Is it dangerous to have a baby in the US?

Major school district to make "bad parents" attend parenting classes

Author

The Weekly Parent
July 02, 2024

TOP OF MIND

The dangers of having a baby in America
For years now, researchers have been sounding the alarm on maternal mortality rates in America. The clinical term, "maternal mortality" refers to a mother dying as a result of bringing a child into the world.

According to data from the CDC, maternal deaths have more than doubled between the 2000s and 2010s. In 2022, approximately 817 women died during or soon after pregnancy. Maternal mortality is often expressed as a ratio of maternal deaths to live births.

The ratio in 2022 was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 births, and while that's down from 32.9 in 2021, it's still up greatly from the rate in 2003 when it was reportedly just 12.1

So what in the world is going on? Why are deaths going up as advances in medical technology improve?

The important bits
Until the 1990s, most countries counted a death as maternal if pregnancy or a related condition was listed as the "underlying cause of death" on a death certificate. This method missed many deaths in which pregnancy or childbirth exacerbated an underlying condition.

So a new approach was recommended. Most countries started adding a "pregnancy checkbox" to death certificates to signify whether the person was pregnant or had just given birth.

The United States started adding the checkbox in 2003, and by 2017, all states had the checkbox added. And wouldn't you know it, once the checkbox was added, maternal mortality rose significantly.

This has made many experts question if pregnancy is really more dangerous, or if we just improved our way of measuring the deaths.

Research shows that observed increases in nationwide maternal mortality rates between 2003 and 2017 were largely due to the implementation of the checkbox, which increased identification of maternal deaths.

The bad news is that the number continued to rise even after 2017, and while the pandemic is partly to blame, it doesn't explain all of it. It also doesn't explain why the mortality rate is so much higher for black women. It's more than twice the rate of white women.

What's it all mean?
Putting the differences in accounting aside, pregnancy should not be this dangerous. The CDC reports that 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.

And our numbers are especially bad when compared to other wealthy countries around the world. Experts say there's some simple reasons for this. Among wealthy countries, the U.S. is the only one without universal health care. It's also the only one without federally mandated paid parental leave. Oh, and it's the only country that doesn't provide home visits and other comprehensive postpartum care.

Bottom line? This country needs to start taking women’s reproductive health more seriously.

DID YOU HEAR

🚌 Bad kid? Back to school you go!
The Dallas Independent School District voted to approve a student code of conduct that would give campus leaders and parents the option to send misbehaving children to a six-hour "Saturday school" or community service instead of placing them in an alternative school. The only catch? Their parents must also agree to take a three-hour parenting class. Read all about it here.

💊 Are weight loss drugs safe for kids?
The American Academy of Pediatrics surprised people last year when they listed weight-loss drugs and surgical procedures as recommended treatments for children struggling with obesity. But should we really be giving our kids drugs like Ozempic? Not according to the US Preventive Services Task Force, which is made up of a volunteer panel of independent medical experts. They released their recommendations last week, and weight-loss drugs did not make their list. Check out what they suggest instead.

🩱 Don't buy your kid a blue bathing suit
Pool season is here, and unfortunately, drowning deaths are up. Drowning is the leading cause of death among 1- to 4-year-olds. But experts say nearly all these tragedies are avoidable. One simple way to protect your kid? Don't buy them a blue bathing suit. This Certified Self Rescue & Strokes Swim Instructor shows how a kid wearing a blue bathing suit can easily get lost under the water.

🧴 Is your sunscreen safe for pregnancy?
Skincare is all the rage right now, and one of the easiest things you can do for your skin is to wear sunscreen. Unfortunately, if you're pregnant, you have to be a little more selective on the products you use. According to the experts, if you're pregnant, you should only be using sunscreens that use mineral filters like zinc oxide. Sunscreens that use chemical filters could potentially disrupt your endocrine system. One of our favorite mineral sunscreens? The always lovely La Roche-Posay.

😤 The secret way to stop temper tantrums
There's nothing parents fear more than a toddler temper tantrum. A toddler's tantrum can be as powerful as a tornado, but this former nanny says she found a way to stop a tantrum quickly. Her technique? The sniffer guy. (P.S. if you try this, please let us know if it actually works!)

🥒 The best TikTok foods trends of 2024
According to millions of people on TikTok, cottage cheese is SO in right now, along with chamoy pickles, and raw carrot salads. Our favorite nutrition guru, Kiyah Duffey, tried one of the viral carrot recipes. Check it out in the "Bites with Kiyah" section below.

Also, while we're talking carrots, a new study has found that eating baby carrots three times a week can greatly improve your health.

A DOSE OF GOOD

BITES WITH KIYAH

Not being on TikTok means I miss all the fun food trends like pink pickles wrapped in fruit roll-ups and cottage cheese on … well, everything! (I’d like to go on record as saying that I liked cottage cheese well before it was a “thing”). Which is why when one of our editors suggested that I try the viral raw carrot salad I had to look it up. 

Here’s what happened when I did.

(spoiler: I didn’t think it was that great. These carrot salad recipes are much better)

Kiyah is the co-founder of Kizingo Kids and an expert in nutrition. Follow her on Instagram.

FIREWORKS? PFFT! GIVE ME THE JULY 4TH SALES!

July 4th is just two days away, and while your kid is probably most excited to see the big booms booms in the sky, you might be more excited for the big savings online.

Amazon has some pretty great deals this week. Here are a few of them...

Never could afford Apple AirPods? Now's your chance. They're over 30% off right now. You'll be saving $40!

Jealous of your neighbor's Ring doorbell? Now you can get your own. They are a ridiculous 50% off on Amazon right now. You can get one for just $50.

Ever wanted a $120 pillow? Now's your chance to get a two-pack of the highly rated Cozsinoor Cooling Bed Pillows for just $31. That's right, they're over 70% off.

The Dyson Airwrap is a wonderful product, but it'll set your back over $400. If you don't have that much $$$ to drop, we recommend this Nicebay Hair Dryer Brush. It's 75% off right now, which means you can get it for just $50.

HERE’S A QUESTION

What are you doing for the 4th of July?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Last week, we asked you how much fiber you were getting a day, and around 40% of you said, "I have no idea," while "30+ grams" and "10-15 grams" tied for second.

RECALLS

Not the Ice Cream!
Maryland-based ice cream manufacturer "Totally Cool" has announced a totally uncool recall of multiple ice cream brands because they could be contaminated with listeria.

More than 60 products are impacted by this recall, from ice cream cakes, to ice cream cones and sandwiches.

Popular brands like Jeni's, Friendly's and Hershey's Ice Cream are being impacted by this. To make sure you don't have the tainted ice cream in your freezer, click here for a full list of products to avoid.