Sunday, August 28, 2011

Risks of Formula Feeding Your Baby

Source: Breastfeed.com

The Case of the Virgin Gut

By Ann Calandro, RNC, IBCLC
I have been a mother for 26 years. When my first daughter was born, I knew little about breastfeeding except that I wanted to “try” to be successful. I knew it was best. I planned on nursing for six weeks to give her a good start.

She was born in Riverview Hospital in New Jersey in 1976. I waited impatiently to be allowed to see her every four hours for nursing. She arrived in my room with a little bottle of glucose water on board in her crib. The nurses encouraged me to fill her up with sugar water after each nursing, because my milk was not enough. Between nursings, she received formula in the nursery, because she was hungry and the hospital would only bring her out at certain times. During visiting hours, no babies came out.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Midwifery: The Proven Tradition of Birthing

Source: Saudi Life

Sunday, 21 August 2011 00:00
midwifery-baby1
THERE was a time when birth belonged to women. This was a time where they labored at home and chose only their dearest, most trusted companions to accompany them during their journey. Modesty and privacy were respected, masha’Allah. In days of old, midwifery was the common model of care and doctors were only invited in for major complications or difficulties.
Midwifery, as a profession, evolved and was passed down from generation to generation. These were women who were skilled in handling most complications. But they also possessed a certain art in the gentle and patient way that they approached a woman in labor. The women who served as midwives did so out of sisterly love and a true passion to ease the hardships of birth.
Our beloved Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “Whoever relieves his brother [or sister] of a hardship from the hardships of this world, Allah shall relieve him of a hardship from the hardships of the Day of Judgment. And whoever makes things easy for a person in difficulty; Allah will ease for him in this world and the Next. And whoever conceals (the faults of) a Muslim, Allah will conceal him in this world and the Next. Allah is forever aiding a slave so long as he is in the aid of his brother.” [Sahih Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah and others]
Birthing Modesty
The field of obstetrics was formally introduced over four centuries ago. With it came an abundance of men. These were not male companions or maharm (close male relatives); they were strangers with medical training. But they didn’t take over birth right away.
In Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth[1], renowned American midwife, Ina May Gaskin, explores textbook entries about childbirth in American obstetrics prior to the current hospital birthing era. She looked at texts of old and found that obstetricians were taught to wait outside the laboring women’s bedroom door until summoned in by the nurse or midwife in attendance. According to her research, there is evidence in these writings that teach about the importance of modesty in the labor and birth process. Doctors of that time respected the woman’s need to labor and birth in private and only entered if there was a true need to do so. In fact, they keenly understood how the unwelcomed or rushed presence of a male observer could actually stall or shut down even an active labor.
Over the years, the obstetric model of care took over birth in the United States and many other regions of the world, including Saudi Arabia. Birth moved out of the home and into the hospital and the sisterly model of midwifery care was greatly diminished, and in some areas, completely lost. Sadly, the importance of birthing modesty is often times overlooked in a hospital setting. This can be particularly troubling in Saudi Arabia, where modesty is ingrained in the culture and deen (religion). 

Saturday, August 20, 2011

A bond as strong as blood

Source: The National
Inocenta Ewert holds her son Edward and Sheikh Sultan's daughter, Shamma, both two and milk siblings, in 1989.


On a warm spring evening earlier this year, a group of excited young Bedouin men in their best clothes waited anxiously as a meal of traditional Emirati dishes was set out on the ground in front of their desert compound. With the sound of an approaching 4x4, all pretence of decorum vanished as they ran towards the vehicle, yelling greetings: "Mamma Ino! Mamma Ino! Salaam. Welcome, welcome." As one of them held open the car door, a tiny figure, dressed in traditional Bedouin clothing, stepped from the car. "Mamma Ino", or Inocenta Ewart as she is known to the rest of the world, was surrounded at once by 10 towering brothers from one of the most prominent desert families in Ras al Khaimah.
Born in Spain more than half a century ago, Mrs Ewart is a mother to 16 children, but gave birth to only two of them. The others are bound to her by something that in Bedouin culture is as powerful as blood: a mother's milk. The extraordinary story began in the early 1980s when Mrs Ewart, married to a cultural attaché with the British Council, was living in Dubai. An anthropologist who graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science, she decided to study the impact of the oil industry on Emirati society.

Proposal To Build 3 Hospitals For Expats Residing In Kuwait Govt To Present New Health Insurance Draft

Source: Arab Times



KUWAIT CITY, Aug 10: The government will soon present a new health insurance draft bill to improve medical services in the country, reports Al-Watan Arabic daily quoting informed sources.

Sources disclosed the government will submit the bill to the National Assembly in the next legislative round for review and approval. Sources explained the proposal is aimed at regulating treatment procedures in private hospitals abroad or in Kuwait. Sources said the government will pay installments of the proposed health insurance through the establishment of joint stock companies, in which 50 percent of the shares will be offered to the citizens and the remaining portion to specialized local and foreign corporations. Sources added the joint stock companies will construct hospitals, hire medical experts and purchase the necessary equipment to better serve the citizens.

Sources confirmed the proposal includes a social insurance scheme for expatriates, in addition to the construction of three hospitals exclusive for foreigners residing in Kuwait. Sources said these hospitals will be established in Jahra, Farwaniya and Ahmadi. Sources clarified the bill also states that the existing public hospitals will serve only the Kuwaitis and citizens of other Gulf countries upon completion of the hospitals for expatriates.

International MotherBaby Childbirth Organization Newsletter - July 2011



Source: International MotherBaby Organization
Dear Friends of IMBCO, 
March 8th marked the annual International Women's Day, celebrating the incredible achievements,
past, present and future, of women all over the world.  Additionally, the global celebration on May
15th  highlighted the importance of family on the International Day of Families. 
At IMBCO, we are working hard to improve the lives of women and families and we have made
significant progress over the last few months.  We are so excited to report the news to our invaluable
supporters and sponsors.  Highlighted in this issue you will find the opening of the first freestanding
birth center in Uruguay, changes to the medical curriculum in Brazil, hope for greater women's rights in
Israel, and exciting news from India, Slovenia, Australia, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Mexico, and the
United Kingdom.  
Thank you to all of our Country Representatives for your contributions to moving IMBCO's goals
 forward, and to you for helping to make these accomplishments possible!

Most sincerely,
IMBCO
www.imbci.org
***

Examples of Vertical Birthing In Austria and Canada:


Birth Chair - Community Hospital Feldbach, Feldbach, Austria. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Birth Stool - Pavillon des Naissances, Hôpital Brome Missisquoi Perkins, Cowansville, Centre de Santé et Services Sociaux La Pommeraie, in Quebec Canada

Squat Bar - Same Canadian facility with Dr. Rodolfo Gomez demonstrating the squat bar!
***

Monday, August 15, 2011

Miracle of baby boy born full term despite his mother's waters breaking at just 16 WEEKS

Source: Daily Mail UK

Last updated at 12:19 AM on 9th August 2011

Not only was her own health at risk but the baby had only a one per cent chance of survival. Even then he would probably have devastating problems such as brain damage.
But certain she had already felt his first kicks, Miss Hill defied the doctors’ advice.

Thrilled: Laura Hill's son Charlie was born on her own birthday. He had been given a one per cent chance of survival
Thrilled: Laura Hill's son Charlie was born on her own birthday. He had been given a one per cent chance of survival

‘I said one per cent is still a chance he could live and I didn’t want to give up on my baby,’ she said.
She gave birth to Charlie after a pregnancy that almost lasted a full term, and five months later he is in perfect health. ‘I was determined to hold on to him,’ said Miss Hill, 20, from Norwich. ‘I just wanted to keep him safe.’

Diabetics Can Fast ... But Care Needed

Source: Arab Times
Measures Required To Contain Risks
RAMADAN is a month of fasting for Muslims. As it involves drastic changes in eating times, there are issues that diabetics planning to fast have to bear in mind. Dr Nadine Halawa, Clinical Pharmacology Department Head at Dasman Diabetes Institute, in this interview to the Arab Times discusses at length the various risks involved in fasting for diabetics and what measures they have to adopt to fast in a safe and healthy manner.

Question: You are a pharmacotherapist. What’s that exactly?
Answer: I have a pharmacy degree, which is someone who is trained in optimizing the medication management of the patient to ensure that it is safe, effective and also cost effective. So you have to manage the patient’s regimen as a whole, and also work on managing various diseases in collaboration with doctors. It’s a new field and is not currently present in Kuwait. But it’s catching up in the region, Saudi Arabia now has a clinical pharmacist, the University here has approved pharmacy programs. So Kuwait is kind of next in line.

Q: Well that is what you must be doing here in Dasman Diabetes Institute also. But can you tell us more about the nature of your job here, with respect to diabetic patients?
A: What we started here in Dasman is a pharmacy therapy clinic. We see patients that meet a certain criteria, primarily people that are older, over 60 years of age, and people that are on five or more medications, all those who have a new medication added to their regimen can come to our clinic. What happens is that we do a comprehensive medication review. So we ask patients to come to the clinic bringing all their medication or lists of medication that they have and we go through a systematic process; I have my staff here who take care of that.

First we study the list of medication, why they are taking it and how they are taking it, because there is a lot of mixed information out there. We do a drug interaction check on all the medication. Then we systematically try to identify any drug related problems that are occurring. This usually comes from looking at the regimen and talking to the patient about how they are taking the drugs and what they are taking it for, so that we know if there are any problems. Usually we see many types of problems of people taking too much of a dose or people taking the same drug but different brand names and they don’t know.

Celebrate Solutions: Integrating Family Planning and Fuel Efficiency for Better Health, Environment

Source: Women Deliver

By Rati Bishnoi, Special Projects Intern at Women Delivertanzania.gif

Rukia Seif holds an unusual place in her community.

In addition, to being a mother of three, Seif is a population, health, and environment (PHE) peer educator in her Tanzanian village on the outskirts of Saadani National Park.

In the role, Seif meets and talks to people in her village daily about simple solutions for improving their health and protecting the natural resources they depend upon. Two of these solutions include promoting fuel-efficient cooking stoves and family planning.

She tells her neighbors how mud stoves use less fuel than earlier models and help conserve forests for the future. Even though it is illegal, villagers cut wood for fuel to be used in more energy-reliant stoves. As a result, the neighboring forests are being depleted, smoke from stoves is worsening air quality, and unsustainable pressure is being placed on the very resources that provide Seif and her community food and livelihood.

Seif also talks to villages about modern contraceptive methods, focusing particularly on women who have closely-spaced pregnancies. Large family sizes which are caused by a high unmet need for family planning not only endanger the overall health of the family and mothers but also exacerbate the pressure on natural resources. 

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Maternity guru Sheila Kitzinger says 'fairytale' expectations of childbirth end with dashed hopes for women

Source: Telegraph UK

New mothers are often consumed by guilt because they did not experience a "fairytale" version of childbirth, one of Britain's leading maternity experts has warned.


Sheila Kitzinger: Maternity guru Sheila Kitzinger says 'fairytale' expectations of childbirth end with dashed hopes for women


Sheila Kitzinger, the pioneer of the natural birth movement, says heavy marketing of a "perfect birth" has left countless women feeling like failures when their own experiences fall short of expectations.
The veteran author and social anthropologist said that, despite NHS policies claiming to offer women choice over how they gave birth, expectant mothers were increasingly being "emotionally blackmailed" into agreeing to medical interventions they did not want.
Others who underwent a natural delivery were also left feeling inadequate – because false expectations set by "consumer-driven marketing" meant new mothers were more likely to blame themselves if they suffered a poor birth experience.
Mrs Kitzinger, 80, a campaigner for natural births, who still works as a lecturer in midwifery, feels she must speak out now because of the growing pressure on women.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Statement by Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet on the Famine in Somalia

The most severe drought in decades is threatening the lives of more than 12 million people in the Horn of Africa, with the people of Somalia facing the greatest risks resulting from armed conflict and lack of sustainable security and governance. This confluence of famine and conflict is particularly devastating for women and children. While attempting to save their children from starvation, malnutrition and disease, women in Somalia are subject to conflict-related security threats including sexual violence. As they make the long journey from what was once their home to the refugee complexes either in Kenya or Ethiopia, women and children’s vulnerability is exacerbated.
Adding to the efforts of others, I call on the international community and world leaders to rise up to the challenge of protecting women and children and responding to their urgent survival needs.
Despite all the efforts made to date, less than half of the funding needed to respond to the famine has been committed while the disaster deepens by the day. Out of the requested approximately USD 1 billion, only 40 percent — USD 408 million — has been provided, and an additional USD 49 million has been pledged.
UN Women urgently calls donor countries and all political and military factions in Somalia to ensure that special attention be given to the critical needs of women and children and ensure that this assistance reaches those most acutely in need.

My prayers and thoughts go to all women and children of Somalia. God preserve them !

If you wish to donate charity for women and children of Somalia, you can donate through Zakat House which is independent govermental authority of the State of Kuwait.
You can call: hotline  22241994
                      call center 175
or donate in their centers or deposit to bank account in any local bank. Alternatively you can donate via local telecom companies by sending messages to certain numbers.

During the holy month of Ramadan, all moslims are encouraged to feed poor and provide charity. Zakat, which is one of the pilars of islam encorage moslims to pay 2,5% of their savings to poor ( for every 1000KD is 25 KD due to zakat). 

Jessica Alba: I Recommend "Hypnobirthing Classes"

Source: U.S. Magazine

The 30-year-old actress recommends "hypnobirthing classes" -- which are increasingly popular among pregnant women. Hypnobirthing involves the use of hypnosis during childbirth.
"It's different for everyone, although I do recommend the hypnobirthing classes," Alba told Us Weekly on Monday at the RIMOWA store opening in Beverly Hills. "I highly recommend it. It just makes you chill


Jessica Alba: I Recommend "Hypnobirthing Classes"


The actress wasn't quite so "chill" before the birth of daughter Honor Marie, 2: "I was freaked out going into it my first time going into labor. Like what if I panic? What if I just freak out and I don't know what to do?"

So is the second pregnancy easier for Alba? "Oh yeah! But a little bit harder on the body because my daughter still wants to be picked up. Ever since my belly popped, she really is on me!"
You can check more about hypnobirthing in Kuwait here

Global Facebook milksharing network launches WORLD MILKSHARING WEEK 2011


Human Milk 4 Human Babies Global Network is ecstatic to announce the launch of the inaugural World Milksharing Week, to be held September 24 – 30, 2011, at hundreds of locations around the globe.


The incredible sense of community that is created among donor and recipient families who partake in milksharing is to be celebrated. Dani Arnold-McKenney, who has been an administrator of the milksharing Facebook page in southwestern Ontario, Canada, since the global network started last October, says, "it's a myth that we are all about anonymous milk drops in parking lots. Our donors and recipients support each other and learn from each other. We've had milk recipients rebuild their own milk supplies and turn around and become donors. I have seen milksharing friendships grow watched bonds of motherhood bloom between mothers who didn't know each other a mere few weeks before."

Emma Kwasnica, founder of Human Milk 4 Human Babies Global Network, says "Breast milk is not a scarce commodity, it's a free-flowing resource. With the advance of social media, women who are willing to share their breastmilk can now easily connect with families who need milk for their children. We at HM4HB are thrilled to see women and families asserting their autonomy to do what is healthy, normal and ecological. Families are making informed choices to share breastmilk and babies everywhere are thriving as a result."


World Milksharing Week is to be held annually during the last week of September. There are a vast number of events your community can organise: hosting online discussions, a picnic in the park, an informational gathering at your work place, or a celebration at a favourite milksharing-supportive locale. 

Individuals and groups who wish to host an event this year can register at www.worldmilksharingweek.org. All who encourage milksharing and who support donor and recipient families are invited to participate.

HM4HB has a presence in 54 countries around the world. There are 130 Facebook community pages and over 20,000 community page members. These virtual communities are run by 300 hardworking, multicultural administrators who lovingly and graciously volunteer their time to keep HM4HB continually focused on its mission, vision and values. 

Media Contact:
Emma Kwasnica

Ed. Note: Individual HM4HB community admins can be reached through the community listings. http://www.hm4hb.net/communities.html

You can find more about Human Milk for Human Babies`s activities in Kuwait  : HM4HB- Kuwait  and HM4HB Facebook group