Pregnancy

Acupuncture and care interventions for the relief of inflammatory symptoms of the breast during lactation

Pregnancy

KEY CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

If acupuncture treatment is acceptable to the mother, this, together with care interventions such as correction of breast feeding position and babies' attachment to the breast, might be a more expedient and less invasive choice of treatment than the use of oxytocin nasal spray. Midwives, nurses or medical practitioners with specialist competence in breast feeding should be the primary care providers for mothers with inflammatory symptoms of the breast during lactation. The use of antibiotics for inflammatory symptoms of the breast should be closely monitored in order to help the global community reduce resistance development among bacterial pathogens.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Floor 2, Helsingborg Hospital, Helsingborg, SE-251 87 Sweden. linda.kvist@helsingborgslasarett.se

Duration and exclusiveness of breastfeeding and childhood asthma-related symptoms.

Pregnancy

Compared to children who were breastfed for 6 months, those who were never breastfed had overall increased risks of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm during the first four years.

Sonnenschein-van der Voort AM, Jaddoe VV, van der Valk RJ, Willemsen SP, Hofman A, Moll HA, de Jongste JC, Duijts L.Source: Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam The Netherlands.

Suboptimal Vitamin D Levels in Pregnant Women Despite Supplement Use

Pregnancy

Conclusion: Vitamin D insufficiency was not uncommon in this group of pregnant women. Season and ethnicity were determinants of 25OHD but the magnitude of their effect was not large. Most women took vitamin D-containing supplements but this did not provide much protection against insufficiency. Consideration should be given to increasing the amount of vitamin D in prenatal supplements.

Wangyang Li, Timothy J. Green, Sheila M. Innis, Susan I. Barr, Susan J. Whiting, Antonia Shand, Peter von Dadelszen

Wrist-ankle acupuncture as perineal pain relief after mediolateral episiotomy: a pilot study

Pregnancy

Conclusions:
Wrist-ankle acupuncture during the postpartum period is effective for perineal pain relief after mediolateral episiotomy.

Source Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, San Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Italy. marrachiara@hotmail.com

Acupuncture treatment as breastfeeding support: preliminary data.

Pregnancy

Conclusions:
Such preliminary data suggest that 3 weeks of acupuncture treatment were more effective than observation alone in maintaining breastfeeding until the third month of the newborns' lives.

Source: Mother-Infant Department, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy neri.isabella@unimore.it

Massage Benefits Depressed Pregnant Women

Pregnancy

Conclusions: Massage eases anxiety and depression, as well as leg and back pain, in depressed pregnant women, and their newborns seem to benefit as well.

-Source: Touch Research Institutes at the University of Miami School of Medicine, in Florida. Authors: T. Field, Ph.D.; M.A. Diego; M. Hernandez-Reif, Ph.D.; S. Schanberg; and C. Kuhn. Originally published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, June 2004, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 115-122.

Pregnant Women Benefit From Massage

Pregnancy

Conclusions: Women reported reduced anxiety, improved mood, better sleep and less back pain by the last day of the study

Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Hart, S., Theakston, H., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C. & Burman, I. (1999). Pregnant women benefit from massage therapy. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology, 20, 31-38.

Therapeutic Touch Eases Anxiety for Pregnant, Chemically Dependent Women

Pregnancy

Conclusions: This study suggests that [Therapeutic Touch] may promote lower levels of anxiety in pregnant inpatients with a chemical dependency compared to nursing presence alone or standard care," state the study's authors. "These results are meaningful in recognition of the high incidence of anxiety found in women with a chemical dependency."

Source: British Columbia Women's Hospital, in Vancouver. Authors: Cheryl N. Larden, R.N.; M. Lynne Palmer, R.N.; and Patricia Janssen, R.N., Ph.D. Originally published in Journal of Holistic Nursing, December 2004, Vol. 22, No. 4, pp. 320-332

Multivitamins May Lower Preeclampsia Risk

Pregnancy

Conclusions: Results from a large study show that regular use of a multivitamin supplement in the months before and during pregnancy may reduce the risk of preeclampsia by as much as 71%.

Bodnar LM, et al. Periconceptional multivitamin use reduces the risk of preeclampsia. 2006. Am J Epidemiol 164(5):470-7.

Acupuncture for depression during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial

Pregnancy

Conclusions: The short acupuncture protocol demonstrated symptom reduction and a response rate comparable to those observed in standard depression treatments of similar length and could be a viable treatment option for depression during pregnancy.