Homebirth and freebirth are not the same

For those of you that read this blog, you will know that homebirth in Australia is now a topic of heated discussion. With state maternity systems on the brink of collapse, overwhelmed by birthing mothers, unstaffed and underfunded, having a baby is now a political issue. Most recently, midwives have been lobbying to have a more broadly defined role (such as writing prescriptions) in order to alleviate the pressure on the country's OBs. Nevertheless, homebirth is back in the news again today particularly due to uninformed media releases announcing the women are so 'desperate' that they are having dangerous homebirths because women aren't getting treated in hospital. According to the stats cited in one Daily Telegraph report, 4 babies have died in the last 9 months because their irresponsible mothers decided to give birth at home. This statistic is intended to show that women are now using homebirth as a last resort and not as a legitimate and largely safe choice.

One of these deaths, however, was a result of a freebirth and quite sadly was the baby of Janet Fraser, founder of Joyous Birth, an online forum that initially began as a place for women to talk about traumatic experiences of birth. Over the years, the site has become increasingly 'radical' and is now known to be one of the more popular freebirthing sites. Fraser claims that the site is really just about women being in control of their births, however, if I can be honest, one of the reasons why I initially distanced myself from writing for the site was because I felt that there was an overwhelming assumption that all hospital birth is bad and that women are inevitably the victims of evil doctors. It has been reported that Fraser was giving birth at home with her partner unassisted. In fact, I recently came across an interview with Fraser from The Age which begins with her in labour with the child that did not survive.

The media has failed to differentiate between freebirth or unassisted birth (no midwife or doctor) and homebirth (a birth at home, usually with a midwife or homebirth doctor). For the most part, for low-risk births that are attended properly, homebirth has been proven to be a safe alternative to hospital birth. Freebirthing is significantly more risky (sorry, I'm a supporter but also a realist). It is essential to make this differentiation. Now that homebirth is on the precipice of being banned given that independent midwives are likely going to be denied indemnity insurance from next year, the suggestion that all women who homebirth are crazy radicals or that homebirth represents the majority of birthing women in Australia (only about 2%) is ridiculous. If anything, midwives and their ability to attend homebirths will be the saving grace of the Australian maternity system. Rather than convincing the small proportion of women who avoid a medicalised birth, why not support these women in their choices by making homebirth safe and easy?

The new 'natural' caesarean

Maybe I'm missing something but does the idea of a 'natural' caesarean sound a little ridiculous to anyone else?

Thanks to an enterprising OB, Professor Nicholas Fisk, some women in the UK are experiencing slower, more pleasant caesarean births with the lights dimmed low, the opportunity to see their baby emerging from the womb and immediate skin-to-skin contact. The idea is to make a caesar more like vaginal birth.

"It struck me that all the effort was going into changing normal childbirth but that Caesarean section was still steeped in old surgical rituals,” says Fisk. “In some cases I was horrified; the baby would be dragged out like a tumour and passed to several medical staff before the mother. It was ripe for reform.”

Don't get me wrong. I think this is a fabulous and timely intervention, but perhaps the word 'natural' is somewhat ill-placed in describing this updated version of a caesar. I'm all for women feeling comfortable and having every opportunity to bond with their babies during surgical birth but let's not kid ourselves here. Surgical birth is surgical. Vaginal birth is vaginal. While both types of birth can be joyous experiences, dim lights and a dropped surgical drape do not change the fact that too many women in the western world are having caesars. Making caesars a little more pretty and a little less scary is good in the short-term but I bristle at the idea that a happier, healthier caesar will only encourage more women to think that a caesar is preferable.

Read more: The new 'natural' caesarean

NoTORIous Spelling looking a little lean

Totally Tori is back in the news again, apparently slamming anorexia allegations given her increasingly shrinking body. Only 9 months since giving birth to her second child, Tori is beating back rumours from Star magazine that claim she is only 98 pounds. Her rep says she is definitely not that thin.

Read more: Tori slams anorexic accuasations

Le baby bumps and le smoking = le modern motherhood

Who would have thought pregnancy would feature in the fashion pages of the April edition of French Vogue?

In a send-up of contemporary motherhood, editor Caroline Roitfeld chose uber-thin model Lily Donaldson to wear a pregnancy bump, smoke cigarettes and lounge around in Chanel.

A response to the latest cog in the First Reponse fertility machine

As if women needed another reminder that fertility is kind of like a loaf of bread: if you leave it too long it all goes a bit mouldy and horrible.

Welcome to the latest in pharmaceutical fertility propaganda. First Response, the queen of pregnancy testing in the US and abroad, has just released the Easy Read Ovulation Kit

The purpose of the kit, according to the manufacturer is that it allows you to 'get pregnant sooner' by detecting your LH (luteinising hormone) surges or when you are ovulating. According to First Response, the new product now completes an entire 'system' devoted to reproduction. The new print ads feature all three First Response products, asking “Am I ...” followed by “fertile?” “ovulating?” and “pregnant?” to highlight each test.

Kim Hahn of Conceive magazine said, "They’re going to help a category that is underserved and increase the dialogue about reproduction and women’s fertility health". I totally disagree. This is just another reminder that women should be taking notice of their fertility and if they don't they will start to 'dry up' and only reinforce the idea that if women remain childless they are less valued as women.

On the other hand, as Karen Hammond, a gynecologist, told the NYT, the new test is not an unequivocal indication of fertility. "“If somebody 37 or older has their F.S.H. test come back normal, they’re still their age,” Ms. Hammond said. “It bothers me a bit that these older women might get a false sense of security by getting a normal reading and they’d put off their childbearing because they have a false sense of security.”

Hmm. This is pretty horrible too. False sense of secturity. In essence, she is reinforcing the same horrible claim about being fit enough for motherhood but couched in medical language. It's sort of like she's saying that 'older' women get lulled into thinking that pregnancy is always possible and then SNAP! one day your ovaries become completely useless. In fact, the packaging on the test actually says, “Are You Able to Get Pregnant?*” with an asterisk leading to miniscule type stating that the product will not really answer that question: “This test detects F.S.H. This test does not detect all fertility issues.”

Seriously, how is that supposed to make a woman feel? Are you able to get pregnant? Well, what if the answer is no. First Reponse wants to make sure that women have all of their fertility answers, yet, their own disclaimer tells women directly that the test isn't really a sure thing. What about a male fertility test? Why is it that the viability of sperm seems to be totally left out of the fertility equation? Why aren't more men running out to the chemist to test the quality of their sperm?

Don't drink lagers in Sussex while pregnant

We have seen the future and it is not good:

Caroline Williams, 23 week pregnant, was ordered out of a Sussex pub after bar staff noticed she had drunk a pint of lager and her friend attempted to purchase her one more half pint. Williams said, “I was on a rare night out with some friends. I had a pint of lager and a friend offered to get me another half that was going to be my limit." Her friend was refused service and the whole group was asked to leave the pub.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says there is no evidence that a couple of units, equivalent to a pint of beer, once or twice a week will harm a baby.

Read more: Mum-to-be ordered out of pub

Gisele Bundchen: mummy dearest

Brazilian supermodel/man-eater, Gisele Bundchen is notable today for speaking out on her recent marriage to footballer Tom Brady in Vanity Fair, breaking the uncomfortable silence surrounding the circumstances of their relationship. For those of you that have forgotten, Tom used to be with Bridget Moynahan (Natasha in Sex and the City). Tom and Gisele got together and then found out that Bridget was pregnant with Tom's child.

Bridge, if your reading VF this month, you might want to toss out your copy. Of Bridget and Tom's son, Gisele says,

"I understand that he has a mom, and I respect that, but to me it's not like because somebody else delivered him, that's not my child. I feel it is, 100 percent. I want him to have a great relationship with his mom, because that's important, but I love him the same way as if he were mine. I already feel like he's my son, from the first day."

Um yeah. That's nice and all but baby's got a mum, sweetheart. That's some nerve going in a national publication and talking about the child of a woman you have never met as your own, considering the circumstances of the breakup.

Read more: And God created Gisele

No maternity leave is the new maternity leave

F*%cking fashion magazines.

According to W, the uber-hip style mag for women who wear clothing sizes smaller than their show sizes, maternity leave is sooooo 5 minutes ago and returning to work in 2 weeks or less is the new sine qua non of power mum status.

"In an era when France’s justice minister recently gave birth on a Friday and attended a cabinet meeting the following Wednesday—and when, more famously, Sarah Palin took just three days off from her Alaskan gubernatorial duties after the birth of her fifth child—an increasing number of women are making childbirth look, if not like magic, certainly a lot easier than it was for their mothers by taking mere weeks, not months, off from work."

Women in the story describe feeling torn between work and home, pressured to by their employers to go back to work in record time, fear of financial insolvency and pumping their breasts in their corner offices while, as one gal remembered “The UPS man [at my office] saw more boob in the last couple years than in his teenage heyday." Rather than thinking about these mums as superwomen for juggling home and work, you feel like this is a remarkably sad state of affairs that only reaffirms what most working mothers have been complaining about for decades.

I find it interesting that the women who went back to work fairly soon after giving birth, justify their decisions by suggesting that their children are more well-adjusted as a result. One woman, however, hired a nanny to look after her child while she worked and this clearly changes the terms of the game. As most women can't even conceive of affording a private nanny, it's sort of like, 'Duh' of course the transition back to work was easier. Realising she had more time for herself, this woman says:

“When Coco was born, I would never even have a babysitter on the weekend. I was really moral about it. And as joyous as those moments were, part of it was slightly miserable,” she admits. “I was being too much of a martyr to the mom world.”

Yikes. I'm all for women's choices, working or not, whatever. I don't know about you, but I sort of cringe at this woman's surprise at feeling like a martyr to her children. Isn't parenthood (and not just mothers are involved in this) about sacrificing most of yourself to your child for the formative years of their early life? I mean isn't that what parents do?

Read more: Born Yesterday

Good Night Milk? Say bye bye to breastfeeding

Experts in the UK are warning parents of dubious claims by companies such as Hipp Organic that 'Good Night Milk' formulas help babies settle better. The formula has a heavier concentration of cereals so it takes longer to digest and therefore, claims to help babies sleep and is gentler on the stomach. The UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition claims to find no such evidence to support these claims and in fact, argues that the use of these kinds of products (and formula in general) undermines breastfeeding. Similarly, as red-eyed, sleep-deprived parents are often desperate anything to get a few hours of shut eye each night, the availability of settling milk formulas encourages parents to think that young babies should be sleeping through the night when in fact it is quite normal and expected that babies wake up every few hours (as hard as it may be on mums and dads). It is of great concern that parents will replace night breastfeeds with these milk formulas.

Read more: Concerns raised over milk

New book cracks open the secrets and lies of mummyhood

A new book out of the UK, Backwards in High Heels: The Impossible Art of Being Female by Sarah Vine and Tanya Kindersley, calls itself an 'instruction manual for having it all'. One chapter is called 'The Conspiracy of Silence' and it a discussion of the lies that women tell each other about pregnancy and childbirth and then a funny but slightly horrible description of what women actually mean when they say to one another that, for instance, that birth 'isn't that bad'. For example:

If you tell a friend that

1. It doesn’t matter if she gets fat, the weight will drop off afterwards, especially if she breastfeeds.

What you really mean is:

1. Her stomach will never be the same again, not even if she goes to the gym every day (which she won’t be able to because she won’t have the time), breastfeeds until her child goes to university and observes a strict vegan diet.

What are some 'lies' that you were told about pregnancy and birth?

Momshells: the latest buzz in making mums feel like poo

Move over M.I.L.F., there's a new annoying term for mummy hotness that neither rolls off the tongue or feel remotely 'empowering': MOMSHELL (as in bombshell, but with mums).

“There’s never been a hotter time to be a mom,” Jessica Denay said. A mother in Los Angeles, she wrote “The Hot Moms Handbook" and founded The Hot Moms Club, a place where women are supposed to be 'empowered' (a highly overused term that annoys me) by wearing t-shirts that say motherhood is sexy.

According to Denay, being a momshell is about working up to doing their hair and putting on a pair of stylish jeans instead of sweats, or taking a yoga class. The idea is that a mom will gain energy and confidence that she can give back to her kids —- “and that,” Denay said, “is hot.”

Do I have to even go there? As if a 2 year old cares if mum is wearing her Sevens or a pair of holey track pants. Rather than making the strange leap in judgement that women who dont dress up and do their hair are less than hot mums, why not spend some time worrying about the increasingly globalised culture that tells women (whether they are mothers or not) that they must be hot and thin or else they are worth nothing.

Source: Momshells, beauty alone doesn't define hotness

Jeri Ryan loses weight and says sayonara to maternity leave

Law & Order star, Jeri Ryan has admitted that seeing her year of maternity leave come to a close had her in tears. "I cried," Ryan, 41, admitted about the first time she left day Gisele in Los Angeles to go to work on the NBC show in New York. "It was especially hard since I've been with her nonstop since she was born." The actress also mentioned to People that it took her a year to lose the 28 lbs gained during her pregnancy and that it was not easy: "It took me 10 months to get back to normal," says Ryan, whose exercise regime consists of Pilates three times a week. "It was a little frustrating, but I realize it's harder to take the weight off when you're 40."

Source: Jeri Ryan cries over ending maternity leave

Hooray! Eat your heart out during delivery

In case you are planning to pop out a little bundle of joy anytime soon, it's your lucky day. New research from London suggests that the age old practice of telling women not to eat during childbirth is no longer necessary. This dates back to the 1940s, when a US doctor documented cases of women breathing food into their lungs (called pulmonary aspiration) when having general anaesthesia for emergency caesarean deliveries. As long as you are not receiving pain relief meds, it looks as though eating small amounts of food or light meals does not adversely affect childbirth outcomes.

Were you allowed to eat during birth?

Read more: No need for ban on eating during labour

Motherhood in pictures through a father's eyes

I just came across an adorable and thoughtful blog from a man who has been documenting his wife's pregnancy with photos and lovely captions. He's a professional photographer so unlike most preggo side-on snapshots from the rest of us amateurs with cut-off heads and blurry backgrounds, his snaps are gorgeous and his wife has incredibly chic outfits.

True Confessions

Ever feel like a 'bad' mother? Too embarrassed to tell your friends that you hate your toddler sometimes or that you occasionally lock yourself in the bathroom just to get away from it all? Well, looks like you're not alone. One Los-Angeles mum has started a website called True Confessions (and now just released as a book) where mummy (and anyone else) can tell her 'secrets' freely without the assurance of complete anonymity and a support group of thousands. The site has sections for secrets about bodies/dieting, the office, wives, brides, singles and even a whole section for military wives. Some of the confessions from the body site are hopeful but some are also heartbreaking:

"I had a baby 3 mo ago and i hate my body stretch marks,fat rolls, nothing fits and i don't want to spend money on fat cloths [sic]."

"Good Bye 30 pounds. I will not miss you when you are gone... but I will enjoy the memories we shared."

"I hate that I constantly compare myself to other women. It doesn't nothing but make me feel worse about myself. I am 5ft.3 and weigh 140 pounds. I've had two kids and hate the damage inflicted as a result of pregnancy. I do my best to eat right (I don't eat Twinkies and wash it down with Coke), I exercise when I can, and am even considering plastic surgery. I just hate how I look and know that I need to change my attitude. I will be devastated if I pass this on to my daughters. I just want to feel as beautiful as people tell me I am."

What are your motherhood confessions?

Feel free to post them in the comments section anonymously.

Labor of Love or Extreme Birth?

Now that I'm catching up on reviews, I thought I should spread the word about New York midwife-extraordinaire, Cara Muhlhahn's memoir, Labour of Love

For those of you that saw Ricki Lake's documentary Business of Being Born, you will be familiar with Muhlhahn's as a selection of her homebirths were featured in the film. The book is a rich recounting of Cara's 30 years of experience as a midwife - she recounts her formative adolescent experiences, the homebirth of her own son and a selection of stories from the 700+ babies that she has delivered over the years.

Watching Muhlhahn in action in BOBB, for me, was one of the highlights of the film. Sensitively attending to each woman's concerns, providing unconditional and unconventional support and reassuring women at their most vulnerable was not only heartwarming but profoundly moving.

Nevertheless, in New York Magazine feature, Muhlhahn is painted as a renegade in the homebirth movement, as 'fearless' to the point in which women's lives are at risk. Her self-assuredness and confidence from years of experience is positioned as hubris and perhaps arrogant. Homebirth is positioned as 'extreme' and merely a growing 'trend' among middle-class women who have taken to birth at home like the latest Gucci handbag and those women that opt to do so as selfish and perhaps a bit clueless. This is quite a divergence from the sensitive and thoughtful portrait painted of Muhlhahn by Ricki Lake and Abby Epstein in their documentary and by Muhlhahn herself in her memoir.

Has anyone else read the book? Thoughts on the movie or the article?

Review: The Australian Baby Guide

I often get sent books by publishers asking me to review them on the site. I was recently sent The Australian Baby Guide (rrp $29.95) from Goose Books. Here are my thoughts for those of you who are in the market for an Australia specific all-purpose parenting book:

Good:
-lots of practical information in easily digestible sections, nothing too overwhelming (but also nothing particularly new)
-well organised, very easy to find things
-provides a wealth of web resources for parents across Australia
-vox pop from mums and dads on a range of topics

Less good:
-some of the information seemed outdated. For instance, given that I have a keen interest in maternity clothing and have spent a considerable amount of time in maternity shops and interviewing designers, I was surprised to see that many of the most relevant designers did not even get a mention. Rather, the usual suspects like Pumpkin Patch seemed to get pride of place (which leads me to my next point). Also, no resources for those mums in need of plus-size maternity clothing (Boo!).

-There is way too much advertising material in this book. The publishers never disclose how certain items/services make it to the top of their lists. It is no wonder that many of the independent or smaller businesses don't get a mention (probably because larger corps like Huggies have paid for ad space). Sections on 'Leading Brands' following each chapter seems out of place and inappropriate.

-Considering all of the information that the guide does contain, I was stunned to see two areas in particular neglected: 1) eco-parenting/natural parenting resources and 2) pregnancy body image resources. With the threat of climate change upon us, I would have liked to see more info on 'green' pregnancy and sustainable parenting methods (recycling, cloth nappies, organics). Maybe I'm biased but the lack of body image resources for pregnant women seemed, to me, to be a considerable oversight. Given the focus on maternal obesity, postpartum weight loss and pregorexia panics in our current cultural climate, it seems astounding that the otherwise comprehensive guide has no resources for women suffering from pregnancy eating disorders or who want info on coping with weight gain.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Overall: good resource for basic info on pregnancy and parenting, some info pertinent to raising older children and lots of web resources for those who are internet savvy. Less useful if you are attracted to more alternative approaches to parenting and definitely not so great if you favour small, independent retailers.

An Australian first: 24 hour breastfeeding helpline

Australia's first 24-hour toll-free helpline for breastfeeding mothers will be officially launched today.

1800 mum 2 mum (1800 686 2 686) is run by the Australian Breastfeeding Association (ABA) and utilises the real-life experience of over 200 trained volunteer counsellors each week who help other mums with issues including the early days with a new baby, expressing and storing milk, weaning, supply and what to do when baby simply says no.

The Australian Breastfeeding Association is a voluntary organisation established in 1964 to encourage and support mothers who wish to breastfeed their babies. There are 300 ABA groups nationwide with over 17,000 members.

Caesareans rising to alarming rates in US

Bad news: The caesarean rate has risen for the 11th year in a row in the US. With the caesar rate hovering at nearly 32% of births, Pam Udy, president of the International Caesarean Awareness Network advocacy group, has said, "Every pregnant woman in the US should be alarmed by this rate".

Bad news: The teen birth rate has risen for the second straight year thanks to crucial cuts in sex education funding in American schools. Basically, this is a case of too much sex and not enough contraception.

The most recent statistics have revealed that the US birth rate skyrocketed in 2007 to 4.3 million babies and nearly 40% of those births were out-of-wedlock and to mostly Hispanic and African-American women.

Good news: Premature and low-birth weight babies are decreasing after a long upward trend.

Source: Caesareans soar in the new US baby boom

Baby name alert!

Ex-porn queen Jenna Jameson has named her twins (babies, that is):

Jesse Jameson Ortiz and Journey Jett Ortiz....

Not too crazy and no states, foods or seasons to be found....

Source: Us, 30 March issue.

Katie Hopkins sheds the baby weight and then some

British Apprentice villain, Katie Hopkins is turning heads and this time it's not for being caught having an affair with a married bloke. Jaws are collectively dropping at Hopkins incredible weight loss: 42lbs since November after having her third child. The reality star claims she fitted back into her size 10 jeans just 10 days after the birth and she still has 14lbs to lose:

'I spent two years in the Army so I'm incredibly tough on myself about losing flab. I'm used to discipline.

'Everybody says "give yourself a break" after you've had a baby, but I find it better to get back into a routine.

'And I haven't been dieting as it only makes me think of food more. Breastfeeding has helped me lose the weight and I'm eating what I always eat - Bran Flakes for breakfast, a tuna sandwich for lunch, and dinner has to be something like curry or a roast.'

Hmm. I don't know about you but eating only one proper meal per day sounds like a diet to me. Considering breastfeeding often makes women more hungry as it takes extra energy to produce good milk, I wonder how the poor baby is making it through on mum's barely there nutrition?

Check out photos here

Porn queen pops out puppies

Ex-porn queen Jenna Jameson has birthed a pair of bouncing baby boys. Back in September she gushed on her MySpace blog, "I can’t even express the extreme serenity that came over me once I saw my children inside me," she wrote on her blog. No word on names but here's hoping that the babies aren't named after a state, a season or something that you can eat.

Source: Jenna Jameson gives birth to twins

Chicago helps to conquer prenatal obesity

A new program in Chicago at Northwestern Hospital is aiming to keep prenatal obesity in check (yes, PRENATAL OBESITY).

According to Dr. Robert Kushner, director of the Northwestern Comprehensive Center on Obesity,

"The whole idea is, as that child comes out of the birth canal, you've already imprinted that child's vulnerability to be overweight," Kushner said.

"It's like being born with handcuffs on. In this environment, how do they have a fighting chance?"

Each week women in the program meet for nutrition classes, stress and exercise. Focusing specifically on controlling maternal obesity, the hospital has already referred about 20 women so far.

Interesting, considering that new research reveals that Australian babies are larger than ever. This time, however, Dr. Ruth Hadfield of the University of Sydney, argues that big babies are not healthy, they are overweight. As maternal obesity has increased so too has birth weight.

Source: Helping babies beat obesity
Big Aussie babies

Is breast best?

Bold piece on the the case AGAINST breastfeeding in The Atlantic this month:

"In certain overachieving circles, breast-feeding is no longer a choice—it’s a no-exceptions requirement, the ultimate badge of responsible parenting. Yet the actual health benefits of breast-feeding are surprisingly thin, far thinner than most popular literature indicates. Is breast-feeding right for every family? Or is it this generation’s vacuum cleaner—an instrument of misery that mostly just keeps women down?"

Don't agree with this woman's argument at all but she's ballsy for putting it out there and acknowledging that breastfeeding is not easy and does not come 'naturally' to all women....

Thoughts?

Candace Parker: cover girl

It's a new day in history. Candace Parker, the star of the WNBA, has just become the first pregnant athlete to grace the cover of ESPN magazine next to a headline asking 'How Big Can Candace Parker Get?' (not so sure I like the sound of that..but anyway). The photo shoot was planned before Parker even announced her pregnancy but even so, having a woman on this largely male magazine is huge according to the editor, Gary Belsky:

"We don't do a lot of female athletes on the cover," Belsky said. "Candace has made it more interesting. She's got Adidas, McDonald's and Gatorade as sponsors; that's a pretty strong big three. But it's still tough to put a woman on the cover for us.

According to the LA Times, Parker was nervous that the magazine was going to make fun of her. She is planning to return to the court this season and is continuing to exercise through her pregnancy:

"I'm working out three or four times a week. The hard part about being an athlete is learning that when you feel tired you can't push yourself."

Source: Candace Parker Next Big Thing

Surrogacy rising among military wives

It's no secret that American military wives/mothers often struggle financially and emotionally when their partners are away on deployment. The LA Times reveals that many of these young women are turning to surrogacy as a way to make some money and support their growing families while their husbands are away. In California, where surrogacy is legal, many women are being attracted to the pay off of between $20-25,000 that can be earned for a successful pregnancy.

In the eyes of surrogacy agents, military wives are the perfect candidates for surrogacy, one agent Stephanie Caballero noting, 'Military wives, they don't cry, they don't complain at the drop of a hat. They're organized. They're efficient. They handle everything when their husbands are gone. A few shots during the first few months is not going to bother them, and they don't need to be told to be polite and professional and show up on time." These women are also attractive to surrogacy companies because military wives can access additional insurance for prenatal care worth up to $10,000.

I find this so problematic. While these women are clearly making do the best they can and are choosing to be surrogates, at the same time, the physical and emotional cost of being a surrogate is extraordinarily high and no amount of money can ever really cover the cost of carrying a baby to term and then handing it over to someone else. We should really be blaming the American government for not paying soldiers enough money rather than having women resort to carrying babies for a cost in order to make ends meet at home.

Source: Carrying someone else's dream

Octo Mum admits 14 children is a bit much

Mother of 14 children, Nadya Suleman told Dr. Phil yesterday that her fertility treatments were irrational:

"At the time, I was just justifying my actions based on saying, 'Well, these are my children, they are extremely valuable -- their lives,' which is true, but I was not placing that above my others," Suleman said after Dr. Phil pressed for an explanation for why she decided to do in vitro fertilization to get pregnant after already having six children at home. "But my heart was in it. Not my head. I wasn't thinking rationally. In retrospect, would I have done that again? I don't know.

"It wasn't a realistic thing to do. It was irrational at the time, looking back. But then I was really reluctant to state that, because I don't want people to think, 'Well, you don't want the babies, you don't love them.'"

YA THINK?!

Source: Octo Mom Fertility Treatments

Portrait of pregnancy

I just came across an interesting portrait of pregnancy from a British writer in the new issue of UK Glamour. The author talks about gaining weight and 'losing' her pre-pregnancy figure:

"Why would I want a record of me getting bigger and bigger, when I’m the first to destroy any photograph of me that makes me look even remotely fat?"

Great photos and commentary, check it out:
Portrait of my pregnancy

What dance does your uterus do?

Ladies, if you've always thought that your uterus just lies back, chillin and waiting for the right squiggly guy (aka sperm) to fertilise an egg, it turns out that you're wrong.

According to new research from Tel Aviv University, women can, to a certain extent, reject or accept sperm thanks to powerful uterine contractions and the motion of the uterus is argued to be at the core of reproductive success (i.e. whether or not you actually get pregnant). One anthropologist from Cornell has explained it thus:

"...The uterus actually plays a role in make sure sperm are in the right place at the right time. Apparently, uterine contractions squirt fluid, and sperm, upwards.

After conception, the uterus waits below, for about seven days, as the newly fertilized egg takes its own sweet time to float into the womb, and then the uterus goes into action again.

When the egg finally arrives, the uterus begins to contract again, performing a welcoming dance that sucks the new embryo into the soft lining of the uterine wall, and voila, we have a baby on the way."

In theory, evolution dictates then that women are able to choose (unconsciously) the best sperm and create the best genes for the future child. Yet, women often have sex even when they know that their partner is less than perfect, so.....

There goes that theory.

Source: Secret Birth Control Method

Drinking in pregnancy = bad

I'm sorry but if isn't the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard....

"Scientists believe that early exposure while still in the womb can reduce youngster's sensitivity to the underlying bitterness of many alcoholic drinks, making them more appealing."

Apparently, researchers at SUNY in Syracuse believe that women who drink can give their unborn babies a taste for alcohol by doing experiments on rats. "When offered the choice of sugared water, alcohol, or quinine flavoured water, rats who were not exposed to alcohol [in the womb] tended to plump for the sweeter alternative."

*rolls eyes*

Source: Mothers who drink while pregnant can give their children a taste for alcohol

Ulrika stands up for post-birth incontinence

Well, Ulrika Jonsson is back in the news with her views on being a mum and post-pregnancy weight loss. This time, however, she reveals 'the most embarrassing' and intimate of health secrets that affects many women post-birth: light adult incontinence (LAI) or postpartum urinary incontinence. As a result of having four children, as she says, it's no wonder that the muscles supporting her pelvis were weakened. Laughing, sneezing or coughing are all triggers for the leaking of a small amount of urine. Women who give birth vaginally are less likely to have urinary incontinence as opposed to women who have caesareans. In Australia, women comprise over 70% of people affected by urinary incontinence.

As most women suffer in silence, Jonsson has decided to speak out:

"I can't bear the thought of women suffering alone, in silence and feeling so alienated by this condition through absolutely no fault of their own. I mean, there is nothing adult about panicking every time you laugh or sneeze and feeling that you're losing control, so it's so easy to understand the stigma.

At the time, it did make me feel self-conscious, to say the very least, although my minor leakage problems after going to the toilet were alleviated by using the right protection and were not extreme enough for me to be caught out. But I do remember wondering whether I would have to suffer the side effects of childbirth for the rest of my life.

As an independent working woman I felt a bit stupid: what, I couldn't even control my own bladder - something you normally learn to do around the age of three?"

She says the only way she got her continence problem under control was through weight loss (she put on 5 stone in her last pregnancy) and doing pelvic floor exercises religiously.

If you suffer from urinary incontinence as a result of childbirth, here are some resources:
Urinary incontinence explained
Continence Foundation of Australia
Always Envive: Sense & Sensitivity Campaign UK

Does anyone have any thoughts? Is urinary incontinence affecting you? What did you do to strengthen your pelvic floor?

Source: Ulrika reveals her most embarassing health issue

Lara Croft look-alike says yes to extended breastfeeding

Real-life glamour model and official Lara Croft look-alike, Nell McAndrew, has said that she will defy the 'dirty looks' and continue to breastfeed her 2.5 year old son.

"I get negative comments all the time, but that's their problem," she told the Daily Mirror.

"Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world - and it's so good for my son that I don't see any reason to stop.

"I would never tell other women they have to breastfeed because it's down to individual choice.

"And by the same token if a mum wants to carry on breastfeeding until their child is five, six or seven that that's fine too."

As a fomer undies model and former Playboy centrefold, McAndrew knows that getting your boobs out in this culture is often encouraged if it is for the pleasure of men. She says, however, that now her breasts have a different purpose:

"Now they have a different function, to feed my baby - you suddenly realise that's really what they're there for."

Source: Real Life Lara Croft Defends Her Right to Breastfeed

Thanks to Cherryskin for the tip!

Baby Bump Project makes top 100!

Well, we all have a reason to celebrate. Thanks to all of your insightful comments and my extraordinary talent for succumbing to the pleasures of the internet on a daily basis, The Baby Bump Project has been named ias one of the Top 100 Healthy Mom Blogs by RNCentral.com

Check out the list of other great blogs here:
http://www.rncentral.com/nursing-library/careplans/top_100_healthy_mom_blogs

Milla J: one hot mama

It's been 16 months since Milla Jovovich had her first baby, Ever Gabo. If you remember, the model turned actress turned fashion designer gained 70 lbs in her pregnancy. She's been back to her pre-baby weight for awhile now but thankfully, she reveals that it has not been an easy road and dropping the weight certainly didn't happen with yoga and drinking 3 litres of water every day.

“Diet and lots of exercise, I worked my big, little butt off,” Milla reveals. “It’s been a lot of work and I’ve been working with Harley Pasternak and his 5-Factor program, they actually have diet food sent to my house. At one point I just ate oatmeal, salmon and artichokes everyday for a week. It was definitely a lot easier putting it on!”

Milla wants another baby but not yet because of all of the hard work she has done:

"I do want another baby but not for a little bit," she says. "I’ve only just lost all the weight so I want to enjoy my old body for a while before I have to become a crazy alien again."

Source: http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/12277
http://www.theinsider.com/news/1775569_Milla_Jovovich_On_Losing_70lbs_Of_Baby_Weight

Lust and the lactating mother

Salon has an excerpt from a new book called "Unbuttoned: Women Open Up About the Pleasures, Pains, and Politics of Breastfeeding," edited by Dana Sullivan and Maureen Connolly in which Rachel Sarah details how she went from breastfeeding her daughter to breastfeeding her blind date.

Check it out: http://www.salon.com/mwt/excerpt/2009/03/02/rachel_sarah/index.html

Come on admit it, how many of you out there have shared your powers of lactation with anyone other than a baby? Are nipples off limits just because you're nursing? After all, it's no secret that there exists a whole genre of lactation porn...

Image via Salon

The myth of the maternal instinct

A University of Warwick study suggests that many women feel ill-equipped for pregnancy and childbirth because of the demands of modern life and more specifically, because it is now routine for women to move away from their hometowns and families when they get married. Thus, women have less support and advice from female relatives in their new environment. Upon interviewing 90 women, Dr Angela Davis, Leverhulme Research Fellow in the Centre for the History of Medicine, also added that most women are in some ways disadvantaged going into childbirth because they often have never had the experience of birth (in terms of seeing one and participating in delivery) until they have their own children. Interestingly, Dr. Davis believes that there is still a lack of appropriate education for women around sex and parenting and this is a long-standing problem since the 1930s in the UK. One of the most salient points to arise from this study is that mothering is not viewed to be instinctive and that women struggle with feelings of unpreparedness.

Did you feel prepared for motherhood? Is there such a thing as a maternal instinct?

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302120104.htm

Homebirth going underground down under

Speaking of homebirths, it looks as thought homebirth in Australia is likely to go underground as a result of new policies for health care professionals under the Rudd government. From the middle of next year, midwives will have to hold professional indemnity insurance. This is a problem because no insurance companies in Australia are yet willing to insure independent midwives so when the new regulations come into effect, it will no longer be legal for independent midwives to attend homebirths.

Although less than 1% of all births in Australia take place at home, more than 50 % of submissions to the federal Government's recent maternity services review came from women calling for greater support for homebirthing services, which according to The Australian claims up to a 10-fold greater share of births in some overseas countries such as Britain.

This is devastating and dangerous. Women who are committed to have homebirths will do so anyway and many obstetricians agree that it is much more reasonable to support midwives in the provision of quality care to women wherever they choose to give birth, rather than knowingly risk the lives of women who make choices outside the medical model.

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25124579-601,00.html

Epidurals on the way out in the UK

In Australia, it is no secret that medicalised birth is increasingly becoming the norm. With a greater push for less intervention and more one-to-one care, maternity reform is a red hot issue on the national agenda. Nevertheless, while the prospect of having wholly funded home births and more accessible birth centres throughout the country is exciting, should less intervention mean no intervention?

In the UK, doctors and patients are struggling over new regulations surrounding the use of epidurals during birth. As new guidelines have characterised the use of epidurals and caesareans as 'unnatural' in a bid to reduce interventions by up to 40%. The goal of the new guidelines is to ensure that more women are having 'normal' or 'traditional' birth. Obstetricians, however, have problems with this.

Kim Hinshaw, a consultant obstetrician at Sunderland Royal Hospital, said: ‘I have major concerns with this. I don’t think we will ever reach a figure of 60% normal delivery using this definition. For example, in Sunderland we have an epidural rate in first labours of 60%.

‘This definition implies that if you ask for an epidural for pain relief, but go on and deliver normally after a six-hour labour, your birth was not ‘normal’. That is a disgrace.’

And Professor James Walker, a consultant obstetrician at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust added: ‘This is a very rigid definition of what normal birth should be. Epidurals should not be done without reason; they should be kept to a minimum. There are some women, however, who require an epidural because they cannot cope with the pain in any other way.’

I have to agree. While I am fully in favour of supporting national guidelines that seek to minimise the unnecessary interventions, at the same time, I bristle at the thought of women giving birth in pain and not being allowed to have relief if they ask for it.

Would you be happy with this model of care in your own country?

Source: http://tinyurl.com/ccz8vh

Octuplet mum a pregnancy addict?

“I loathe pregnancy. I hate it more than anything else in the world,” Nadya Suleman told Dr. Phil on her continuing tour de media.

For a woman who is now in the possession of 14 young children, it is hard to believe that someone would choose to endure the physical hardships of pregnancy if they hated it that much. There has been some speculation that Suleman is 'addicted' to pregnancy, although there is no known condition. Rather, some experts have been suggesting that Suleman is in denial about her ability to parent these children appropriately when in fact, the reality is that she will need her own entourage to manage her brood. Dr. Drew Pinsky, best known for his love advice on MTV, but whom also is a psychiatrist and a parent of triplets himself, told Matt Lauer on Today that the situation that Suleman has found herself in is actually far more grave than has been reported:

"It’s not mere speculation, but a matter of life and death...With octuplets, you have to have six or seven people going 24/7 in order to prevent, frankly, the death of one of these children. It’s a really serious issue."

Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/29405752/

Denny's harasses breastfeeding mum

One more reason why you should never go to Denny's:

In Asheville, NC, Crystal Everitt, 28, was approached by an employee of the food chain asking her to move to a more 'private' area while she was breastfeeding her 1 year old son. Everitt claims she was harassed and garnered the support of local mums who are holding a 'nurse-in' outside the restaurant.

Bring in the hooter hiders, Denny's is anti-boobs.....

Source: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902210340

Hide your hooters with an enthusiastically patterned bib

Bebe au Lait (also known as Hooter Hiders) for 'discrete nursing': What do we think?

Source: http://shop.bebeaulait.com/shop/originals/sevilla

Education begins in the womb?

HAHAHAHAHA.

Behold 'The Fetal Educator Strap', a belt with a cassette player and some transmitters. Apparently foetuses get smart when you play them music.

Source: http://inventorspot.com/articles/education_begins_womb_great_idea_24138

Letters! We get letters! Stacks, stacks, stacks of letters!

I love getting nice emails:

"I always felt really good about being a mother even though my body had changed and I did want to lose a little weight. I started to have ladies around me that either had no children and still had the great body or that by crash dieting they became skinny very quickly after birth. At first it had very little effect on my additude about being a mother, but it seemed that they bought into the whole "I look better than you and I am winning some weird contest "thing and eventually I had severe problems ( still do) with celebrities and the flaunting of their million dollars spent on the perfect body. Now everytime I see them I am disgusted and envious because of how my friends acted and how the tv warps your way of thinking about how life works. Even though I lost all the weight (too much got to 105 and I am 5'4") I did do it in a pretty healthy fashion, lots of excercise and well balanced nutritional diet ( unlike some people) I still wanted to have flawless skin and great breasts. I even considered after two girls to never anymore children and when I did decide to try for a boy (now soon to have another child) I decided that breast feeding would only increase the damage and that one day I would fix those and the ugly stretch marks with breast surgery and laser surgery!! Now that I only have 1 month of pregnancy to go and I have a wonderful family which includes my very supportive husband, I am considering breast feeding because I did so well before and once you are a mother, giving that up is only going to hurt the child not improve your breasts!! I now realize how ridiculous I have been by reading your blogs about celebrities and their unrealistic opinions of what the female's body is "supposed to look like", There IS NO SUCH THING!! thank you for the website and best wishes to other mothers who are always beating theirselves up to look perfect."

British mothers receive advice on sensible weight loss

I never thought I'd see the day. It seems that western governments are finally cottoning on to the fact that post-baby weight loss is a dangerous stressor for women who as they try to manage motherhood in cultures riddled with the presence of hot celebrity mums. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is concerned that British mums are trying too hard to copy celebrity slimming techniques and are pushing for new mothers to receive official guidance when it comes to safe and effective post-birth weight loss. Doctors are increasingly worried about women who are resorting to crash diets to bounce back, perhaps unknowingly impairing their ability to breastfeed for lack of calories to produce good milk.

Rosie Dodds, of the National Childbirth Trust, said: 'The message we want to get across is for women not to rush into it. Start with gradual exercise which is free and which can boost mood and confidence - such as simply walking with the baby in the pram or in a sling. Weight loss should also be gradual because that is the best way to keep it off.

'The last thing you need after you have had a baby is some unrealistic pressure to get back to a particular size or shape. Society should value women for being mothers.'

A good point, but nevertheless is this really new information? Even when women are not pregnant they know on some level that crash dieting is never a good thing and yet, the dieting industry in the US, Australia and the UK is thriving because women continue to buy into quick and seemingly simple but dangerous schemes for dropping weight. Is merely telling new mums that crash dieting is wrong an effective solution when our globalised world relies on and upholds celebrities and their bodies as the templates for daily life?

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1152439/New-mothers-receive-official-guidance-losing-weight-giving-birth.html

Sunday Life magazine: Mummy makeovers

For those of you that may have missed it, my story about post-baby plastic surgery in Thailand was published yesterday in the Sunday Life magazine of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. I've had some really interesting reader feedback already and for those of you who may have read the story, I'd be grateful for your thoughts as well.

Nicole Richie with child

*drum roll please*

Nicole Richie is pregnant with her second child. Joel Madden announced the news on the Good Charlotte website in a message titled “Better than winning an OSCAR!,” he wrote on Saturday night, “I am so happy to tell everyone that Harlow is going to be a big sister! God has truly blessed my family. Hope your [sic] all feeling as good as I am right now.”

We can all look forward to another year of baby bump scouting, maternity fashion and Paris Hilton saying she wants to be pregnant too.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29332814/

Midwives given expanded role in new report

According to The Age, a report written by Commonwealth chief nurse and midwifery officer Rosemary Bryant, due to be released today, suggests that new funding arrangements could support the expansion of midwives' roles in Australia's failing maternity system. Under the new scheme, midwives would have access to indemnity insurance, Medicare numbers and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Of course, many obstetricians are upset by this prospect. More than 900 submissions from health professionals, individuals, researchers, industry groups and professional organisations have been received. In submissions, the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists said midwives should not be given Medicare numbers and the Australian Medical Association said independent midwifery care would jeopardise the care of mothers and babies.

The report states that midwives must meet an advanced level of professional education and experience before being given greater access.

What do we think?

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/national/report-urges-expanded-role-for-midwives-20090220-8dqz.html?page=-1

Painted lady lumps: pregnant body art

Fancy a decorated baby bump?

An artist in the UK is offering her services to pregnant women as part of growing trend of bump painting or bump art. Erica Norman of New Brighton gives pregnant mums a 2hr bump painting session plus photo shoot. She says: "I want to offer it as a service to pregnant women. It's a little bit different and it's nice for mums-to-be because it's a chance for them to sit back and relax."

Oy.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/7899618.stm

Laila Ali happy not to look like she's had a child

If losing baby weight is hard for the everyday women of the world, how does it feel to gain weight when you are a professional boxer?

Laila Ali opened up to The Insider to say that losing weight has been extremely difficult. Almost to her pre-pregnancy weight since giving birth to her son Curtis six months ago, Ali is working on the last 10 pounds.“It takes nine months to put the weight on, so you just have to know it’s going to take time to get it off, which I do,” but says she is “not crazy about it like some people are.”

Nevertheless, a seemingly 'healthy' attitude to weight loss is punctuated by a disappointing summation of her post-bab body: “My body didn’t get stretched out too much to the point where it looks like I had a child, so I’m very lucky,” she explains.

God forbid you actually look like you gave birth after giving birth! Oh the horror!

Source: http://www.theinsider.com/news/1703657_Video_laila_Ali_And_Son_Curtis_Fun_Photo_Shoot

Elective caesars on the way out in the UK

It is no secret that caesarean rates are rising rapidly in the western world (currently 23% in Britain). In a bold move, the NHS (UK) has barred women from routinely having elective caesars because they are too expensive and strain the national health care budget. In Greater Manchester, elective caesars are being limited to women that can demonstrate specific health problems.

Some obstetricians, however, are firmly against the move. Dr Christoph Lees, an obstetrician and gynaecologist at Addenbrooke’s hospital in Cambridge, said: “I strongly disagree with this prescriptive condition setting. Sometimes well-informed women, often older and very unlikely to have further children, do request caesarean sections and it is unreasonable to refuse if they are fully informed.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. Although the rates of caesareans are ridiculously out of control at present, is it productive to limit women's choices even further? Sure, I would never choose to have a caesarean unless medically necessary but what's right for me isn't necessarily the right choice for everyone else.

What do we think? Is this something that should be implemented in the US, Canada and Australia?

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article5734096.ece

Conjoined twins die after one month

It wasn't long ago that I wrote about the conjoined twins born to a UK couple who caused a stir for choosing to keep their babies un-ironically named Hope and Faith, in spite of the fact that they were only given a 20% chance to live:

http://babybumpproject.blogspot.com/2009/01/two-twins-or-no-twins.html

Well, there are lots of people saying I told you so because tragically, the babies have died one month after being born, unable to survive separation surgery.

"When Hope was in the operating theatre and we got rushed down to see them and they were trying to keep her alive, I just thought it was time for her to go because it wasn't fair on her.

"Her lungs weren't big enough to take the oxygen in so everybody had done what they could.

"With Faith, she had been through so much in four weeks, we just didn't expect her little body to go through that. The time we spent with her was the most precious to all of us."

The parents say they don't regret their decision to have the babies. Would you?

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/shropshire/7899061.stm

Naomi Watts: on breastfeeding

On Ellen the other day, Naomi Watts mentioned that her partner Liev Schrieber was having a little breastfeeding envy:

"He does take care of Sasha [their nickname for Alexander] in the night, but he can't do Sammy because I'm breastfeeding," she says. "Although with the first one, he was like, 'I want the man boob.'"She added: "You can get those things. You can attach them and they feed through a tube!"

Any of your male partners out there feeling the same way? Has anyone used those man boob things?

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/news/naomi-watts-liev-schreiber-wants-breastfeed

Cardio dance your baby weight off

Tracy Anderson, the woman who helped Gwyneth Paltrow lose her pregnancy pounds, is opening up a gym in TriBeca with Paltrow as her silent partner. Remember when I posted a video clip of Paltrow bouncing around like a complete idiot doing her 'cardio dancing' on Oprah a while back? (If you have since forgotten, here is a refresher: http://babybumpproject.blogspot.com/2008/09/jlo-and-gwyneth-working-it-out.html

Anyway, you can have Paltrow's post-baby body if you are willing to pay $900 month in gym fees. In addition to the monthly dues, members must pay an initiation fee of $787.50 for six months or $1,500 for a year. Actually, you can't really get Gwyn's bod even if you pay. Tracy Anderson basically lives with Paltrow and Madonna depending on whose career is in higher gear, while working with the other through video chats and custom DVDs, or by dispatching one of her associate trainers. Last summer, she trained Madonna during the day in Manhattan and took the train almost every day to the Hamptons to put Ms. Paltrow through a workout in the evening.

Um yeah...

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/fashion/08trainer.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Isla Fisher: fat thighs, no good

Isla Fisher was chatting to Page Six about her new movie, Confessions of a Shopaholic and just happened to drop a juicy tidbit about pregnancy:

"I never work out. I just don't enjoy it. I gained 60 pounds during my pregnancy, so [producer] Jerry Bruckheimer hired me a trainer for Confessions of a Shopaholic. But the trainer said I had a bad attitude. He told me I was genetically blessed because I'm little, but he did warn me that it was gonna catch up with me.

Just when you start to think that she's refreshingly 'normal', she goes on to say:
"I didn't feel self-conscious about my body until I had a baby, and now I think, 'Thank God there's a photograph of my thighs when they looked like that."

Aw. It's sort of like putting ketchup on an expensive steak. Can you just admit that like most other women and celebrities for that fact, you do care about your weight? The whole 'I never exercise or worry about my weight' thing is so old it's like 1985 and we're all wearing leg warmers.

Source: http://www.nypost.com/pagesixmag/issues/20090215/Enchanted+Isla

Bristol Palin: motherhood is hard

Bristol Palin, 18, is back in the news following her candid comments about life with her baby Tripp. Have to give the girl credit, with a mother who bangs on about the importance of abstinence, when asked if she used contraception, Bristol declined to give details. Abstinence, she said, is the best option but "not realistic at all."

Apparently, her boyfriend Levi loves parenthood as well. According to People, "He has been staying at [the Palins' home] a lot with Bristol and helping her out," a pal of Levi's said. "He really likes being a father." Of course he likes being a father. Not having to wake up in the middle of the night, worry about losing the baby weight and dealing with the stigma of being a young mum is a pretty good deal.

Bristol, on the other hand, wants to be an advocate against teen pregnancy. "I'd love to [be] an advocate to prevent teen pregnancy because it's not, like, a situation that you would want to strive for, I guess." Ya think?

Sources: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliable-source/2009/02/bristol_palin_on_abstinence_mo.html?hpid=topnews
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20259679,00.html
Photo by: FOX News / AP

Pre-conception care: useful or a crock?

In an interesting study recently published in the British Medical Journal, it seems that women of childbearing age in the UK (20-34 years old) are less likely to follow pre-pregnancy recommendations such as decreasing the consumption of alcohol, taking folic acid supplements and quitting smoking. Of the 12, 445 women in the study, only 2.9% were taking folic acid supplements and having fewer than 4 drinks per week three month before conception. The authors of the study pin this down to young women being less inclined to want to change their pre-pregnancy lifestyles. The authors also suggest that public health messages about pre-conception care are not getting to women. I wonder if it's really just a lack of appropriate communication of public health messages or if women are just actively resisting the overly prescriptive rules and regulations surrounding pregnancy (from pre-conception to post-birth). Increasingly, women are being told to treat their bodies as if they could be pregnant at any time and I think this fits in nicely with all of the moral panics about motherhood and fertility for young women in their 20s.

I'm interested as to whether any of you following pre-conception care closely or if you think it's all a load of bollocks?

Source: British Medical Journal, Online First, February 13, 2009.

Brangelina trying to make it seven

According to new reports (from highly reliable *cough* sources), Angelina Jolie is already trying for baby number 7.

SEVEN.

Angie is doing everything she can to get pregnant,” a source close to the actress tells OK!.

“She’s taking prenatal vitamins, has dramatically cut down on her junk-food consumption, and is seeing her obstetrician regularly whenever she’s back in L.A.”

I don't know if seven children at different ages is necessarily better than octuplets? Still a case of too many children if you ask me.

Source: http://www.ok.co.uk/okusa/view/7287/Angelina-s-baby-diet/

Kate Moss sporting a bulge

Poor Kate Moss. The gal puts on a little bit of weight and everyone thinks she's pregnant. This situation nicely encapsulates the research about the meanings of fat and pregnancy I've been doing for the past few years. Women can never be 'in between' as it were: they are either 'fat' or 'pregnant'. A belly is only acceptable when it is flat or pregnant; a little pudge is no good.

Of her changing shape, Kate Moss told New York Magazine:

"I am a woman now! It’s true. No, honestly, I’ve never worn a bra in my life. Ever! It’s so awful, even my friends are phoning me up and saying “Are you pregnant?” And I’m like, “No! I just put on a couple of pounds, and they went in the right place.” Isn’t that weird? And how perfect for lingerie."

Sources: http://nymag.com/fashion/09/spring/54319/index1.html
http://www.babble.com.au/2009/02/16/bun-in-the-oven/

Motherhood and ballet do mix

I've written about pregnant ballet dancers before but would you ever believe that the Australian Ballet has introduced one of the country's most flexible family/maternity leave policies?

As pregnancy can be the ultimate career-ender for dancers, the Australian Ballet has introduced 14 weeks post-natal paid leave; leave for fathers, flexible safe duties for pregnant dancers, the opportunity for families to travel and stay together on tour, assistance with air fares and accommodation, and support in maintaining peak fitness in preparation for a return to their previous dancing roles.

Now Australian ballerinas do not have to worry as much about choosing between motherhood and dancing. This is great news considering most dancers leave at the peak of their careers in order to have families.

Source: http://www.theage.com.au/national/ballet-dancers-keep-in-step-with-family-life-20090214-87q2.html?page=1

Yowza

Octuplets mum, Nadya Suleman just days before giving birth.

There are no words.

Source: http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/12/octomom-it-was-a-very-goodyear/

On the Loos

Remember Rebecca Loos?

Yeah, the bisexual woman that David Beckham had an affair with a few years ago.

Well, she's pregnant to an unnamed new boyfriend:

"We're both delighted with the pregnancy. He wasn't a fling, he's my boyfriend and I hope to spend the rest of my life with him."

She tells the Daily Mail her 'crazy days' are over.

Right.

Source: http://tinyurl.com/b7eoee

Hello, I'm in labour.

I'm still trying to understand the appeal of Twitter. Micro-updating, however, thanks to Facebook and other technological annoyances that come with this postmodern life is here to stay. Just this week rapper Erykah Badu and her partner twittered her labour and birth. Her last tweet before handing over the updating to her partner, Jay Electronica was "contractions are 3 min. apart..... breathing". Hours after her daughter was born, she wrote "I can't believe it's over. Home birth, no painkillers, about five hours, she was a little past due date, but I didn't mind waiting. Breath."

Badu isn't the first woman to tweet her birth. Back in August, one woman in Denver twittered her way through labour and was made fun of on a number of websites including Gawker: http://twitter.com/ginnycase/statuses/900727494.

Another woman used to Tumblr to describe her experience of abortion:
http://myabortion.tumblr.com/

Is this the way of the future or a case of too much information?

Sources: http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/02/05/my-body-my-tweets
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b81870_Erykah_Badu_Twitters_as_the_Stork_Arrives.html

Naomi Watts: Postbaby confessions

Prepare yourself to hate Naomi Watts just a little more.

She tells Ok!, "I eat more now than I did when I was pregnant! With breastfeeding, you have to eat... and you're always hungry."

And then the kicker.

"I haven't even done much exercise yet, but I intend to."

Another day in celebrityville.

Source: http://www.okmagazine.com/news/view/11858

M.I.A's baby getting his swagga on

M.I.A. is now being referred to as the 'hero' of the Grammy's for getting her rap on while 9 months pregnant. In fact, not only did she manage to make it to the show, she actually performed on her due date. She wore an outfit that was clearly meant to draw attention away from the pregnancy

In response, she said, "I just don't know what labor is. It's my first baby. So I'm not walking around going, 'Maybe this is it.' The baby is just moving around, getting his swagga on."

There you have it.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1604583/20090209/mia__4_.jhtml

Pregnancy brain: myth or reality?

Alyson Hannigan of 'How I Met Your Mother' recently noted that being pregnant makes her feel like a stoned Koala bear. "I get tired a lot and I have pregnancy brain, which I never realized was a thing but it is," the expectant mom said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show Friday.

Contrary to popular belief, however, a new study reveals that having babies actually SHARPENS women's brains. A 10-year study into the phenomenon by scientists at the Australian National University in Canberra concludes that "baby brain" is an urban myth. Instead of suffering a slump in mental and verbal abilities during the early stages of motherhood, women's cognitive abilities improve when they become pregnant.

"We found that women who were pregnant during the second or third batch of interviews performed the same on tests of logic and memory as they did before, and there was no difference between the pregnant women and the controls," said Professor Helen Christensen, who is director of the centre for mental health research at the university in Canberra.

"It really leaves the question open as to why [pregnant] women - and, often, their partners - think they have poor memories, when the best evidence we have is that they don't," she said. "Perhaps women notice minor lapses in mental ability and then attribute it to being pregnant because that is the most significant thing in their mind at the time. Or sleep deprivation could mask the positive cognitive effects." Christensen believes the improvements in mothers' mental abilities could be permanent.

What do you think? Does pregnancy brain exist?

Sources: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/feb/08/pregnancy-maternity-sharpen-womens-brains
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20256008,00.html

More restrictions on abortion.

And another bad start to your Monday.

According to reports in USA Today, lawmakers in 11 states are considering bills that would require ultrasounds before a woman is permitted to have an abortion. The most stringent laws are being proposed in Nebraska, Indiana and Texas, which would require a doctor show the ultrasound image of the foetus to the woman. Oklahoma's law is currently being challenged in court after it has been deemed to infringe on women's rights to privacy and assault dignity.

"They really do not even veil their goal, which is to make a woman feel badly and to make her change her mind," said Celine Mizrahi, a lawyer for the New York-based center. "It really is a ridiculous position to put the doctor and patient in."

Even bills that are considered 'less restrictive' are still problematic. South Carolina is trying to require that women must wait 24 hours before being permitted to have an abortion and women are given the option of viewing the foetal photograph one hour before the procedure. Mizrahi notes that women women may be referred to a centre that performs ultrasounds for free. This is a problem because many of these clinics are considered pregnancy 'crisis centres' and are run by pro-life groups which actively discourage women from having abortions.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-02-08-abortion-laws_N.htm

Jennifer Aniston: on baby watch (on film)

Hmm. Considering Jennifer Aniston claims to be sick of having her womb stalked for any evidence of pregnancy, one wonders why she has decided to sign on to a new movie with Jason Bateman called 'The Baster', which as you might have already guessed, is about a woman who gets pregnant via artificial insemination. I don't know what's more disturbing, the plot line in which Bateman, playing her best friend, swaps the donor sperm with his own and later has to live with the reality that the baby is his child or the headlines accompanying the press release for the movie including beauties such as 'Jennifer Aniston Fertilizes The Baster', 'Jennifer Aniston to get inseminated' and 'Jennifer Aniston to get basted'.

Um, ew?

Source: http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b98768_Jennifer_Aniston_Fertilizes_The_Baster.html

Jessica Alba: weight loss is hard

Jessica Alba reveals to Elle this month that losing her baby weight was more than just hard. In a race to get fit for the sexy photo shoot for Campari (above), she says,"[The workouts] were horrible. I cried. And I haven't worked out since."

Looks like the life of a celeb mum isn't so easy after all. But do we believe she hasn't worked out at all since then?

Source: http://www.usmagazine.com/news/jess-alba-i-cried-trying-to-lose-baby-weight

Octuplets mum raises vexing questions

I've avoided talking about the octuplets mum..until now. For those of you who have been outside the realm of the mass media, a California woman has given birth to octuplets by caesarean section. It has been revealed, however, that this woman has six children already. Having conceived through IVF, when given the option to selectively abort some of the implanted embryos, she chose to keep all of them. I won't get into the ethics of this on the part of the doctor as this has been written about extensively elsewhere. I find two things very interesting.

1) I wrote about infertility the other day and how the pressure for women in their 20s to start thinking about their ticking biological clocks is a precedent established historically by the new 'empowerment' brought to women in a post-feminist world. I noted that as soon as certain groups of women gain power in the public sphere, institutional powers-that-be remind women of their 'duties' as wives and mothers and all of these moral panics about fertility start to emerge. Ironically, the next day, we hear about the octuplets mum and her growing brood of 14 children. If this women, is clearly, if not a little overzealously, fulfilling her procreative 'duty', why is it that the many commentators have gone to great lengths to establish this woman's insanity? It seems that fertility is only desirable when you are a 'good' woman or a desirable candidate for motherhood.

2) Although the octuplets mum has wanted to remain nameless, according to The Australian today, the unemployed woman is seeking $2 million from commercial sponsorship and media interviews in order to defray the costs of her children. She apparently has Oprah and Diane Sawyer on board for interviews.

What do we think? Would the picture be different if the octuplets mum was 38, happily married and employed?

Source: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24993121-2703,00.html