New UK Initiative Focuses on Pregnancy Loss
In Parliament this week, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley pledged to improve maternity services in the UK in several welcome ways. First, he has called for a midwife to be assigned to each pregnant woman for the duration of her pregnancy, and one-on-one care during labor. He also pledged to provide additional, specialized education to health visitors (who do at-home visits after birth) to help them recognize the early signs of post-partum depression.
The government has allotted four-hundred million pounds to psychological therapy to help women who are identified as needed help with post-partum depression.
Lansley also revealed a ground-breaking plan to make the National Health Service accountable for the care it gives to families going through miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death. Parents will be asked to rate their care in order to help practitioners improve their care.
Already, opinion articles and bloggers are expressing concern about the government's ability to deliver on these promises, but with 5,000 new midwives currently in training, I think it's fair to say that the women of the UK are going to experience significant improvements in their pregnancy care. I will be interested to see if measurable improvements in patient satisfaction and outcomes result from these initiatives. We probably won't be able to get any significant statistics from these moves for several years.
I hope other countries follow Britain's lead in focusing on the needs of women and their families going through pregnancy loss, and post-partum depression.
More on Post-Partum Depression:
Can Women Have Post-Partum Depression After a Miscarriage?
Is It Time to Get Professional Help?
Readers Respond: Depression After Miscarriage
Photo © Gary Yeowell / Getty Images
'Saying Goodbye' Brings Together Parents, Church of England
After 5 miscarriages, Zoe and Andy Clark-Coates, of England, know all too well the heartbreak and isolation of early pregnancy loss. In an article in The Guardian, Zoe describes the pain of each miscarriage as "suffocating." Though the couple has gone on to have two living daughters, they still grieve for their five children who didn't make it to a live birth. The Clark-Coates have been frustrated by the lack of any public acknowledgment available to them.
They felt they had to do something to help other grieving parents like themselves to find some sense of closure. The result of that desire is their project, Saying Goodbye. Working with The Miscarriage Associate, they've managed to schedule special services at many cathedrals throughout Britain for parents to gather and say their own goodbyes to babies lost to miscarriage and stillbirth.
Mothers' Day Wishes
To all of my readers who are facing their first Mothers' Day after a pregnancy loss: I am so sorry for your loss, and I hope you find comfort and support from the special people in your life.
To those of you who will celebrate Mothers' Day with your living children: I hope the joy you find in your sons or daughters helps you remember your children who have died with gratitude and bittersweetness.
To those of you not sure if you can call yourself a mother with no children in your arms: If you feel like a mother, you are a mother.
To those of you who don't want the title of mother: I honor your choice and hope you find peace.
May all of you pass this holiday with good friends and family who offer you exactly what you need, whether that is a shoulder to cry on, a hand to hold, a distracting getaway, or a joyful celebration of memory.
Happy Mothers' Day.
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May Awareness Days 2012
As I've done in previous months, I'd like to bring attention to some of the wonderful organizations holding awareness events for the month of May. Every month when I look into the national recognition days/weeks/months, I am amazed by how many affect my readers. Pregnancy Loss seems like an isolated topic, but when you investigate the many types of loss that affect women, and the many causes of miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death, you can't help seeing how many organizations can actually help reduce the number of babies lost to miscarriage and other kinds of pregnancy loss.
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month. Although only Hepatitis E has a high mortality rate for mothers and infants, other types of hepatitis can be passed from mother to infant, result in chronic infection, and acute infection may cause preterm labor in the third trimester. To learn more, check out the Hepatitis Foundation International website. The 19th is also Hepatitis Testing Day, sponsored by the CDC.
Lupus Awareness Month also happens this month. Women with Lupus Erythematosus are at risk for miscarriage, preeclampsia, premature birth, and antiphospholipid antibodies. The Lupus Foundation of America has information about events during May.
This month also brings us Mental Health Awareness month. With the American Psychology Association considering adding grief as a mental disorder to the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, mental health is of greater concern than ever to parents whose baby has died. Even before that though, grieving parents have always been at risk for developing depression and anxiety, with long-term effects. To learn more about this awareness month, please check out Mental Health America.
Several organizations are also supporting general health this month. It's Mediterranean Diet Month, which has already been associated with a reduced chance of anencephaly. It's also National High Blood Pressure Education Month, brought to us by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. High blood pressure is a major risk to all pregnant women, and can lead to many complications including miscarriage and stillbirth. National Physical Fitness and Sports Month reminds us that getting active is one of the simplest ways to improve our general health and maintain an ideal body weight.
National Women's Health Week and National Women's Check-up Day encourages all of us to get the preventative care we need to detect and control chronic conditions as best we can. Women with chronic illnesses can be at risk for pregnancy loss, and one of the best ways to reduce that risk is to keep those conditions in the best possible control.
Finally, the World Health Organization brings us World No Tobacco Day on May 31st this year. Tobacco is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and one of the few preventable causes of pregnancy loss. Women who smoke during pregnancy are at risk for a host of complications, from high blood pressure to preterm delivery, miscarriage, stillbirth, and small birth weight infants. This year, make May 31st your first tobacco free day!
To learn more about these or any of the other awareness events for May, check out this helpful list.
Whooping Cough Still a Killer for Infants
Here at the Miscarriage/Pregnancy Loss site, we spend a lot of time talking about the causes of pregnancy loss and how to cope with it. We don't spend quite as much time on neonatal death, though I have tried recently to bring the experiences of those parents to the site more.
Today, I'd like to focus on a particular type of infant death that we can actually do something about. Whooping cough, also known as Pertussis, is a viral illness that can be deadly for susceptible infants. The non-profit organization California Immunization Coalition (CIC) is collecting stories of people who have suffered the effects of illnesses that are preventable with vaccines. At their site, Shot-by-Shot.org, I found the heart-breaking story of a 27 day-old girl who died after a long, painful battle with pertussis.
"Dragon Mom" on Loving as Long as You Can
I'm definitely late on becoming aware of this opinion article from the New York Times, but it's way too valuable to ignore. Creative writer professor and author, Emily Rapp, wrote a truly touching article about her son, Ronan.
Ronan has the rare genetic disorder called Tay-Sachs disease, which affects the nervous system, slowly leading to death, usually before age 5. The disease is most common in certain populations, but can appear in the general population as well. In Rapp's case, she was not in an at-risk population, and two prenatal tests were negative for the disorder. However, Ronan still has Tay-Sachs.
Tax Questions After Pregnancy Loss
Today is Tax Day here in the United States. It's never anyone's favorite day of the year, but if you're in the middle of grieving the loss of your child, it probably seems like more of an annoyance than ever.
Unfortunately, taxes are a fact of life, and you still have to go on with the practicalities of life, even in grief. One thing you may not have considered is how to fill out the dependents portion of your tax return.
Turns out, you may qualify for the child tax credit if you've had a child that was born alive, even if he or she only lived for a few moments. For more information on this, please see my new article on taxes after pregnancy loss. Be sure to consult with a tax professional if you have questions or concerns about filing your taxes correctly.
Photo © Jeffrey Coolidge / Getty Images
Artist Illuminates the Taboo Nature of Miscarriage
Recently, the International Museum of Women asked their online community to nominate artwork from all over the world that represented motherhood. After a huge response of over 600 submissions, the finalists were named, and the winner brought an unexpected dimension to the exhibit.
The installation is called "Breakdown in the Closet" by Pakistani/American artist, Humaira Abid. The piece features wooden sculptures representing each member of a family's clothing hanging in a closet. Below, on the floor, a red onesie represents a child lost to miscarriage.
IBS May Increase Miscarriage, Ectopic Pregnancy
New evidence suggests that women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may be at greater risk for miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy. Researchers from University College Cork, Ireland and the Biostatistics Group of the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom collaborated on the study, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
While the study was unable to find any increased risk of other pregnancy complications, like preeclampsia and stillbirth, there was an increased risk of 25-30% for early pregnancy losses for women with IBS. The researchers did not control for the severity of IBS, which is a condition with a wide range of symptoms and impact on women's lives. They also admit that they did not control for any over-the-counter medications women may take to control their IBS which may have contributed to their increased risk of pregnancy loss.
April Awareness Days 2012
Recently, I've been trying to focus on some of the things we can do in our lives to reduce the risk of pregnancy loss. Even though most miscarriages and stillbirths occur due to random chromosomal abnormalities, there are those losses that can be attributed to other factors.
In April, many organizations are sponsoring events to raise awareness of all kinds of health-related causes. While not every organization is relevant to pregnancy loss, there are plenty that are. Here is my list of causes you may want to get involved in. Remember, any way we can reduce pregnancy loss is a good thing!