News Moms Need

The US Department of Health and Human Services has designated May 2013 as the first National Preeclampsia Awareness Month. Throughout the month, several organizations educate about preeclampsia, a serious and common complication of pregnancy and the postpartum period. This condition is dangerous to both the mother and her unborn baby. Preeclampsia is characterized by high blood pressure and protein in the urine, and can also include signs and symptoms such as swelling, headaches and visual disturbances. It’s so important for pregnant women to keep all their prenatal appointments and to alert their health care providers if they have any of the symptoms.

The Preeclampsia Foundation has launched a month-long campaign of education including infographics, Twitter chats, blogs and more. Learn as much as you can to help keep yourself and your baby as healthy as possible.

Can sitting in a bubble bath cause a urinary tract infection (UTI)? The answer isn’t clear, but it might contribute to one, especially in girls.

Your bladder stores urine in your body. When you urinate, the urine passes from the bladder through a tube called the urethra to exit your body. The urethra is shorter in girls than in boys, which can allow bacteria to enter the bladder more easily.

Any kind of strong soap or strong fragrance if not completely rinsed off can irritate the opening of the urethra. If irritated, it can become painful to pee and women, and especially young girls, might hold their urine longer than normal to avoid pain. Holding urine can allow bacteria to multiply and eventually reach the bladder, which can lead to infection.

Some health care professionals recommend keeping girls out of bubble baths until they are at least 3 years old. Others prefer that you avoid them completely. Regardless of age, if you, or your daughter, tend to get UTIs, don’t sit in a bubble bath. And watch out for baths that have bubbles from shampoo. Wait to shampoo her hair until the end of the bath and rinse her thoroughly, then out she gets!

March of Dimes, whose mission is to give every baby a healthy start, has launched an exciting new research program in partnership with Stanford University, one of the premier research intuitions in the world. This video demonstrates the commitment and enthusiasm of some of the 130 renowned medical and biological researchers embarking on a unique transdisciplinary approach to put an end to premature birth.

IDEA is the federal law that governs special education. An important part of this law is Prior Written Notice or PWN.   It means that if your child’s school wishes to add, change or eliminate any part of your child’s special ed program, the school must first explain why, in detail, and in writing. NICHCY has a great explanation about PWN on their website.

Why is PWN important?

As with any process that is governed by laws, it is important that procedures be followed. Procedural safeguards help protect the process and that is what protects your child.

When should you receive PWN?

If your child is not yet receiving special education services, PWN should be given to you before the school evaluates your child. You then have the opportunity to respond to this written notice.

If your child is already in special education, PWN should be given to you when the school wishes to change her educational placement or services in any way. If you propose a change to your child’s IEP, and the school district does not agree with you and refuses to make the change, the school should provide you with PWN. If they do not, then ask for it. The PWN must explain all of the school’s reasons for refusing your request. It may also enable you to have a more thorough discussion with the school and hopefully arrive at an agreeable outcome.

Your child’s school should give you PWN within a reasonable amount of time before the school can make any changes to your child’s program. 

What should the PWN contain?

PWN must be provided to you in your native language. It should be written in plain, clear language (also part of the law). In other words, parents must be able to understand the proposed changes. It should not be written in a manner that makes it impossible for a layperson or consumer to understand. IDEA provides a template of what should be included in the prior written notice. You can see it here.  Wrightslaw also has tons of information on PWN and sample forms and letters.

Can you write your own PWN?

Let’s say you don’t agree with the school’s plan for your child. You can ask the district for the PWN to understand their reasons. Or you might even write your own PWN. Wrightslaw explains how to do this so that you write it in a way that follows the PWN template. After you submit it to your school, they would then need to respond to you in writing to provide explanations. 

Where can you go to get assistance?

In this and other blog posts, I have referred you to NICHCY’s and Wrightslaw’s websites. Another great place to go is the National Parent Technical Assistance Center. You will find Parent Centers located in most states. They assist parents by providing up-to-date information, and high quality resources and materials. Take advantage of this resource – it could be a lifeline!

Bottom line

Would you ever drive a car without knowing the rules of the road first? What would you do first? How would you do it? Where would you go?  Driving without knowing the laws could be disastrous!

IDEA is there to ensure your child receives a free and appropriate public education (FAPE). It provides a roadmap to follow for a smooth process for your child in special education. But there may be times when things don’t go smoothly. This is when the law can help you.  PWN is one of those provisions in the law that is there to help you navigate this system. Educate yourself on the process and soon you will feel that you are an equal player. The end result is that your child gets the help she needs, deserves and is to which she is entitled.

Remember, you need to know the rules in order to drive the car.
Have questions? Send them to AskUs@marchofdimes.com.

Note: This post is part of the weekly series Delays and disabilities – how to get help for your child. It appears every Wednesday, and was started on January 16, 2013. Feel free to go back to look at prior posts as the series builds on itself.  As always, we welcome your comments and input.

How can we not be moved by Angelina Jolie’s stunning announcement today that she recently underwent double mastectomy surgery to prevent breast cancer? It is a monumental personal decision, but her generosity in sharing this news in the New York Times with all of us is bold, brave and a true gift.

This announcement comes during National Women’s Health Week. It encourages us to take charge of our health and to ask for the support we all need. It is a reminder of how important it is for all of us, men and women, to know our family health history. If you don’t know yours well, use our family health history form at this link to help you get started.

We admire and appreciate celebrities who use their influence to remind us to support one another and live healthier lives.

How old were you when you had your baby? Today, 1 in 5 women in the US has her 1st child after age 35. Halle Barry currently is pregnant at age 46! The good news is most have healthy pregnancies & healthy babies. There are, however, a number of challenges and concerns. 

Join us on Twitter Tuesday May 14th at 1 PM ET for our next pregnancy chat. Learn about these issues and things you can do to help start a family when you’re no longer in your 20s. Join in the conversation by using #pregnancychat.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’d like to offer expectant moms one more tool to help promote a healthy pregnancy. Here’s a quick introduction to elective deliveries. Find out why the latest research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and  information from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the March of Dimes all suggest that women wait until at least 39 weeks of pregnancy to deliver unless medically necessary.
 
What is the safest point in my pregnancy for my baby to be born?

The baby’s brain, liver, and lungs continue important development in the womb until 39 weeks. Unless health risks to the mother or baby require earlier delivery, it is best to wait until at least 39 weeks to deliver and, if possible, to let labor begin on its own. This extra time improves outcomes for mother and baby.

What to ask your health provider before you decide to deliver before 39 weeks of pregnancy:
   • Are there any medical indications that suggest I should induce labor early?
   • What are the potential complications of elective early delivery for my baby?
   • What are the potential complications for my own health?
   • How do you tell when my body is ready for labor?
   • How might inducing labor affect my future pregnancies?

Just a couple weeks can make a big difference for your health and the health of your baby. As you approach the last few months of your pregnancy (or if you’re already there), keep the questions above in mind as you talk to your doctor or midwife about your delivery options. Write them down. Print them out. And watch this video from the NIH on why waiting just a few extra weeks to deliver can be critical for you and your baby.

Happy Nurse Appreciation Week to all the incredible nurses out there! Nurses play a critical role in advancing the mission of the March of Dimes. They serve the foundation in so many ways: as health care providers, educators, researchers, fundraisers, chapter volunteers and advisors. Nurses work tirelessly and we can’t thank them enough!

March of Dimes is pleased to honor nursing excellence and pay tribute to hundreds of nurses that are at the front lines of care and have had a tremendous impact on patients and their families. Each year, nurses with various specialties are nominated for Nurse of the Year awards by colleagues and families alike. A prestigious group of healthcare professionals review applications and make award selections in a number of categories. You can take a look at the amazing Nurse of the Year award winners for 2012 from around the country at this link.

Do you know an amazing nurse? Tell us about him or her!

Since this is IEP season (the time of the year when IEPs are reviewed and re-vamped for the next school year), I am going to keep focusing on this all important document and process. IEP stands for “Individualized Education Program.” It is both a process and a written educational plan for a child with a qualifying disability.  If your child is in special education due to a delay or disability, the IEP is your child’s lifeline.

What must you know about IEPs? 

If you need a crash course on how to prepare for your IEP meeting and create a winning IEP, I suggest you go to Wrightslaw’s page. In a simple “pop up” format, you will find these topics:

• Determining present levels
• Writing measurable goals
• Providing individualized services, not one-size-fits-all services
• Including related services in the IEP
• Transportation options
• Including extracurricular activities
• Measuring your child’s progress
• Receiving services while being mainstreamed

You can also see my prior post on how to create effective IEP goals.

What is the LRE?

It is very important to understand “Least Restrictive Environment” commonly known as LRE. The law says children with disabilities must be educated in the least restricted environment with non-disabled peers “to the maximum extent possible.” (This concept is also commonly called “inclusion.”) The LRE is your child’s regular education classroom. Your child can not be removed from her classroom unless her disability does not allow her to be educated there, even with supports from supplementary aids and services (that are provided through an IEP).  The IEP team (of which parents are full members) decides whether or not the nature of the disability makes it possible for your child to be educated in the regular ed classroom with individualized supports.

There is a range of options for where a child may be educated, based on her individual needs. They are (in order from the least restrictive to the most restrictive environment):

• the child’s regular education classroom
• a special class within the regular “home” school 
• an “out placement” such as a specialized school
• home schooling
• education within a hospital or institution

It is so important to remember that the goal is to give your child what she NEEDS to learn and succeed. There is no point in keeping her in a regular ed classroom if she truly needs outside services and a different placement to thrive.

When the LRE doesn’t work for your child

For a long time, my daughter (who has learning disabilities and auditory problems) was in the regular ed classroom where she received extra help and support. She was not making good progress. One day she announced to me that she found it too noisy to listen and learn in that room. Due to her auditory problems, she could not filter out the classroom noises and focus on her work. So, the IEP team decided to put her in the resource room (a small, quiet classroom with a special education teacher and only 4 children) to receive her specialized instruction. My daughter’s relief was immediately evident as she would tune in to her teacher, quiet her mind and think effectively. She received her specialized instruction in the resource room and began making gains. She liked going to the resource room. It was good for her, even if it was not the least restrictive environment.

Bottom Line

Knowing what your child needs and working with the IEP team to achieve individualized goals is what is most important. Two children with the same disabling condition may have two entirely different placements and IEP goals. There is no one-size-fits-all formula. INDIVIDUALIZED is the keyword.

Have questions?  Send them to AskUs@marchofdimes.com

Note: This post is part of the weekly series Delays and disabilities – how to get help for your child. It was started on January 16, 2013 and appears every Wednesday. Feel free to go back to look at prior posts as the series builds on itself. As always, we welcome your comments and input.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning women and their health providers that Valproate products, a group of medicines normally used to treat seizures, is unsafe for pregnant women to use to treat migraines. A recent study found that the products may harm brain development in babies, leading to lower IQs than healthy babies later in life. FDA also says women who aren’t pregnant and are using Valproate products should use birth control.

Valproate products are usually used to treat epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes you to have frequent seizures, and bipolar disorder, a serious mental illness that leads to unusual mood changes. FDA says that Valproate products may still be used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder in pregnancy, but only if no other treatment is suitable.

If you’re pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, talk to your health provider about any medicines you take. Some medicines you take can hurt your baby. Once you’re provider knows what medicines you take, she can tell you which ones are safe and which ones you need to stop taking.

Learn more about the FDA announcement on Valproate.