Moon Beams

Trauma from sexual abuse can have a profound effect on a woman during her childbearing years, disrupting pregnancy and influencing her ability to mother. Yet this connection is often ignored by the people in the best posttion to help: the woman’s midwife, doctor, doula, or counselor.

As part of an effort to get workers in various professions talking together about this common problem and working toward solutions, Midwifery Today is putting on a conference: “Hope and Healing—Collaborating to Bring Midwifery and Mental Health Care to Women Who Are Survivors of Sexual Abuse.” It will take place May 7-10, 2008 in Ann Arbor, Michigan USA, and is open to anyone who cares about this topic, including abuse survivors and their supporters.

The conference will also offer a variety of courses on midwifery, such as Beginning Midwifery, Herb Workshop, Shoulder Dystocia and Prolonged Labor. For more information, please visit the Hope and Healing web page.

Full disclosure and personal note: I’m the Marketing Director at Midwifery Today and part of my reason for posting this is obviously to promote this conference. My other reason, far more important, is that I believe this is an important issue and that this conference is a good step in the right direction.

Did you know that sparkers burn at a temperature of about 2000 degrees? This is hot enough to melt some metals, and could severely burn your child. I wasn’t aware of this until I read this article about firework safety on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) site, and I shudder to think of the many times I’ve watched children happily waving sparklers in the air. Serious burns were just a spark away.

Please practice these fireworks safety tips:

• Make sure consumer fireworks are legal where you live. Be aware that M-80s, cherry bombs and quarter sticks are so highly explosive that they have been banned by Federal law since 1966.
• Read and follow all warnings and instructions.
• A responsible adult should closely supervise all fireworks activities. Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks.
• Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.
• Never point or throw fireworks at another person.
• Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves, and flammable materials.
• Light one item at a time, then move back quickly.
• Never try to re-light fireworks that have not fully functioned.
• Never carry fireworks in a pocket or shoot them in metal or glass containers.
• Keep a bucket of water or a hose handy in case of a malfunction or fire.

CPSC also has a fireworks safety page especially for children.

Cesarean section is major abdominal surgery. Like any major surgery, it can have major complications including hemorrhage, blood clots and serious infections of the uterus, kidneys, lungs, or other areas.

Despite this, about 3 women in 10 now give birth by having their bodies sliced into, rather than using the outlet that nature provided. Sometimes C-sections are necessary and life-saving, but often they’re done for reasons that have nothing to do with the health of mother or baby, such as scheduling the baby’s birth date at a time convenient for the mother or caregiver.

Childbirth Connection has an excellent area devoted to questions about cesarean section. Be sure to read the information about the safety and effectiveness of different birth choices. Among other things, you’ll learn about the physical and psychological effects of cesareans on mothers around the time of birth, the ongoing effects of cesareans on mothers, the effects of cesareans on babies and the effects of vaginal birth on mothers and babies.

For other resources, check out my Squidoo Lens: Just Say No to Cesarean Section.

Summer is fast approaching (at least here in the Northern Hemisphere), so I thought it would be helpful to share a few warm weather safety tips based on information from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Be sure to wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating and skateboarding, and when riding scooters, all-terrain vehicles, and horses. Studies on bicycle helmets have shown they can reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85 percent. However, these helmets should not be worn while on the playground, climbing trees and similar types of play. The strap can become caught on play equipment or branches, possible choking your child.

If you have a charcoal grill, never use it indoors. Burning charcoal produces deadly carbon monoxide.

Make sure your home playground is safe. Falls cause 60 percent of playground injuries, so having a safe surface is critical. Concrete, asphalt or packed dirt surfaces are too hard. Surfaces around and under playground equipment should be covered with at least 12 inches of loose-fill surfacing materials such as wood chips, mulch, sand, or pea gravel, or be made of safety-tested rubber or rubber-like materials.

Don’t allow a game of hide-n-seek to end in tragedy. CPSC has received reports of children who suffocated when they crawled inside old cedar chests, latch-type freezers and refrigerators, iceboxes in campers, clothes dryers and picnic coolers. Be sure to childproof old appliances and warn children not to play inside them.

Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of open windows. Guards should be installed in any room where young children spend time. You could also install window stops that permit windows to open no more than 4 inches. Whenever possible, open windows from the top—not the bottom. And keep furniture away from windows to discourage children from climbing near windows.

For more summer safety tips visit the CPSC site.

One of the nicest ways to spend a cold, rainy or otherwise miserable day is to curl up with a good book. And sitting outside reading in the shade is a nice way to spend a warm, sunny day! Encourage the love of reading and of books in your children and grandchildren.

Start reading to your children when they’re tiny babies. They may not understand all the words, but they’ll enjoy being cuddled next to you, hearing your voice, and looking at colorful pictures. (And you’ll be surprised how much they do understand.) While there are plenty of board books designed with the very young child in mind, anything with nice pictures will do. (When granddaughter Olivia was a baby, we looked at a lot of craft catalogs.) You don’t have to actually read the words on the page, you can talk about the pictures and name things, colors and shapes. Before long, you’ll be able to ask your baby “Can you find the kitty?” and she’ll find it!

Children who know how to read themselves still like you to read to them. Pick a good children’s story or series, and read a few chapters every night. I read the entire Chronicles of Narnia to my daughter when she was in grade school, and she’s read them all to herself at least twice since then.

Have regular family reading nights, a time when family members can read aloud and share their thoughts about their favorite books. Exactly how you structure this would depend on the reading skills of your children, but be sure even the youngest readers have out-loud reading time.

When you read out loud, make the words sparkle! Don’t drone everything in a boring monotone, but use expressive tones of voice and different voices if you can (I love doing wicked witch voices!). Also use gestures, body motions, and easy sound effects. Kids books are fun to read out loud, so have fun doing it!!

Many children’s movies are based on classic children’s books. If your child likes the Mary Poppins movie, she might enjoy the 8 Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers, all packed with wonderful magical adventures. Do you have a The Wizard of Oz movie fan in the house? There are 14 Oz books by L. Frank Baum, plus many more by other authors, including several wonderful original graphic novels by Eric Shanower. (I highly recommend his The Enchanted Apples of Oz and The Ice King of Oz.) Many other movies are also based on children’s books, such as Peter Pan, The Secret Garden, Pinocchio and Alice in Wonderland. (The Disney movie actually combines both Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass.)

What interests your child? Medieval warfare? Barbie dolls? Rock collecting? Jungle animals? Whatever his or her interests, there are sure to be books, magazines, and/or web sites with information to read and lots to learn.

If you’re a baby sling enthusiast, consider attending the Babywearing Conference, August 3-6 at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. The aim of this event is to bring together parents, manufacturers, educators and retailers — anyone involved in any way with baby slings.

There will be classes and events for both new and experienced babywearers, as well as exhibits, networking opportunities and the fun of getting together with people who are excited about the same things that excite you.

Look here for information about the Babywearing Conference, including rates and accommodations.

If you live in or near New York city, plan to attend the 3rd Annual “Celebrate Birth Picnic” June 18th from 12 pm - 4 pm in Central Park. The picnic will be held in the East Meadow at 97th Street and 5th Avenue (just to the right of the East 97th St. entrance) and there is a $10 suggested donation per person.

The afternoon will be full of games, music, activities, and birthday cake. Friends of the Birth Center and the former staff of Elizabeth Seton will provide the cake and entertainment for the kids. Ongoing demonstrations and activities including homeopathy, massage, chiropractic, yoga, capoeira, cooking, nutrition, crafts, music, and more

Visit www.friendsofthebirthcenter.org for more information.

(This sounds like fun! Too bad I’m on the other side of the country.)

Natural Pregnancy and Parenting: Our Innate Desire to Create Healthy and Happy Babies is a free 49-page e-book packed with information from a large variety of sources, all of which support a natural lifestyle.

The focus of the book is on proper nutrition, with sections covering nutrition from pre-pregnancy though lactation, nutrient deficiency, specialty foods, food to avoid, food synergy combinations and much more. Other topics discussed include morning sickness, miscarriage, child raising birth to 1 year, breast feeding, premature babies, schooling, disease and the role of fathers.

If you’re interested in having and raising your children in a natural way, you’ll want to read Natural Pregnancy and Parenting. You can read it on the web site or download the PDF version. Since links to the sources are included, you can use this book as the start of your own research into finding the lifestyle best for you and your family.

If you like to hear about empowering, positive births, you need to visit My Breech Birth.com. In addition to reading this story about the home birth of a footling breech baby girl, you can also buy the DVD of the birth.

I’m very pleased that the mother has decided to share her experience. It is so important for women who have had positive birth experiences like this one to let others know about it. And in this case, she’s telling the world that breech birth can be done—it can be done at home—it can be done at home without medication or episiotomy.

Way to go, girl!

It only takes a few seconds, just a shake or two in anger because the baby won’t stop crying….

But these few seconds can mean permanent damage, even death, to the innocent child.

According to the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, when an infant or small child is violently shaken, her brain rotates within her skull cavity, injuring or destroying her brain tissue. Also, blood vessels leading to her brain can be torn and blood can pool within her skull, which can cause even more brain damage.

Every year in the United States treatment is sought for an estimated 1200 - 1400 children who have been shaken. Of these, 25 -30% will die as a result of their injuries. The rest will have lifelong complications. And these are only the children who have been brought in for help….

What can happen to a baby when you shake her?

These are some of the consequences of shaking an infant or toddler, from tne National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

Immediate consequences can include:

• Problems with breathing
• Extreme irritability
• Seizures
• Limp arms and legs or rigidity/posturing
• Decreased level of consciousness
• Vomiting/poor feeding
• Inability to suck or swallow
• Heart may stop
• Death

Long-term consequences can include:

• Learning disabilities
• Physical disabilities
• Visual disabilities or blindness
• Hearing impairment and speech disabilities
• Cerebral palsy
• Seizures
• Behavior disorders
• Cognitive impairment
• Death

Please visit the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome for more information, including

• Common Symptoms of Shaken Baby Syndrome
• Special Education for Survivors of Shaken Baby Syndrome
• Family stories

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 18,400 Rainbow Play Systems Swing Seats. The seats can break in half, dumping the swinging child to the ground. Rainbow has received 84 reports of broken swing seats, including one injury report of a 2-year-old girl who broke her wrist .

The recall involves sling swing seats sold as an accessory with Carnival, Sunshine, and Rainbow Series residential play structures manufactured by Rainbow Play Systems, Inc. The seats are about 25 inches in length and were sold in red, yellow, blue and green with 64-inch yellow or green dipped chains. The seats have pointed ends with three black dots and black grommets.

Play structures with the sling swings contain a metal plate on the main beam with the writing, “Rainbow Play Systems Inc. 1-800-RAINBOW.”

If you have one of these sling swings, remove it from your play structure and either contact Rainbow Play Systems, Inc. or return the sling to the place you bought it for a free replacement swing. If you have already been contacted by Rainbow and had your swing seat replaced, you are are not affected by this recall.

For more information, contact Rainbow Play Systems at (800) 724-6269 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit Rainbow’s Web site at www.rainbowplay.com

For more information about the Rainbow Play Systems Swing Seats recall visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 26,000 Adventure Playsets Wooden Swing Sets have been recalled. These sets have defective bolts which could allow the frame of the swing set to detach from the fort structure, leading to possible falls and injuries to the children who are using it.

Backyard Ventures has received 64 reports of the bolt heads twisting off during installation. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled swing set models include the Durango, Tacoma, Oddsey, Bellvue, Monarch, Grand Teton and Outlook II. The sets are made of wood, and feature various types of slides, swings and a fabric canopy over part of the structure.

If you have one of these sets, have your children stop using it immediately. Then contact Backyard Ventures to receive repair instructions and free replacement bolts for the recalled swing sets.

For more information, call Backyard Ventures at (800) 856-4445 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, visit the firm’s Web site at www.adventureplaysets.com or e-mail the firm at custservice@adventureplaysets.com

Visit the CPSC web site for more information about the Adventure Playsets Wooden Swing Sets recall.

One of the books I’m currently reading is the Star Wars novel, Labyrinth of Evil, by James Luceno.

The story takes place shortly before Episode III, and this book has been billed as the first of a trilogy, followed by the Revenge of the Sith novelization and Dark Lord (which takes during and shortly after Episode III.)

Labyrinth is an entertaining and compelling book, giving insights into characters we know and events yet to come. However, as I read, I’m filled with a sense of sadness, for even as I watch Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi search for the mysterious Sith lord, I know they won’t find him in time. I know what will ultimately happen….

This doesn’t stop the book from being entertaining along the way. There’s one brief exchange when Anakin and Obi-Wan are in a bar in pursuit of a pilot who is the next link in the chain leading to Darth Sideous. They start talking about Zam Wessel, the shapeshifter from Episode II, and Obi-Wan tells Anakin he knew she would follow him. Anakin: “Implying that shapeshifters have a special fondness for me?” Obi Wan: “The way you were strutting around, what female could help herself?”

And I particularly enjoy the scene where Obi-Wan and another character disable a tractor beam. Obi-Wan makes a flicking motion with his fingers; this creates a noise which distracts the guards — sound familiar? Obi-Wan watches carefully as the other character disables the tractor beam. He obviously commits the procedure to memory, which serves him in good stread many years later on the Death Star. I chuckled when, a bit later, Anakin mentions disabling the beam and Obi-Wan says, “Not a skill I expect to draw on again.”

One of the most compelling aspects of the book is how it tells us something of the background of General Grievous. We learn who he was before he became a tool of the Sith, why he hates the Jedi and what really caused the accident that resulted in his half-mechanical existence. All-in all, it makes me much more sympathetic to him, although I still enjoy his demise at the hands of Obi-Wan in Episode III.

If you’re a breastfeeding mother, the food you eat can have a direct effect on your baby’s disposition. The Calm Baby Cookbook, by Dr. Melanie Beingessner, will help you avoid the foods that cause your baby to fuss or cry.

The book includes 85 recipes, instructions on how to convert your favorite recipes into breastfeeding-friendly ones, information on the foods that are mostly likely to cause your baby discomfort and more.

Learn more about The Calm Baby Cookbook and read a sample.

Read the articles about pregnancy and breastfeeding that she has on her site.

Here’s another product recall from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

About 2,800 pieces of Juicy Couture Children’s Jewelry have been recalled because they contain high lead levels. There have been no reports of injuries, but lead is toxic and can cause health problems if ingested by young children. (It amazes me how companies keep making stuff with too much lead in them. The toxicity of this substance is a known fact, what in the blankety-blank are they thinking?)

According to CPSC, the recalled bracelets and necklaces are gold or silver with charms. The charms include a yellow painted metal shirt with “Viva La Juicy” printed on the front, a cheerleader’s megaphone with the word “Juicy,” a green heart with “Juicy Couture,” a black dog, the letter “J,” and a purple flower.

The jewelry was sold in a pink box with “Juicy Couture” and “Made with Love G&P” printed on the top. The recall includes style numbers YJRU0722, YJRU0723, YJR0724 and YJRU0538. The style number is printed on a white sticker on the bottom of the pink box.

If your child has this jewelry, take it away from her and return it to the store where you bought it for a full refund. For more information, contact Liz Claiborne toll-free at (866) 879-7877 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, seven days a week, or visit their Web site at www.juicycouture.com/recall

Visit the CPSC web site for more information about the Juicy Couture children’s jewelry recall, including a picture.