Yes, also a much higher risk of prematurity, even controlling for demographic factors. A middle-class highly educated black woman with regular prenatal care is still more likely to have a premature birth than her white counterpart. The reasons are still under investigation, but it is both interesting and frightening.

I think you are right. Given the population, I think it's entirely possible that 40 percent were obese going into the pregnancy.

The thing that makes me a tiny bit sad about this post (other than the idea of babies in the NICU) is that low-profit maternity wards, like the in-hospital birthing center where I had my youngest, are money-losers for hospitals and therefore always fighting to keep the doors open.

In a different society - with better…

Someone below said it is this place: http://www.hemingwayscoffeeshop.co.uk/Events.html

They have a comedy night coming up in March, but I can't see the lineup.

I've noticed a dramatic uptick in the number of kid photos in celebrity magazines in maybe the last 10 years. I feel like the whole front section of US and Star is now just photos of celebs with their babies. Has anyone else noticed a shift?

Holy crap. I said that I don't homebirth. But I do think that a move from 1 in 1000 to 2 in 1000 is something many women are willing to accept. This is particularly true for women who have been traumatized by insensitive or aggressive birth providers in the past. Basically, a woman's right to bodily autonomy…

It sounded a little like competition, particularly with the reading and numbers talk, but that might just be me. I also don't think anyone argues formula-fed babies can't thrive. If anything, nursing moms have to fight to get their pediatricians to use the breast-fed baby chart to avoid talk about "failure to…

My husband has gotten really good about getting up and bringing me the baby in the night, but it took a heart-to-heart for us to get there.

No. There is actual science on this. The relative rate of death IS higher at home, but not by an "astronomical" amount. I think the rate in-hospital is just under 1 per 1000 and the rate at home is 2 per 1000. On a relative level, that's a very small difference.

I wouldn't home-birth, but to act as if every…

You are assuming that home birth means rejecting modern medicine. That's not really a fair assumption, as midwives are typically much more concerned with evidence-based medicine than OBs. Evidence shows that women who are able to eat, walk around, rest in a tub, and do other things during labor have shorter and more…

Thank you so much for this. Being in the 98th percentile is not a developmental milestone any more than being naturally thin is "better" as an adult. People come in different sizes. Shockingly, that includes babies. I've nursed all my kidlets. One was in the 99th percentile at a year. One was in the 15th. Both…

All of this. Bring me a glass of water. Help me find my one clean nursing tank. Rock the baby when he's not hungry but also doesn't want to go to sleep. Wash the pump parts.

There are so many things a loving partner (father or other) can do to help a nursing mom. Pretending that they can nurse just isn't one of…

What alter_ego said, but also the matter of bodily autonomy. She made a choice to feed her child breast milk and to use her body to nourish her child. She lost that opportunity while in jail (understandable) but also afterward because of the nature of a nursing relationship (supply and demand). So, her punishment…

Particularly with the massive early milk supply. My breasts were like cantaloupes for weeks. Leaking all over the place even when I was nursing on demand. I can't imagine stopping cold turkey at that point.

I'm glad that you had such good luck finding a pediatrician when you were a kid. That has not been my experience working with poor mothers where I live, but I live somewhere with massive brain drain and therefore finding any doctor can be a challenge, let alone one that takes Medicaid.

My point stands that "just get…

I don't think anyone is saying that babies, in general, would be harmed by a week of formula. But it sounds like this particular baby may have had a sensitive gut or allergies. Considering that the special hypoallergenic formula is like $30/bin and not covered by WIC, I can see how in this case it might actually…

Right. And considering that she's in jail for not being able to pay a 1K fine, I'm guessing she doesn't have money to burn on special allergenic formula if her baby has gut issues.

I'm guessing part of the problem was getting a doctor's note. She was in jail for not being able to pay a $1K fine. Assuming she's not got a lot of money, she may lack health insurance and be relying on Medicaid. Finding a pediatrician who takes Medicaid is a PITA, and cannot be done quickly. Same goes for an…

She was in jail for not being able to pay a $1K fine. Have you ever tried to get into a pediatrician that takes Medicaid? A week is simply not long enough. Also, no one was asking the jail to store the milk. Just to let her pump so that she would be able to nurse when she got out.

If you plan to have kids (you may not), your milk may actually come in whether or not you allow the baby to nurse. So, if it really freaks you out, you may want to request a shot or something to keep it from coming in.