These dummies failed parenting class. Parents who were the victims of a home invasion fled their house - leaving their 8 year old child behind. Incredible.

World class mom. There is a woman in China, an officer, who has been breastfeeding nine babies to keep them alive in the aftermath of the terrible earthquake there. That just warms my heart. While the idea of breastfeeding another persons child may seem strange, the life-or-death circumstances around this situation changes that. I would like to think that I would do the same thing. Kudos to her!!!

Do you agree? A woman in Ohio just was awarded $20 million. She sued her doctor for a delivery room issue. She was told in advance she had a narrow birth canal, and they tried for 13 hours to get the baby out. She ended up with an emergency C-section. The baby was born with some birth defects - mild retardation, vision problems and issues in moving her limbs. They claim the child’s injuries were because her head was squeezed.

Boy, I would have loved to be on the jury for this one. I wonder - what was this mom’s birth plan? Was she dead set against a C-section - did she push them to delay it? Can the doctors prove that the child’s injuries came from her head being squished in the birth canal?

In any case, I think $20 million is a bit excessive. But don’t even get me started with my opinions on our legal system.

Is a sperm-donor a father? The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania recently decided this is not necessarily the case. A woman asked a man she knew to be the sperm donor so that she could conceive a child. The woman agreed that this was a sperm donation only and that the donor would have no financial responsibility nor would he have any visitation rights. Well, after that she decided otherwise and took him to court to grab his cash.

Lower courts decided that he should pay, and he was ordered to pay more than $60,000 in back support. The recent PA Supreme Court decision overturns this, favoring donor’s rights.

“Where a would-be donor cannot trust that he is safe from a future support action, he will be considerably less likely to provide his sperm to a friend or acquaintance who asks, significantly limiting a would-be mother’s reproductive prerogatives,” Justice Max Baer wrote in the majority opinion issued last week.

What they didn’t tell you about the HPV vaccination. It is turning out to be the most painful of childhood vaccinations, and girls are actually fainting from it. Girls are complaining it burns when the liquid goes in and their arm is sore the next day. Ok, that’s not so bad, and to prevent cancer and disease a moment of discomfort does not seem unreasonable. I remember as a kid there were some shots that hurt my arm for a few days after (perhaps it was the smallpox shot… yes I am that old!) Perhaps this vaccine is getting a bit more bad press because of the initial controversy surrounding it?

Rock bottom. Police were called to Britney Spears home where there was a 4 hour custody standoff ending with KFed taking the kids and Britney being taken off in an ambulance. Those poor little boys. Let’s hope they are taking her away somewhere safe for a looooonnnggg time so she can get the help she obviously needs.

Is there a boys education crisis? Recently, girls have been outperforming boys in school.

With girls outperforming boys these days in high school and college, educators have been sparring over whether there is a crisis in the education of boys. Some suggest the need for more single-sex schools, more male role models or new teaching techniques. Others are experimenting with physical changes in classrooms that encourage boys to move around, rather than trying to anchor them to their seats. But as they debate, high-priced tutors and college counselors have jumped into the fray by charging as much as $100 an hour and up to bring boys to heel.

A big part of this is boys lack of organization and lesser ability to multitask. Now that I read this, I can see a difference between my 11 year old son and my 9 year old daughter. This is one thing i will keep an eye on as my tween is getting bigger!

Setbacks in children’s health insurance. 2007 began with a lot of hope. Democrats proposed, and many Republicans supported, a big increase in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The idea is to provide health insurance to all children with a family income up to double the poverty level (and for some states even higher). What is the holdup? Government bickering. There are concerns that middle-income families will give up their private insurance for this public one. After a year of to-ing and fro-ing, an extension was agreed in the House last week that in effect makes each state responsible for seeking out and covering lower income families before middle income ones can benefit

The directive said that before states cover higher-income children, they must meet the following threshold: At least 95% of children eligible for Medicaid and SCHIP with incomes less than twice the poverty level must be enrolled in those programs.

Many states say meeting that threshold is nearly impossible. But that’s not all the directive said. Even if states meet that threshold, the middle-income children will have to go without private coverage for a full year before they can enroll in SCHIP, and their families will have to pay premiums or co-payments that are 5% of their income.

I am trying to remain a neutral NewsSquawker here, so I will just say that it would be an amazing day if/when all Americans have health insurance. Currently, there are 9.5 million uninsured American children.

Yay California! As of January 1, a new law was passed that makes it illegal to smoke in a cars with minor children present. There is a $100 fine if caught. California joins Arkansas and Louisiana who have already passed a similar law. Only 47 more states to go!

CPSC and Congress at Odds: Nancy A. Nord, the acting chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, has asked Congress to reject legislation that aims to increase funding and personnel at the CPSC, among other goals. Ms. Nord’s specific complaints include an objection to the proposed raise on the cap for penalties from $1.8 million to $100 million, which she feels would cause companies to flood the agency with every consumer complaint and incident. Ms. Nord also feels that a complete ban of lead in toys would be impractical.

PPD and Talk: Via Postpartum Progress, Dr. Leigh Ann Simmons highlights a study that finds that talk therapy and support groups can be effective at helping women through postpartum depression. In this study, the investigators reviewed 10 clinical trials that included nearly 1,000 women. The trials tested psychological and social interventions that included cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), counseling, and peer support groups facilitated by a health care professional. They found that women who received any of the psychological or social therapies were 30% less likely to have depressive symptoms within one year after giving birth compared to women who received postpartum care as usual. Additionally, peer support groups appeared to be just as effective as formal psychological care, such as CBT, which is great news for moms who can’t afford a weekly trip to a therapist.

I’m not one of those women who feels cheated by their delivery experience(s). I’m also not an advocate for natural, unmedicated childbirth (though there’s nothing wrong with that route). Both of my deliveries resulted in healthy children…but after reading this article, I realized there are still things I didn’t know that might have affected my decisions and experiences.

A new survey of mothers reveals some disturbing things about hospital maternity care that may make pregnant women want to take a closer look at their options.

What choices do we really have, and what choices are being made without our involvement?

The article explaining the survey results is not easily summarized, so I’ll just highlight five facts that surprised me (please take a few moments to read it for yourself - you may be startled by what you learn!). Did you know these things?

1. Maternal mortality is on the rise in this country - it was up to 13 deaths per 100,000 in the United States in 2004, up from 11 in 2000. Forty-one (that’s 41!) other developed nations have lower maternal death rates.

2. 73% of the women interviewed who had an episiotomy were not asked for their consent. (This was true of my first delivery as well.)

3. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never approved Pitocin for the use of augmenting labor and it has been suggested now that mismanagement of Pitocin is the leading cause of liability suits and damage awards. Say what??

4. A woman with private insurance is more likely to end up with a Cesarean section than an uninsured woman or one on Medicaid.

5. Eleven states prohibit births with homebirth-trained attendants, such as certified professional midwives (CPMs), or ban homebirths outright. My state is one of them. Seventeen states have no birthing centers.

Well…good thing I was OK with my children being delivered at the local hospital, I guess! It’s appalling to me that so many of our options are dependent on where we live, and that our experiences differ based on what sort of insurance we carry (or don’t have) - and on how forthright our doctors are with us regarding decisions about the birth itself and care afterward.

Keep your eyes and ears open, moms! Every woman has the right to be involved in the decision-making process when it comes to her health and that of her child.

(Via Radical Catholic Mom.)

Posted by Sunshine.

Got a phone? Get involved!

BlogHer, Postpartum Support International (PSI), and Postpartum Progress are joining forces and asking that you and I take action to help the MOTHERS Act advance to the Senate floor with the support of as many Senators as possible.

The MOTHERS [Mom’s Opportunity to Access Health, Education, Research, and Support for Postpartum Depression] Act aims to ensure that new mothers and family members (as appropriate) are offered screening and treatment for postpartum mood disorders, and to expand and focus research at the National Institutes of Health on postpartum mental health issues.

I am pleased that the text of the legislation includes the following, which might offer someone unfamiliar with the subject matter some perspective on how postpartum mood disorders are still taboo topics for so many new parents, and how very destructive they can be, and not just for Mom:

All too often postpartum depression goes undiagnosed or untreated due to the social stigma surrounding depression and mental illness, the romanticization of motherhood, the new mother’s inability to self-diagnose her condition, the new mother’s shame or embarrassment over discussing her depression so near to the birth of her child, the lack of understanding in society and the medical community of the complexity of postpartum depression, and economic pressures placed on hospitals and providers…

Untreated, postpartum depression can lead to further depression, substance abuse, loss of employment, divorce and further social alienation, self-destructive behavior, or even suicide…

Untreated, postpartum depression impacts society through its effect on the infant’s physical and psychological and cognitive development, child abuse, neglect or death of the infant or other siblings, and the disruption of the family…

The MOTHERS Act is currently in the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee of the Senate. If a majority of those committee members support the proposed legislation, it will move into the Senate proper. If enough Senators know that this legislation is important to their constituents, it should progress relatively smoothly from there.

If you would like to see this legislation passed, call your Senators today to voice your support for the MOTHERS Act. Postpartum Support International has a list of Senators’ phone numbers and a handy script for those of us who get a little tongue-tied on the phone. If your Senator is already a co-sponsor of the bill, PSI recommends that you call anyway to express your thanks.

I’m a fairly well-educated woman, fairly self-aware, and I had a nice support system in place when I became a mom, but still I was completely blindsided by postpartum OCD. According to the American Psychiatric Association, postpartum depression affects around one in ten new mothers. Postpartum mood disorders with psychotic features affect between one in 500 to 1000 new moms. This is not a small problem. It’s time for us to get postpartum mental health disorders out of the closet and give those affected some solid treatment options.

Please, if you support the MOTHERS Act, pick up the phone now.

Posted by MommaSteph.

Breastfeeding Law: MPs in Australia who also happen to be new moms will now be allowed to nurse their babies in the New South Wales’ Parliament. Speaker Richard Torbay announced that he is permanently changing the rules to allow women to breastfeed in the chamber. This is a first for Austrialia’s legislative chambers. In 2003, MP Zali Steggall was kicked out of the Victoria Parliament for attempting to nurse her 11-day-old baby.

PPD Legislation Update: Last week, the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, aimed at providing more funding for the study of postpartum mood disorders, passed in the House of Representatives, 382-3. The bill now moves to the Senate. According to the American Psychiatric Association, postpartum depression affects around one in ten new mothers; postpartum mood disorders with psychotic features affect between one in 500 to 1000 new moms. You can read more about Ms. Blocker-Stokes here.

PPD Legislation: Seconding the congratulations offered by Katherine at Postpartum Progress to Rep. Bobby Rush, who, after six years of campaigning, has finally seen his Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act move out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection (pause for breath), where it received unanimous support.

Next step: The House floor for a vote.

The proposed law would require the National Institutes of Health to put more resources into researching postpartum depression and psychosis, as well as providing more support for women affected by the disorders. According to the American Psychiatric Association, postpartum depression affects around one in ten new mothers; postpartum mood disorders with psychotic features affect between one in 500 to 1000 new moms.

You can read more about Melanie Blocker-Stokes here.

More News on Depression: A new study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry finds that approximately one in seven new mothers is identified as having depression either before, during, or after pregnancy. “The fact that [depression] is similar between those 3 time points reinforces the fact that depression is something that happens relatively commonly in reproduction-aged women and can be exacerbated during pregnancy,” said Dr. [Evelyn P.] Whitlock.

Vaccine Research:  A University of Rochester study finds that the new combination vaccines for infants that get the recommended vaccines into a two-month-old in three shots are as safe and effective as the roster that requires five pokes. The study followed 575 healthy babies at 22 sites nationwide. While there was more swelling and soreness at the injection site with the combination vaccine, in none of the babies did side effects require an extra doctor visit. “Vaccine opponents may liken the process of the body processing simultaneous vaccines to a computer running too many applications; the machine grows slow, and the programs, one by one, begin to terminate,” [Dr. Michael] Pichichero said. “But those fears are unfounded; we have found no evidence that a child’s body is at any point approaching a maximum threshold as far as learning to produce immune responses.”

In a motion today, a judge in California granted Kevin Federline full custody of their two sons “until further notice of the court”.

What took them so long?

Some of the issues she has had (with lots of photographic evidence from the paparazzi) includes: lots of late night partying, even though a few weeks ago judges ruled that both parents had some tough restrictions to curb their partying lifestyle and were to attend parenting classes; the alleged misuse of alcohol and drugs; and most recently Britney’s citation for driving without a license.

An AOL poll shows that 90% of the 90,000 respondents feel that Kevin should have been granted custody.

One thing that also somewhat peeved me was the allegation that Britney has been using the paparazzi to keep her pictures in the tabloids. Yes, you read that right. Crazy huh?

I try not to judge other people’s lives, but I have to say that in this case I think the judge was spot on, and that Britney needs to make some major changes to her life to prove that she is a responsible parent capable of raising young children. It’s not as though she hasn’t been given many opportunities recently to demonstrate that… what went wrong?

So, what do you think? Did the judge make the right decision? Join us on the MomSquawk boards and let us know your opinion.

Posted by Meganlux

Sophie Currier, a Harvard student who has been in the news recently for her lawsuit to gain extra break time during her licensing exam in order to breastfeed, has finally won her appeal and will be granted the extra time she says she needs - 60 minutes added onto the standard 45 minute breaks.

As a mom with 27 months of nursing under my belt, I am definitely in the pro-breastfeeding club. But in this case I have to admit I am a bit skeptical. Why? Firstly I am not quite convinced that feeding her child is her main concern here. She already has been granted a special exception to take the test over two nine hour days instead of the normal one, because of her dyslexia and ADHD. How many exceptions should she be granted? (She failed the test the last time she took it about four months ago). Also, there have been other nursing mothers who have taken the test successfully without the extra time that Ms. Currier claims to need - so are they being disadvantaged from this?

This is, after all, a medical exam. Aren’t doctors are supposed to have a strong character to excel in stressful situations, not be constantly looking for excuses? I honestly can’t see why her problem is so big - especially that she felt the need to sue to receive additional special privileges.

As a working mother, I have also been in many situations where it has not been convenient for me to breastfeed. I have been in day-long client meetings where I have had to slip out for 5 minutes to pump briefly, only to express enough milk to release the pressure and provide me some comfort. (And I was forward-thinking enough to freeze extra feedings, so my babies were just fine at those times.)

To me, it comes down to personal choice. There most certainly ARE ways to be creative about breastfeeding, especially for a career-driven mother, which Ms. Currier appears to be. In our cases, it is all about the balance… and yes, there are times when the career might need to take a bit of priority, but with planning there really is no negative impact to mother or child.

While I am 100% for the right for women to breastfeed whenever/wherever they need to, I wonder if a high-profile case such as this could actually result in a set-back for the cause if she is insincere and using this as an excuse to further her own personal agenda. And in this case, I am really not convinced that her situation merited the special arrangements.

Does Ms. Currier deserve the extra time, or is she looking for excuses to give herself the extra edge she needs to pass her exam?  What do you think?

Posted by Meganlux