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Welcome to the Mothers of Babies Community!


Babies Community Online Newsletter
September, 2000


1) What's New at the Babies Community
2) In The News: Vaccine Conference
3) Kangaroo Care
4) From the Message Boards
5) Baby Product Recalls


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1) What's New at the Babies Community

Hi Mamas! I am very excited about being the new leader for the Babies Community at Mother's Nature. My youngest is 8 months old, and will be my last baby (#6). I've been feeling a little sad about having my baby days numbered, but being the new leader for "Babies" will help remind me to enjoy every second of this very special time. I'm hoping to bring you lots of informative articles and some just-for-fun items too!

Check out the Info Alley for archived articles. This week's feature is Pumping Tips for Nursing Mothers by Paula Bobbett--in case you missed it the first time around.

The featured Book of the Month is Teresa Rodriguez Farrisi's book: Diaper Changes. Click on the link to order it, or go to Reading List to browse other Babies Community book selections.

There's a new contest this month! I'm asking for baby food recipes and feeding tips. Email me your submission, hanspragoo@hotmail.com, and the winner will be picked randomly. All entries will be in the next newsletter.

I hope you will email me with any questions, concerns, ideas, stories, articles, links..anything!
Take care,
Hannah


2) Vaccine Conference in Wash, DC

There will be a Conference on Vaccines in Washington, DC September 8-10. Scientists and physicians from leading universities, hospitals and organizations in the U.S., Canada and Great Britain will challenge the quality and quantity of scientific research on vaccine adverse events and will question the actions of pharmaceutical companies marketing vaccines and federal health agencies making vaccine policy. The conference is being sponsored by the National Vaccine Information Center, a non-profit, educational organization founded in 1982.

Michael Belkin, a father from N.Y. whose baby daughter died after a Hep B vaccine, will be a speaker on Sunday, Sept l0.

Prominent pediatric neurologists, microbiologists, molecular and cell biologists, epidemiologists, gastroenterologists, immunologists, and pediatricians will present new research into the biological mechanisms of vaccine injury and death and the relationship of vaccines to chronic illness such as learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, mental retardation, epilepsy, arthritis, asthma and diabetes. Clinicians will discuss innovative therapies to treat the vaccine injured and legal experts will discuss vaccine licensing and safety standards, product liability, conflict of interest and informed consent issues concerning vaccines for DPT, MMR, hepatitis B, HIB, polio, Lyme disease, pneumococcal disease, and anthrax.

The websites for the schedule of speakers and events is:
http://909shot.com/conferenceintro.htm
http://909shot.com/conferencesch.htm

The Online Birth Center News is copyright 2000 by Donna Zelzer.
The individual writers hold copyright to the individual messages. Copies may be freely distributed electronically, as long as
1. This permission and the authorship of the articles are retained in any additional publication of the article.
2. The content of the article is not changed in any way.
3. You do not charge for the article, other than the cost of download and/or connect time, or photocopying costs, in the case of a printed version.
4. Subscription information is included
To subscribe to the obcnews write to mailto:listproc@efn.org and put _only_ the words subscribe obcnews your-name in the _body_ of the message. Replace your-name with your actual name.


3) Kangaroo Mother Care and Premature Babies

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) should be actively promoted as an integral part of the care given premature infants, according to a report in the August 1998 issue of Pediatrics journal (Kangaroo Mother Care and the Bonding Hypothesis, PEDIATRICS Vol. 102 No. 2 August 1998, p. e17 .)

The study observed 488 infants of low birth weight; 246 received kangaroo care and 242 received traditional care. The babies receiving traditional care were kept in incubators until they were able to self-regulate their temperatures and were gaining weight appropriately.

The Kangaroo Mother Care babies were placed upright on their mothers' chests with direct skin-to-skin contact as soon as the babies had adapted to life outside of the womb and were able to breastfeed. They could then be released from the hospital, no matter what the baby's weight or gestational age. The babies were kept in this skin-to-skin position 24 hours a day until their behavior showed that they were ready to leave. It's important to note that the kangaroo position regulates the baby's temperature just as well as incubators do.

The researchers observed a positive change in the mothers' perception of their babies, which they attribute to the skin-to-skin contact of KMC. They also discovered a resilience effect: when the baby has to stay in the hospital longer mothers using KMC feel more competent to handle this stressful situation. These positive effects were observed most strongly the sooner the KMC was started following the baby's birth.

On the other hand, the KMC mothers tended to feel more isolated, a possible result of not getting enough support from hospital staff and family. This suggests that social support should be part of Kangaroo Mother Care.

The researchers conclude that Kangaroo Mother Care should be actively promoted and that mothers of premature infants should be encouraged to use it as soon as possible. They also suggest that it creates a family atmosphere which helps promote sensitive care giving.

*0*0*0*0*0*0*
Copyright 2000 by Donna Zelzer, all rights reserved.
The individual writers hold copyright to the individual articles. Copies may be freely distributed electronically, as long as
1.This permission and the authorship of the articles are retained in any additional publication of the article.
2. The content of the article is not changed in any way.
3. You do not charge for the article, other than the cost of download and/or connect time, or photocopying costs, in the case of a printed version.
4. Subscription information is included
To subscribe, send your email to nanny-join@moonlily.com

4) From the Message Boards

Thanks to Elfinmagic for this post on the Baby Gear board:
Save $10 at the Oshkosh B'Gosh web site
Enter code: PGDAYCARE00
Coupon can be used only once. Expires December 31, 2000.
http://www.oshkoshbgosh.com

London asks at the Baby Gear board:
Is ANY backpack or carseat easy to get baby into? - and safe?
I have this adorable, but squalling & struggling baby who is WAILING by the time I get her secured into the Infantino 6 in 1 front carrier. It's actually pretty dangerous, considering everything I have to balance, adjust, snap, and arrange before she's secured. I would love to find a pack that I can just slip her into, snap a good three point harness down and go.

I also have three carseats (Grac & Evenflo), and each has a three point harness that has a funky sternum thingy for the straps to go through. Inevitably, they jam, then the strap falls out - then baby stand up, or rolls over, and gets the straps wrapped around her head and neck (don't worry, she's not going to strangle or fall - I've got her).

Another thing that's happened, is I've had her all secured in the car seat (I thought) and I'm driving along, so I can't see her - but then she gets the strap out of that sternum thingy, pries her arm and shoulder through the hole - and is pretty much on the loose at that point ... if she can just get her butt out of it.

Anyone know of a seat that has a decent harness? Am I the only one with these problems? What to do with Houdini baby?


5) Product Recalls

*L.L. Bean Child backpacks*
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today that L.L. Bean, Inc., of Freeport, Maine, has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $750,000. The civil penalty settles allegations that L.L. Bean violated the Consumer Product Safety Act because the firm delayed in reporting to CPSC that two of its backpack child carriers were defective.

*Inflatable Playrings*
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), KinderkidsTM, of Lawrence, Kan., is voluntarily recalling about 18,000 inflatable playrings. Babies sit inside the playring, which is used as an activity center and looks like a pool float. When a baby leans his face against the side of the playring, the soft surface covers the baby's nose and mouth, restricting airflow, and posing the risk of suffocation.

*Le Cradle Bassinets*
In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Kids Line Inc., of Los Angeles, Calif., is voluntarily recalling for repair about 46,000 Le Cradle bassinets. Infants can become entrapped in an opening between the bassinet's side and mattress platform and suffocate. Additionally, fabric can separate from the metal frame. Infants can be injured when they scrape against or become caught in the frame.


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