“Day-care operator gets 25 years for porn - United Press International” plus 4 more |
- Day-care operator gets 25 years for porn - United Press International
- Sioux Falls day-care provider denies negligence - Mitchellrepublic.com
- Baby rockers cuddle newborns - Argus Leader
- From Conception to Delivery: Childbirth - Las Vegas Review Journal
- Willie J. Parker | Women Need Health Care Reform, Stat! - Augusta Free Press
| Day-care operator gets 25 years for porn - United Press International Posted: 11 Sep 2009 09:07 AM PDT PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The operator of a day-care center in a Philadelphia suburb was sentenced to 25 years for allowing her boyfriend to use children in her care for pornography. Concetta Jackson, 47, pleaded guilty in 2008 to a single count of using a minor for explicit pornography. She appeared in federal court for sentencing Wednesday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. "I'm sorry it happened," she said. "I'm sorry it ever got this far." John Jackey Worman, 42, Jackson's boyfriend, has been sentenced to 120 years in prison. Investigators said they found 1.2 million pornographic images involving children on his computer as well as 11,000 video clips showing him molesting children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Rotelle said Jackson knew what she was doing and allowed Worman to use her own four children as well as those she took care of in her home in Collingdale, Pa. Rotelle said Jackson allowed Worman to install a video camera in her bathroom to get pictures of the children. Dorothy Prawdzik of Drexel Hill, another Worman girlfriend, was sentenced to 30 years in prison in April for allowing him to abuse and exploit her four nieces.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Sioux Falls day-care provider denies negligence - Mitchellrepublic.com Posted: 11 Sep 2009 01:18 PM PDT A former Sioux Falls day-care provider found not guilty of hurting a baby in her care denies responsibility in court papers filed in a civil lawsuit against her. Amy Dierks (DURKS) is being sued for damages by the child's family members, who allege that negligence on her part led to the child's injuries. Dierks was accused of shaking 6-month-old Henry Johnson of Hartford and banging the infant's head in November 2007. Prosecutors said the incident left the boy blind and developmentally disabled. Jurors in July acquitted Dierks of aggravated assault in the criminal case. In court papers filed in the new civil case, Dierks denies all claims of negligence. ___ Information from: KDLT-TV, http://www.kdlt.com Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Baby rockers cuddle newborns - Argus Leader Posted: 11 Sep 2009 12:42 PM PDT Even though her youngest grandchild is 9, Kathy Sweere still knows how to rock a baby. Its kind of like riding a bike that way, the 73-year-old Sioux Falls woman says. You never forget. But she also gets a lot of practice. For the last six years, Sweere has been rocking babies in the intensive care nursery at Avera McKennan Hospital. I get my baby fix every week, she says while laughing. Sweere started volunteering as a baby rocker, she admits, for selfish reasons. I had no more babies here, and theres an ample supply there, she says. You can cuddle with them. Theres nothing more precious than seeing a little one looking up at you. But cuddling a newborn does more than just give Sweere her baby fix. Its also beneficial to the babies, whether born premature or in the NICU for another reason, like heart, lung or digestive tract problems. For babies, positive human touch is essential, says Bev Jorgenson, Averas NICU manager. Rocking calms irritable babies, and when babies are held, they sleep and rest more, which helps them grow and heal. Studies have shown that with contact like that, babies will gain weight faster and go home sooner, Jorgenson says. When parents cant be there, or when they need a break from the draining hospital routine, volunteers like Sweere step in with comforting movement, lullabies and smiles. About 35 percent of our babies are from outside the Sioux Falls area, Jorgenson says. So the families may not be here all the time to hold our babies. To know someone is holding the baby and giving them that TLC really means a lot to them. While the volunteers make the babies happy, the baby rockers get plenty of warm feelings in return. I hold them when theyre restless and I help settle them down, says Joleen Peterson, who has been a volunteer baby rocker at Sanford Health for 11 years. I just get satisfaction out of holding the babies. Lois Rasmussen knows that feeling well. Shes been a baby rocker at Sanford for 15 years. Its a nurturing thing I can do that I enjoy, the 72-year-old Sioux Falls woman says. They are such precious, helpless little people. If there is comfort I could give them, to make them feel better, I wanted to do it. While the majority of the baby rockers at Avera and Sanford are retired women, being a grandmother is not a requirement for the job. Some volunteer rockers had babies of their own who spent time in the intensive care nursery, says Nona Bixler, director of volunteer services at Sanford. Others are college students looking at a career in nursing. We have all different kinds, she says. You only need to have a love and desire for children. The only thing we do not have is a male rocker. The volunteer job is a popular one for both hospitals. Once people start rocking, they rock forever, Bixler says. We have four individuals who have rocked for more than 20 years. There are about 30 rockers at Avera and almost 60 at Sanford. Both hospitals are always looking for more especially for the late evening shifts. Those are always the hardest to fill, Bixler says. Its a weekly commitment Sweere is glad shes made. Its very rewarding at least for me, she says. We have a couple of hours hours to just sit, hold, cuddle and talk with these little children. We can hold them, spoil them, and, when theyre ready, send them home. Reach Janna Farley at 575-3628.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| From Conception to Delivery: Childbirth - Las Vegas Review Journal Posted: 11 Sep 2009 11:45 AM PDT Dr. Eva Littman, an infertility specialist at Red Rock Fertility Centers, recommends that a woman become pregnant between the ages of 24 and 34, which is what she calls "the grand reproductive age." Before becoming pregnant it is also recommended that a woman consult with her gynecologist to ensure that she is healthy enough to reproduce and take whatever steps are necessary to be well enough to carry out a full and healthy pregnancy. Sometimes a woman may have a pre-existing condition that could complicate her pregnancy. If that is the case, planning ahead is vital to a successful pregnancy, and a gynecologist can help. If a woman who wishes to become pregnant is using contraceptives of any kind, Dr. Littman suggests waiting until after the first regular menstrual period after discontinuing their use before trying to conceive. Once a woman suspects she is pregnant and has positive results with an at-home test kit, it is time to schedule an appointment with the gynecologist who can confirm the pregnancy. Usually a gynecologist can also provide obstetric services but if that is not the case your gynecologist should be able to refer you to a good obstetrician. Once working with the obstetrician they can tell you how far along your pregnancy is and you can begin to schedule regular appointments and have proper prenatal care. The doctor should prescribe vitamins with high levels of folic acid and should give you a list of guidelines to follow according to your health and the baby's. A popular misconception is that the expectant mother should be sedentary most of the time to avoid harming the baby, but that is actually contrary to what you should do, according to obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Edmond Pack from Sunrise Children's Hospital. "All evidence about exercising shows people who exercise and are fit do better with birth and recovery, so maintaining fitness while you're pregnant is very important," said Dr. Pack. Dr. Pack recommends that a woman talk to her doctor about any exercise she is doing and to make sure she doesn't overexert herself. He suggests pregnant women keep their heart rate below 130 and usually advises his active patients to wear a heart monitor when working out. When you become pregnant your stages are measured in weeks — from the first to the final 40 weeks of pregnancy, a lot of changes are going to occur in your body. The first trimester is the early stage, from conception to 12 weeks gestation; this is the period where the morning sickness usually happens. Although not a lot is noticeable on the outside, the most dramatic changes and developments occur during the first trimester. Before eight weeks the developing baby is called an embryo. The second stage is called the second trimester which goes from the 13th week to the 28th week. This may be when there are first signs of a bun in the oven and swelling occurs, it is also when the quickening occurs (the dark line forming from the navel down to the middle of the abdomen). This is also when the ultrasound can be performed to find out the sex of the baby. The third trimester spans from weeks 28 through the birth of the baby. The belly keeps growing, often to a state of discomfort for many women who can't find a comfortable sleeping position. It is a good time to start birthing classes and working out the details of the delivery and the baby. Dr. Pack recommends that a couple do as much research as possible and read plenty of books about being pregnant to keep abreast of all the changes and recommendations. While doing research, it is also a good opportunity to bring out the birth plan again. Typical issues to consider when creating a birth plan are your wishes during a normal labor and delivery, such as whether you want to use something to numb the pain, what birthing positions you want to use and the sort of environment you want to have your baby in. You should also consider the options in the case of an emergency, who will be with you in delivery to assist and where you want to deliver. Penni Jackson, a childbirth educator at Centennial Hills Hospital suggests creating a birth plan but also advises against depending too much on the birth plan. "I always tell my moms to keep an open mind because even though they may have an idea of how things will turn out, because we are dealing with two patients sometimes we have to intervene when one little patient is not on that plan," said Jackson. Doing research and talking to your doctor should help you make certain decisions in your birth plan. One of the most important decisions you are going to make will also be choosing where you will deliver your baby. Most expectant mothers choose to deliver their babies in a hospital but about 7 percent, according to KidsHealth.org, opt for birthing at home with a doula or midwife who is trained to deliver home births. Hospitals, however, are more common and often recommended because they have all the resources in hand in case something goes wrong with the baby. According to Lisa Holtzclaw, director of labor and delivery at Sunrise Children's Hospital, sometimes the hospital you choose is directly affiliated with your doctor. Sometimes that doctor cannot practice in that hospital or the insurance is not accepted at certain hospitals, which is why it is a good idea to check these things out ahead of time. "Convenience is not the whole reason to choose a hospital. It's great to have a hospital close but you want to have safety precautions and make sure they have the most advanced levels of care," said Holtzclaw. According to Holtzclaw, Sunrise Children's Hospital has the highest level baby care with a level three care unit and the staff is prepared for any emergency situation with the baby. Once the mom has made a decision as to where she wants to have her baby, Holtzclaw suggests that she take a tour of the hospital. She recommends that the tour is taken in the seventh or eighth month to be prepared when the ninth month rolls around. Holtzclaw says that at Sunrise Children's Hospital they allow the expectant mother to register ahead of time so that she is not dealing with any of the insurance processing and paperwork during the labor and delivery. You also want to know the rules of the hospital for example at Sunrise Children's Hospital there is no limit to how many family members and friends can be in the room during labor unless there is a safety reason to reduce the numbers. At Centennial Hills Hospital one of the perks is that they don't have any visiting hour restrictions, meaning someone can visit any time of day or night. "Probably from the beginning we really wanted to be that premier place to give birth. Our customer service is unique; we have a pledge for excellence. We do bedside reports every hour to make sure the mom has everything she needs," said Tony Boyd, the director of women's services at Centennial. Part of their unique experience is the massage that is provided to the mothers by actual massage therapists as part of making their stay comfortable. However, customer service and excellent care is just part of what makes Centennial so special, according to Boyd, as the hospital also boasts a level two birth center which allows them to take care of high - risk moms. Most hospitals also have a birthing class that parents can attend. These classes are important for both parents to attend to learn about preparedness for the day and ask all questions they may have about labor. Jackson, the childbirth educator at Centennial, recommends that parents take the class no earlier than their seventh month to ensure that all the information is fresh in their minds when they deliver. The class also tells you how to prepare a care package for the day and what items to have prepared and ready. "The class is very important, especially if they are first time parents because it helps them cope with true labor pain and helps them learn measures they can take. We also help involve the dad or coach in the preparation because sometimes they feel like a fish out of water because they feel there is nothing they can do," said Jackson. When that day comes, the expectant mother usually knows. However, if labor is in the beginning stages the doctor will tell you during the prenatal visit if the baby has dropped. According to the Office of Women's Health, this process is called "lightening." However, more obvious signs are also important to keep in mind such as contractions that become stronger at regular and increasingly shorter intervals, lower back pain that doesn't go away, the water breaks or if there is a bloody mucus discharge. Sometimes there are also signs of false labor called Braxton Hicks contractions. These can occur several weeks before the actual labor day. The key to knowing if these are real is to time them. If they are not in a regular pattern, it might just be false labor. Sometimes these can go away if a woman engages in activity such as walking; however, it is still a good idea to call your doctor. Labor occurs in three stages, the first stage is the longest stage and usually last about 12 to 19 hours. This stage of labor can usually be spent at home relaxing with family or with a walk or whatever is written in the birth plan. At this stage you time your contractions and your doctor will let you know when it's a good time to head to the hospital. At the hospital the doctor will monitor the progress of your labor by checking your cervix. The more time passes the more painful and close together your contractions get, the cervix is fully dilated when it reaches 10 centimeters and that is also when the second stage begins. The second stage involves the pushing and delivery of the baby. This is where you can go back to your birthing plan and decide if you want help to manage the labor pains. Opioids are narcotics given through a tube inserted in the vein and make the pain a bit more bearable. The most popular is the epidural, which involves placing a tube into the lower back where small doses of medicine are given to help numb the pain. The birth plan might not involve any pain medications, but those choices can change when there is actual pain and can be done so usually even if close to delivery. Typically a woman will have a vaginal birth, but about 30 percent of women will have a cesarean section, according to the CDC. A cesarean section is an alternative that is used only if there are complications such as a breech baby, twins or there are problems with the cord. This is usually not the woman's choice but an emergency precaution. If you are having a vaginal birth the second stage involves the pushing which usually takes 20 minutes to two hours and this is a great way for your coach to help keep you focused. When the top of the baby's head appears (called crowning), the doctor will let you know when to begin pushing and deliver. Sometimes a doctor is required to make a small cut called an episiotomy to enlarge the opening; however, many women do not need it. The third stage involves delivering the placenta, which is called afterbirth. Contractions begin five to 30 minutes after birth and lasts anywhere from five to thirty minutes. If it's in the birth plan, the designated coach will cut the baby's cord and the loving can begin! The doctors will clean the baby off and test it and wrap it in a blanket before handing him/her over. With so much rush and emotion a baby name might not be immediately chosen, but according to Holtzclaw, the parents can come back later to have the name placed on the birth certificate. Usually the mother and baby are released the next day if there are no complications and mom will probably feel sore and exhausted, Dr. Pack said. Because all labors and deliveries are different, Dr. Pack says recovery is also different for everyone. C-sections can take a little longer to recover from because it is actual surgery but Dr. Pack said if you listen to your body you will be fine. Six weeks is a good time for most recoveries, he said. However to be more exact, "complete recovery is over in about 18 years," said Dr. Pack.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Willie J. Parker | Women Need Health Care Reform, Stat! - Augusta Free Press Posted: 11 Sep 2009 12:35 PM PDT September 11, 2009 by chrisgraham
I am not talking about withholding the latest, cutting-edge, exorbitantly priced medications or treatments. No - I've had patients whose health insurance doesn't cover such basic health needs as Pap smears and birth control prescriptions. And forget about having a baby - many insurance policies don't cover prenatal care or labor and delivery, or they treat pregnancy as a pre-existing condition. As a country, we need to give women a better chance at staying healthy. Through health-care reform, Washington could guarantee affordable reproductive health care to every woman and every girl in the nation, no matter who is insuring her. Recently I had a patient, Celia, who made too much money to qualify for Medicaid. Her employer didn't offer insurance. She had fibroids, a common condition of the uterus. But because Celia couldn't afford to see a doctor, her fibroids grew unchecked to the point of interfering with her monthly cycles. She bled so heavily that she became severely anemic. I had to send her to the ER where she was hospitalized to receive a blood transfusion. Celia's hemorrhaging was an unnecessary risk to her health. Moreover, the hospital paid for her trip to the ER, the kind of expenditure that makes health care more expensive for everyone. If she had health coverage, her fibroids could have been managed by a solution as simple as birth-control pills, sparing the toll her illness took on her family, her coworkers, and everyone else who depends on her. As a physician, I could take some satisfaction in helping Celia get better - not so with Maureen, the mother of four I saw some years ago. I gave Maureen her first pelvic exam ever. She was 29. I found a large growth on her cervix that was almost certainly cancer, yet I could not do a biopsy or otherwise continue her treatment because she could not pay for it. Maureen had no insurance and little money. Like many of my fellow doctors in situations like this, I tried desperately to find funding for her. I came up empty. I ended up feeling I had done something immoral by telling Maureen about a potentially deadly medical problem she could do nothing about. For Celia, Maureen, and every other woman, reproductive health is at the core of their well-being. Yet insurance companies treat reproductive health care as a luxury and charge accordingly. Some make a woman pay as much as 45 percent more than a man for an individual policy, only because she happens to be female. Health care reform must treat women's health as a rule, not as an exception. We must change American health insurance so that it covers women's needs at prices they can afford. As a nation, we can no longer dismiss Celia's and Maureen's situations as "woman problems." Women make up half our population. Their reproductive health cannot be separated from their overall health, and their overall health impacts their families, their jobs, and our society as a whole. Congress must place reproductive health care at the center of reform. Women should have affordable access to pelvic exams, cancer and STD screenings, contraception, prenatal care, miscarriage treatment, maternity services, and abortion care. Helping women stay healthy will help us all.
Willie J. Parker, MD, MPH, is a board member of Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health and an obstetrician-gynecologist in Washington, D.C.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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