Cancer mum puts treatment on hold to give birth to "miracle" baby

28/02/2009 © mirror.co.uk

A mum suffering from cancer put her treatment on hold so she could give birth to her "miracle" baby girl.

Kate Coles, 30, had to choose between carrying on with her life-saving chemo - or losing the baby she desperately wanted.

She said yesterday: "I told the doctors, 'She is a miracle baby, there's no choice to make'.

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UK Mothers face crackdown on epidural births

28/02/09 Sarah-Kate Templeton

© Times Online

HOSPITALS are under attack from staff and patients for trying to stop large numbers of women from having epidural painkillers during childbirth.

An epidural, an anaesthetic injected into the spine, is seen by many mothers as a welcome and legitimate way of coping with the often extreme pain of childbirth.

However, under targets now being introduced into NHS trusts,epidurals are stigmatised as abnormal. One senior obstetrician condemned the implications of this policy as a “disgrace”.

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Michigan Woman With 2 Wombs Gives Birth to Twins

28/02/2009 Associated Press

A northern Michigan woman with two wombs has given birth to twin daughters — one from each uterus.

The Mining Journal and WLUC-TV report 21-year-old Sarah Reinfelder's babies were delivered seven weeks premature Thursday by Caesarean section at Marquette General Hospital in the Upper Peninsula.

Doctors say Kaylin Joy and Valerie Marie are healthy, and they and their mother are doing fine. Kaylin, who was delivered first, weighed 3 pounds, 15 ounces, and Valerie weighed 4 pounds, 15 ounces.

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Octuplet mom, doctor link raises concerns

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Long before she gave birth to her octuplets, Nadya Suleman delivered for her fertility specialist.
Like clockwork, she had babies every year but one between 2001 and 2006. The six children she had during that period accounted for a big share of the success stories at Dr. Michael Kamrava's clinic. And Kamrava touted his feats with Suleman on the local news.
But that track record — together with the birth of the octuplets on Jan. 26 — has raised eyebrows among doctors and ethicists who wonder whether Kamrava disregarded professional standards and used Suleman to boost his stats and improve his standing in the highly competitive and lucrative fertility field.

READ FULL ARTICLE © The ASSOCIATED PRESS

Overhaul of maternity services

By Kitty Holland 24/02/2009

A “TRANSFORMATION” in services for mothers and babies in the greater Dublin area is promised in a major new report on maternity and gynaecology services, and the Health Service Executive (HSE) has vowed to act on its recommendations.
“It is absolutely going to be implemented,” says Fionnuala Duffy, assistant national director of the HSE National Hospitals Office. “We are using this as a blueprint.”
Statistics indicate the current birth rate in the Dublin area is more than 26,000 a year and is likely to rise over the next decade. Current services must therefore adapt to meet demand and expectations, according to Duffy.
READ FULL ARTICLE © irishtimes.com

Labour-saving midwives

By Sylvia Thompson 24/02/09

More women are opting for a mother-centred style of care than the consultant-led model, which is why the community midwifery scheme at the National Maternity Hospital, Holles St, cared for more than 1,100 women last year
COMMUNITY MIDWIFERY is no longer marginalised within the maternity hospitals in which it operates in Ireland, says Margaret Hanahoe, who heads a team of eight community midwives in the National Maternity Hospital (NMH), Holles Street, Dublin.

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Hospitals 'are forcing women to give birth in under 12 hours

By Grainne Cunniungham 23/02/09

EXPECTANT mothers are at risk of infection and "serious untoward incidents" due to the strain on maternity services in the Dublin area, a disturbing new report has found.
A comprehensive assessment of the three main specialist hospitals identified serious shortcomings in staffing and infrastructure and criticised the use of artificial means to speed up births -- so women would give birth within 12 hours.

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Maternity services review

25/02/09 © Independent.ie

MORE mothers-to-be should have access to facilities like the Lourdes Hospital's Midwife Led Unit (MLU), according to a HSE report published this week.
The independent review of maternity and gynaecology services in the greater Dublin area said the expansion of units like the Lourdes MLU 'is crucial for the development of maternity services and will offer more choice for women in Dublin.

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Mothers choose hotels over maternity hospitals

Mothers choose hotels over maternity hospitals
Sunday Times 22/02/2009 - Catherine Cleary

Expectant mothers in Ireland are making the recession work for them by booking special deals in luxury hotels for their post-natal care, in preference to expensive stays in private maternity hospitals.

A growing number of pregnant women are avoiding the large bills associated with consultant-led private treatment by opting for free, community-based midwifery services. Some are then using the savings to book into hotel suites within hours of giving birth, getting top-level after-care for far less than a stay in a private hospital due to the special deals on offer in the hospitality industry.

READ FULL ARTICLE © Sunday Times