Water Aerobics in Pregnancy Lessens Labor Pain

According to an article in the New York Times, moderate exercise during pregnancy appears to markedly lower a woman’s need for epidural pain relief when she delivers her baby, a new study suggests.

Many women hope to have natural childbirth without pain drugs but find labor so difficult they end up requesting an epidural, which provides pain relief through injection of a painkiller into the epidural space at the base of the spine. Ideally, the epidural only dulls the pain, and women remain alert and can still play an active role in labor.

However, there is a downside. Epidural pain relief may also slow labor and may make the pushing stage longer and more difficult because women lose sensation in their lower body. Even when very little drug is administered, some hospitals won’t let women walk around once they’ve had an epidural.

A small study published in the medical journal Reproductive Health suggests that women can influence their risk for needing pain relief long before labor starts. Researchers from Brazil recruited 71 expectant mothers prior to their 20th week of pregnancy. The women weren’t regular exercisers at the time of the study.

Click here to read the full story.

A Changing Landscape for Down Syndrome?

By Lisa Belkin in the New York Times

Illustration by Barry Falls

A BBC documentary, “Born with Down’s syndrome,” aired in Britain last night.

Apparently one of the many differences between British English and American English is that here it is called Down syndrome. Another difference, according to the documentary, is that the rate of babies being born with the genetic defect is increasing over there. (I have not seen the film myself, but you can read reports of it in London papers here, here and here.)

The availability of screening for Down syndrome became widespread about 20 years ago, and since then the number of cases has dropped precipitously as most women who received the diagnosis chose to terminate the pregnancy. The numbers remain lower in the U.S., but in Britain, where cases had fallen between from a high of 717 in 1989 to a low of 594 in 2000, the number of births began rising again, reaching 749 in 2006, the last year for which data is available.

Click here to read the entire article.

Alliance Alert Newsletter – November 2008

To view the November 2008 edition of the Alliance Alert newsletter please click here.

March of Dimes is on Twitter

As many of you know, Twitter is a powerful social networking medium. If you are on Twitter consider following The March of Dimes.

The March of Dimes is now offering daily pregnancy tips in English and Spanish as well as babytips through

Twitter.  The links are listed below.

http://twitter.com/marchofdimes

http://twitter.com/nacersano

http://twitter.com/babytips

What Goes on Inside the Brain of a Bully?

The Brain of a Bully

Researchers from the University of Chicago used brain scan technology to find out. They wanted to learn whether the brain of an aggressive youth responds differently to violence than the brain of someone who is not a bully. In a chilling finding, the researchers found aggressive youths appear to enjoy inflicting pain on others.

In the study, the researchers compared eight 16- to 18-year-old boys who were unusually aggressive to a control group of adolescent boys with no unusual signs of aggression. The aggressive boys had been given a diagnosis of aggressive conduct disorder and had been in trouble for starting fights, using a weapon and stealing from their victims.

Click here to read the entire article from the New York Times

NCBDDD Partners November Newsletter

1. A Note from Our Friends at NCBDDD: Video Educates on Detecting Developmental Disabilities

   A new video from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-TV supports early detection efforts for developmental disabilities. The latest in the CDC-TV “Health Matters” series, “Baby Steps: Learn the Signs. Act Early” provides up-to-date information and guidance on identifying developmental disabilities. The video builds on resources such as the NCBDD campaign, “Learn the Signs: Act Early.” It features interviews with a developmental pediatrician and the parents of a special needs child, and presents compelling and instructional information about developmental milestones. Access it online at www.cdc.gov/CDCtv/BabySteps.

   

2. A Note from the Executive Committee: Keeping Disabilities & Birth Defects on the National Agenda

   The EPG Executive Committee will be meeting soon to develop advocacy approaches for the transition to the new federal administration. Specific thoughts concerning best ways to keep disabilities, birth defects and developmental disabilities issues at the forefront would be appreciated. Please send your comments to Russell Kirby ( rkirby@health.usf.edu) so that they may be included in on the agenda-setting discussion.

   

3. November 14: 20th Annual Roast for Spina Bifida Honors Stephen Colbert

   The 20th Annual Roast for Spina Bifida, this year honoring Stephen Colbert, will be held November 14 at the Washington Hilton in the District of Columbia. Every year since 1989, the Spina Bifida Association has been turning the tables on members of “the fourth estate,” as Washington’s most prominent representatives of politics and the media grill a member of the press to raise funds for a worthy cause. The event also features a silent auction and the raffle of a Lexus RX Hybrid! For more info and to purchase tickets, click here.

   

4. December 4: Webinar on Pediatric Mental Health Care

   The National Institute for Health Care Management (NIHCM) Foundation invites you to participate in an important webinar set for Thursday, December 4 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. EDT: “Pediatric Mental Health Care: Strategies to Integrate Early Identification and Treatment Into Primary Care.” Speakers will address the current state of children’s mental health care, using the Bright Futures guidelines to promote mental health, ADHD management programs for children in primary care, and collaborative models for depression care among children. Electronic registration and a draft agenda are available on the NIHCM Foundation’s website. Registration is open until 12 noon EDT on December 3.

   

5. November is Prematurity Awareness Month: March of Dimes Launches Petition for Preemies

   To mark November as Prematurity Awareness Month, March of Dimes has launched the 2008 Petition for Preemies. The petition has the backing of at least one high-profile American mother: Sherri Shepherd of ABC-TV’s “The View,” who is volunteering her time to mobilize signees from across the country. The Petition for Preemies also is supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the National Business Group on Health, and more than two dozen other entities. The 2008 Petition for Preemies calls for hospital leaders to voluntarily review all cesarean-section births and inductions of labor that occur before 39 weeks gestation, in an effort to reverse America’s rising preterm birth rate and ensure that all c-sections and inductions meet established American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines regarding medical necessity of elective procedures. It also calls for expanded federal support for prematurity-related research, for policymakers to improve access to health care coverage for women of childbearing age and smoking cessation programs as part of maternity care – as well as asking businesses to create workplaces that support maternal and child health. To learn more and sign the petition, click here.

   

6. Applications Accepted for NCFA’s Folic Acid Promotion Grants

   The deadline is December 1 to apply for the National Council on Folic Acid’s folic acid promotion grants for local agencies working to increase awareness among women of childbearing age. Nonprofit groups are encouraged to apply, and previous grantees are eligible. Four grants will be awarded at the $5,000 level, OR two grants a the $10,000 level. They will be awarded based on the strength of the applicant’s use of CDC folic acid materials and available audience research. Funds are to be used for folic acid promotion efforts, such as placement of a public service announcement or use of brochures and health education materials. They may also be used for any associated program implementation cost (i.e. staff time, postage, transportation, etc.). Interested applicants must submit their application electronically in Word, Excel jpeg or pdf format to ncfa@sbaa.org. For more details, contact Adriane Griffen, Acting Chair, National Council on Folic Acid at (202) 944-3285, ext. 13.

   

7. NQF Welcomes Public Comment on National Framework for Evaluating Cultural Competence Across Health Care Settings

   An opportunity for partners to come together around disparities within the disability community: The National Quality Forum (NQF) has announced a public comment period to endorse a comprehensive national framework/core competencies for evaluating cultural competence across all health care settings, as well as a minimum set of preferred practices based on the framework. For the NQF announcement, the draft report, and the project timeline, click here.

Introducing “Healthy Housing Connections”

The National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) has created a quarterly e-newsletter, “Healthy Housing Connections”. The newsletter will answer questions, as well as, bring the latest information on NCHH’s research, policy activities, trainings and technical assistance offerings through the National Healthy Homes Training Center.

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