Search Results for: blog why the us infant mortality rate is so high

Maternity Care in the U.S.

The recent birth of the royal prince cost $15,000.  That sounds like a lot, right?  It is, but it’s only half the cost of a birth in America.  That’s right: the average price of a birth — in a normal hospital, not a luxury wing — in the U.S. is $30,000.  That makes us, according to an in-depth article by The New York Times, the nation that pays the most for maternity care.  Yet, we also have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world.  It seems like these two things should counter one another, but in … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: July 2008

Two of my three children are summer babies. That is, they were born in the summer and had their first months surrounded by sunshine streaming in the windows, the sound of birds chirping, and days spent wearing nothing but a diaper and a “onsie.” I made sure that they had Fourth of July outfits ready, even though one of them arrived a week after the holiday. I guess he just wasn’t interested in the parade. Do you have a summer baby, too? We had a lot of new information to share this past month, such as recall notices and new … Continue reading →

The Best of the 2007 Baby Blog

It has been an exciting year in the baby blog with a few changes in bloggers, several news stories, a few series started, and of course lots of information and reflection. This is a list of the best of the best. . .the best news, the best advice and the best of my personal favorites. With that I wish you all a Happy New Year, and look forward to an exciting year in 2008! Ask a Baby Blogger Series–This, in my opinion is one of the best things the baby blog has to offer. Granted, it’s my advice which I … Continue reading →

Is SIDS Really Caused by Co-Sleeping?

I have written numerous articles on co-sleeping, on my belief that it reduces the risks of SIDS, that it helps breastfeeding mothers and that indeed, “sharing sleep” with our twins was the only way that I survived the twins’ first year. When we started co-sleeping with our daughter in 1999, it was still considered a weird practice. It wasn’t talked about much and there hadn’t been a lot of studies on it at that point. This week however, a nine month study by Scripps Howard News Service has suggested that most babies who died of SIDS, really died of accidental … Continue reading →

Final Thoughts on the Breastfeeding/IQ Controversy

The internet is abuzz with controversy this week after a new study was released last week claiming that breastfeeding only makes babies smarter if they are already genetically predisposition to be smarter. One article, published by Newsweek implies that perhaps we won’t all be breastfeeding as much now that we all know it won’t make our kids smarter unless they have the gene for it. The unsaid conclusion is that breast milk and formula are equal. All I can say is give me a break! What I find interesting is that no one ever mentions exactly why all these studies … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Week in Review: Aug 27 to Sep 2

I have to admit that the baby blog has been very light this week. Some of you may already know from reading my other blogs but I had jury duty. Being gone from the house for almost 8 hours for three days and then returning home to cook, and recover the living room from the formidable dad/kids mess making force caused my writing to take a back seat. Suffice it to say that I think if I had to work outside of the home, my mental health would be in serious jeopardy! In any case, we still had great articles–just … Continue reading →

Baby Cradling and the Super Duper Multi Tasking Mom

Researchers said this past Wednesday, that how you cradle your baby might indicate how stressed and prone to post partum depression you are. Apparently mothers who cradle with their right hands are more likely to become depressed, feel stress or otherwise exhibit anxiety symptoms. The conclusion seems to be the same irregardless of whether or not the women are right or left handed. I have to point out first though they only surveyed 76 women. While technically this qualifies as ‘statistically significant’, I frankly won’t believe it until I see the study repeated with more women and also a control … Continue reading →

Why the US Infant Mortality Rate is So High

In case you hadn’t heard, the US has the second highest infant mortality rate among the developed nations. If you’re thinking our health care system stinks and that’s why so many babies are dying. . .think again. While certainly universal access to health care (or lack thereof) does have an influence on whether or not mothers get adequate prenatal care, the reality is that the United States pushes the boundaries on what can be done in both fertility and neonatal medicine. Just to be clear: infant mortality means that a baby was outside of the womb, took at least one … Continue reading →

The Breastfeeding Mafia is Starving Babies

Posted on by

Or is it just a lack of common sense? This week in the United Kingdom, powerful organizations like La Leche League, Unicef and the National Childbirth Trust in conjunction with the Department of Health are trying to get the message out that Breast is Best. But apparently not everyone thinks that this is such a good thing. Enter Sarah Oliver, a new mom who nearly starved her baby because she felt like she was consistently ‘bullied’ into breastfeeding. Advised by midwives that even one bottle would permanently hamper the breastfeeding process. . .she continued to breastfeed and by the time … Continue reading →

Babies in the News: Earliest Living Preemie ‘Almost ‘ Goes Home

When I started writing this post yesterday, the title was “Earliest Living Preemie Goes Home” but apparently doctors decided not to release her. Just the same, I’m sure she’ll be released soon (within the month). Her story pushes the envelope of medical technology, what doctors understand about viability, and the miracle of NICU medicine. Little Amilia Taylor was born just under 22 weeks gestational age by cesarean due to complications with the mother. Doctors would not normally deliver a baby this premature but Amilia’s husband misinformed the doctors and said she was at 23 weeks gestation. So they intervened and … Continue reading →