Healthy Nation

One of my friends mentioned that a hospital in her area has a fantastic low c-section rate (12 percent!) and they are really committed to paying attention to what the mothers want, and making it a fantastic experience for everyone involved. It got me thinking about what the maternity system really needs to turn back around, so I decided to write a general letter, on behalf of all mothers, to all OB/GYNs and labor and delivery nurses out there.

It’s the letter I wish I would have written before I had my kids, but it’s the letter that any pregnant mom could give to her doctor. Maybe we should just all print this out and sent anonymously to ever OB and and L&D nurse out there.

About the author Christie Haskell

is fueled by caffeine, whether in coffee or tea form, to aid in chasing around a toddler and elementary schooler.

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More than three-quarters of all operations in the U.S. are now done in outpatient clinics, not hospitals. But many of those clinics dont adhere to standard infection-prevention practices. To help correct that problem, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention today released new guidelines meant to prevent infections in in ambulatory surgery centers, primary-care offices, endoscopy clinics, and pain-management clinics.

The new guide is based on existing CDC guidelines now used mostly in hospitals. The guide includes a checklist meant to prevent infections from injections, poor hygiene, and other causes. Among other recommendations, it suggests that all outpatient practices have at least one individual with specific training in infection control on staff or regularly available.

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OTTAWA — Ponder this the next time you’re at the pub or pouring a glass of Pinot Grigio.

Plenty of countries have set limits for how much alcohol you should drink, from 14 pints a week for men in Ireland to half that for women in the United States.

Whatever the recommendations, the Canadian Medical Association Journal says those rules aren’t enough to prevent cancer.

In an analysis released Monday, co-author Dr. Paule Latino-Martel says many nations’ guidelines on alcohol consumption must be overhauled because they are only geared toward preventing booze’s short-term effects — such as psychological problems and hospital admissions. Many

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I adore tea. In fact, I love it about as much as I love coffee (which certainly says something!), and we have a huge stash of many different kinds. So imagine how pleased I was while pregnant to learn how many different types of teas are beneficial to pregnant women!

I’m not just talking about the mint tea that was the only liquid I could keep down in the first trimester, but other teas. Both individual types and also blends can help cure what ails ya, from morning sickness and heartburn. There are types that can even help tone your uterus to prepare for birth.

Not to mention, they taste great.

For the dreaded morning sickness, check out teas that have natural mint of some type. Also, ginger tea is a big help, according to many the nauseous mama.

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Increases in your health-insurance premiums will soon be reviewed by state or federal government agencies, the Obama administration announced late last week. Starting in September, increases of 10 percent or more in either individual or small business plans will trigger an automatic review to gauge the reasonableness of the increase.

Premium rate review, as its known, is a major piece of health-care reform and the Affordable Care Act. In many states, premium increases for individuals and small businesses have risen by double digits every year. As a result, health insurance has become increasingly unaffordable even as the recession has taken a toll on peoples ability to pay the tab.

DeAnn Friedholm, the director of Consumers Union’s health reform campaign, says

The Affordable Care Act established important new standards so that health insurance rates will be subject to closer scrutiny and stricter public disclosure requirements.

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Think you might be pregnant? Just answer these questions. Give yourself 5 points for each YES answer.

PS: how was The Hangover Part 2?