The top places to be a mom are Norway, Australia, and Iceland. The worst places are Chad, Niger and then Afghanistan at the very bottom. Surprising (to me) was that the U.S. ranks 28th, which is actually down a spot from the previous year. Here’s why:

One in every 4,800 American women dies due to pregnancy. It’s one of the highest maternal-morbidity rates in the developed world. To put that number into perspective, in Bosnia, Herzegovina, Greece and Italy, the risk of maternal death is less than one in 25,000 — and in Ireland, it’s less than one in 47,600.

But it’s not just American moms who die due to pregnancy: American babies don’t fare so well, either. Our infant-mortality rate is pretty dismal for the developed world, with eight out of every 1,000 children dying before their fifth birthdays. A child born in the U.S. is more than twice as likely as a child born in Finland, Iceland, Sweden or Singapore to die before his fifth birthday. Also, the U.S. has the least-generous maternity-leave policy of any developed country, fewer women in elected government positions than other developed countries and fewer kids enrolled in preschool.

The list illustrates that access to education, economic opportunities and proper health care provide the best chance for mothers and children to survive and thrive. In the U.S., we should do a lot better. So, what’s the deal with the ranking?

First, let’s look at infant mortality.

“Infant mortality is defined as the number of children born alive who die after birth — but this differs state to state and country to country,” said Dr. Benjamin Sachs, a fellow of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

For example, he says in the U.S., a baby born at 17 weeks who later died would be considered a miscarriage. But, a baby born at 23 weeks who later died would count towards the infant mortality rate, even though it only had a 20% chance of survival outside the womb. In some other countries, this would instead be considered a miscarriage.

Abortion politics in the U.S. also are thought to play a factor.

“About 20 percent of the children who die in the U.S. do so from birth defects,” said Sachs. “In a country that has a liberal abortion policy, those children will die in abortion — some countries even allow third-trimester abortions so their rates [of infant mortality] are going to be lower,” he said.

Next, let’s look at maternal mortality, which is shockingly high for a country so rich as ours. Only, that’s the difference. If you’re a rich American, you’re more likely to be better educated, with better health care. But, if you’re in a lower economic class, or an illegal immigrant, you’re at greater risk.

Powers said Save the Children’s research has also found that pregnant “minority” women who seek medical care do not end up getting the same quality of care as pregnant women “in the majority.”

That is appalling.

There are 40 million people in the U.S. without health insurance, a large population of which are illegal immigrants. The doctors interviewed agreed that the rates would improve if every pregnant woman were guaranteed access to health care.

Also, other factors at play may include the obesity epidemic here as well as the older age of some mothers.

The bottom line: Maternal and infant mortality rates are complicated issues where more than one factor may be at fault. Still, the U.S. has a long way to go–especially when it comes to maternity leave, flexible workplaces, and affordable health care. We can do better for our mothers.

Photo

And, sometimes my kids get a toy with the meal that they are mildly interested in. For a minute.

Well, Santa Clara, California wants to take those toys away. They have passed an ordinance where meals sold to children have to meet certain nutritional guidelines in order to include a toy.

Any meal that has more than more than 485 calories, more than 600 milligrams of sodium, more than 35 percent of total calories from fat or more than 10 percent of calories from added sugar, or any individual food item more than 200 calories cannot include a toy under the ordinance. Violations would be punishable by fines of as much as $1,000 for each meal sold with a toy.

Now, I know there is a childhood obesity epidemic in this country. No one can deny that U.S. kids need to eat better. I have watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution in West Virginia with interest, and I’m encouraged by the idea of National Salt Reduction Initiative. It seems like a ball is rolling that will improve the quality and quantity of our kids’ food. But…the toys? Really? Talk about taking your eye off the big picture.

Should we take away the crayons and color books at the sit-down chains? Their food isn’t much healthier for kids:

For example, popular choices on the Kid’s Menu at Chili’s Grill & Bar might get your child anywhere from 210 to 890 calories just for the entree and a side dish, even before you add on a drink, dressing (like a side of ranch dressing for the Chicken Crispers – 240 calories), and dessert.

Do you really think that our kids are fat because of the Avatar figurines included in a Happy Meal? The toys aren’t the lure; it’s the FOOD. Deep-fried and salty, the food is what most kids really want. And, that’s not the end of the world every now and again.

Even when served with a toy.

Photo

IVF is very expensive and often not covered by insurance.  It can be $10,000 or more for a treatment with varying odds of success, depending on the individual case.  Acupuncture sessions might be $50-$100, and a practitioner might recommend them weekly, before starting IVF and during the IVF cycle.  Considering the enormous outlay for just the IVF cycle, anyone might reasonably think, “Well, if I spend just a little more, it will increase my chances, so I won’t have to go through another cycle.  Really, it might be cost effective to go ahead and do this alternative treatment to give me a better shot this time.”

But what if IVF is simply a waste of money?  Novella’s post says the studies have shown mixed results and concludes:

Acupuncture remains an implausible treatment, and lacks sufficient evidence to conclude that it works for any specific indication. The history of acupuncture research is following a familiar pattern. Initial research is mixed but trends positive. Basic science research shows non-specific anomalies, but no consistent pattern that accords with scientific theory of mechanism for acupuncture. For each indication, as better and more rigorous studies are designed, the effects shrink until the best studies are negative.

Proponents then engage in special pleading to dismiss the evidence, while simultaneously citing poor quality or pre-clinical evidence, secure in their faith that acupuncture works.

In the rational light of day, having a kid who’s napping in the next room right now, I can safely say I absolutely don’t believe that acupuncture helps IVF at all. Women experiencing infertility who try acupuncture are most likely wasting their money. But I have so much compassion for their plight. When you’re trying to conceive, and failing, and you hear anecdotal evidence (which you definitely will) about acupuncture working, you’re just willing to do anything. And you need to feel that you are doing something so you can feel some sense of control. There is so much waiting involved in assisted reproductive technology, and meanwhile, kids don’t stop being born all around you. Birthday parties happen, baby showers get planned, coworkers put adorable pictures in their cubicles. If you think you can’t have a kid, you will suddenly be surrounded all the time by families and kids. So you want to just feel like you’re trying you’re hardest to get there yourself. I get it.

My hope is that as acupuncture is proven to have no effect, clinics and fertility doctors will stop advertising it. I believe it’s an ineffective treatment that only exploits a very painful emotional situation.

Nine percent of the children answered yes. Only 15 percent of these children said the voices caused them serious suffering, and 19 percent said the voices interfered with their thinking. Boys and girls were equally likely to report hearing voices, but girls were more likely to report suffering and anxiety due to the voices.

I don’t quite know what to make of this information. This seems like a lot of kids. I’m a bit skeptical that there weren’t some children answering in the affirmative just for attention, or perhaps seeking approval. After all, we’ve seen many examples of the power of suggestion over people.

However, even if the numbers are reliable, experts say not to panic if your child hears voices. They conclude that most children suffering from auditory vocal hallucinations will not have any long-term effects from the condition. One of the study’s authors, Agna A. Bartels-Velthuis of University Medical Center Groningen in The Netherlands, said, “In most cases the voices will just disappear. I would advise them to reassure their child and to watch him or her closely.”

Perhaps these hallucinations account for some of the children who are attributed with “special gifts” such as psychic abilities? Many kids claim to have imaginary friends; but, perhaps, to some children, these friends are not really imaginary. Rather, they are voices inside their heads. It’s interesting research.

The team plans on following up in a few years to study how the auditory hallucinations evolve and what effect, if any, they have on the child’s behavior.

Photo

The enormously long line

Our pediatrician’s office won’t have the vaccines in until early November, and with a kid who’s already been to the ER twice with croup, I was getting a little antsy.  Keeping him home from daycare would mean that we’d lose a bit of income, so I dragged the family to one of the LA County Public Health clinics.  (Click the link for a full schedule and information.)  They’re open from 9-5, in most cases.  We got there at exactly 9 and were out by a few minutes after 11, in spite of the ridiculously long line.  My husband and I took turns entertaining the lad and holding our place in the line.  Husband was none too pleased to be awakened early on a Sunday, but I don’t think I would have had a very good time dealing with the kiddo and the line simultaneously.  It really turned out to be a two parent job, especially because just parking the car took a while, so I nabbed us a spot while the husband drove around for twenty minutes looking for a space.

The whole thing was surprisingly well run.  There were tons of runners handing out forms with pens and clipboards.  The line was long but moved, and the entire affair was efficient and managed professionally by very polite people.  An elderly gentleman in front of me in line was given an opportunity to go right in.  At first he declined, but soon he realized he would have trouble standing for the entire wait, and he was escorted to the front of the line.  All pregnant women were given the opportunity to go to in immediately.  There was a police presence, which seemed a little unnecessary, really, but I suppose with that many people it makes sense to have a few cops around just in case….I have no idea just in case what, but I suppose it made us all feel safer on some level.

I heard the expected conversations around me about doubts concerning the vaccine, but of course everyone in line had made up their minds to go ahead and get it, so there was nothing to argue.  There was some minor media coverage.  A woman behind me was interviewed by a reporter with a notepad.  She said she wasn’t sure if she was making the right decision.  She didn’t usually get the flu shot, but since she had a six month old baby, she and her husband were going ahead with the vaccination this year.  The baby was just old enough for the shot as well.

An enterprising young man drove a golf cart around selling snacks.  I bought a chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich for $2.50.  Robbery, really, but who can blame the guy?  Captive market and all.  This must have been an excellent day for him.  We were at a sports complex, so there were a few baseball games going on, and those must have been his usual customers.

When we got to the front of the line, there was an ambulance, which spooked a few people.   Turns out there was a baseball related injury and a kid was being transported.  Almost immediately after I heard a policewoman explain this, a foul ball came sailing toward the line of people and landed just on the other side of the ambulance.  It did not hit anyone, but I thought that would have been pretty funny, in a really dark way, if somebody came for their vaccination and ended up getting a concussion from a baseball.  (And it would have been me; I think I was the very closest to where the ball landed.)

Inside the gym

There was a sign asking us not to take pictures, but I did sneak one in.  I don’t think anyone’s identity is compromised in this shot.  I just thought the whole scene was too interesting not to share.  Those are paper plates identifying each table with a number.  More runners inside double and triple checked our paperwork and directed us to tables.  They were all very helpful and friendly.

I opted for the nasal spray, just to see what it was like.  Also, I thought since pregnant women and kids under two can’t take the spray, maybe I’d be saving a shot for someone who really needed it.  But I sort of hated the spray.  The feeling in my nose was uncomfortable.  Honestly, I’d take a shot any day over that.  I told my husband as much, and he went for the shot.

We gave our son his shot last, since we knew he’d be the loudest.  He is old enough now to anticipate injections, so naturally, he was pretty honked off.  I breast fed him during and after the shot to calm him.  (Breast feeding is not a contraindication for the nasal spray, it turns out.  Still, I wish I’d gotten the shot–did not enjoy the nasal thing.)

And that was that.  I’m very relieved to have gotten this over with.  I’m going to read up on just how much immunity the first shot gives our son.  He has now gotten his first seasonal shot and is due for the second one of those in early November.  Second H1N1 shot comes in about a month.  He actually is just getting over a cold, and yesterday his nose was running pretty badly.  But a mild cold with no fever is also not a contraindication for this vaccine.  Still, I was afraid they’d turn us away if we showed up yesterday with a snotty kid.  So this morning when he was less of a mucus factory, it seemed like a better bet.

I’m not sure why LA County had the shots available before our doctor, but hey, they were free, and the whole experience was really not that painful.  Since we live in SoCal, everybody’s big joke was that the line was not as bad as any normal line at Disneyland.  Except the ride at the end wasn’t as fun, of course.

Some of the myths discussed include sitting too close to the television, eating carrots, and contact lenses. My favorite nugget of information:

“If a child is sitting too close to the TV or computer screen, it is probably because he needs glasses to see well. Sitting very close to the screen will not cause them to need glasses,” said Dr. Borchert.

To make your child’s computer station more comfortable, make sure the screen is at eye level. Reduce screen glare by using a desk lamp with a dimmer so there isn’t a big contrast between the brightness of the screen and the room. Make sure your child can’t see her own reflection on the screen.

So they explained the controversy, and they had some good takeaways for parents, but all in all, Dateline failed to spend enough time pounding home the multiple studies that have shown no link between vaccines and autism.  Sure, they mentioned the conflicting studies in passing a couple of times, but then they spent an entire segment on an 11-year-old getting a controversial treatment at Dr. Wakefield’s Thoughtful House.  If they truly wanted to have their show be science based, they would have spent a segment on those other studies.

Head on over there and read Rob’s entire review.

When my children were growing up, I didn’t cook separate meals for the kids, but I also didn’t cook anything I knew they would actually despise. Kids are fickle. One day chicken is fine; the next it isn’t. Who can keep up? If they are hungry enough, they’ll eat enough of what’s on their plate, and over the course of a week, they’ll get the vitamins, etc., they need. No need to be crazed or to force them to eat carrot ice cream.

Here’s a down to earth article by a foodie father that makes sense:

http://tinyurl.com/lbkpog

Lamaze Class at A Local Hospital 

My husband and I signed up for a four week Lamaze class taught through a local hospital. We barely made it through the first class and never went back. Our problem was really with the teacher and not the class, but oh what a big problem it was! 

Right off the bat, the instructor had an unfortunate voice. Loud, nasal… annoying. My willingness to ignore the voice and concentrate on the message may have been a mistake. It turns out that when a screechy harpy voice is mixed with condescension, unsubstantiated claims, anti-doctor paranoia and anti-vaccination messages, the voice quickly becomes intolerable. 

It started off poorly and only got worse. During our initial introductions, I mentioned I had received a voice mail from my doctor saying that I didn’t pass my first glucose test and that I’d need to take another. I could feel my “can we pleeeeeeze just get through this and leave” husband wince, but I wanted to have something more to say to the group than, “Hi I’m Jessie, I’ve had a very easy, uneventful pregnancy and I’m having a boy.” Big mistake: The instructor insinuated that my doctor was probably doing it to cover her ass and that they make the bar low so the doctors who are in cahoots with the drug companies and laboratories can get money by making women take the second test. Next came a list of gestational diabetes horror stories. I smiled, waited for her to stop screeching at me long enough to gently tell her that I was going to talk to my doctor and take the second test before I began worrying about gestational diabetes.  Luckily I had read about it and talked to friends so I knew that only 4% of women actually get gestational diabetes. Many women don’t pass the first test but do pass the second. I also knew that if I did have it, gestational diabetes is a very manageable condition. Otherwise she may have freaked me out. 

When I’ve mentioned the second glucose test to others, I’ve been told that a mid-wife would simply measure my belly and check my diet and shame on my doctor for treating me like I was sick. But, isn’t the only way to know for sure that your blood sugar levels are normal to draw blood and measure the amount of sugar? Why wouldn’t I want to know for sure? Making sure I’m healthy isn’t treating me like I’m sick, it’s called preventative medicine, people.

I’m here to tell you that the second glucose test is NO FUN! Mine was fifteen hours of fasting and four blood draws. I would happily go through that discomfort to make absolutely certain that my baby and I are healthy. After passing my second glucose test, I celebrated with a thick slice of chocolate cake. 

All through the class the instructor would tell us not to be scared about our pregnancy or the birth, after all, “It’s not a medical emergency.” Then, immediately screech examples of all the scary and horrible things that can happen during childbirth. Fascinating. Appalling. Funny.    

I knew when signing up that Lamaze advocates unmediated birth and the point is to help manage the pain without medication. Great. That’s fine until the instructor implies that interventions somehow harm the baby and the mother and doctors push for you to have en epidural because they get kickbacks from drug companies while offering no evidence to support these claims. Mainly, those who choose something like a c-section or epidural miss out on having an “authentic” childbirth and aren’t real women. 

There were two couples in the class who got pregnant using In Vitro Fertilization. I think this is a beautiful wonderful thing! The teacher seemed to think so too. I would call In Vitro Fertilization a pretty hard-core intervention. Apparently the teacher was fine with the use interventions to get pregnant but not to relieve pain during delivery. Highly illogical, Captain.  

Toward the end of class she said, “Doctors coming out of medical school now don’t even see unmediated births anymore.”  This was just too much for my husband. He felt that was an extraordinary claim and required some extraordinary evidence.  He asked her where she got her information. After some back and forth and evasion on her part, she admitted that she inferred that information from “articles”.  That just wasn’t good enough for us. We were done with her.

Like I said before, my problem was with the teacher not the class. I thought about trying to find a different class but decided that it just wasn’t for me. I’m not anti birthing class, it’s just not my thing.  

Infant CPR Class

This two and a half hour class was two hours too long. The class was informative and the instructors were knowledgeable. They handed out a pamphlet with a lot of good information and we saw an instructional video that was helpful. The instructors also answered questions, watched us practice on dummies and corrected us if we were doing something wrong, which I found comforting. The rest felt like filler. It would have been a perfect class if it lasted 30- 45 minutes.

Maternity Tour of Cedars-Sinai

This was a great. The tour of the Maternity facilities was given in a group and lasted about one hour. My husband described our tour guide as “The Winner of the Jewish Lady from New York Contest”. She was funny, informative and helpful. We got all sorts of useful information on: where to park, what rooms we will be in when in during early labor, where we will be during delivery, what happens to the baby right after delivery (they remain with the family at Cedars, by the way) contact information, what to bring with us and more.  This was an hour well spent.

Conclusion 

When I first got pregnant I was excited (I still am!), went a little nuts and signed up for a bunch of classes. I signed up for Lamaze, Infant CPR, a Maternity Tour of the Hospital, Breast Feeding and a Baby Care Class. Yes, a little excessive. Personally, I learn best through watching a demonstration or a lecture so I thought that the classes would be a good way for me to go. But maternity classes are different then having someone walk you through the advanced effects in Final Cut Pro, media management for the AVID or going through a video tutorial on doing motion graphics in After Effects. (I’m a Video/TV editor) The Maternity classes I’ve experienced have a little bit of great info mixed in with a lot of opinion and emotion and just aren’t for me. 

I canceled the Breast Feeding Class.  I will probably go the Baby Care class, because I can’t get my money back, but I told my husband that he shouldn’t go. He is happily going to a funeral instead. Seriously. 

I have a fantastic doctor who is happy to sit with us and answer all of our questions. I’ll get a visit from a lactation consultant when I’m in the hospital after delivery and I can ask the nurses about all the stuff that will be covered in the Baby Care Class during my two day stay at the hospital. I also have plenty of people to ask and books I can read if I have a problem with anything. I feel well taken care of and have full access to all the info I could ever possibly need.

My conclusion on classes is that they can offer some good information. That same information is readily available in books, from your doctor, at the hospital, or from other people who have had kids. How you choose to get the information is just a matter of personal preference.

If you are interested in science or skepticism, and if you have kids, have I got a summer camp for you! Camp Inquiry is a week-long summer camp for children aged 7-16, which runs from July 6-12, and is hosted by CFI, near Buffalo, NY. It has all the regular camp stuff, like hiking in the woods, outdoor sports, and sleeping in bunkbeds. But, oh man, it has so much more!

Camp Inquiry has a three-part focus, teaching children about the arts and sciences, skepticism, and ethics. Every day at camp is different, but every day the campers will work on science projects, develop critical thinking skills, and work with professional scientists, skeptics, artists, musicians, and magicians. I’m afraid to name names, because contracts may not be finalized, but the kids who come to Camp Inquiry this summer will:

• Learn magic during daily workshops with a professional magician
• Compose music during daily workshops with a professional children’s songwriter
• Learn mentalism from a professional skeptic (you all know him!)
• Learn to create art with a professional artist (you all know her!)
• Learn about space from a professional astronomer
• Learn about science from a professional physicist
• Create a blog to keep their folks up-to-date
• Make friends
• Eat s’mores
• And so much more!

There literally is no other camp like this in the world. Camp Inquiry seems like a regular camp at first glance, but in a regular camp, all the activities are led by the counselors. At Camp Inquiry, some of the activities are led by the counselors, but the rest are led by at least two different professionals each day. These professionals are rock stars in the skeptical community. Your kids might not have heard of them, but you are going to want their autographs!

The kids will have fun, but they are going to learn so much, it is hard to imagine. All the activities will be hands-on. The kids will learn by doing science experiments, performing magic, making UFOs, writing songs, and creating art. Every camper will do something they have never done before.

How do I know all this? I’m a counselor! I was a counselor last year, and I got to meet Joe Nickell, DJ Grothe, and David Willey among others. C’mon how cool is that? I didn’t get to meet this many important, exciting professionals when I was in grad school. I’ll be a counselor again this year, and I can’t express how excited I am. I wish there had been a camp like this when I was a kid, but at least I get to work at this one, as well as bring my kids to it.

Why not let your kids join us? Come think, question, and grow!