NEWS FROM THE MADISON BIRTH CENTER January 28, 2004
MADISON BIRTH CENTER ACHIEVES ACCREDITATION!
Madison Birth Center has become one of only 52 birth centers in the nation to be accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Birth Centers! To achieve accreditation, a birth center's services are comprehensively evaluated against national standards of quality care. Accreditation is a mark of excellence - a signal to families, insurance companies and other health care providers that the center has been reviewed by outside evaluators and found to provide consistent high quality care. We are honored to achieve this high distinction, and will continue to provide the best childbirth experience available in the Madison area. For more information on birth centers and accreditation, see the National Association of Childbearing Centers website at www.birthcenters.org.
NEW FEATURES ADDED TO WEBSITE
We are pleased to announce the addition of a "News and Family Stories" section to our recently redesigned and updated website. This section features birth stories from clients, photos, news articles and coverage of special events. Check out this new feature at www.madisonbirthcenter.com/news.asp and also try out our improved site navigation.
MADISON BIRTH CENTER IS ONE-YEAR OLD!
Our staff recently gathered together to celebrate completion of our first year of operation. Our talented clinical staff - Judy, Susan, Robin, Laura, Nichole, Pat, Jean and Mary - includes nurses with expertise in obstetrics, neonatal and pediatric nursing and breastfeeding. Vesla and Jean, our dynamic front-office duo, keep the office humming efficiently. Lael and Nichole help with tours and weekly quality assurance. Stacy and Tracey run the New Parents Group with compassion, and Mary teaches classes, assists at births and performs administrative duties.
Kudos to our entire birth center team - they are the heart of Madison Birth Center and the wonderful service we provide to childbearing families!
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'
Saturday yoga classes have been moved to Tuesday evenings. Yoga for Pregnancy is on Tuesdays at 4:30 pm and Yoga for Everyone is on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm. The classes are open to the public, and no registration is necessary. For more information about yoga, see www.madisonbirthcenter.com/class.asp.
THE POLITICS OF BREASTFEEDING
Controversy is swirling around a recent letter by the newly installed president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). After heavy lobbying by representatives of the formula industry, Dr. Carden Johnston issued a strongly worded letter calling for a halt of a national ad campaign supporting breastfeeding. He did so without consulting the scientific literature or the AAP's highly regarded lactation science experts. The ad campaign, developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), was designed using an approach that has successfully impacted other public health behaviors in the past, such as smoking. The three-year, $40 million campaign would have focused on the risks of NOT breastfeeding. The ads were extensively researched and based on a wealth of recent studies showing that breastfed babies have dramatically better health outcomes than bottle-fed infants, even when controlling for socioeconomic and other health factors. The ads had catchy slogans, and many used humor to make their points. Dr. Lawrence Gartner, a member of the AAP's Breastfeeding Section wrote to Secretary Tommy Thompson of the DHHS and fellow pediatricians that "this entire affair is a very serious matter, which raises many questions about the leadership of the AAP and the influence of the formula industry on AAP activities."
Breastfeeding is quite simply good public health policy (as was recognized by DHHS). We encourage everyone who supports breastfeeding to follow this issue. For further details see theon-line report from hipMama called "The Milky Way of Doing Business," by Katie Allison Granju - www.hipmama.com/node/view/588.
