2009, Issue 3, Fall

Articles:

Resources of Note

Joint Statement On Flu Vaccine For Pregnant Women

Eight leading maternal and infant health organizations have issued a joint statement urging pregnant women to get vaccinated for both seasonal flu and the H1N1 (swine) flu as soon as possible this year. The eight organiza- tions – the March of Dimes, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, the Infectious Disease Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Society of Maternal-Fetal Medicine – issued the statement because the H1N1 virus has been so deadly to pregnant women. They recommend that pregnant women get immunized for seasonal flu now and for H1N1 flu as soon as this vaccine becomes available. Immunization will provide flu protection for both pregnant women and their newborn babies. To review the joint statement, go to http://www.marchofdimes.com/aboutus/49267_61363.asp.
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Media Watch

This section of the APPPAH Newsletter is intended to draw attention to items in the news that are pertinent to prenatal and perinatal psychology. APPPAH does not necessarily agree with, or vouch for, the scientific worthiness of any of the news items mentioned here. We mean merely to take note of what is going on, so that you may.

BREATHING PATTERNS OF NEWBORNS IN CAR SEATS

A study in the September edition of Pediatrics examined the breathing patterns of health term newborns placed in infant car safety seats and beds. 200 newborns were recruited for the study when they were two days old. Each infant was studied while placed in a hospital crib (30 minutes), car bed (60 minutes) and car seat (60 minutes). The researchers analyzed physiologic data, including oxygen saturation, and frequency and type of apnea, hypopnea and bradycardia.
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More Media: Exceptional Excerpts

Congo: Midwives Transform Trash Into Hope by Georgianne Nienaber (Huffington Post) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/georgianne-nienaber/grassroots-news-from-c...

"Thanks to the efforts of Emmanuel De Merode, director of Virunga National Park, there is now hope and opportunity for the Association pour la Promotion de la Sage Femme (APROSAF) midwives. 118 wise women (‘sage femme' means ‘wise woman') form the backbone of APROSAF, which was created in the wake of the 2002 Nyiragongo eruption in order to help families made homeless by the devastating lava flow that buried Goma. These traditional midwives of APROSAF are considered community leaders. The respect they garner results from selfless Image: Gathering of midwives in January 2009 to assess dedication as they transport pregnant women and needs© Nienaber. Reprinted with permission rape victims, sometimes by carrying them on their backs, to get help. They do this without pay and subject themselves to rape and shootings along the way.
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