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Pregnancy and Lactation Weekly Digest

For the Week Ending July 15, 2018. 

Everyone Agrees that Breast is Best – Except the US Government

Shockingly – although, at this point, it probably shouldn’t be – the US has tried to suppress a World Health Organization report claiming nothing more controversial than that breastfeeding, when possible, is the healthiest way to feed your baby. Perhaps they are in thrall to baby formula manufacturers? Read more here.

This is important for you because it is very clear that nursing your baby is usually the best option for both of you, and that fake news is bad for everyone.

Birth Justice

A newly released anthology titled Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy and Childbirth explores some of the key issues within this nascent movement, which prioritizes reproductive health and choice primarily for women of color but also for other marginalized parents. Read more here.

This is important for you because black women are three times as likely as white women to die in childbirth in this country for social and political, not biological, reasons. So it will take social and political movements like this to fix the problem.

Title X

Title X is a federal program that provides health care, including contraception, to people with low income. The Trump Administration has proposed changes that would prevent doctors receiving Title X grants to inform their patients about the full range of reproductive options available to them – like abortions, even if an abortion could save the patient’s life. Read more here.

This is important for you because women can only become full and productive members of society if we are in control of our reproductive CHOICES and futures. This is bad, bad, bad.

It’s none of your business

Beyonce and Amy Schumer draw their hands across their bellies once, and the whole Twittersphere goes berserk speculating that they’re pregnant. Can you even imagine how annoying that must be? Read more here and here.

This is important for you because next time it irks you that some stranger tries to touch your stomach, be grateful that a least paparazzi aren’t analyzing your every move.

The most popular article on The Pulse this week was Jobs a Pregnant Woman Should Avoid. Those involving taxing physical activity or exposure to noxious chemicals ranked high on the list. Read it here.

Diana Gitig
Dr. Diana Gitig has a Ph.D. in cell biology and genetics from Cornell University, and has been writing about issues in biology – from molecular biology to cancer to immunology to neuroscience to nutrition to agriculture - for the past fifteen years. She has three teenaged children.

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