Forty moms-to-be whose spouses are deployed with the military had the opportunity to experience what many other expectant women may take for granted – a baby shower. These moms, whose spouses all are members of the U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines and California Army National Guard, were honored during a group baby shower hosted by Operation Shower with support from Birdies for the Brave and presented by Datron World Communications. March of Dimes served as the shower’s lead health education partner, providing essential information on how to have a healthy, full-term pregnancy and a healthy baby.
The shower was held at a luncheon on Tuesday, January 24, in the San Diego Padres Military Appreciation Pavilion at Torrey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla during the 2012 Farmers Insurance Open.
Each of the honored moms-to-be received Operation Shower’s signature “Shower In a Box” – a gift of high-quality products for mothers and babies. March of Dimes also provided information on essential topics ranging from warning signs of pre-term birth, to which newborn screening tests every baby should have, to information specifically for dads as part of its Mission: Healthy Baby Program. All military moms and dads can request Mission: Healthy Baby materials by sending their name and address to missionhealthybaby@marchofdimes.com.
Very high levels of stress, such as the stress caused by a deployment, may contribute to premature birth or low birthweight. “Having a baby is a joyful experience. However, it’s also one that comes with anxiety and stress, especially when your spouse is deployed overseas by the U.S. military,” said Miriam Erdosi of the March of Dimes. “The March of Dimes believes in supporting moms and moms-to-be and we’re grateful for this opportunity to help these military families. These showers and our Mission: Healthy Baby program give families the comfort, support and information they deserve.”
The March of Dimes support for the military dates back to its founding by President Roosevelt in 1938. Mission: Healthy Baby, is supported by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and was designed specifically to address the unique needs of military members who may be stationed far away from the support of family and friends, or who may be fighting a war while their partner is home, expecting a child.
Operation Shower is a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating and honoring military families by providing joyful baby showers for military moms-to-be to ease the burden of deployment, or in cases where spouses are seriously injured. Since the organization’s inception in 2007, Operation Shower has showered more than 500 military moms from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard on military bases, during PGA TOUR tournaments, and at other locations.
Children with higher exposure to chemicals called PFCs (perfluorinated compounds) may be less likely to have a good response to vaccines. A new study just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that these chemicals may affect the immune system enough to make children more vulnerable to diseases.
PFCs are used in making non-stick cookware, rainwear, upholstery, coatings on paper plates, fast food packaging, microwave popcorn bags and many other products. The chemicals can get into the food chain and drinking water and stay within our systems for years. They are found everywhere around the globe. “You can find them in polar bears,” says the study’s author Dr. Philippe Grandjean of Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Grandjean and his team studied nearly 600 children in the Faroe Islands, located between Scotland and Iceland. (These children have blood levels of PFCs similar to those of children in the U.S.) Scientists measured the children’s PFC levels by taking blood samples from their mothers during pregnancy and from the children at ages 5 and 7. They found that children with the highest prenatal PFC exposure had the lowest response to vaccinations, as measured by the antibodies produced after they received the shots. They found that children who had twice as much PFC in their blood had half the antibody response to tetanus and diphtheria vaccines. The scientists wonder if this lowered antibody response may leave children vulnerable to these diseases if exposed later on.
The health effects of PFCs are not well understood but concern for public health has prompted the Environmental Protection Agency to take steps to reduce and/or phase out the production of some PFCs. But while we in the U.S. may be reducing our use of PFCs, other countries, like China, are producing and selling them in large amounts. Dr. Grandjean believes that more studies of PFCs need to be conducted to understand potential risks and that the issue needs international attention.
When you walk in March for Babies, you give hope to the more than half a million babies born too soon each year. The money you raise supports programs in your community that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies. And it funds research to find answers to the problems that threaten our babies. We’ve been walking since 1970 and have raised an incredible $2 billion to benefit all babies.
Did you know that about 1 out of every 100 infants is born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) each year in the U.S.? CHDs are among the most common birth defects and are the leading cause of birth defect-related infant deaths.
Learn about pulse oximetry testing of newborns and the more common heart defects by joining us for an online chat. If you or someone you know has had a child with a heart defect, come share your story. Meet us on Twitter at 1 PM EST on Thursday, January 26th. Be sure to use #pregnancychat to participate and see the full conversation.
Premature babies can struggle with many different health problems that come as a result of their early birth. Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is one of them. ROP is an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye. It occurs in babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy. ROP can lead to bleeding and scarring that can damage the eye’s retina (the lining at the rear of the eye that relays messages to the brain). This can result in vision loss.
It is very important that every baby with ROP have frequent follow-up exams, even if this extends beyond hospital discharge, until the ROP disappears.
Terrifying as a diagnosis of ROP may be, the good news is that most mild cases heal without treatment, with little or no vision loss. The abnormal blood vessels shrink and disappear. In more severe cases, the ophthalmologist may perform laser therapy or do a procedure called cryotherapy (freezing) to eliminate abnormal blood vessels and scars. Both treatments help protect the retina.
The March of Dimes is funding research into possible ways of preventing ROP. Kip Connor, PhD, Children’s Hospital, Boston, is studying the role of omega-3 fatty acids (nutrients found in certain fatty fish) in preventing abnormal growth of blood vessels in the eye that can lead to retinopathy of prematurity. This study could possibly lead to nutritional treatments that could help prevent ROP. We’ll keep you posted on Dr. Connor’s progress.
After the baby is born, many new moms have the “postpartum blues” or the “baby blues.” The word “blues” isn’t really correct since women with this condition are happy most of the time. But compared to how she usually feels, a new mother can be more irritable, cry more easily, feel sad and confused.
Lots of things are happening right after you have a baby. You may feel worried or overwhelmed. You have so many questions. Why is the baby crying? Is he getting enough milk? Why doesn’t he sleep more at night? Now that your baby’s here, you’re probably going through some emotional changes. It’s common for new moms to feel very stressed. There’s so much to do and learn. For couples, a new baby in the house also brings changes. While you’re adjusting, your partner is too.
The postpartum blues peak three to five days after delivery. They usually end by the tenth day after the baby’s birth. Although the postpartum blues are no picnic, the mother can function normally. The feeling of the “blues” usually lessens and goes away over time.
Medical experts believe that changes in your hormones after delivery cause the postpartum blues.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women do these things to help relieve the “postpartum blues”:
• Talk to your partner or a good friend about how you feel
• Get plenty of rest
• Ask your partner, friends and family for help
• Take time for yourself
• Get out of the house every day, even if it’s just for a short while
• Join a new mother’s group and share your feelings with the women you meet there
If the symptoms last for longer than two weeks or worsen, you may have postpartum depression. This is a serious medical condition requiring treatment.
We haven’t had much snow to speak of this winter (knock on wood), but it sure is cold! It’s important to remember that even though the sun may be shining, the temperature, especially if it’s windy, can quickly freeze little faces, fingers and toes.
Frostbite is an injury caused by freezing. It is most commonly seen on ears, checks, nose, chin, fingers and toes. When it’s really cold, your body pulls its heat source, the blood, more to your core in order to keep your heart and lungs warm. That leaves your extremities with less circulating heat and, therefore, more vulnerable to freezing. Children are more likely than adults to get frostbite because they lose heat from their body faster.
It doesn’t take long to get frostbite. If it’s a windy day, skin can freeze even when the temperature outside is above freezing. If the windchill factor is below -20 degrees F, skin can freeze in just one minute.
At the first sign or redness or pain in the skin, get out of the cold. If the skin is numb, takes on a white or grayish-yellow color, or feels unusually firm or waxy, call your health care provider. Do not rub the area as you could damage the skin further. Try rewarming it with warm, not hot, water.
Protect yourself. When you and your tots go out to play this winter, safeguard yourselves by wearing loose-fitting layers of clothes. Loose-fitting layers insulate better than ones that are tight. Your outer layer should be wind resistant and water repellent. And don’t forget insulated boots, a hat with ear flaps, scarf and mittens.
Born at 31 weeks, weighing just 3lbs 1 oz, Kieran Wittstruck spent the first month of his life in a newborn intensive care unit. Now 5 years old, Kieran still flips expectations on their head. Outside his home near Seattle, he likes to ride his bike and swim. He also is a budding mechanical engineer and is always working on his next great invention. And if that wasn’t enough, he even runs his own cat spy agency: MEOWS!
Some parents think that a baby, even a breastfed baby is constipated if she isn’t having a bowel movement every day. That’s not necessarily so. As long as the movement is very soft, there is no reason why a baby needs to have a bowel movement every day. Each baby is different – some will have two a day, others will have one every other day. The important thing is the stool must have a soft consistency.
Once solid foods start being introduced into her diet, it may take a while for your little one’s bowels to adjust to digesting more complicated food. At this point, her stools will firm up and she’ll have a movement less often. That’s normal, but if the stools seem hard and uncomfortable to pass, tell your baby’s doctor. He will probably OK giving her a little prune juice or stewed prunes. Most babies seem to take to prunes fairly well.
Constipation should be just a temporary problem. If it lasts longer than a week, check with your baby’s doc or nurse practitioner for ways to correct it.
In premature rupture of membranes (PROM), the sac inside the uterus that holds the baby breaks too soon. If PROM occurs before 37 weeks of pregnancy, it is called preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). With few exceptions, once the membrane ruptures a woman usually delivers her baby within one week.
In a full-term pregnancy, membranes rupture because their strength and elastic qualities have weakened over time and the force of contractions becomes too difficult to withstand. Before term, however, membranes can rupture for some reasons we understand and for other reasons we still haven’t figured out.
Research suggests that many cases are triggered by the body’s natural response to certain infections, including those involving amniotic fluid and fetal membranes like the placenta. However, in about half of all cases of premature birth, providers are unable to uncover why a woman delivered prematurely.
Some contributing factors to PPROM are previous preterm birth, sexually transmitted infections, vaginal bleeding, and smoking cigarettes. (That’s right, smoking cigarettes has been linked to PPROM. So here is another good reason to try to quit.) Women who receive late or no prenatal care also may be at higher risk for PPROM.
Preterm PROM is not only dangerous for the baby who will be born premature, but it can also pose a serious threat to the mom because it increases her risk of infection. Chorioamnionitis is a uterine infection that can cause a high fever, pain and a rapid pulse and it is important to receive treatment to avoid this. One study suggests that this infection also may increase a preterm or full-term baby’s risk for cerebral palsy.
The most common signs of PROM are a gush of water from the vagina or steady leaking, a constant wetness in your underwear no matter how many times you change it. If you experience any symptoms, check in with your doc or midwife right away. They can analyze the fluid, check your cervix, even do an ultrasound to see if something serious is going on.
Forty moms-to-be whose spouses are deployed with the military had the opportunity to experience what many other expectant women may take for granted – a baby shower. These moms, whose spouses all are members of the U.S. Navy SEALs, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines and California Army National Guard, were honored during a group baby shower hosted by Operation Shower with support from Birdies for the Brave and presented by Datron World Communications. March of Dimes served as the shower’s lead health education partner, providing essential information on how to have a healthy, full-term pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Did you know that about 1 out of every 100 infants is born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) each year in the U.S.? CHDs are among the most common birth defects and are the leading cause of birth defect-related infant deaths.
We haven’t had much snow to speak of this winter (knock on wood), but it sure is cold! It’s important to remember that even though the sun may be shining, the temperature, especially if it’s windy, can quickly freeze little faces, fingers and toes.
