Nicole Bross breastfeeds her tiny baby, who sucks the nourishing milk hungrily. Can anything better exemplify the love between a mother and her baby?

Tammy McInnis Maguire-Duperron nurses daughter Iza on her second birthday. I love the rapt attention in Iza’s eyes as she feeds from Tammy’s breast! Tammy, who currently nurses her 2-year-old and 4-month-old children, said she continued to feed Iza until she self-weaned at 43 months.

Iowa’s 12,000 nurses were supposed to get a one time pay bonus that was set up by the state Governor, but state hospitals didn’t distribute the money they way it was intended it seems.  Some $2.9 million was to be allocated to Iowa nurses who are paid some of the lowest salaries in the nation.”We said we wanted it to be a one-time thing; we wanted to put a little money in the nurses’ pockets,” said state Sen. Thomas Courtney.  As it turned out the 34 hospitals in the state just didn’t pass on the money to nurses.  The Iowa Hospital Association Senior Vice President Greg Boattenhamer said “We maintain every dime of that 1% increase has gone to support salary increases for nurses at Iowa hospitals.”  Then why is this an issue?

Well even if the legislation that was drafted to allow such a financial distribution to take place had some language errors in it, which it sounds like happened.  I find it hard to believe that the 34 state hospitals didn’t know what the intent of the legislative bill was.  Sounds like hospital leaders are playing semantics with state legislators in an attempt to keep the money for their own coffers.  I wonder what would have happened if the money that was supposed to go to the Iowa nurses was earmarked for physicians.  Would the hospitals still have kept the money?  I think not.  This is yet another example of the many inequities that exist in health care for nurses.  If I were one of those Iowa hospital administrators I would make sure I stayed nice and healthy and didn’t need to put in hospital - at least in Iowa.
 

Source:  Modern Healthcare

LOL. I just had to laugh at that title.

Anyway, my Natural Science 2 class at the university is now dealing with the nervous system. Of course I have to prepare for my teaching right, and one particular preparation merits posting on this blog.

I was surfing the net for interesting brain facts and what I found were certainly most interesting! I decided to pick only 10 amongst the humongous amount of information I was able to find. Here you go. And tell me how they made you go ‘hmmm….’

10 BRAIN FACTS that make you go Hmmmmm….

1. The electric consumption of your brain when you are awake can illuminate a low wattage light bulb, about 23-25 watts.

2. You are actually paralyzed when you are sleeping because your brain produces a hormone that stops you from acting out your dreams.

3. It is not possible to tickle yourself because your cerebellum, a part of your brain, warns your system about what you are about to do so you can never burst into a fit.

4. It is not your brain that is hurting when you have a headache because your brain does not have any pain receptor. Doctors can actually operate on your brain when you are wide awake without anesthesia and you will not feel anything.

5. If the blood vessels on your brain would be laid out it will circle the world more than four times because it is about 100,000 miles.

6. An octopus has more nerve cells compared to a man, 300 billion opposed to 100 billion.

7. In finding a man, size does matter - the size of his vasopressin receptor that is. The longer it is the longer a man is likely to be trustworthy, loyal, and faithful.

8. The female is nature’s default setting. All fetus have the female gender from the start but at about eight weeks old, a sudden surge of male hormones comes from the brain that kills all of the female attributes.

9. Love hurts - literally, because the receptors in the brain for physical pain and emotional pain are the same.

10. In order for a woman to be able to have an orgasm during sex, her amygdala, the brain center that controls fear and anxiety must be turned off. One good tip: warm her feet.

Stand on a piece of paper and have a friend trace your foot

Measure the lenght of your foot

Do both feet because most people have one foot that is bigger than the other.

It is best to try this after you have been awake and completed yur daily routine. Your feet swell during the day.

This is in centimeters. If you measure in inches you want to multiply by 2.54.

Order your shoes know that you should get a great fit.

I recently stumbled upon an article on TIME.com published back in January 2009 (I know, I know, a bit late J) entitled The Risks of Early C-Sections by Alice Park.  If you haven’t seen it, it’s a short article and a quick read.  In the article, Park reports on a study conducted by researchers at University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine which found out of a sample of 13,258 pregnant women who had had a prior cesarean section, 36% elected to schedule their next c-section delivery (with the support of their physicians) before 39 weeks of gestation, which is the safety cutoff recommended by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG).  Park writes, “ACOG’s guideline is based on studies showing that prior to 39 weeks, babies’ lungs are often too undeveloped to function properly outside the womb, and babies at this age tend to have difficulty regulating their blood sugar.

Park quotes Dr. Alan Tita from the research team in saying, “The fact that one-third of elective cesareans were done before 39 weeks was surprising.”  After all, the research shows that babies delivered at 37 weeks by elective C-section were twice as likely as those born at 39 weeks to have complications, “ranging from respiratory problems, heart issues, sepsis and seizures — conditions that typically require resuscitation or ventilator support in a neonatal intensive care unit”.  Contrary to Dr. Tita’s reaction however, when I read about the findings of the study, my reaction was completely opposite; I wasn’t surprised at all.

What the article did not touch on is the scary fact that there is a growing trend among the obstetrical community of both scheduling cesareans AND elective labor inductions (that is, inductions with no maternal or fetal health indication) BEFORE the recommended guideline of 39 weeks.  So to the OBGYNS of this country I have a question for you: Let me get this straight… you mean to tell me that you are willing to aggressively defend and follow guidelines adopted by ACOG that are UNSUPPORTED by research (for example, that planned homebirths for low risk uncomplicated pregnancies, attended by a qualified and licensed midwife are more dangerous than hospital births) BUT when your organization actually adopts an appropriate guideline that is supported by research, you just ignore it? 

Does anyone else find this hypocrisy as OUTRAGEOUS as I do?  The scary truth is that this mind-set is (regrettably) just another common thread among the over-medicalized obstetrical model of care that sadly controls the maternity care system of our country.  Too many OBGYNs just do whatever they want, with complete disregard for maternal and fetal safety (even though they claim that it is their main concern) as well as complete disregard for evidenced-based research. 

I will digress for a moment to share with you a situation I found myself in as a labor and delivery nurse this past Christmas.  (As always, the names and any identifying information have been changed to protect confidentiality).  I arrived to work in the late morning as usual and was informed by the charge nurse that I would be admitting an induction into room 12.  Since it was Christmas I asked why she was being induced; After all, we do not schedule any inductions on holidays unless there is an urgent medical indication for delivery.  “I don’t know, because Dr. N is sick of listening to her I guess,” she frustratingly stated as she rolled her eyes.  Turns out the patient was triaged at our hospital the day before and was sent home for “false” labor since she remained only 2 centimeters dilated with an irregular contraction pattern after two hours of walking the halls.  Apparently after yet another sleepless night she had called Dr. N and stated “I am coming into the hospital today and if you don’t agree to induce me, I will refuse to leave!  I am too uncomfortable and am DONE with this pregnancy.”  When I questioned Dr. N about the situation, pointing out the fact that there was no medial indication for this induction and in fact, the patient was still only 2 centimeters and contracting irregularly every 8-15 minutes he said, “I have to give her what she wants.”  Excuse me…WHAT?  And furthermore when I pointed out the fact that the patient’s gestational age was only 38 weeks and 1 day he snidely remarked, “Don’t you worry, I’ll take the rap for it when it gets flagged and brought up in the peer review board.”  And do you know why he said this so nonchalantly?  Because that committee is made up of a bunch of other OBGYNs who don’t like anyone breathing down their backs and therefore, will only give him, at most, a slap on the wrist.  And that is EXACTLY what happened.  Talk about driving up healthcare costs; Not only were they were paying me double time and a half to be there on Christmas day but that baby boy ended up going to NICU for a “pitstop” for grunting and retracting (a sign of respiratory distress) within an hour of delivery!

 I would like to take a moment to share the fact that I have never been pregnant and therefore have never personally experienced the discomforts of pregnancy first hand.  Despite this I personally hold all pregnant mothers in high regard and have the utmost respect for the physical and emotional sacrifices that a pregnant mother has to make in the weeks that she is with child.  I feel that as a professional who works with pregnant mothers it is my responsibility to support and aid a mother through her journey in any way possible and if any woman complains or comments about her discomforts and pains, I make a conscious effort to provide compassionate and empathetic care and comfort to that mother.  In my opinion they certainly have good reason to grumble at times! 

That being said…I personally feel that the physical and emotional discomforts of pregnancy (although intense and very real) are all part of the deal and it is just one of the many sacrifices parents will have to make in their lifetime for their children.  Just ask any new mom…If you think it is hard to get a full nights sleep while pregnant, just wait until you have a newborn!  Basically what I am getting at is this: although I have the utmost respect and empathy for how uncomfortable pregnancy can be (heartburn, Braxton-Hicks, morning sickness, hemorrhoids, stretch marks, fatigue, backaches, leg cramps, varicose veins, swelling, shortness of breath, dizziness, the list goes on and on), these discomforts are NOT a good enough reason to end a pregnancy early when the risks for the baby are so high.  Likewise, for a physician to agree to an early induction or elective cesarean or even worse, to promote it (trust me, it happens!) is sooooooo wrong.  Although I agree with the article when Park writes, “Although most obstetricians are disinclined to schedule c-sections prior to 39 weeks, they still feel pressured by their patients to do so,” there are also many women who feel pressured by their physicians to undergo unnecessary labor inductions and elective cesareans, often under the guise of a bogus medical indication.  (My personal favorite is when physicians set up an induction for a woman for “preeclampsia” when every laboratory test we do on the patient shows that at most she might have “pregnancy induced hypertension” (which can be watched and controlled with simple medications and is NOT an indication for urgent delivery) and at least she might have had just one out-of-wack blood pressure in the office!  The list of these flagrant offenses goes on and on…) 

I have heard it with my own two ears; Doctors saying things similar to “Well you’ve got to give these women what they want or they will sue!”, or “The patients are calling the shots not me, it’s out of my hands!”  I mean COME ON!  Are they serious??!!!  That is so far from the truth it is LAUGHABLE.  First of all these types of excuses are LAME and UNACCEPTBABLE.  Doctors take the Hippocratic oath to “First Do No Harm” and agreeing to order, manage, and perform unnecessary early elective cesareans and labor inductions is negligent, irresponsible, and dangerous.  Tell me, if the fear of litigation is so strong in this country as to so powerfully influence a “defensive” and “litigation driven” approach to obstetrical care, why o why would any OBGYN agree to any unnecessary procedure that is shown, through research, to place the baby at high risk for complications?

Furthermore, if a physician refuses to perform an unnecessary early induction or cesarean for a mother who is demanding one, what can she really do?  It is very unlikely that she could change doctors since there are very few practices that will accept what is referred to as a “late transfer of care.”  Some doctors say they fear litigation.  Could you imagine that?  How absolutely unfounded and preposterous!  On what grounds could the mother actually win the suit?  I can see the opening statement now: “My client is suing this doctor for not performing an unsafe early labor induction/elective cesarean.  You see, your honor, her back hurt ‘really bad’ and she was ‘just sick of being pregnant.’  Clearly this doctor should be locked up for correctly following the evidenced based research that supports his decision!” Absurd!

In conclusion, I would like to say one thing to all the women and obstetricians out there desiring and performing unnecessary early elective cesareans and labor inductions: Nature Knows BEST!

It has been months, no, years since I saw her. I remember the time I set out to find her about a year ago, and I miserably failed. Though I got to talk to her over Yahoo Messenger,  it didn’t last. As quickly as I found her, the more quicker she was gone. Again. During those time, she told me that she saw me across the place where we used to go to. I asked her why didn’t she call me, and she only replied, “Nahihiya kasi ako sa’yo.“  We even asked each other to watch a movie, just like the old days… When everything seemed brighter and better tasting.

But that was it.

She never replied.

I never thought I would ever see her again. Not even in my dreams. Since I rarely remember my dream, this one was so vivid… And in full color!

I could still remember the smell of popcorn, the screams of delight of children all around me, and the silly music that was playing. It was a carnival. Bright lights kept on blinking at a distance, asking delighted customers to come in. Clowns of all sizes were running amok around the park, sometimes even scaring some kids, sending them running to their mom’s and dad’s.

Suddenly I was in a line to catch a ride, this time, it was a roller coaster. Ooh! I love roller coasters! I love the adrenaline rushing through my veins, though I felt something different was in store for me.

I was with a small group of people, about the same age as me. I didn’t recognize anyone, but they seemed nice enough anyway. They kept on cheering me on about something, which was weird because I was already ahead of them in line, therefore I was more excited than scared.

Then I saw her.

She was about ten paces away from me and guys were bugging her about something. The guy behind me, nudged no, pushed me forward and told me, “Sige na!” and then he smiled,motioning that I should go help her out. I wanted to go to her but I was paralyzed! I was too stunned to see her in such a random place like this.

I quickly made my move. I rushed to go near her as she was about to get into one of the cars. I shoved the guy who was pesting her, prompting me to take his place. It was an old ride, paint was chipping off, rust was clearly visible and the seats were hard. The only peculiar thing is, the seats were positoned to the side, just like how Jeepney seating would be.

She was wearing a dark colored shirt and was carrying a book. (A book?! Yes, a book.) A familiar smile flashed upon me, probably thanking me for what I did.  I can’t remember what was the first word I said to her. The ride was moving in such a peculiar way. We weren’t going up and down. It was just moving at such a slow pace that you can see people’s face clearly and low enough that you can jump off without getting injured.

People were staring at us, some were even pointing. A couple of dudes, wearing shades(though it was nighttime) was clearly watching us while eating ice cream. I reached out my right  hand,  while the noise were getting louder and louder until it was deafening.

She held my hand.

The noise suddenly ceased. The warmth of her skin calmed me, leaving me without a care of the world. She was still so pretty.

We started talking about what went on since we parted ways. I couldn’t her her talk. I can see her mouth open and close, smiling at some moments but I couldn’t hear a thing.   Oddly enough, she was also encircling something on the book she was holding using a pencil. I peered closer to her. It was an Elementary Filipino book, and she was encircling answers to what was the item on the drawing.

The only vivid thing that she told me was she didn’t regret parting ways with me because she learned a lot by herself. (I could say the say thing.)

I remember telling her, “Matagal na rin nung huling beses na hinawakan ko yung kamay mo…“ 

“Oo nga. ” , she replied.

She also told me that the most important person to her life was “M“. (I’m not sure who this M was but I have this feeling that this M was the first letter of a little girls name. I don’t know why I know this, I just felt it. I may be wrong for all I know.) I was silent while she was telling me this, and I kissed her on her left cheek. I giggled saying, “Ay! basa pa yata yung ilong ko!“  She also laughed. (I never kissed her. Ever.)

We were so close. I could feel her warmth very close to me. Her all too familiar scent filled my nostrils. Memories flashed back just like it was yesterday.

And that was it.

I woke up.

(I hope someone could enlighten me what my dream meant. But one thing’s for sure, I really miss her.)

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