Here's a new article on dads and postpartum depression. It says a father's depression often appears different from a mother's: Dads are more likely to be irritable and angry. And about half as many dads as moms have postpartum depression: one in ten, as opposed to one in five for moms.
When studied, a father's postpartum depression has an effect on a family as profound as a mother's postpartum depression. Quoting from the article:
According to one large study, following more than 10,000 families for seven years, a father's depression during his child's infancy made the kid more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems by 3.5 years old and more likely to have a psychiatric disorder by the age of 7. This remained true even if dad's depression disappeared after infancy and even after accounting for mom's depression, explained Paulson, who was not involved with this 2008 study published in The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
My friend Walker told me about this website a while ago and I'm not sure why I haven't posted it yet - it must have fallen off my to-do list. This is a great website -- strong (in a good way) on how it talks with women about obstetric care and birthing in the United States. Pushed Birth
Check out their blog and their links. Good reading there. I haven't seen their blog updated recently (the last I see is March 2010) but in hopes they continue writing, I'm going to add them to our blogroll.
Has anyone read the book? Care to do a book review? Contact me!
Sometimes it's medically necessary to induce labor - but many times, it's a gray area and women have some say about whether they choose to wait or induce their labor.
I saw this video today from King 5 News in which Julie Ogata from Parentmap speaks on the topic of pros and cons of labor induction.
The video cites some very interesting statistics from Swedish Medical Center here in Seattle. By paying attention to who is able to get an elective induction - with particular attention to moms below 39 weeks and first time mothers - Swedish has brought the induction rate down for first time moms from 25% to 1%! That is a amazing. Doctors at Swedish also studied their patients and found that for inductions, the c-section rate was 3x higher than for women who weren't induced! These are certainly statistics that catch one's attention.
Dr. David A. Luthy, medical director of the department of OB/GYN at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, speaks in the article about the increased risks for women who choose elective (note that word) induction. He does a very good job of stating the increased risks when induced over naturally/spontaneously starting labor. I'm excited to hear our Seattle physicians speaking about this common practice, so women can be informed about what we're choosing.
If we don't know what we're choosing, it's not truly a choice, right?
The end of the article talks about a different viewpoint - seeking control during the labor and delivery process. With an induction, you "know," right? Though is that true?
Really, all you know when you induce is that you're starting the process. I've attended enough births as a doula to know that the idea of control in labor is an oxymoron. You can't control it despite all the careful reading, classes, doula, care provider, birth site and a 10-page birth plan! Actually, I'll go so far as to say you can't plan especially if you have a 10-page birth plan. Even a scheduled c-section can have unexpected outcomes or complications. And even if you, through some strange twist of fate, get the birth exactly as you plan, just wait for parenthood! All it takes is that first night when your infant is inconsolable and there's nothing you can do about it to take the idea of control and throw it out the window!
Anyway I did like this video and article, and hope you do too.
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