reporter, Geoffrey Cowley, interviewed Dr Eric Hollander of New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a physician who specializes in treating autistic kids. Dr Hollander reported that several years ago he noticed that 60% of the autistic patients in his clinic had been exposed to this drug as a fetus.

Material published by the World Health Organization also notes an association between the use of Pitocin and autistic disorders (2). In spontaneous labors the mother's pituitary gland makes an endogenous (i.e. internal) oxytocin that triggers the physiological onset and progress of labor. The hormone oxytocin is also produced during breastfeeding (causing the let-down of breast milk) and it accompanies sexual orgasm. For this reason it is referred to as the "love hormone" by obstetrician Christianne Northrop, MD as each of these biological events are associated with experiences of great emotional bonding and include meaningful social interaction between the individuals involved. Since autistic disorders produce an inability to make or maintain affectionate bonds or have normal social relationships, one cannot help but wonder if perhaps there is an causal relationship between these disorders and exogenous sources of an artificial form of oxytocin. Perhaps flooding the immature body of the fetus (especially boy babies) with this gender-specific synthetic hormone from animals somehow interferes with the eventual function of these psychological systems.

It is an intriguing question. However, Pitocin is not the only drug received by women whose labors are being induced or augmented. The use of Pitocin requires that the mother also be given IV fluids, have continuous electric fetal monitoring in place and remain sedentary in her hospital bed while connected to this equipment. Pitocin-induced uterine contrations and enforced maternal immobility makes labor more painful, so much so that under these circumstances most laboring women also receive narcotic pain relievers and/or epidural anesthesia. The use of these drugs and anesthetics is also associated with an increase in operative deliveries (vacuum extraction or forceps). It is possible that the causative agent or trigger event for autism is a particular combination of drugs or certain physical problems or propensity for either the mother or baby, in combination with certain drugs, rather than a simple direct effect of Pitocin per se.

The use of Pitocin to induce or augment labors and concomitant use of epidural anesthesia has been steadily climbing for the last 20 years - about the same period that the increase in autism has been reported. Estimates of the use of Pitocin in laboring women over the last 2 decades range from 12% to 60%. However, a 1992 survey by a medical anthropologist at the University of Texas found that 81% of women in US hospital receive Pitocin to either induce or augment labor. Epidural use is as high as 95% in many urban hospitals. When one factors in a Cesarean rate of 23% (acknowledging some overlap), the proportions of these facts is staggering as virtually 100% of medically-managed births are subjected to a high level of pharmaceutical interventions that have never been approved for use in fetuses. It certainly seems prudent to research the possible association with pharmaceutically-augmented labors in an attempt to discover the cause of the rising tide of autistic disorders. It may be necessary to amend our current obstetrical practices to prevent an epidemic of this expensive and emotionally-crippling disorder.

Existing data on babies born at home under the care of midwives as a control group in Autism research

For research purposes it seems only logical to utilize the subset of healthy childbearing women who received physiological management of the intrapartum and experienced no medical treatments during the labor and birth (i.e. - no Pitocin or other labor-inducing drugs, no narcotic pain medications, no general or regional anesthetics and no operative deliveries, etc) as a control to determine if intrapartum medical treatments are causative or contributory to the development or exacerbating of autism disorders. In the early 1990s the Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) embarked on a retrospective statistical study of domiciliary birth outcomes.

More recently they have been conducting a prospective study by enrolling nationally certified professional midwives as a requirement of their re-certification. To date they have compiled statistics on about 15,000 births. This would provide the demographic data for follow-up questionares to ascertain the rate of autism within this substantial group of babies who were unmedicated during the labor. Also a recent change in the California birth registration law authorizes for the first time since 1915 the filing of birth certificates by professional midwives providing community-based birth services (client home and free-standing birth centers) so that the gathering of statistical data in California on this subset of births is now possible. An informal survey among the dozen or so community midwives practicing in our geographical area and spanning the last 20 years, failed to identify any babies born at home who have since been diagnosed with autistic disorders.

Every year I attend a national midwifery conferences sponsored by MANA which includes an exchange between midwives of practice problems and unusual trends. Among the 400 or so community midwives (CNMs and direct-entry midwives), no cases of autism have been reported. Admittedly this is not a rigorous scientific study but it does raise questions as to whether strict adherence to physiological management of intrapartum events, either alone or in combination with the self-selection of healthy women choosing home-based midwifery care, may confer some protective effect relative to autistic disorders. We are very much interested in facilitating this form of research and would be happy to follow your lead in helping to bring about interest in it by scientists at US-Davis and elsewhere who are involved in the study of autistic disorders. (1) Newsweek Magazine, July 31, 2000 (2) Care in Normal Birth: A Practical Guide-W.H.O's "Safe Motherhood" series (3) Mothering Magazine, Spring Issue, 2001 cc: Ken Johnson, PhD, MANA Statistical Project Robbie-Davis Floyd, PhD, University of Texas Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) http://www.mana.org/ American College of Domiciliary Midwives/California College of Midwives http://www.goodnewsnet.org/ You may wish to review some of the ultrasound safety info, especially when used before 12 weeks.

If you know of a another study or you think this article is inaccurate, please let us know by posting a comment. Thanks!

-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.

Mothers of Preschoolers

I got a couple messages about local MOPS groups that are gearing up for another year. If you have never heard of MOPS, it's a group for moms of young children that meet usually twice a month. There is typically daycare provided, so it gives moms a chance to discuss parenting topics without any distractions! I went to one for awhile in Peoria. I really liked it, but I ended up not having time to continue going. It was hard for me to get the kids dressed and out of the house by 9am. Now I have to have my kindergartner ready by 7am! I was so spoiled before! If you have tried MOPS, what do you think about it?

MOPS stands for Mothers of Preschoolers. MOPS International exists to meet the needs of every mom - urban, suburban and rural moms, stay-at-home and working moms, teen, single and married moms - moms with different lifestyles who all share a similar desire to be the very best moms they can be! MOPS recognizes that the years from infancy through kindergarten are foundational in a mother-child relationship and are filled with unique needs. MOPS helps moms through relationships established in the context of local groups that provide a caring atmosphere for today's mother of young children. MOPS also encourages and supports moms through resources such as books, this website and the MOPS International Membership.

Find a MOPS group

Hi Jen! I wanted to inform you about a new program that our community is starting called Pontiac MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers), which we will start this fall. See our website www.pontiacmops.com for details. We've had success fundraising with bake sales and garage sales. Our next bake sale is Sept. 19th @ Wal-mart & Kmart here in Pontiac.

Hi Jen, We do have a link on our church's website where moms can get more information about Bethany MOPS. It is www.bethanycentral.org/mops. On the website is a downloadable brochure as well as an online registration form for this coming fall. We have two identical groups that meet; our first A meeting is Sep 4 and our first B meeting is Sep 11. We meet every other Friday from 9-11am. Let me know if I can pass along anything else that would be helpful!

If there is a MOPS group in your area you would like me to add, please let me know by commenting or sending me an email! newsanchormom (at) gmail (dot) com.

-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.