tagged w/ Motherhood
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'Maternity leave policies in the U.S. are the least generous of any wealthy nation, and women's political status also lags. The United States maternal mortality rate, at 1-in-2100, is the highest of industrialized nations and the fourth highest of developed nations.''Maternity leave policies in the U.S. are the least generous of any wealthy... more
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For women under 35, the pay gap between mothers and child-free women is actually wider than the gap between men and women, according to the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank in Washington, D.C.For women under 35, the pay gap between mothers and child-free women is actually wider... more
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1-in-5 of all workplace discrimination charges brought by women involve claims of pregnancy discrimination, and mothers face a "wage penalty" of as much as 5 percent per child.1-in-5 of all workplace discrimination charges brought by women involve claims of... more
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Miriam Mendiola-Martinez, an undocumented immigrant charged with using someone else’s identity to work, gave birth to a boy on Dec. 21 at Maricopa Medical Center. After her C-section, she was shackled for two days to her hospital bed. She was not allowed to nurse her baby. And when guards walked her out of the hospital in shackles, she had no idea what officials had done with her child.
Like Mendiola-Martinez, pregnant inmates in Maricopa County Jail are routinely denied bond because they are undocumented immigrants. That means they can’t get out of jail for their childbirth, even if they are awaiting trial for a minor offense.
In some cases, undocumented immigrants are shackled as they are transported to the jail-contracted hospital, and shackled during and after childbirth.
Hospital authorities don't control this practice and medical personnel involved in these cases declined to be interviewed.
All hospitalized inmates are treated in the same manner as Mendiola-Martinez, according to Lt. Brain Lee, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office. He said she had a “soft restraint” attached on one leg to her bed to prevent escape.
That soft restraint was a 12-foot-long chain.
(Story continues on alternet)
http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/145428/pregnant_and_shackled:_hard_labor_for_arizonaMiriam Mendiola-Martinez, an undocumented immigrant charged with using someone... more
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A YOUNG MOTHER ACCUSE AND ABUSE END'S UP IN A LO ONLY WORLD OF TERROR DOESN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HER SELF GOING THREW LIFE CHANGES IS THE WORST WHEN SHE DON'T HAVE NOTHING TO FIGHT FOR LOST OF DIGNITYA YOUNG MOTHER ACCUSE AND ABUSE END'S UP IN A LO ONLY WORLD OF TERROR... more
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Shawanna Lumsey, who in 2003 was serving time while pregnant in an Arkansas prison for credit card fraud, received minimal pre-natal care during her incarceration. Later she was shackled to a hospital bedpost while giving birth to a 9 pound, 7 ounce baby.
"We are human beings, even when we are in prison," Lumsey was quoted in an October report on the mistreatment of pregnant women in prison produced by two Washington-based groups, the National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights. "Prisoners still have human rights. And shackling takes those basic human rights away."
Yesterday, advocates for incarcerated mothers and pregnant women joined an online forum to discuss the study, which gave 36 states failing grades for using various forms of shackling on pregnant women during transportation, labor and delivery and postpartum recuperation.
Read the full story: http://www.womensenews.org/story/incarceration/101108/shackling-pregnant-women-spurs-prison-reform-pushShawanna Lumsey, who in 2003 was serving time while pregnant in an Arkansas prison for... more
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When mothers of young children got elected to Congress a nursing room and day-care center opened on Capitol grounds. That's the kind of representation and advocacy that parents with young children need out here in the real world.
"Women aged 40 and younger are nearly absent from elected office and we need their voices to help shape policy and lead our country," the Political Action Committee's site says. "Their perspectives as working professionals, mothers, caretakers and community activists are critical to the political conversation."
To my under-40 mom-of-two-young-sons' ears that sounds good. Especially the two key words: "mothers" and "caretakers."
WUFPAC doesn't require its candidates to have young children. But under-40s are the people most personally sensitive--through their own brood or those of friends and contemporaries--to issues such as paid parental leave, incentives for telecommuting, protection of reproductive rights and subsidies for the exorbitant cost of child care.
Get the full breakdown of Women in Politics at Women's eNews
http://www.womensenews.org/story/momagenda/101019/five-candidates-cant-carry-all-our-diaper-bagsWhen mothers of young children got elected to Congress a nursing room and day-care... more
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The $5 billion in emergency jobs funding that Congress approved in 2008 to help low-income people weather the recession has been spent by states in various ways.
Now, advocates are hoping that Congress will extend the $5 billion federal stimulus program that has created more than 200,000 jobs for low-income women and men struggling to support their children during the worst recession in seven decades.
Washington State Rep. Jim McDermott, chair of the Income Support and Family Security Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee, predicted that legislation would be introduced in September when Congress returns from its summer recess, which began Aug. 9.
Read the rest: http://www.womensenews.org/story/economyeconomic-policy/100813/federal-job-funding-opens-doors-single-mothersThe $5 billion in emergency jobs funding that Congress approved in 2008 to help... more
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Efforts to subsidize diapers are not exactly a hot topic of conversation among mommy bloggers, social service providers or health professionals.
But there is an emerging "diaper rights" movement that is mobilizing to get more diapers into the hands of more parents--and on the behinds of more babies and toddlers. And I'm all for it.
Read the rest: http://www.womensenews.org/story/momagenda/100811/diapers-not-eligible-food-stamps-crazyEfforts to subsidize diapers are not exactly a hot topic of conversation among mommy... more
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Week. The annual campaign, organized by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action, is the one week each year where over 170 countries worldwide pay attention to our breasts and their power to help our children.
It's no secret that I'm a huge advocate of breastfeeding as one of the most important things a woman can do to give her baby the best start in life, as well as provide herself some unparalleled health benefits. And the Black Maternal Health Project proudly supports breastfeeding and is deeply committed to understanding how we can increase breastfeeding rates among black women.
So while the campaign, now in its 19th year, speaks to the entire world, I'm speaking directly to my part of the world--the African American women who historically have had the lowest rates of breastfeeding for the recommended time periods or don't breastfeed at all.
Read the rest: http://www.womensenews.org/story/sisterspace/100805/week-has-special-meaning-black-momsWeek. The annual campaign, organized by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action,... more
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We've got your DVDo's and DVDon'ts lined up like ducks with giant bullseyes on them. So why not sit back and see what you should and shouldn't purchase for your home viewing pleasure?
Our "Movie You Should Buy And Love" Pick: The Informant! has Matt Damon, Steven Soderbergh and enough dry humor to make you feel bad about not seeing it in theaters.
DVDo's
-The Box is the latest from Richard Kelly that will prove who controls the lightning.
-Superjail's first season is out. You should buy it and frame it and buy another one.
-The Wiggles: Hot Poppin' Popcorn.
-The Crazies is on Blu-Ray prior to the remake's release this Friday.
-Dead Snow is also on Blu-Ray for all your Nazi Zombie needs.
-...so...you really think we're recommending The Wiggles?
DVDon'ts
-Sorority Row is a bad film made with bad actors and you should feel bad for ever wanting to see it.
-Miss Congeniality/Miss Congeiality 2 dual Blu-Ray disc proves saving money isn't worth it.
-Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant got released today. You'll still never watch it.
-Motherhood shows Uma Thurman and Pete and Pete don't mix.
We've got your DVDo's and DVDon'ts lined up like ducks with giant... more
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Tick-tock, tick-tock. Listen carefully, ladies. That's the sound of our quickening biological clocks telling us that we'll lose around 90 percent of our eggs by age 30. As it turns out, we can't dilly-dally around baby-making for as long as we thought.
Right when we're starting to get a handle on juggling life/work balance, yet another study pummels us with conflicting messages about what we should be doing? We've forged through three waves of feminist politics for equal access to equal opportunities and it would be a pity to get this far to be outfoxed by something as trivial as "fertility." Dammit, I WANT TO DO IT ALL, and why shouldn't I?
But, before a foot-stomping temper-tantrum takes the best of me, let's step back a moment.
As it turns out, that remaining ten percent (around 30,000) of viable eggs, are sufficient for making a baby. You might have to kiss good-bye that quaint notion of relying on good, ol'-fashioned fertility, and instead concoct your bundle of joy in a petri-dish. But, why not? Modern medicine has given people new knees, unclogged their hearts, and done wonders for erectile dysfunction. In most respects, we've kissed goodbye the notion of au-naturel to accept a happy medium between nature's path and science's convenience. Infertility technology is one way to achieve the ultimate goal: A healthy child.
Women are waiting longer to have children. More precisely, we're waiting until around age 26.5, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. This is nearly six years later than in 1970.
Society has certainly changed. But reproductive endocrinologist Robert Stillman told The Washington Post, "ovaries will take another million years or two to catch up to that."
But since high-powered women don't exactly want to wait another million years for mother nature to catch on, we're left with what Carolyn Butler from The Washington Post describes as "balancing the personal, primal urge to partner up and procreate with worthwhile social goals such as pursuing higher education and a successful career -- not to mention economic stability."
Do you think women should push our ears to the ground and listen to mother nature's fertility message or freeze youthful eggs and get back to the board meeting?
image credit of Parent Map Magazine, May 2007
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Tick-tock, tick-tock. Listen carefully, ladies. That's the sound of our... more
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The jealousy-inducing-weight-loss that some mothers can pull off after birth has, for some time, been a topic of debate. Some attribute it to factors such as genes, and spending an exorbitant amount of time in the gym. However, a trending idea in weight loss is the idea that breast feeding can aid in weight loss. To some this may seem absurd, but recent studies suggest that breast feeding could in fact promote post birth weight loss.The jealousy-inducing-weight-loss that some mothers can pull off after birth has, for... more
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All moms are trying to figure out two things: healthy food and how to save more money. Thankfully, health.com has provided 10 ways to make your doctor proud of your grocery cart!All moms are trying to figure out two things: healthy food and how to save more money.... more
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A new study revealed that children’s language skills don’t get better after watching educational DVDs like the Baby Wordsworth from the Walt Disney Company’s Baby Einstein series. Frederik Joelving from Reuters reports, “While The Baby Einstein Company does not explicitly make educational claims, it notes on its web page that the Baby Wordsworth DVD is a “playful introduction to words and sign language.””A new study revealed that children’s language skills don’t get better... more
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You may be aware of postpartum depression, but many women are experiencing depression during pregnancy as well. Recently studies have shown a positive solution.
According to Health.com, a study was done that treated pregnant women with depression using a pregnant-specific acupuncture and the women had a 63 percent versus a 44 percent response rate in those treated with control acupuncture or massage.You may be aware of postpartum depression, but many women are experiencing depression... more
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According to researchers, blood-sugar levels that were once considered normal for pregnant women are not safe for the baby or the mother. These blood-sugar levels that were once seen as normal can cause premature labor and other complications. “Previously doctors had thought that between five and eight per cent of women suffered from [gestational diabetes] during their pregnancy. But a new international study involving 23,000 women in nine countries suggests that more than twice as many mothers to be, 16 per cent, developed the disease,” reports Kate Devlin from Telegraph.co.uk.According to researchers, blood-sugar levels that were once considered normal for... more
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