In this economy, we're all looking for ways to save. Having a baby is enough of a wallet-squeeze, with all the diapers, gear, and daycare to pay for. Now Amma Maternity families can save on classes! Our three most popular (and essential) classes are now bundled into a valuable package.
Preparing for Childbirth, Breastfeeding, and Baby Care Basics are combined into our "Ready for Baby" package. At $150, parents save $15. Do you know how many diapers you can buy for $15?
Don't ask....
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
A gathering place for Amma Mamas
Your mama group wants to meet up with all the babies. It seems like it should be simple to find a location, right? No one wants to host - too much cleanup! You don't want to meet at a mall - where would you hang out? A coffee shop? Too crowded. How could this be that hard?!
Mamas, starting in January you'll be able to gather at Amma Maternity. We'll have open drop-in playgroup time for caregivers with babies 12 months and younger. You'll also be able to sign out a classroom for an hour for your playgroup. We love that our New Mama graduates continue to gather with each other long after the newborn weeks are a distant memory.
Mamas, starting in January you'll be able to gather at Amma Maternity. We'll have open drop-in playgroup time for caregivers with babies 12 months and younger. You'll also be able to sign out a classroom for an hour for your playgroup. We love that our New Mama graduates continue to gather with each other long after the newborn weeks are a distant memory.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
H1N1 and pregnancy: your questions answered
On October 3rd, we wrote about the Swine Flu (H1N1) and the questions you may have. We've gotten more questions about flu vaccinations during pregnancy, especially after the front page article in the Star Tribune about fatalities during pregnancy.
It's hard to imagine a more heartbreaking scenario than a healthy pregnant woman dying of complications from the flu. Most healthy adults who get the flu are able to avoid serious complications, but Amma Maternity's consulting obstetrician, Dr. Andrea Messina of Park Nicollet Health Services, says "while the H1N1 virus in general causes mild flu symptoms, there are certain populations who have had very serious symptoms, medical complications and deaths. Pregnant women and young children are in this category. About 30% of the deaths related to the H1N1 virus have been in otherwise healthy young people."
Despite these risks, the Associated Press reports that only one in seven pregnant women gets vaccinated. For some women the shot is not readily available at their OB clinic, but for many others the fear of adverse effects from the vaccine overrides the fear of actually getting the flu. Women who may be leery of vaccine safety in general may become especially reluctant to get vaccinated in pregnancy, according to another recent Star Tribune article.
Dr. Messina offers reassurance to those who may have concerns. "Pregnant women have understandably been concerned about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine. It has been manufactured with the exact same techniques as the general flu shot, which has many years of proven product safety. Each year the seasonal flu vaccine is adjusted to the strains of flu that we may be exposed to. In the case of H1N1 we know the exact strain and the vaccine has been manufactured specifically to this strain. The effectiveness against preventing the H1N1 flu is greater than 95%."
The decisions a woman makes during pregnancy are "warm-up" decisions for parenthood. Mothers must make decisions with a combination of their hearts and their minds. Choose to read reliable sources and be sure to seek the advice of your care givers when making this important decision.
It's hard to imagine a more heartbreaking scenario than a healthy pregnant woman dying of complications from the flu. Most healthy adults who get the flu are able to avoid serious complications, but Amma Maternity's consulting obstetrician, Dr. Andrea Messina of Park Nicollet Health Services, says "while the H1N1 virus in general causes mild flu symptoms, there are certain populations who have had very serious symptoms, medical complications and deaths. Pregnant women and young children are in this category. About 30% of the deaths related to the H1N1 virus have been in otherwise healthy young people."
Despite these risks, the Associated Press reports that only one in seven pregnant women gets vaccinated. For some women the shot is not readily available at their OB clinic, but for many others the fear of adverse effects from the vaccine overrides the fear of actually getting the flu. Women who may be leery of vaccine safety in general may become especially reluctant to get vaccinated in pregnancy, according to another recent Star Tribune article.
Dr. Messina offers reassurance to those who may have concerns. "Pregnant women have understandably been concerned about the safety of the H1N1 vaccine. It has been manufactured with the exact same techniques as the general flu shot, which has many years of proven product safety. Each year the seasonal flu vaccine is adjusted to the strains of flu that we may be exposed to. In the case of H1N1 we know the exact strain and the vaccine has been manufactured specifically to this strain. The effectiveness against preventing the H1N1 flu is greater than 95%."
The decisions a woman makes during pregnancy are "warm-up" decisions for parenthood. Mothers must make decisions with a combination of their hearts and their minds. Choose to read reliable sources and be sure to seek the advice of your care givers when making this important decision.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
What to do about Swine Flu?
We've been asked a lot lately about the H1N1 vaccine, and whether we think the vaccine is safe.
With the CDC reporting that pregnant women are especially vulnerable to complications from H1N1 infection, and the Minnesota Department of Health reporting that the virus is spreading rapidly throughout the Twin Cities metro area, it's certainly appropriate to carefully consider vaccination.
For pregnant women, getting both the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available is especially important. Flu shots given in pregnancy have been proven to reduce both illness in the pregnant woman as well as her newborn after birth. Because the seasonal flu is caused by a different virus than the H1N1 virus, it is recommend that pregnant women get both vaccines to ensure maximum safety. And when expectant mothers do get vaccinated, they will be given the injection rather than the nasal mist.
If a woman did not get a flu vaccine during pregnancy, it is still safe for her to get vaccinated after birth, either with the injection or the nasal mist. If mothers are breastfeeding, the vaccine is safe and even more encouraged since the mother will pass antibodies to the flu to her nursing baby. According to the CDC, "by breastfeeding, mothers can pass on to the infant the antibodies that their bodies make in response to the flu shots, which can reduce the infant’s chances of getting sick with the flu. This is especially important for infants less than 6 months old, who have no other way of receiving vaccine antibodies, since they are too young to be vaccinated."
A thorough discussion about flu vaccination in pregnancy can be found here.
Newborns under the age of 6 months are not eligible for flu vaccination, either with the seasonal or the H1N1 vaccines. It is especially important for parents to get vaccinated to ensure the household stays healthy. Parents should consider avoiding crowds and standing at least 6 feet away from someone who appears ill. Careful hand washing and disinfecting surfaces such as shopping cart handles is an important barrier between you and illness while out and about.
If parents of newborns have older children in school, it becomes especially important to pay attention to hand washing and good hygiene in the home. Schoolchildren are especially vulnerable to outbreaks because of the concentration of people in the school buildings; the close proximity can spread illness rapidly. If your older child shows signs of illness, maintain distance between the older child and the baby, and pay close attention to hand washing, covering coughs, and discarding tissues after each use.
When your babies are 6 months old, they are eligible for seasonal and H1N1 vaccination. Both the CDC and the AAP encourage parents to get their babies and children vaccinated. Amma Maternity's trusted pediatrician, Dr. Stefan Kramarczuk of Park Nicollet Health Services, tells us that "because the new H1N1 vaccine is made using the same method as the seasonal flu vaccine, the safety profile should be the same". Study after study has supported the safety and efficacy of vaccinating children against serious disease, and the flu is no exception. According to most experts, because babies sick with the flu are at significant risk for potential life-threatening complications, the risk of illness outweighs any potential perceived risk of vaccination.
If you are a breastfeeding mother and experience flu symptoms, you may have many questions about how to best care for your baby and give your baby breastmilk while keeping enough distance to prevent the spread of illness. The CDC encourages sick mothers to continue giving their babies breastmilk throughout illness. Babies will benefit from the antibodies the mother produces. Information for ill mothers who are breastfeeding can be found here.
Careful discussions with our advisors and reading trusted sources like the CDC and the AAP have convinced us that flu vaccines are especially important this year.
With the CDC reporting that pregnant women are especially vulnerable to complications from H1N1 infection, and the Minnesota Department of Health reporting that the virus is spreading rapidly throughout the Twin Cities metro area, it's certainly appropriate to carefully consider vaccination.
For pregnant women, getting both the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available is especially important. Flu shots given in pregnancy have been proven to reduce both illness in the pregnant woman as well as her newborn after birth. Because the seasonal flu is caused by a different virus than the H1N1 virus, it is recommend that pregnant women get both vaccines to ensure maximum safety. And when expectant mothers do get vaccinated, they will be given the injection rather than the nasal mist.
If a woman did not get a flu vaccine during pregnancy, it is still safe for her to get vaccinated after birth, either with the injection or the nasal mist. If mothers are breastfeeding, the vaccine is safe and even more encouraged since the mother will pass antibodies to the flu to her nursing baby. According to the CDC, "by breastfeeding, mothers can pass on to the infant the antibodies that their bodies make in response to the flu shots, which can reduce the infant’s chances of getting sick with the flu. This is especially important for infants less than 6 months old, who have no other way of receiving vaccine antibodies, since they are too young to be vaccinated."
A thorough discussion about flu vaccination in pregnancy can be found here.
Newborns under the age of 6 months are not eligible for flu vaccination, either with the seasonal or the H1N1 vaccines. It is especially important for parents to get vaccinated to ensure the household stays healthy. Parents should consider avoiding crowds and standing at least 6 feet away from someone who appears ill. Careful hand washing and disinfecting surfaces such as shopping cart handles is an important barrier between you and illness while out and about.
If parents of newborns have older children in school, it becomes especially important to pay attention to hand washing and good hygiene in the home. Schoolchildren are especially vulnerable to outbreaks because of the concentration of people in the school buildings; the close proximity can spread illness rapidly. If your older child shows signs of illness, maintain distance between the older child and the baby, and pay close attention to hand washing, covering coughs, and discarding tissues after each use.
When your babies are 6 months old, they are eligible for seasonal and H1N1 vaccination. Both the CDC and the AAP encourage parents to get their babies and children vaccinated. Amma Maternity's trusted pediatrician, Dr. Stefan Kramarczuk of Park Nicollet Health Services, tells us that "because the new H1N1 vaccine is made using the same method as the seasonal flu vaccine, the safety profile should be the same". Study after study has supported the safety and efficacy of vaccinating children against serious disease, and the flu is no exception. According to most experts, because babies sick with the flu are at significant risk for potential life-threatening complications, the risk of illness outweighs any potential perceived risk of vaccination.
If you are a breastfeeding mother and experience flu symptoms, you may have many questions about how to best care for your baby and give your baby breastmilk while keeping enough distance to prevent the spread of illness. The CDC encourages sick mothers to continue giving their babies breastmilk throughout illness. Babies will benefit from the antibodies the mother produces. Information for ill mothers who are breastfeeding can be found here.
Careful discussions with our advisors and reading trusted sources like the CDC and the AAP have convinced us that flu vaccines are especially important this year.
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