Three Signs Your Caregiver Might Be Old-School

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by Yvette Stephens

In a global community, new information and studies are shared faster than ever and have resulted in some important changes to some old standards in maternal health care in recent years. Is your care-giver up to speed?

When we were kids, antibiotics were doled out for every little sniffle and scrape. After all, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, right? As you’ve probably heard in the news and in many public service announcements, we know now that in order to prevent anti-biotic resistant bacteria from developing globally, we need to be very careful about only using antibiotics when necessary. According to the Canadian Pediatric Society, the Erythromycin eye drops routinely given to babies after delivery have been proven not effective or necessary, yet many care-givers are still administering them.*

In every movie, the baby comes out and the cord is cut “stat,” right? Well, according to WHO (World Health Organization) recommendations since 2012, delaying cutting the cord until pulsation stops (usually 1-3 minutes) contributes to improved maternal and infant health and nutrition outcomes, like reducing iron deficiency in infants for up to six months!**

Moms everywhere will be happy to know that starving away during labour is no longer seen as beneficial! While it has been the prevailing view for a long time that moms in active labour in hospitals should just have little sips of clear liquid and ice chips to prevent aspiration in an emergency C-section, a recent Canadian review of over 300 studies, shows that moms could benefit from the caloric intake, and, in most cases are at low risk for aspiration in the event of a caesarian, because of anesthesia being delivered by epidural and spinal block, rather than something requiring a mask.***

If you’re hoping to benefit from these positive changes in maternity care for your upcoming delivery, chat with your doctor or midwife to share your views! Talk to us: did your recent delivery experience include Erythromycin drops, early cord-clamping or fasting?

*http://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/ophthalmia-neonatorum
**http://www.who.int/elena/titles/full_recommendations/cord_clamping/en/
***http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/10/151025010725.htm
 
Yvette Stephens is a birth doula, placenta encapsulator and infant massage instructor serving families in the Lower-Mainland and Valley  in British Columbia


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