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	news bulletins february 2008

• Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness
• ICANsite Advocacy Group Unveils New, Improved Website
• Pre-Teen Boy's Choice Considered Only if Parents Disagree

Get to Know the Mothering Crew

Mothering has a long tradition of including a staff photo—dubbed "Backstage"—in the magazine's annual January/ February issue. The feature perennially generates excited response, and we receive many comments from readers who appreciate being able to connect our smiling, real-people faces with the black-and-white names listed on the masthead. We now offer the chance to learn even more about the fabulous folks who make Mothering happen: visit the About Us section of our website, and check out individual images and accompanying bios of the dedicated, dynamic staff.

Natural Remedies for Morning Sickness

New research has found that because women with morning sickness don't feel like eating or drinking, they may find themselves dehydrated, which could be compounding and creating the symptoms of morning sickness and impairing prenatal health. Proper hydration is critical to every system and process in your body. At the first sign of morning sickness, nausea or vomiting, increase your fluid intake of water through out the day. Morning sickness is a thirst signal of both the mother and the baby.

• Chew on licorice-tasting fennel seeds to calm queasiness.
• Fresh grated ginger and fennel seeds make a comforting tea to settle your stomach. Ginger can be purchased at your grocery store in the fresh vegetable section.
• Try eating your favorite foods from childhood, like ginger ale, jello or whatever your mother fed you when you weren't feeling well.
• Always get up slowly in the morning and take small breaks throughout the day with your feet elevated.
• Hot teas may help, especially spearmint or peppermint, known to be good for indigestion, or try the excellent "women's tea" known as red raspberry- leaf tea. If cold is more appealing, make popsicles or ice chips with the teas.
• Take short walks in the fresh air whenever possible.
• Drink bottled or purified water to flush your system.
• If you feel as though your stomach is not digesting food well, increase your consumption of raw, enzyme-rich foods. Fresh cantaloupe, papaya and pineapple have the highest naturally occurring enzymes of all foods and help a great deal with digestion.
• Make sure you are napping at least once a day to allow your body to recharge. Even a short nap can help you to feel stronger.
• Some health professionals are recommending one tablet of Vitamin B6, in the amount of 50 mg to 100 mg before bed, and this has worked extremely well for some women. Single B vitamins should be used only for short periods of time. Switch to a B-complex vitamin after a two-week period. Make sure you are taking a high quality prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement.
• There is a strong connection between nausea during pregnancy and low blood-sugar levels. Make sure you are eating small meals throughout the day to keep your blood-sugar level up throughout the day and evening.
• A high protein snack before bed and throughout the day can help to alleviate some of the symptoms of morning sickness.
• Try powdered ginger root in capsules, three capsules a day.
• Slippery elm is a soothing and strengthening herb for the stomach. It has as much nutrition as oatmeal and is so gentle that it can be retained by the most sensitive stomach. It can be taken in powdered form in capsules or made into gruel.
• Carry raisins, raw almonds, rice cakes or whole-wheat crackers with you so that you can keep your blood-sugar level up.
• Blue green algae, such as spirulina, is very high in protein and very easy to digest. Spirulina powder can be mixed with mashed bananas or other fruit and provides excellent nutritional support. It can be taken in tablet form as well.
• Try increasing your water intake to six glasses a day.
• Many women find sea-bands useful. These are elastic bracelets with a plastic button that are worn on the wrist to put compression on an acupressure point that controls nausea. These can be worn 24 hours a day.

Never take any prescription or non-prescription drugs for your nausea. Consult with a midwife, physician or homeopath if you find your morning sickness is not alleviated by the above remedies. Reasons for nausea can be many and varied and getting at the cause can give better direction to your individual remedy and help you to feel better, sooner.

Source: Copyright 2008, Secrets Newsletter 2008, by National Bestselling Author, Gail J. Dahl Pregnancy & Childbirth Secrets http://web.mac.com/pregnancysecrets. This article may be reprinted or posted for the purpose of childbirth education if references are included. The information contained in or provided through this publication is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be, and is not provided as, a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your midwife, physician, nurse or other qualified health care provider before you undergo any treatment or for answers to any questions you may have regarding any medical condition.

Advocacy Group Unveils New, Improved Website

The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) has launched a new, user-friendly website, in an effort to further the group's outreach. Easy navigation is a key feature of the revamped site, which provides information separated into five categories: Pregnancy, Recovery, Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC), Advocacy, and Community.

The site lets women research the VBAC policies of hospitals near them; learn how to correct problems (such as malposition or pre-eclampsia) that commonly lead to cesareans; get quick physical recovery tips to help after a cesarean; and stay up-to-date on medical research on pregnancy and birth. New community features include user birth blogs, videos and images; and the capability for users to create their own homepage on the ICAN site to share with friends and family. ICAN leadership also can connect more easily with the women ICAN serves via the site. Further, the site features a new logo. ICAN is pleased to note that the logo and all of the web work were completed entirely by volunteers.

This new site is a proactive response to research in 2007 by the National Center for Health Statistics that showed the cesarean rate reached a record high of 31.1%. Further, a CDC report indicated the maternal death rate rose for the first time in decades, and Consumer Reports includes a cesarean in its list of "10 overused tests and treatments." Other research from 2007 cites that VBAC continues to be a reasonably safe birthing choice for mothers. And while studies indicate a VBAC is a viable option, women often have difficulty finding a health care provider who encourages a VBAC—which is where one of the site's new features comes into play.

"The most useful tool for women is probably the Hospital VBAC Ban information," Collins said. "Women can look up the hospitals near them and find out their VBAC policy and if any doctors are actually available to attend them. It is getting difficult for so many women to find a VBAC supportive provider and this is one way to make that a little easier for them."

Source: http://ican-online.org/
ICAN is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve maternal-child health by preventing unnecessary cesareans through education, providing support for cesarean recovery and promoting vaginal birth after cesarean. There are more than 94 ICAN Chapters across North America, which hold educational and support meetings for people interested in cesarean prevention and recovery.

Pre-Teen Boy's Choice Considered Only if Parents Disagree
By Jake Aryeh Marcus

Evading answering the question of whether the forced circumcision of a 12-year-old boy is harmful or raises constitutional issues at the federal or state levels, the Oregon Supreme Court, on January 25, 2008, ruled that:

"[A]lthough circumcision is an invasive medical procedure that results in permanent physical alteration of a body part and has attendant medical risks, the decision to have a male child circumcised for medical or religious reasons is one that is commonly and historically made by parents in the United States."

Doctors Opposing Circumcision filed an amicus brief on behalf of Lia Boldt, arguing in part that "M" is constitutionally entitled to the protection of an Oregon state law outlawing female circumcision, aka female genital mutilation. The American Jewish Congress, the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America jointly filed an amicus brief on behalf of James Boldt's argument of religious freedom.

Under the Court's ruling, if it is determined that "M" does not want to be circumcised, the trial court must then determine whether "forcing M at age 12 to undergo the circumcision against his will could seriously affect the relationship between M and father, and could have a pronounced effect on father's capability to properly care for M" (emphases in original). Only if the trial court determines that forcible circumcision could adversely affect "M"'s relationship with his father will the court then consider whether a change in custody to "M"'s mother is in the child's best interest. Under the Court's decision, James Boldt may still be allowed to forcibly circumcise "M" if the trial court determines that to do so would not adversely affect their relationship.

Under Oregon state law, determining a child's wishes or best interest can be done through interviews with and examinations of the child, as well as with the assistance of a variety of experts. Throughout this process, "M" will remain in the custody of his father, despite Lia Boldt's assertion that "M" has said he fears disagreeing with his father's decision. Those fears may be well founded: James Boldt's role in their marriage as his wife's physically abusive "god'" or "sovereign'" was described in an earlier decision of the Oregon Court of Appeals.