November is Prematurity Awareness Month. I have been “profiling” special babies who beat the odds of prematurity and are still fighting to develop each day!! It is very important for everyone to know that all babies who are born early don’t all develop the same. Every baby is very much their own person with their own fighting spirit .

BBC is reporting that babies born at or before 22 weeks should not be resuscitated or given intensive care.

The recommendation is being put forward by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, which considers ethical questions raised by advances in medical research.

For those born after 23 weeks, the recommendation is that doctors should review the situation with the parents and take their wishes into account.

But doctors warned no two babies born at 22 or 23 weeks would be the same.

The report has been released after two years of research.

It also gives guidance on how parents should resolve arguments with doctors over the fate of their babies.

The report comes against a backdrop of medical advances which have been able to sustain the lives of very premature babies.

However, research shows that many of these babies do not live very long, or go on to develop severe disability.

Part of the problem is that despite advances in modern medicine, it is not always obvious to doctors which babies will survive and thrive.

Professor Margaret Brazier, who chaired the committee that produced the guidelines, said: “Natural instincts are to try to save all babies, even if the baby’s chances of survival are low.

“However, we don’t think it is always right to put a baby through the stress and pain of invasive treatment if the baby is unlikely to get any better and death is inevitable.”

About 300 babies are born in the UK each year at 23 weeks.

They have a 17% survival rate, compared with 50% for those born at 25 weeks.

Figures suggest that no baby survives at 21 weeks, while only 1% survive to leave hospital at 22 weeks.

“We strongly endorse the recommendation that assessment of care for the most vulnerable infants needs to be a joint decision between parents and clinicians.”

The inquiry also looked at longer-term support for families, and resource implications for the NHS.

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS

Born before 22 weeks: No intensive care
22-23 weeks: No intensive care, unless parents request it after a thorough discussion of the risks and doctors agree
23-24 weeks: Parents, after a thorough discussion with the healthcare team, should have the final say
24-25 weeks: Give intensive care, unless the parents and the doctors agree there is no hope of survival, or the level of suffering is too high
Above 25 weeks: Intensive care as standard

There is a big difference in the development of a 22 weeker and a 24 weeker. The changes that goes on inside the womb in those 2 weeks is incredible. Every child is their own person and there is such a fine line between disconnecting life and giving your baby a chance to show you how strong they are.

Cale, one of the babies profiled for Prematurity Awareness Month, was born at 27 weeks but stopped growing at 23 weeks (by doctors estimation). He needed to be oscilated early on in his life and also had a chest tube, but he is a normally functioning infant who is hitting most of his milestones on time.

Related Articles:

November is Premature Awareness Month
Being Born Too Early: Number One Cause Of Infant Death
Little Man The Movie

SOURCE:BBC News

A few months ago Mothering Magazine decided that the world needed a Breastfeeding Icon. They launched a contest to have regular people design the logo that they would support as the “International Breastfeeing Icon”.

Of the 500 entries that were submitted they were narrowed down to 12 semi-finalists. The criteria for selecting the final image included public voting, votes of the major breastfeeding organizations, as well as design and reproduction standards.

The purpose of an international symbol for breastfeeding is to increase public awareness of breastfeeding, to provide an alternative to the use of a baby bottle image to designate baby friendly areas in public, and to mark breastfeeding friendly facilities.

Of course, breastfeeding does not require a special place and is appropriate—as the Canadian government’s slogan says—”anytime, anywhere.” The purpose of the symbol is not to segregate breastfeeding, but to help integrate it into society by better accommodating it in public.

For example, sometimes there are no chairs in public, sometimes nowhere to change the baby, or for the mother separated from her baby, nowhere to plug in an electric breast pump. Mothers welcome quiet, private places in public where they can collect themselves and their children. The symbol could designate these kinds of places.

In addition, businesses could use this symbol to designate a lactation room, required now by law in California. Restaurants could use the image to let moms know, “Breastfeeding welcome here.” They have already heard from a new airport and a university interested in using the symbol. When you see this new symbol in use, please let them know, and if possible, send them a photo.

I love the symbol that was chosen. It conveys the breast feeding message very clearly and elegantly. We don’t need to see the boob to know what is happening, we just need to see the baby on the sign is in the feeding “area”.

The Gentleman, Matt Daigle, who designed the sign is a new dad to 1 year old Hayden. He recounts this great story about the time his wife had to breastfeed on an airplane. Which is very fitting after the story I just posted.

The most awkward experience we had breastfeeding in public was on a four-hour flight to visit my family. The airline had my wife and I in separate seats (with my wife in a middle seat), even though we had booked our tickets months in advance. My wife and I pleaded with the airline explaining to them that it would be very difficult for my wife to be discreet and breastfeed our son if she was seated between two passengers. The airline would not budge. So when we boarded the plane a wonderful man from Minnesota gave up his seat (that he paid extra for just to sit by a co-worker) so that I could be with my wife and she could breastfeed Hayden more discreetly. The plane was very hot so my wife could not cover Hayden with a blanket and feed him—so I basically had to hold up the blanket so they could have air. My wife told me Hayden was making these loud sucking sounds and was saying “Mmmmmmm” as in “Yum, Mom” the whole feed—it was hilarious.

SOURCE:MOTHERINGMAGAZINE

A woman has complained that she was kicked off an airplane about to leave Burlington airport because she was breast-feeding her baby.

A complaint against two airlines was filed with the Vermont Human Rights Commission, although Executive Director Robert Appel said he was barred by state law from confirming the complaint. He did say state law allows a mother to breast-feed in public.

Elizabeth Boepple, a lawyer hired by 27-year-old mother Emily Gillette, confirmed that Gillette filed the complaint late last week against Delta Air Lines and Freedom Airlines. Freedom was operating the Delta commuter flight between Burlington and New York City.

A Freedom spokesman said Gillette was asked to leave the flight after she declined a flight attendant’s offer of a blanket.

“A breast-feeding mother is perfectly acceptable on an aircraft, providing she is feeding the child in a discreet way,” that does not bother others, said Paul Skellon, spokesman for Phoenix-based Freedom. “She was asked to use a blanket just to provide a little more discretion, she was given a blanket, and she refused to use it, and that’s all I know.”

Gillette, her husband Brad and their daughter River, who live in New Mexico, had been visiting relatives in Vermont. Their flight was three hours late but appeared to be preparing for takeoff Oct. 13 when Gillette decided to breast-feed her 22-month-old, she said.

Gillette said she was being discreet. She was seated by the window in the second-to-last row, her husband was seated between her and the aisle and no part of her breast was showing, she said.

A flight attendant approached, tried to hand her a blanket and told her to cover up, Gillette said. She said she had a legal right to breast-feed her baby.

Moments later, a Delta ticket agent approached and said the flight attendant had asked that the family be removed from the flight, Gillette said. She said she did not want to make a scene and complied.

“It embarrassed me. That was my first reaction, which is a weird reaction for doing something so good for a child. And then helpless,” Gillette said.

When I first read this story I hoped that there was something else happening. I have breastfed my son on an airplane and I have also known MANY moms who have done the same with no problem. There is no excuse for this airline ejecting this family from the airplane. They deserve an apology, at the very least, and some gratuitous flights for their inconvenience.

SOURCE:FOXNEWS

A few months a go I did a post on alcohol consumption while pregnant. The facts I found said that there is no safe amount of alcohol for a developing fetus. Therefore, it was recommended that pregnant women do not drink any alcohol - including beer, wine, wine coolers and hard liquor— throughout their pregnancy and while nursing.

Oscar-winnng actress Rachel Weisz has sparked controversy by saying it is acceptable for pregnant women to drink alcohol.

The 35-year-old, who recently gave birth to her first child, said she thought it was “fine” for expectant mothers to have a glass of wine after the first three months.

British-born Miss Weisz added: “I mean in Europe they drink it”.

Her comments, which were made while she promoted her latest movie The Fountain, were immediately criticised by medical experts who described them as “ill-informed” and “dangerous”.

The Government is currently reviewing guidelines on drinking alcohol when pregnant after experts warned that even very small amounts could result in Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which can lead to learning difficulties, poor co-ordination and attention deficit disorder.

Current UK guidelines say pregnant women can drink one or two units, the equivalent to one or two small glasses of wine or single measures of spirit, once or twice a week.

In the US and Canada complete abstinence from drinking is advised for expectant mothers.

Last night foetal alcohol syndrome specialist Dr Raja Mukherjee, of St George’s Hospital Medical School in London, said: “If Rachel Weisz has drunk during her pregnancy and the baby is fine then that’s just pure luck. The problem is that you don’t know who is at risk and who is not.

“It doesn’t mean that anyone who has drunk alcohol is going to be affected but because we cannot predict, then it is safer to avoid it.

“There is a risk throughout your whole pregnancy.There is potential harm to the unborn baby’s brain at any point and that is fact.”

Sharon Fleisher, founder of the National Organisation of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, said: “Damage to a fetus can be caused throughout the whole nine months of pregnancy. I think that the comment that she made is dangerous. It is very irresponsible because she is not an expert and she doesn’t know the full effects alcohol can have on an unborn child.

“She is also wrong about Europe because as of October 2007, France are putting warning labels on all stock in the shops.”

She added that for most children the real problems only began when they started school and lagged behind other youngsters of their age.

Miss Weisz, who won an Oscar last year for her role in The Constant Gardener made her comments in an interview in New York to publicise the film, in which she appears with actor Hugh Jackman.

Asked whether she thought a glass of wine was fine she replied: “Personally I do. They say not in the first three months though, but I think that after that it’s fine. I mean in Europe they drink it”.

Rachel and her fiance Darren Aronofsky live in New York together and the actress gave birth to their first son Henry Chance in May.

A spokesperson for the Royal College of Midwives said: “We don’t take the view that women have to abstain from alcohol altogether.

“If women feel they can abstain then that has obviously got to be the least risk.

“But if it is part of your social norm then we don’t feel there is anything wrong with having the odd drink. Every one is different and we as midwives try to ensure that their pregnancy is manageable for them.

“There is no set situation for women. Midwives here have experienced some who drink a lot and their children do not develop Foetal Alcohol Syndrome while others have just the one drink and their child develops it.

“We just want women to accept pregnancy as part of their normal life”.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “We recommend a guideline of one or two units of alcohol once or twice a week, at any stage of pregnancy. The principal outcome from our scientific tests is that for most, there is no adverse effects for low to moderate pre-natal alcohol consumption. Women should stick to these guidelines even if they are trying for a baby.”

I have issues with some groups saying have a casual drink and others being totally against it. It sends the wrong message to newly pregnant moms who want to do the right thing for their child.

The March of Dimes reports :

When a pregnant woman drinks, alcohol passes swiftly through the placenta to her baby. In the unborn baby’s immature body, alcohol is broken down much more slowly than in an adult’s body. As a result, the alcohol level of the baby’s blood can be even higher and can remain elevated longer than the level in the mother’s blood. This sometimes causes the baby to suffer lifelong damage.

I hope this is one of those times where the star’s comments are out of context.

SOURCE:DAILYMAIL

Nothing is worst than trying to find something in your diaper bag and not being able to see it. When I go out I take an extra sleeper, blanket 3-4 cloths, 2 bottles, lunch/dinner and wipes. In the summer that list is extended to hats, sunscreen….way too much stuff. These diaper bag organizers would be perfect for me and probably most moms out there.

Clean outfits, dirty outfits, goodies and extras - keep them all handy with this nifty set of zip-up bags!

Perfect for keeping your diaper bag organized, these pouches are clearly marked to make your life a lot simpler. Plus, the see-through mesh backing lets you instantly see what you remembered to pack without having to dig.

Makes a great shower gift for on-the-go parents!

The largest pouches, marked ‘clean’ and ‘dirty,’ measure 13.75 inches by 11 inches; the ‘goodies’ pouch measures 10 inches by 6.25 inches; and the ‘extras’ pouch measures 7 inches by 7 inches.

Available at babystyle.com for $20 U.S.