Hide your birthing tubs--it's time for the SQUAT news round-up!

The Food and Drug Administration seized a shipment of Aquaborn birthing tubs in a Portland, OR, dock, claiming the tubs are unauthorized medical equipment, and have ordered FDA agents to search and destroy the tubs. Barbara Harper, author of Gentle Birth Choices and founder of Waterbirth International, had a conversation with an FDA official in which she was told, “Pregnancy is an illness and birth is a medical event. Therefore, a pool that a woman gives birth in should be classified as medical equipment.” Laurel Ripple-Carpenter, a frequent SQUAT contributor, has a full report on her blog here.

Catherine Ferguson Academy students and supporter

SQUAT has been following the trials of the Catherine Ferguson Academy, a Detroit school for teen mothers and pregnant girls, since the state announced the school would be closed due to budget cuts. Students and school supporters have been voicing their support for the school, and staged a sit-in in May. The Detroit Public Schools announced this week a change to the school consolidation and closure plan, yet the future of the school is still unclear. Stay tuned to SQUAT to learn more about the incredible work of CFA in the upcoming issue of SQUAT, due out in late June. You can contact the superintendent of Detroit schools to show your support for CFA: 14th Floor, Fisher Building, 3011 West Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI 48202. Or call (313) 870-3772.

Over 200 people gathered in Forrest Park, Georgia, to protest a new county law that prohibits breastfeeding toddlers over 2 years old in public. Dozens of women nursed their children in the nurse-in to protest the ordinance, which was enacted to reduce public nudity.

Breastfeeding moms and their supporters gather in Forrest Park, GA. 

(FoxNews)

The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) annual meeting is underway in San Antonia, TX. Up for discussion at the meeting is a proposal to change the ACNM’s name to the American College of Midwives. See our previous blog post to get some context and opinion on this proposal, and download a marketing report (which recommends keeping the current name), at the ACNM web site.

Breastfeeding mothers show different brain activity than those who are formula feeding, according to a study by the National Institute for Mental Health. According to the study, the brains of breast-feeding mothers show a greater response to the sound of their babies' cries than do the brains of mothers who do not breastfeed. The results suggest this brain activity facilitates greater sensitivity from the mother toward her infant as the baby begins to socially interact with the world, the researchers say.

Homebirths on the rise, toxic nursing pillows, nurse-ins and more! It's the SQUAT week-in-review!

Breastfeeding mothers are a lot like exotic dancers, according to a new local law in Forest Park, Georgia. A new city ordinance makes it illegal to breastfeed a child over 2 years old in public, claiming that such an act is publicly indecent. Breastfeedind advocates have responded quickly-- there is now a petition to the Forest Park city council, and a nurse-in scheduled for next Monday in front of Forest Park City Hall.



You might want to think twice about the nursing pillow you're using. A new report this week in Environmental Science and Technology reported that 80 percent of baby products contained toxic or untested flame retardants. Many flame retardants are suspected carcinogens, and toddlers have been found to the three times the level of these chemicals in their bodies compared to adults.

Babies born using increased interventions did not fair any better after birth than those without, according a study of 30,000 births in upstate New York. The study showed no difference in birth outcomes (including whether or nota baby required ventillation,  was transferred to an intensive care hospital, or had a low agpar score) between babies born through c-section or induction, suggesting that a routine reliance on such interventions does not help the health of infants. (Yeah, we could have told ya that!)

Maryland-based midwife Karen Carr, who recently plead guilty to two felonies in Virginia to avoid jail time for her role in a breech homebirth, is now under investigation in Maryland, according to the Washington Post. Karr's case has ignited, yet again, the debate about the safety of homebirth and the rights of women and midwives. See one SQUAT Editor's story of her experience with Karen Carr on a previous blog post.

More women are choosing homebirth--A review of birth certificate information found a 20 percent increase in women choosing to birth at home between 2004 and 2008.

And women who use a licensed midwife to give birth at home in Vermont will now be covered by their insurance, thanks to a new bill signed into law this week. The law will require insurance companies to cover home births attended by licensed midwives; 3 percent of births in Vermont happen at home, the highest rate in the country. 

Supermodel mum told to "put 'em away" - unless she's showing them to straight grownup males, natch.

On Wednesday Miranda Kerr, Australian model, fashion worker, and partner to actor Orlando Bloom, announced a painkiller-free birth to their new son Flynn and included an at-home photo of her breastfeeding the delightfully-snuggly newborn.

I don't know this family, but this brief piece was a ray of sunshine in my day. I believe such unselfconscious and straightforward announcements by celebrities in support of birth advocacy and breastfeeding - as well as lovely candid photographs like this - do a great deal to help the many "regular mums" (and dads) at home watching. Anyone who's made a study of breastfeeding rates knows that family and cultural support - or the lack thereof - is a critical factor in how our babies end up being fed. In the US, a country with dismal breastfeeding rates (and a concomitant endemic lack of support for the practice), pioneering celebrity families can empower otherwise uncertain newbies. This theory is supported by impassioned activists representing populations with even lower rates than the sum population, such as teen mothers and African American mothers.

I also know breastfeeding, with its oft-innate demonstrable power and its female- and child-positive associations, is extremely threatening to many men and women. Images of breastfeeding and discussion of breastfeeding rights are roundly mocked by all quarters including, sadly, many prominent feminists (such as Erica Jong's recent piece lumping breastfeeding as being part and parcel with modern motherhood's "prison", hinting that required breastfeeding may be imminent and other foolishness. Memo to Jong: don't get it twisted. It's kyriarchal standards and cultural institutions that "imprison" women, carers, and small children).

Thus, of course, there were many critics responding to Kerr's photo (which of course, transcending irony to the nth degree, shows so very much less flesh than the Victoria's Secret work she's done). Australian health advocate Dr. Samantha Thomas' post on the responses to Kerr's photo reveal some of the less uncivil (but still profoundly wrongheaded) commentary. Included are body shaming (yeah, I know - directed at a supermodel), accusations of vulgarity and inappropriateness, and slut-shaming (you can see more examples of misogynistic commentary here). Bizarrely, some commenters criticized Kerr for wearing makeup in the photo.

I was very fortunate to raise my newborns in a breastfeeding-friendly culture (in fact, sadly, many of the women I knew at the time did not seem to realize how counterproductive and cruel anti-formula-feeding language can be). But when I see negative responses to Kerr I have that oppressive tingle: a near miss. Had my circumstances been different, stories like Kerr's and responses to them could have had a tremendous effect. As it stood, I was one of those "fortunate" women when it came to breastfeeding. My body cooperated with me, the babies did well, my practitioners supported us, my family could feed ourselves on my one income which in turn meant I had a partner who was able to do what it took to make things happen (I was a chemical engineer at a paper mill - my husband Ralph brought me our newborn twice a day), and the children and I enjoyed the process. Other families aren't so fortunate, and many women need more help and more cultural sustenence - including the emphatic support of the public that yes, they have a right to feed their child the way they choose. At least in the US, we are failing miserably in that regard.

So today I'd like to extend, for what it's worth, my deep appreciation to Kerr and her partner for being brave enough to go public with something they have every reason to celebrate. As one mother to another, I hope she finds friends and supporters to help her and her partner in their new journey.

It looks like things are getting off to a beautiful start.

***

Kelly Hogaboom is a 33-year old woman raised by hippies in a bus that had planets painted on the side. She now lives in a much-beloved semi-urban ex-logging town nestled in a windswept harbor in the Pacific Northwest, the United States, with her partner and their two children Phoenix (8), and Nels (6), four kitties, and five laying hens. She loves to sew, to cook, to write, and to stay up too late watching B-movies with her wiggly kiddos. You can read her blog at kelly.hogaboom.org and social commentary at underbellie.com.

Setting Positive Trends

Proud papa, Owen Wilson

Is it true? Is celebrity home birth becoming a trend? It would certainly be a welcome improvement from the trend of elective cesareans to avoid the "negative" affects of birth on the body. The latest celebrity home birth story comes from actor, Owen Wilson, and his partner, Jade Duell, who had water birth in Hawaii.

I don't spend much time following the lives of celebrities, but when I found out about Owen and Jade's decision to birth at home, it gave me some hope for mainstream birth culture. Celebrities have always influenced culture through trend setting and I hope that more birthing celebrities speak up about the benefits of natural birth. It seems that after Owen went through a period of depression and then recovered, he began to seek out a new and improved lifestyle. Part of his new healthy lifestyle involved he and Jade choosing a water birth for their first child.

"Jade and Owen were both on the same page when they decided to have the baby at home,” a source told Star magazine. “They wanted a calm, quiet, soothing atmosphere for their boy. It was very important to Owen that the birth be Zen-like, because now he’s all about tranquility being the key to a healthy life.”

Healthy birth cannot be compared to a South Beach diet or similar trends that come and go. Once you begin to educate yourself about the undeniable benefits of a safe and healthy birth, you just can't ignore it.

This post is by Meghan Guthrie, art director of SQUAT Birth Journal. We are looking for folks who are interesting in writing for this blog. If you are interested in contributing to the SQUAT blog please contact us at SquattingBirth@Gmail.com

Managing Depression during Pregnancy and Lactation

by Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorBetween shifts at the information booth and shadowing the photographer, I was lucky enough to sample a few of the great education sessions on tap at this year’s ACNM Annual Meeting. I was most looking forward to meeting fellow bloggers Mary Murry, Amie Newman, and Amy Romano, but I also managed to slip into “Psychiatric Medications in Pregnant and

Moms Reveal Telling Facts About Breastfeeding

by Melissa Garvey, ACNM Writer and EditorDid anyone listen to the Bravado Breastfeeding Information Council (BBIC) launch event this past Tuesday? I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of solid facts they revealed from their database of 80,000 women. In case you missed it, here’s a snapshot of what they shared:First generation breastfeeding moms need special support. Of first generation

Breastfeeding Benefits Moms, Too

Midwives and other women’s health care experts agree that breastfeeding is a great way to give babies a healthy start to life. Now a new study shows that breastfeeding may benefit mom’s health later in life. Scheduled for publication in the May 2009 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the new study shows that women who have breastfed have a lower risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes,