Magaly Llaguno,

Directora Ejecutiva de VHI

El video “La biología del desarrollo prenatal” de National Geographic, presenta pruebas científicas en lo que concierne a la humanidad del niño por nacer, y su increíble y rápido crecimiento en el vientre materno.

Aquellos que combaten la “píldora del día después” por ser abortiva, encontrarán excelentes argumentos científicos en este video, con respecto a cuándo realmente comienza la vida de un ser humano y su desarrollo prenatal. “El embarazo humano tiene una duración de unas 38 semanas medidas a partir del momento de la fecundación o concepción, hasta el parto….Todas las edades embrionarias y fetales explicadas en este programa se cuentan a partir de la concepción….Desde el punto de vista biológico, ‘el desarrollo humano comienza con la concepción’, cuando la mujer y el hombre combinan  cada uno 23 de sus propios cromosomas al unirse sus células reproductoras…Desde la concepción hasta el nacimiento y más allá, el desarrollo humano es dinámico, continuo y complejo.” Es indudable que puesto que la “píldora del día después” puede impedir la implantación de la nueva vida humana en el seno materno y a menudo lo hace, actúa como abortivo y no anticonceptivo en esos casos.

Durante las primeras 8 semanas luego de la concepción, al ser humano en desarrollo se le llama “embrión”, que quiere decir “crece desde adentro.” A partir de la octava semana y hasta el nacimiento, se le llama “feto”, que quiere decir “hijo no nacido.”

De 24 a 48 horas a partir de la concepción y antes de la implantación (la cual no tiene lugar hasta pasada una semana o semana y media después de la concepción), se puede confirmar el embarazo detectando una hormona en la sangre de la madre.

Con solo 3 semanas de concebido, el nuevo ser humano tiene ya un cerebro dividido en 3 secciones principales, se están desarrollando los aparatos respiratorios y digestivo, se han formado vasos sanguíneos y su corazón ha comenzado a latir. Entre la tercera y la cuarta semana se pueden identificar el cerebro, la médula espinal y el corazón, el cual late unas 113 veces por minuto y continuará latiendo por el resto de su vida. El aborto detiene para siempre un corazón humano. Los riñones aparecen a las 5 semanas. Entre la quinta y la sexta semana, el embrión comienza a hacer movimientos espontáneos. Si le tocan la zona de la boca retira la cabeza.

A las 6 semanas y 2 días se pueden registrar sus ondas cerebrales y ya se está moviendo pero como todavía es muy pequeño, su madre no lo siente moverse hasta que tiene entre 14 y 18 semanas de concebido. Con solo 7 semanas, en la mujer por nacer ya se identifican los ovarios. En embriones de esa edad se ha observado hipo, así como movimientos en las piernas.  La actividad del corazón a las 7 semanas y media es muy similar a la de un adulto.

A las 8 semanas, el feto se vuelve más activo: gira la cabeza, extiende el cuello y se toca la cara con más frecuencia. Cuando se le toca abre y cierra los ojos, mueve la mandíbula, hace movimientos como para asir y estira los dedos de los pies. Sus riñones ya producen orina, excretada en el líquido amniótico. En los embriones varones, los testículos en desarrollo comienzan a producir y liberar testosterona. Sus huesos, músculos, nervios y vasos sanguíneos se asemejan mucho a los de los adultos. La criatura ha llegado al fin del período embrionario y posee ya más del 90% de las estructuras de los adultos. Esta es la etapa en que se llevan a cabo la mayoría de los abortos.

Con solo 9 semanas de concebido, el feto se chupa el pulgar y traga el líquido amniótico. Puede asir un objeto, mover la cabeza, abrir y cerrar la boca, estirarse, suspirar, etc. Puede sentir el tacto ligero en la cara, las palmas de las manos y las plantas de los pies. ¿Siente la criatura el dolor cuando la están despedazando viva durante un aborto?

A las 10 semanas bosteza y abre y cierra la boca con frecuencia. La mayoría de estos diminutos seres humanos en desarrollo se chupan el pulgar derecho. Los demás se chupan el izquierdo. Ya tiene huellas dactilares que son únicas y lo identificarán toda su vida. Inclusive, ya se puede conocer su sexo.

¿Puede caber duda alguna de que el aborto destruye un ser humano único e irremplazable?

Fuentes:

Para bajar el texto completo de este video en español en el cual se ha basado este artículo visite: http://www.ehd.org/pdf/BPD%204-26-2006%20Spanish.pdf. En portugués está enhttp://www.ehd.org/resources_bpd_illustrated.php?page=5&language=72. El video está disponible en inglés y español pero por el momento solo en EEUU y el Canadá. Para ver este video en español visite: http://www.ehd.org/resources_bpd_illustrated.php?page=5&language=84. Para adquirirlo visite : http://www.ehd.org/ehdstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2.

Además recomendamos el video “Baby Steps” en español de American Life League. Es una excelente herramienta educativa, especialmente para los centros de ayuda a la mujer embarazada. Puede verlo y adquirirlo por sólo $10 más costos de envío enhttp://www.babystepsdvd.com/spanish.htm. También recomendamos “En el vientre materno” de National Geographic, consulte http://www.videoseducativos.es/datoslibros.php?cod=232837.

En http://www.ehd.org/movies.php?mov_id=200&cell=5 puede ver imágenes de bebés en desarrollo.

pregnancy cures

Pregnancy entails a lot of changes which an alert mother faces through the advance of accepting a new activity central her womb. The affecting and concrete action of a abundant woman is assorted aback it depends on the accommodation of pregnancy cures the woman’s anatomy and of her affecting Pregnancy Remedy condition.

A abundant woman is again brash to attending for Cure For Infertility means to assignment out for the alertness Pregnancy Cures of her anatomy physically and emotionally. Exercise has consistently been accurate to account the absoluteness of an individual. Being abundant does not beggarly that Pregnancy Cures you are no best fit for exercise. Prenatal Pregnancy Remedy Pilates is a acceptable fettle affairs that enhances the backbone and accommodation of the anatomy Pregnancy Cures and the apperception during pregnancy.

Understanding what Prenatal Pregnancy Remedy Pilates can do to you and your anatomy will let you accept a butt of your anatomy changes and will animate you to assignment for bigger conditions. Through this you will accept a added absolute appearance of abundance authoritative you booty it as a absolution admitting pains and hassles brought by change. Here are some of the acceptable things you get from agreeable in Cure For Infertility Pilates program

• Feel bigger and acquaintance bottom Cure For Infertility affairs of discomforts forth with your actual changes. Prental pilates access your body’s adaptability for amplification as it deals with the areas which are abundantly afflicted during abundance like the pelvic the aback and alike your breath pattern
• The adversity in breath is catered by this exercise as it helps in the able apportionment of the claret and oxygen.
• Pilates additionally activates the transverus abdominus which is amenable for acknowledging Pregnancy Remedy the lumbar back calm with the pelvic area.
• Promotes crabbed breath for added added rib cage mobility. During the aboriginal allotment of the third trimester the diaphragm is bound because the babyish is still in aerial position forth the tummy. Rib cage advancement through Pilates affairs will advice affluence the abundant woman while the babyish is alive appear its adapted position for birth.

Prenatal pilates helps you accomplish a acute concrete and affecting condition. Your nine-month Pregnancy Cures abundance is basic with cogent pregnancy cures changes everyday. Advice yourself acclimate to these changes as you assignment on a convalescent you through exercise. Welcome concrete changes with address and accept a pain-free accessible activity ahead.

Background: The processing of rapidly presented stimuli has been shown to be a precursor for the perception of speech in infants, long before they learn to speak. However, the onset and early development of rapid temporal processing (RTP) skills is not yet well understood. The main goal of this study was to assess the development of RTP skills during the prenatal and early postnatal stages of life. Methodology: Tone pairs were presented in two difficulties (long and short) and event-related magnetic fields were recorded using MEG. Pregnant women (22) (gestational ages between 29 and 38 weeks’) participated in the fetal study and 15 returned for a neonatal follow-up study between 2 and 38 days after delivery or 38 and 44 weeks gestational age (GA). Results: In the postnatal follow-up study, a trend towards two peaks with increasing chronological and gestational age was observed in the longer tone pair. However, no such trend was evident in neonatal responses to the short tone pairs or in fetal recordings. Conclusions: Neonates showed a gradual trend to successful processing of the longer tone pair with increasing age. By 22 days of chronological age, the infants processed this tone pair successfully, as indicated by two-peak waveforms. Therefore, the first 3 weeks of life could be critical for the development of RTP. Significance: This study is a first approach towards the assessment of early RTP development. The results provide promising indications for future studies, which might lead to an early detection of deficits in speech perception and therefore prevent further language impairments.

from Brain and Development

Premature Births and Infant Mortality Counterpoint

After reading several recent articles on US premature births and infant mortality in reference to the US health care, I decided to research the facts and data. The US ranks 33^rd in the world in infant mortality, an indicator of the health of a nation.

Approximately 13 million worldwide are born premature and 56 million infants die within one year of birth, of which 1 million are premature. The US has 475,000 born premature and 27,000 infants die annually. Premature births occur when the infant is born before the completion of the 37^th week of pregnancy.  The question is why the US has the premature birth and infant mortality rates for a nation with advanced health care?

The following are among the factors that could increase the risk of premature birth:

• Lack of proper prenatal care for expectant mother
• Drinking alcohol, using drugs, or smoking cigarettes
• Carry multiple babies or taking fertilization drugs
• Elective inductions or cesarean sections

• Certain Infections
• Shortened cervix
• Previously given birth preterm

• Having children after age 35

• Domestic violence, including physical, sexual or emotional abuse
• Extremely high levels of stress
• Long working hours-long periods of standing
• Diabetes or high blood pressure
• Being overweight, obesity
• Short time between pregnancies

I have tabulated the data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the CIA, however it is very spotty (especially on preterm births) and needs more consistent collection (some does not make sense).

The data considered are taken from:

• CIA infant mortality data 2009
• Statistics by country for premature birth-appears to be unreliable in cases
• WHO & CIA list of countries by infant mortality rate-numbers vary
• CIA world birth rate 2009
• CIA infant mortality rate 2009
• World preterm birth rates 2009 by the March of Dimes

It is concluded that the US still rates high for health care, and there is not much that can be changed for preterm births and infant mortality without more societal changes.

Other articles of interest:

• German study confirms abortion significantly increases premature birth risks
• C-sections increasing premature births
• Preterm birth rate drops for the states
• Premature births worsen US infant death rate
• Why do women deliver early?

Did you know that yoga is for everyone including young, old, women who are pregnant and even newborn babies? That’s right, women who are newly pregnant or even very close to their due date, and new mothers and their newborns can participate in the relaxing and strengthening practice of yoga!

Prenatal yoga programs emphasize building and strengthening core muscles, learning breathing techniques, and connecting with your baby while he/she is still in the womb. All of these things prepare the expectant mother for childbirth and allow the body and mind to reach a state of blissful peace.

Warrior II Pose (credit: yogajournal.com)

Some ideal poses for the expectant mother are hip openers such as Pigeon, Warrior II, Triangle, Ardha Chandrasana (Half Moon Pose,) Baddha Konasana (Cobbler’s Pose,) and Knee to Ankle. These poses will help create flexibility in the body that will make giving birth easier.

Other yoga positions, such as Cat – Cow can help get the baby into the optimal position for birth (head down, back to your belly.)

Creating flexibility and optimizing the position of the baby are only two of the wonderful things that yoga can provide for a mother during pregnancy. Yoga is an excellent aid in preparing mothers for the physical demands of childbirth through breathing techniques and muscle strengthening. It is also a great way to relieve common ailments that are sometimes experienced during pregnancy such as aching neck and shoulders, fatigue, and the loss of endurance. For a more complete list of ailments and their yogic solutions go here.

Cat Pose (credit: yogajournal.com)

In addition, a more complete list of recommended prenatal yoga poses can be found here. Always remember however that it is important to take extra caution during any form of exercise while pregnant. Naturally, because of this, there are a few poses that should generally be avoided during pregnancy. Some of these poses include forms of twists or inversions. More on yoga poses to be avoided while pregnant can be found here.

Postnatal yoga programs, especially those which incorporate the baby, are growing in popularity as the benefits become more well-known. Postnatal yoga, while beneficial for the mother in restoring strength and peace of mind, is also extremely helpful to babies as well. I know what you are thinking, how can my baby do yoga? It just so happens that several common yoga poses, such as Bridge and Downward Facing Dog, are part of a baby’s natural movement repertoire!

Vani Devi, MGayle Studio Yoga Director, with baby Sara (credit: Heidi Gayle)

Yoga for infants helps in releiving discomforts such as gas or colic while also allowing for the discovery of cordination and balance. According to yogajournal.com, “Yoga movements help babies chart a more direct path of growth and development. Babies who have the opportunity to explore movement have greater confidence and ability when it comes time to sit, crawl, and walk. Babies who move with freedom as well as intentional guidance learn early about relating to gravity and relating to people.”

Some good, basic yoga poses for mom and baby are shoulder rolls, Downward Facing Dog, and Child’s Pose. More poses can be found here.

Peaked your curiosity bout pre and postnatal yoga classes? Luckily MGayle Studio is now offering two brand new Yogini Baby Yoga™ classes for the expectant mother and mother and baby. For more information about our new class offerings please visit our website or facebook page.

Don’t live in the area? Don’t worry, pre and postnatal yoga programs are popping up all over the country. A good resource to locate nearby studios is the yogajournal directory. If these options are not available to you fear not, there is never a bad time to start practicing yoga on your own!

For all of you who believed the words from the mouth of the guy occupying the White House when he said that taxpayer dollars would not be used to fund abortion, you now have confirmation that those words were nothing short of absolute and deliberate lies.

The current healthcare bill proposal (H.R. 3962) highly promoted by speaker Nancy Pelosi is, by its very numbers, a 1,990 page bureaucratic monstrosity to say the least.

Regardless of the number of its pages however, the most heinous and sinister provision in this bill is its mandated coverage for child-murder, which according to Mr. Obama, doesn’t even exist!

The child-murder coverage is detailed on pages 110 and 171 of the bill.

Perhaps Mr. Obama is fraudulently heading another administration, the likes of which the rest of the citizenry has yet to realize.  Or more likely, he is deliberately lying to the American people right to their faces hoping the truth of the matter will somehow slip by them.

Well it DID NOT slip by me!

The mandating of child-murder with taxpayer dollars in ANY so-called healthcare bill is pure EVIL and WICKEDNESS and will not go unpunished by the Lord, I guarantee it on the authority of the Word of the Living God, which to clarify for anyone who needs it, is THE HOLY BIBLE.

Question:
Why was Utah Senator Orrin Hatch’s amendment (among others) rejected, which specifically outlined in detail that abortion would not be covered, as Mr. Obama has falsely proclaimed to all of America?

Answer:
Because child-murder is the desired goal, which explains the complete contradictions between Obama’s words and the actual truth, that is why all the amendments were rejected!

And as atrocious as it may sound, the U.S. Government has already willfully murdered well over 50-million infants since 1973.  That is a lot of innocent blood shed that our nation has on its hands and it will be required of, as the Lord declares in His Word.

Note the following:

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.  Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man….Genesis 9:5-6.

Precious and literally helpless little children in the womb are having their lives forcefully taken from them at the hands of, and without any help from, so called “healthcare professionals” whose authority to murder them is coming directly from our incompetent and apathetic “Government Leaders”.

They sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed…..Psalm 106:37-38a.

Many (but not all) of our Government officials have a horrifically morbid and insatiable appetite to shed the innocent blood of these children.  This vile and repulsive hunger is not only baleful, abhorrent, and grossly wretched, but most of all, it is transparently EVIL.

This nation IS by all appearances, headed for a great fall, and apart from true repentance, will likely not recover.

I am urging anyone and everyone who is reading this letter to demand that these child-murders STOP!  For the sake of all of these innocent children who cannot speak out for themselves, DO NOT allow this hideous EVIL to continue any further.

Demand that abortion coverage be immediately STRIPPED from this bill masquerading as healthcare!

With that said, I leave you with some extremely important words:

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live…Deuteronomy 30:19.

The Living God gives us clear warning before judgment falls and I urge you and all of us as a nation to turn from this evil and wickedness and repent!

Perhaps the Lord will have mercy on us, unlike the complete lack of mercy shown to the 50+ million children our nation has murdered shamelessly and without hesitation or remorse since 1973.

Only the blood of the Son of God… the Lord Jesus Christ, can atone for our sins and bring forgiveness to those who have a heart of true repentance.

I quote the following plea to you from the Word of the Lord:

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon….Isaiah 55:6-7.

Thank you for your time and may you take heed for the sake of our nation……and for your very soul.

One last thing:

P.S.  Is what is shown next what you really want your tax dollars paying for?  See below:

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I sincerely hope that you will stand up and speak up for these precious little children who cannot help themselves. Tell Barack Obama, and all of congress that WE WILL NOT ALLOW THIS EVIL ANYMORE!

Your quick response is needed with the utmost urgency as a vote is expected anytime.

Call Congress at 202-224-3121

Call Mr. Obama at 202-456-1111 or 202-456-1414

Prenatal Induction – Is it Truly Necessary?

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Sign up here and be the first to receive information on the release of Vida’s “Your Green Guide to Pregnancy!”

Vida is in the final stages of completing “Your Green Guide to Pregnancy,” a DVD video program that provides women with safe, practical strategies to reduce exposure to environmental toxins.

Topics include:

• environmental tobacco smoke
• beauty treatments and personal care
• exposures in the home
• food safety and healthy eating

Vida will be releasing a Consumer Edition and Professional Edition of this program. The Professional Edition includes the “Your Green Guide to Pregnancy” DVD along with a CD-ROM containing a library of professional educational resources.

The Professional Resources CD-ROM contains a detailed workshop leader’s guide, flyers, evaluation forms, a computer slide presentation and printable handouts. All materials for distribution to workshop participants are in English and Spanish.

Both the Consumer Edition and Professional Edition DVDs contain the program in English and Spanish. (Approximate running time: 20 minutes)

For more information sign up HERE or contact Aimee Arvan at Aimee.Arvan@vida-health.com or 617-864-4334 ext 17

When you finally get to the point where you are ready to tell people you are pregnant, you end up hearing enough bizarre advice, myths and old wives tales to write a really horrible ill-informed book.

“Don’t put your arms above your head!” (supposedly this makes the umbilical cord wrap around the baby’s neck, something that happens to one out of every four babies anyway)

“Girls steal their mother’s beauty” (ok, this one is just offensive)

“If a mother denies her craving, her baby will have a birthmark in the shape of the food” (does this include ice cream?)

But perhaps the advice that is simultaneously the most confusing and important is what you can eat and what you can’t eat when you are pregnant.

Food

(as if you weren’t already hungry)

Eating is necessary to live, and it is even more necessary to carry a healthy baby, so naturally it was one of the first things to consider when one discovers they’re pregnant (after you put out your cigarette and lose the martini).

However, in this age of amazing advancements in medical knowledge and prenatal care, some of the information in medical journals and online sites is downright confusing. Some sites say to eat plenty of meat, but not lunch meat. Others praise the DHA in seafood, which the baby needs for brain development, but then warn that fish has mercury, which can cause a decrease in baby’s IQ. And after that, they tell you 6 grams a week is fine. Really? Do you want to risk it? What is the bottom line when it comes to what you should eat and what you should not?

How Fishy is Fish?

At work, I asked the bartender what kind of fish was safe for pregnant women. He said big fish, because small fish were more likely to carry a certain bacteria. I said that I thought it was big fish, because big fish eat small fish and therefore or more likely to have high levels of mercury. He said it’s actually the bacteria that’s dangerous, not the mercury.

THEN I asked a waitress, who also happens to be the mother of four healthy beautiful children. She said that it’s big fish you want to avoid because they’re more likely to carry mercury.

The verdict? The mama was right. Smaller fish are generally safer while the larger fish should be avoided. Some doctors allow 6 grams a tuna a week, but that too is a big fish.

And in case you were wondering, Mahi Mahi falls under the big fish category. I personally was really bummed.

Additionally, sushi is off limits. While smaller seafood is safe, everything must be cooked thoroughly. This goes for all other meat as well.

There are reasons why a pregnant woman should not ban seafood from her diet entirely. DHA, or omega 3 fatty acid, is found in shrimp, oily fish, flaxseed and walnuts. DHA is extremely beneficial for the development of a growing baby’s eye and brain development – and most women don’t get enough. If you are not getting enough, look for DHA supplements or ask your doctor for recommendations.

Just as a personal side note, cooked shrimp is totally fine. You don’t even have to limit it to six ounces. I specifically had to ask my doctor about that one. It’s hard enough giving up sushi, I can’t give up everything.

Meat – it’s what’s for dinner

Iron is another nutrient that’s vital for growing babies. Iron helps generate the blood supply, both yours and the baby’s. It is even more important to keep an eye on iron because many women don’t get enough, and many (myself included) are anemic. Where do you find iron? Unfortunately for this expectant mother (who could go her whole life without red meat aside from the occasional cook-out cheeseburger or baseball stadium hot dog) there’s a lot of iron in beef. Add that to the fact that protein is very important in the baby-making business, and you have a lot of steak dinners to splurge on. But make sure it’s well done, because undercooked meat is another big no-no for pregnant ladies.

But what about that hot dog? Like tuna, and mahi mahi, it’s kind of off-limits too. See, a lot of meat, including deli meats, lunch meats (you know, the sliced kind that’s really good on sandwiches and found in lunchables, and musubis?) and other meats are preserved with sodium nitrate which is not good for baby. Many doctors will say that like tuna, it ok in small amount, but more than 6 ounces a week is not recommended.

However, not all is lost. Duck, soy products, spinach, potatoes, and dried fruits are also iron-rich, in addition to beef. Your doctor can also suggest an iron supplement, although it is usually easier for your body to extract nutrients from actual food. Furthermore, many delicious nuts are chock full of healthy protein that you don’t have to cook thoroughly. Peanut butter and jelly is sounding better and better, and wheat bread has plenty of healthy fiber.

Got Milk?

Calcium is also important for expectant mothers and their prenatal babies. Not only does it help grow their bones and teeth, but it also helps mama maintain a solid bone density and prevent osteoporosis. However, like fish and meat, there’s a small catch. All milk, cheese, fruits and vegetables must be of the pasteurized variety. If the regular nausea and risks associated with pregnancy weren’t enough, the last thing the expectant mother needs is harmful bacteria in her stomach and her baby’s.  In addition to cheese and milk, almonds, sesame seeds, soy products, green vegetables, broccoli, and some fortified juices have calcium.   Vitamin D, which you can get from being outdoors in the sun (finally, a fun one), milk, and egg yolks, is vital to the body’s absorption of calcium so make sure to get plenty of that as well.

Beverages

Unless you’ve been living under a rock since biblical times, you should already know that alcohol is off limits. A study in Europe (go figure) has shown that drinking a glass of red wine a week when expecting is not harmful and can even have a calming effect on the baby. While you’re free to form your own opinion on the validity of this study, I think it’s safe to say that you want to avoid, if not completely abstain for alcohol.

LA Times Article about a UK study suggesting light drinking during pregnancy is ok:

(http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/10/health/he-closer10)

March of Dimes F.A.Q. on alcohol during pregnancy

http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1170.asp

But what about your morning cup of joe? Or your pre-night shift red bull? Or that Diet Pepsi/Mountain Dew with Lunch? Or even tea? Caffeine is another luxury that the expectant mother wants to avoid. And that’s caffeine in coffee, energy drinks, sodas, teas, and coffee flavored ice cream. It’s not that caffeine is necessarily in and of itself harmful to the baby, but it acts as a diuretic causing food to go straight through you too quickly for your body to absorb the nutrients that your baby needs. So while it won’t be devastating to have less than 80 milligrams of caffeine, you generally want to wean yourself off of it as best as your possibly can.

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While I hate to be the bearer of bad news to coffee drinking, sushi-loving, medium rare steak-eating, mothers everywhere, there is good news. It’s only for nine months and it’s for the best cause you could think of!  So next time you feel like cursing all those happy people with their beer and hot dogs, just think of your baby.

For additional information, “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” is an excellent source of helpful advice.

http://www.whattoexpect.com

The UK’s coverage of Down’s syndrome screening and statistics continues following the publication of a report in the BMJ.

Tom Shakespeare, research fellow at the Institute for Policy and Practice at Newcastle University, has written an interesting and provocative piece looking beyond the statistics to the human cost of screening for Down’s.

I started off submitting a quick comment but it quickly became the spelling error-packed diatribe I have been considering writing for some time. I’m not sure where I am going with this in all honesty, but I think I am building to something here…

Having been through the process of dealing with a pre-natal diagnosis of Down’s syndrome I have come to the conclusion that human being are simply not capable of deciding whether to continue with the pregnancy of their unborn child based on statistics and percentages. I agree with Tom that we need more research into the long-term emotional consequences of these difficult decisions but would go further and suggest that we need to radically rethink how we as a society approach screening.

In my experience, johnthewayne is correct: “we test for downs, not because it is the worst thing in the world, but simply because it is possible”. The result is that parents are supplied with information that is supposed to be “accurate” but tells them nothing.

These were ours: “a one in 11 chance based on the nuchal fold; one in 4,000 based on the blood; one in 76 in total, compared to one in 300 on average for my wifes age; a 95% accuracy rate for the combined test, compared to 85% for just the nuchal fold measurement; a one in 100 chance that the next test could result in a miscarriage.”

If you think you know what you would do faced with these statistics think again. You cannot possibly know until it is your own child you are deciding the fate of.

Then there is the fact that the effects Down’s syndrome are a spectrum. Will your child have heart problems, thyroid problems, gastrointestinal problems, hearing problems, leukemia, hypotonia? None of the above? How severe will the learning impairment be?

The screening process asks all of these questions and provides answers for none of them, and yet we are expecting would-be parents to use the results of screening to decide the fate of their unborn child. Counselling can help parents understand what Down’s syndrome is, but it does nothing to help them make the most important decision in the life of their child.

In this context it does not surprise me that so many people decide to terminate following a pre-natal diagnosis (aside from the fact that they may decide they do not want to or not capable of raising a child with Down’s syndrome, which is an entirely valid response).

In my experience the decision to terminate is the only choice facing parents that enables them to regain control of the situation. As we considered out options we were drawn almost inevitably towards termination by the fact that it was the only decision that provides a definitive outcome, rather than more chance.

I say almost – in the end we decided that Downs syndrome, in and of itself, was not enough to justify abortion, and that we would take that chance. Our son is now one year old and healthy and happy and I have not regretted our decision for a second.

However, my desire to rethink the screening process is not based on ensuring more parents take the same decision as us – that is for them to decide – it is a desire to ensure that the process itself reflects the severity and long-term implications of the decision itself.

It’s been quite a while since I blogged…. couldn’t help it though. We are 15w 2d preggie and feeling really blessed. Been on strict bed rest for the past 3 months but after the cerclage was placed, I’m now allowed limited movement.

I can’t say it’s been a breeze – still get anxiety attacks from time to time. Our families and friends have been really supportive and their prayers have really seen us through alot. God bless you guys immensely.

All in all, God has been faithful and we are waiting on Him for our little miracle come April 2010.

Say a little prayer for us…..

Prenatal Memory and Learning
By David B. Chamberlain

Memory is the quintessence of human experience without which we cannot make progress, cannot learn from experience, and cannot develop a personal identity. Learning and memory are interlocked: learning depends on memory, and learning is evidence of memory.

Psychology traditionally placed the beginnings of memory at about age three when the left brain begins to develop since few people have conscious recall of events before that time. However, an accumulating volume of research demonstrates memory in the first years of life and in the prenatal period as well when the right brain is dominant. Some children spontaneously recall birth events (even secrets) but expression of these memories is delayed until they can speak. Before they use words they can express their memories non-verbally by drawing pictures, acting out scenes using pantomime, pointing to body locations, and by providing authentic sound effects for equipment (like suction devices) used at the birth. These children warn us that early memory and learning are real.

The documentation of learning and memory months before birth is surprising. Some of this has been made possible by direct ultrasound observations of fetal behavior. Twins can be seen developing certain gestures and habits at twenty weeks gestational age which persist into their postnatal years. In one case, a brother and sister were seen playing cheek-to-cheek on either side of the dividing membrane. At one year of age, their favorite game was to take positions on opposite sides of a curtain, and begin to laugh and giggle as they touched each other and played through the curtain. Parents interested in prenatal communication have taught their prenates the “Kick Game.” When babies kick, the parents touch the abdomen and say, “Kick, baby, kick!” When the baby kicks, they move to a different location and repeat the invitation. Babies soon oblige by kicking anywhere on cue.

In a famous experiment by Anthony DeCasper and colleagues at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, mothers read the Dr. Seuss story, The Cat In the Hat, at regular intervals before birth. At birth, babies were hooked up to recordings which they could select by sucking on a non-nutritive nipple. After a few trials, babies cleverly sucked at whatever speed was necessary to obtain their mother’s voice reading “The Cat in the Hat. Similarly, in utero, musical passages repeated regularly–such as theme music for the British soap opera Neighbors or the bassoon passage from Peter and the Wolf–are identified and preferred immediately after birth. In a recent experiment, French mothers repeated a children’s rhyme each day from week 33 to week 37 of gestation. At the end of this time (still inside the womb) the babies showed memory and learning for this particular rhyme as opposed to similar rhymes they had not heard.

Babies are learning their native language before birth. This is made possible by the development of hearing as early as 16 weeks gestational age. A mother’s voice reaches the uterus with very little distortion as the sound waves pass directly through her body. Acoustic spectroscopy, which makes possible elaborately detailed portraits of sound similar to fingerprints, has documented prenatal learning of the mother tongue. By 27 weeks of gestation, the cry of a baby already contains some of the speech features, rhythms, and voice characteristics of its mother. Newborn reactions to language are based on the sounds heard in utero: French babies prefer to look at persons speaking French while Russian babies prefer to watch people speaking Russian.

Unexpected evidence for prenatal learning and memory comes from studies of taste and olfaction (See The Fetal Senses). Until recently, olfaction was thought to require air, hence, learning of odors was not considered possible before birth. Current understanding, however, recognizes the complex interaction of chemo sensory receptors in utero. Many chemical compounds, including those from the mother’s diet, pass through the placenta and reach the baby in utero while others flow in the capillaries of the nasal mucosa. By breathing and swallowing amniotic fluid, a baby becomes familiar with the mother’s diet, including things like garlic. Even before post-nasal exposure to breast milk, babies already know and prefer their own mother’s milk. Abrupt changes in her diet during the perinatal period can confuse babies and upset breastfeeding.

Traumatic events in neonatal intensive care are indelibly imprinted in memory and intrude on adult life, often in the form of fear. Edward, who was born prematurely and entered the NICU at 29 weeks, learned to fear the sound and sight of adhesive tape. He learned this from the experience of having sections of his skin accidentally pulled off during removal of monitor pads. When he was a young man, he still feared adhesive tape.

Babies can learn their mother’s emotional state. Experiments in Australia revealed that unborn babies were participating in the emotional upset of their mothers watching a disturbing 20-minute segment of a Hollywood movie. When briefly re-exposed to this film up to three months after birth, they still showed recognition of the earlier experience. Studies of a thousand babies whose mothers had experienced various degrees of depression during pregnancy themselves displayed depression at birth and in proportion to the depression scores of their mothers.

An important message of these diverse findings is that memory and learning seem to be a natural part of being human, including the first nine months in the womb and the years of infancy, defined as the time before speech. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that life in the womb is extremely active and interactive and the womb is, in fact, a classroom.