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Mother's Nature 1) Pregnancy Community News 1) Pregnancy Community News 2) Is the Hospital Safer?
The only certain way of answering this question would be a randomized
controlled trial (RCT). This could have been done in the 1950s but such a
trial of home versus hospital was not suggested. Such a suggestion has now
been made but it would require 500,000 women in a trial to answer the
safety question. This is patently impossible so we make do with data that
may suffer from the bias that women choosing home birth may be different
from women choosing hospital, however well one may try to match them.
Nevertheless, one can look at the outcomes in relation to place of birth.
One of the first to do so was Marjorie Tew, a statistician working at
Nottingham Medical School. In her large-scale and detailed study, she
analysed data from the 1970 British Births Survey and compared perinatal
death rates in different places of birth (Tew, M. (1980). Place of birth
and Perinatal mortality. Journal of the Royal College of General
Practitioners, 35). She recognized that one would expect more "high-risk"
deliveries in hospitals than at home. Tew attempted to control for this by
using both antenatal and labour prediction scores to categorize expected
risk ....
Tew found that babies were more likely to survive if born in a GP or at
home, rather than in hospital, at all levels of risk scores. Only at the
very highest level of risk were the better results at home and in GP units
not statistically significant.
Tew had great difficulty finding a medical journal which would publish
these results, as they went against medical "wisdom." It is possible that
Tew's results may show that prediction scores do not foretell problems.
They were not, however, her scores but were provided by obstetricians.
Tew's results have not been refuted and the 1970 survey data do not support
the then prevailing view that hospital was safer. Tew has displayed great
courage over the years, initially being one voice crying in the wilderness;
she can now take pride in her part in getting people to question that
prevailing view.
-Geoffrey N. Marsh and Mary J. Renfrew (eds), Community-based Maternity
Care, Oxford University Press, 1999
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Issue No. 2:21 May 26, 2000)
To subscribe to the E-News write: enews@midwiferytoday.com
For all other matters contact Midwifery Today:
PO Box 2672-940, Eugene OR 97402
541-344-7438, inquiries@midwiferytoday.com, http://www.midwiferytoday.com
********************************************************************************************** 3) Breastmilk Fights Infections
Research teams in various locations have confirmed that breastmilk delivers not just antibodies, but a battery of additional infection fighting agents. Among them are retinoic acids, a family of vitamin A derivatives. In a study at New York State Institute for Basic Research, one type of retinoic acid was shown to reduce the rate of viral colonization to one-hundredth of that seen in unprotected cells; another type reduced it to a ten-thousandth of the unprotected rate.
At the University of Umea in Sweden, researchers found that Helicobacter pylori, responsible for stomach ulcers, didn't attach in cultures of the mucus-secreting cells that line the stomach when the glycoprotein kappa-casein, one of the two primary proteins in breastmilk, was present. The bovine form of kappa-casein has no effect whatsoever on the virus.
Breastmilk also contains large quantities of interleukin-10 (IL-10), an immune system molecule that inhibits inflammation, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Gastrointestinal disease, devastating to infants, is the result of an overproductive inflammatory process. Interleukin-10, also found in large amounts in colostrum, keeps the inflammation process in check.
-Science News, April 15, 1995
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Issue No. 1:8 Feb 19, 1999)
To subscribe to the E-News write: enews@midwiferytoday.com
For all other matters contact Midwifery Today:
PO Box 2672-940, Eugene OR 97402
541-344-7438, inquiries@midwiferytoday.com, http://www.midwiferytoday.com 4) Q & A
Q: I am seven months pregnant and still breastfeeding my son. I have contractions while nursing my son and am concerned about this. Can any harm come from these contractions? Could nursing cause premature labor?
A: According to the La Leche League breastfeeding while pregnant does not produce any ill effects or dangers for the baby or mom. Uterine contractions while nursing have not been shown to increase the incidence of premature labor. However, if you have a history of miscarriage or premature labor you may want to consult with your caregiver, lactation consultant or the La Leche League. You can find the La Leche League online at www.lalecheleague.org. It may be helpful to attend your local La Leche League meetings to find support from other women who are experienced with nursing while pregnant.
It is also worth while to mention that continuing nursing while pregnant does not deprive the fetus from nutrients, but it may do you well to pay extra attention to your eating habits and to get plenty of rest. |
