Attached at the Hip

The Baby and the Bathwater

This evening on Facebook, I came across a post that caught my attention.  It was a picture of a baby.  I have a thing for cute, sleeping babies, so I looked closer... And, to my horror, I discovered that the image was of a baby sleeping in a bed with - get this - a butcher knife. The title across the top of the image reads, "Your baby sleeping with you can be just as dangerous."  These shocking, ghastly images are put out by the City of Milkwaukee Health Department, part of a campaign from the Mayor's office to reduce the abominably high rates of infant mortality in their city.

It turns out that Milwaukee has had an unusual number of infant deaths that occurred while the child was bed-sharing.  Or so it would seem.  The City Health Department claims that 89 infants died in an "unsafe sleep environment" (which is not exclusive to bed-sharing) from 2006-2009.  (In the US in 2000, only 60 deaths are reported to have occurred in an adult bed, whether or not it was related to being in the bed.)  Even the Milwaukee Health Department acknowledges that there are multiple factors involved in these tragic deaths.  In fact, it doesn't appear that being in bed with a parent or caregiver is actually the most common factor!

Still, they have decided to vociferously work to undermine bed-sharing.  For the first time in my life, I was compelled to write to those in charge of making this abhorrent ad campaign.  Following is the letter I emailed to the Mayor of Milwaukee, Tom Barrett.  I encourage you to also write to the Mayor's office and the Department of Health and encourage them to withdraw these provocative, misleading ads.

Mayor Barrett,

I have recently been made aware of an upcoming publicity campaign directed by your office with the purported goal of reducing infant mortality.  The ghastly image of a child sleeping with a butcher's knife is certain to evoke emotion - but unfounded fear of bed-sharing with an infant will not, in fact, affect your city's infant mortality rates.

While you have had some notable deaths in your area related to bed-sharing, you have neglected to see the underlying and root cause of the problem.  It is not sharing the bed that is harmful; it is doing so when impaired (i.e., drunk) and, moreover, doing so when not breastfeeding.  

Dr. James McKenna of Notre Dame has done extensive research on mother-baby sleep patterns.  His summary of risk factors for infant death in bed-sharing are as follows:

"In sum, overwhelmingly, bedsharing deaths are associated with at least one independent risk factor associated with an infant dying. These include an infant being placed prone (on its stomach) and placed in an adult bed without supervision, or no breastfeeding, or other children in the bed, or infants being placed in an adult bed on top of a pillow, or who bedshare even though their mothers smoked during the pregnancy therein compromising potentially the infants ability to arouse (to terminate too little oxygen, or to terminate an apnea). 

Drug use and alcohol have historically been associated with poor outcomes for bedsharing babies so if drugs and/or alcohol are present, please don’t bedshare."

(Source:  http://cosleeping.nd.edu/frequently-asked-questions)

Bed-sharing with a sober, clean, non-smoking, breastfeeding mother in a suitable environment is not only safe but actually safer for the baby, as the mother is immediately available to any distress, illness, or need.  It is a normal, healthy human behavior that should not be discouraged by any government office.

(Sources:  http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/sleep-problems/sids-latest-research-how-sleeping-your-baby-safe

and http://cosleeping.nd.edu/ - video)

How much better would it be for your office to undertake education and support for your at-risk population to initiate and continue breastfeeding?  The benefits of breastfeeding are multifold and bed-sharing while breastfeeding is rarely harmful; indeed, the opposite.  Your bed-sharing concerns could be reduced or eliminated by educating mothers and supporting them in providing the most perfect, healthful feeding for their babies.  The rates of breastfeeding in African American mothers is significantly lower than other demographics.  The poorer and younger the mother, the less likely she is to breastfeed, as well.  Addressing these issues will have long-term benefits to your city and the generations to come.

(Source:  http://www.breastfeeding.com/all_about/all_about_more.html

and http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db05.htm)

Would it not also make sense to address the issues of drug and alcohol abuse, which present significant dangers to mothers, their children, and society?  There are, in fact, numerous factors that have led to the abysmal infant mortality rates in your city.  Addressing these issues is admirable and needed, but the attack on a normal, nutritive, safe practice is abhorrent.

Let's not "throw the baby out with the bathwater," shall we?

Sincerely,

H. B.

I dare say that providing accurate, research-based information on creating a safe sleeping environment would be far better, in the long run, for all of the children of Milwaukee.

(First) Adventures in Lobbying

Yesterday, my three boys and I were up before dawn to join a group from Texans for Midwifery at the Texas State Capitol in Austin.  There, we visited with lawmakers (or their aides/assistants), even taking the little ones into the offices for a rare chance to see democracy in action.  We capped off the day with plenty of play on the Capitol lawns, lunch, and a visit to a well-renowned coffee shop.

Texans for Midwifery organizes these visiting days every two years, and this year is especially important with midwifery legislation on the table.  House Bill 1107 proposes that Advanced Practice Nurses be allowed to write prescriptions under their own license.  Currently, Advanced Practice Nurses such as Certified Nurse Midwives must work with a physician to have prescriptions, even for routine items such as prenatal vitamins, written.  If approved, the new law would take an extra step and extra work (not to mention potential for error) out of the system, giving CNMs the ability to order needed items for their patients.

The Austin media covered the event.  The Statesman has a video filled with cute babies (too bad we had already gone out to play when they got there!), and KVUE did an interview with the woman the boys and I partnered with for our meetings.  Of course, the KVUE article makes it sound like midwives only provide care where there are no other options.  In reality, they're an excellent choice for all normal, healthy pregnancies, AND are a low-cost, oft-used option in low-income and rural areas.

My boys really enjoyed our day in Austin, and I was happy to have the opportunity to take them to such an important event.  I hope that the group of over 150 adults and 100 children made a positive impact on how our State government will support midwifery both in this session, and in the future.

More on Saving Toys

The Handmade Toy Alliance is working feverishly to get an amendment to the CPSIA, which would effectively shut down all handmade and small toy manufacturers in the US, and shut out all imported toys from Europe and Canada.

When writing to your lawmakers, their sample letter is a very easy and effective form to use to inform and encourage the lawmakers to think twice before passing this bill as it stands.  The full text of the Handmade Toy Alliance's Proposal to Improve CPSIA is also available to view.

Already emailed your legislators?  Sign the petition that will be sent to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, too.

And let me know what your legislators have to say.  I received this "canned" response to my contact with Senator Kay Bailey-Hutchison of Texas.  It's very concerning to me that she thinks this legislation "struck a good balance between these goals [of ensuring "that federal laws do not go further than necessary when attempting to guarantee the safety of consumer products"]."  In fact, it will shut down an entire industry, costing countless jobs, revenue, and the ability to make choices in our purchasing.

Dear Mrs. Barrett:

Thank you for contacting me regarding consumer product safety.  I welcome your thoughts and comments on this issue.
            
Recent recalls of various consumer products, especially children’s toys, have prompted a review of how Americans are protected against faulty products.  Created in 1972, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is the independent agency of the federal government charged with protecting Americans against the unreasonable risk of injuries associated with consumer products.  The CPSC fulfills its mission by researching potential hazards associated with consumer products, banning dangerous consumer products, developing voluntary and mandatory standards, and issuing recalls of products already on the market.  This agency has the authority to regulate the sale and manufacture of more than 15,000 different consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals. 
 
To address the concerns raised by these recalls, the Senate and the House of Representatives developed separate plans to enhance the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s ability to ensure our nation’s consumer product safety.  In the Senate, S. 2045, the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act of 2007, was introduced by Senator Mark L. Pryor (D-AR) on September 12, 2007.  H.R. 4040, the Consumer Product Safety Modernization Act, was introduced by Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) on November 1, 2007.  
 
Between March and July 2008, I worked on the bills as a member of a conference committee between the House and the Senate.  At the end of July, we came to a compromise, which passed the House and Senate on July 30 and 31, respectively.  The President signed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 into law on August 14, 2008.  
            
            The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act includes a five-year reauthorization of the CPSC and provides more than $620 million for the agency to implement new rules, buy new equipment, and modernize its labs.  Additionally, this funding will be used to increase the CPSC personnel to at least 500 from 367, and it will place additional inspectors at ports of entry and in foreign countries to inspect manufacturing facilities. 
            
According to the CPSC, paint and similar surface coatings of children's toys containing lead have historically been the most commonly recognized sources of lead poisoning.  Currently, paint and other similar surface coatings that contain more than 600 parts per million (PPM) lead are banned by the CPSC.  Under the new law, the allowable amount of lead in paint is reduced further in coming years, and the lead ban is expanded to regulate the surface of the products as well as the paint.  Currently, when the CPSC orders a recall, they will not announce it publicly for 30 days to permit manufacturers an opportunity to address the concerns of the CPSC and to prevent certain proprietary information from being released.  The final measure that we agreed to cuts this time period in half to 15 days, in order to allow information to reach the public more quickly.  
 
Should a manufacturer be found guilty of violating consumer product safety laws, the bill we passed provides for an increase in the cap on civil penalties that can be levied against the manufacturer and provides expanded criminal liability.  As an additional enforcement tool, the measure allows individual State Attorneys General to bring actions against manufacturers for violations of certain federal consumer product safety laws.  The coordination between the state Attorneys General and the CPSC means that we will have a greatly enhanced monitoring and enforcement framework to protect the public against dangerous products, and to enforce recall orders once they are issued, by making sure that retailers are promptly removing the dangerous products from their shelves.
 
As a mother of two young children, I empathize with parents who are anxious to protect their kids against unsafe products.  As a U.S. Senator, I must also ensure that federal laws do not go further than necessary when attempting to guarantee the safety of consumer products.  I believe this bill struck a good balance between these goals, and I will continue to work to protect our children from unsafe products.   
 
I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue of concern to you.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator

284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5922 (tel)
202-224-0776 (fax)
http://hutchison.senate.gov

Save American Toys

Do you love American-made toys?  Do you like to support mom-and-pop businesses?  Do you value choice in the marketplace?  If you want to continue to have options for toys (and other children's products like clothing), then please read about the new legislation that would put these small companies out of business.

While the intent of this bill that's before Congress is to increase the safety of children's products - those made in the USA and abroad, including in Europe - the unintended effect will be the closing of doors of countless companies that have, in fact, no problems with their toys to begin with!  One German company has already announced that it will be pulling out of the American market, yet European toys are already subject to high scrutiny and are far safer than most toys currently available here in America.

We need to make every effort we can to have this legislation amended such that it does not harm our small businesses, our children, and our economy.  There are links as well as a sample letter in the article, and you can also use the following links to write to your representatives.

Contact your Senator and your Representatives.  Let them know that these businesses are a vital part of the American economy, and that they need to be protected from over-reaching laws.  Then forward the information on to your friends and colleagues.  The Committee meets Wednesday, December 10, at 10:00am, so act quickly!