AcademicDoula

Second Thoughts On Medicines For Babies Who Spit Up

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:53:10 -0500

Second Thoughts On Medicines For Babies Who Spit Up:

When I read this article it becomes evident the lack of education women receive about how their body works, and how they treat their body (via food intake) effects their child both during and post pregnancy. And,the willingness of doctors to prescribe these anti-reflux drugs to infants is unsettling.

Dr. Eric Hassall notes “a 16-fold increase in prescriptions of one proton pump inhibitor, or PPI, Prevacid, which comes in a child-friendly formulation. A Food and Drug Administration review also found an 11-fold increase in number of new prescriptions dispensed between 2002 and 2009. These medicines aren’t approved for infants with reflux, or GERD. Still, some doctors have been prescribing them off-label anyway.”

feminist-tips: You go, Mississippi.

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 08:36:45 -0500

feminist-tips:

You go, Mississippi.

sisteroutsider: Yeah, so this is me ‘bout to start some ish at...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:16:36 -0500

sisteroutsider:

Yeah, so this is me ‘bout to start some ish at my university…. :)

This is why I Occupy Education. What’s your story?

Photo

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 17:11:29 -0500

occupyedu: Occupy Education Radical Doula I am a grad student...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:46:10 -0500

occupyedu:

Occupy Education Radical Doula

I am a grad student researching midwifery and birth, and I’m in the process of receiving my doula certification via DONA. I occupy education by insisting whatever I learn about women’s reproductive health should be shared and common knowledge.

sisteroutsider: occupyedu: Occupy Education Radical Teachers...

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:32:54 -0500

sisteroutsider:

occupyedu:

Occupy Education Radical Teachers Raising Consciousness

I teach my students how to use writing to raise their critical consciousness about the world in which they live and learn.

Check in with my class at http://academicfactory.wordpress.com. I will be wearing this T-shirt at the National Women’s Studies Association conference in Atlanta, GA this week!

This is my sister-in-arms and I took this photo of her yesterday!

We keep it rowdy every day all day.

"By giving birth, the woman enters into contact with her mother; she becomes, she is her own mother;..."

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:28:58 -0500

“By giving birth, the woman enters into contact with her mother; she becomes, she is her own mother; they are the same continuity differentiating itself. She thus actualizes the homosexual facet of motherhood, through which a woman is simultaneously closer to her instinctual memory, more open to her own psychosis, and consequently, more negatory of the social, symbolic bond.”

- Julia Kristeva

Feminist, academic, doula, advocate, activist, educator,...

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 22:24:21 -0400

Feminist, academic, doula, advocate, activist, educator, student, radical…..

Beside the point in Mississippi

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:15:34 -0400

Beside the point in Mississippi:

Oh Rachel Maddow, what would I do with out you???

Ethnographies of Change and FGC

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 13:53:27 -0400

Nothing says “happy Sunday morning” like reading about aids, female, genital cutting, and watching a documentary on fistula. But that’s how it goes when one is investigating the world of anthro, and public health. Anyways, here are some thoughts on my reading for this last week.

In my Global Perspectives of Health class thursday, we were supposed to watch a film about female genital cutting (FGC) in Africa. Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to watch the film and dismissed early. To supplement for whatever I may have missed, I got on netflix to find my own replacement doc. Lucky me, Netflix already had a piece in my recommended section: “A Walk to Beautiful.” The film follows 5 Ethiopian women who suffer from obstetric fistula, and their attempt to be “cured.” It was an intruiging film that discussed prolonged labor and difficult births as the primary cause of fistula. Fistula then results in, aside from the physical effects, a familial and social expulsion and exclusion. It is mentioned in the film that one of the reasons that fistula is a result of prolonged labor and difficult birth, is the stunted growth of Ethiopian women, due to adequate diet portions. The lack of a adequate caloric intake stunts growth, and thus the pelvis is not allowed to grow as much as it normally could. This results in a narrow pelvic opening to the birth canal, and potential problems for the birthing baby and mother.

After reading Dr. Ellen Gruenbaum’s chapter in Anthropology and Public Health, entitled “Changing Responses to Female Genital Cutting in Sudan,” I am curious as to why FGC was not mentioned at all in “A Walk to Beautiful.” It could be that FGC is not an issue in this particular region, but as Dr. Gruenbaum notes, some cases of FGC are related to fistula. What I appreciate about viewing the doc, and reading the article back to back, is that they overlap nicely in regards to approaching issues of culture with anthropological methods steeped in cultural relativism, all the while advocating for change. Dr. Gruenbaums article is fantastic in that it clearly explains why FGC is a cultural norm within Sudan. In addition, she gives explination as to why eradicating all FCG practices should be approached, not just the more extreme practices.

Dr. Gruenbaum describes this work as an “ethnography of change.” Eradicating these practices are vital, but she asserts that close attention to cultural perspectives of FGC and sensitivitities to those practices must be recognized in order to enact succesful change. This assertion made me think critically of my own work regarding midwifery and birth. The same basic approach must be taken. I strive to change current cultural understandings of “normal” birth within the US. As a born and raised US resident I have both the beneifit and blindness that results in studying my own place of origin. In addition, I also have the benefit and blindness that comes with having culturally “abnormal,” or non mainstream, beliefs and values. But to enter into a conversation regarding current birth practices in the US, I must borrow from Dr. Gruenbaum’s “ethnogrophy of change.”

The US , when it comes to it’s birth practices, currently in the early stages of transition (yes we can make this a birth metaphor if you’d like). That is, women are becoming more educated in regards to birth practices, and as this number of educated women increases, birthing practices and prenatal care will transition, hopefully in the direction of women centered care. This is the transition I am hoping for, but with the legislative inititiatives such as HR 358 at the federal level, and Amendment 26 in MS, it’s hard to tell what will happen. Nonetheless, with projects like “The Business of Being Born,” and the increase of midwifery assisted, and homebirths in the US, there are positive changes going on within US reproductive health and birth culture. Clearly, to record my own ethnogrophy of change, I must pay closer attention to how I speak about the “normal” birth practices within the US culture, and go out of my way to support my research and my own research findings. In addition, as evident from both A Walk to Beautiful, and Dr. Gruenbaum’s article assert, remaining in a state of cultural relitivism will only enhance my work, making it all the more beneficial to those within the US advocating for change in current birth practices.

The Myth of the Vaginal Exam in Pregnancy

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:21:42 -0400

The Myth of the Vaginal Exam in Pregnancy :

I have to say, from most of the literature I’ve read, the vaginal exam at the end of pregnancy provides little else than a sense of peace for the birthing mother and her partner. Which is just fine, mind you. And this article explains what can be learned from a vaginal exam at 36 weeks, and what can not.

My current pregnant mom just recently had a vaginal exam, she’ll be 40 weeks on tuesday, and the soul purpose was so that her partner could concentrate on work, as he has started to panic about when the baby might show up.

Also, my favorite line from this article:

“Position of the cervix: The cervix will move from being more posterior to anterior. Many women can tell when the cervix begins to move around because when a vaginal exam is performed it no longer feels like the cervix is located near her tonsils.”

The Doula Project

Sat, 29 Oct 2011 10:44:39 -0400

The Doula Project:

If you haven’t checked out the Doula Project, please do! It looks like this organization’s got it going on. Here’s a peek at their values:

All pregnant people should have access to continuous, non-judgmental emotional, physical, and informational support.

All pregnant people should be trusted to make choices that are best for them.

All pregnant people should have their experiences and the memories of those experiences honored.

All pregnant people should be safe and have access to exceptional health care.

Clinics, hospitals, organizations, and individuals who work with pregnant people should be respected and protected.

Add birth doula support to the list of services covered by Medicaid!

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:17:23 -0400

Add birth doula support to the list of services covered by Medicaid!:

Doula’s for all!

This is Anthropology

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:52:05 -0400

This is Anthropology:

This slide show is fantastic! It does a great job of articulating the many possibilities of anthropological work, which include healthcare, and reproductive healthcare. Yay USF students!

At Seven Billion Mark, Reproductive Health Critical

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:07:45 -0400

At Seven Billion Mark, Reproductive Health Critical

CNM vs CPM – is one better?

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 20:46:52 -0400

CNM vs CPM – is one better?:

Found this link via anthrodoula, my blogging hero, and find it a lovely, imformantice piece. Please read!

Birth in Four Cultures, or We Have Made No Progress in the Last 20+ Years

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 14:00:46 -0400

I just finished Brigitte Jordan’s Birth in Four Cultures, revised and expanded by Robbie Davis-Floyd. It is a fantastic text, and enlightening to cross cultural views and practices of birth in the 1980s and early 1990s.

What struck me most in reading this text is how little has changed in United States birth practices in the last 20 plus years. Jordan’s text was first published in 1983, and the edition I read was the fourth, published in 1994. Many of her observations and questions are ones that I have had, and rather than an “oh dang, she’s already done this,” reaction, I find myself thinking: “holy shit, why don’t people listen?!?”

There continues to be, today, an “…inattention to, indeed the invisibility of, the indigenous obstetric knowledge system for the medical staff” (175). This is not only within the context of implementing biomedical practices in third world/developing countries, but within our own US system of ethnomedicine. It is made evident through various documentaries, blogs, and forums surrounding midwifery and homebirth practices in the US today that many (not all, but many) ob/gyn’s do not acknowledge the potential benefits that come from examining “indigenous knowledge.”

“Midwives in the traditional systems are accustomed to learning experimentally,” which is true of the certified professional midwives in the US (178). These women in the US, midwives in training, participate in apprenticeships. These apprenticeships last anywhere from 3-5 years, and incorporate both on the ground training and classroom time. The acquisition of such knowledge benefits these midwives in training, but leaves them with no authoritative knowledge. Authoritative knowledge, as Jordan explains, is an “ongoing social process that both builds and reflects power relationships within a community of practice. It does this in such a way that all participants come to see the current social order as the natural order, i.e., as the way things (obviously) are” 152. The biomedical community has co-opted authoritative knowledge regarding birth—they did this along time ago, in the 19th century (within a Western context); thus practices such as midwifery is not “socially acceptable” or “normal”— it lacks authority. The problem is, within the context of cross cultural examinations of birth, as in this particular text, one is able to realize the extent to which the US’s desire to share their “authoritative knowledge” regarding birth is nothing short of imperial. The refusal to acknowledge, or at the very least study, midwifery practices within the context of any social context, be it the US, Western Europe, Latin America…. showcases a desire, or obsession, to maintain authority, and control regarding birthing practices.

Jordan’s cross cultural account is dated, but only within its specific moment in time. Her larger ideas and observations remain relevant, as supported by the emergence of Rikki Lake’s The Business of Being Born, More Business of Being Born, and other documentaries such as Pregnant in America. With the ever increasing rise of unnecessary c-sections (this is an important EMERGENCY procedure) to over 30%, more cross cultural discussions of birth are needed. In addition, a closer examination of US homebirth and midwifery is needed, to better improve our current statistics regarding infant and maternal mortality rates, and reduce c-section and birth interventions.

Here’s a link to the book, and info regarding current c-section rates, maternal/infant mortality can be found within the archive of the blog.

Abortion Takes Center Stage at Iowa G.O.P. Forum

Sun, 23 Oct 2011 10:08:30 -0400

Abortion Takes Center Stage at Iowa G.O.P. Forum:

Except it’s not just abortion. What individuals like Romney and the like are discussing goes beyond abortion to include birth control, all forms. These men, and in some cases women, are trying to make access to birth control illegal. Every pregnancy should be a wanted pregnancy.

DIY for choice in Mississippi, billboard edition

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:23:58 -0400

DIY for choice in Mississippi, billboard edition:

Eggs are not people.

The Rachel Maddow Show Man Cave - Romney edition

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 22:19:00 -0400

The Rachel Maddow Show Man Cave - Romney edition:

AcademicDoula

Second Thoughts On Medicines For Babies Who Spit Up

feminist-tips: You go, Mississippi.

sisteroutsider: Yeah, so this is me ‘bout to start some ish at...

Photo

occupyedu: Occupy Education Radical Doula I am a grad student...

sisteroutsider: occupyedu: Occupy Education Radical Teachers...

"By giving birth, the woman enters into contact with her mother; she becomes, she is her own mother;..."

Feminist, academic, doula, advocate, activist, educator,...

Beside the point in Mississippi

Ethnographies of Change and FGC

The Myth of the Vaginal Exam in Pregnancy

The Doula Project

Add birth doula support to the list of services covered by Medicaid!

This is Anthropology

At Seven Billion Mark, Reproductive Health Critical

CNM vs CPM – is one better?

Birth in Four Cultures, or We Have Made No Progress in the Last 20+ Years

Abortion Takes Center Stage at Iowa G.O.P. Forum

DIY for choice in Mississippi, billboard edition

The Rachel Maddow Show Man Cave - Romney edition

I wonder if Romney’d let me have access to bc if I incorporated my uterus.