This is heartbreaking. As if there are enough terrible effects on our environment and our health... now we are (not surprisingly) learning about the consequences of air pollution on newborn infants and what it costs our economy. It's obviously not just a financial issue. This affects all of us and our futures.
preterm birth
Doula Support Could Improve Health Care & Reduce Costs
CommentWell, this one kind of seems like a no-brainer and no big surprise, but read the story on NPR if you need more of a reason to get a doula! An excerpt is below:
" Previous research has shown lower rates of cesarean births, more satisfaction from mothers and better newborn Apgar scores — a measure of a baby's condition at birth — among mothers who use doula care. In fact, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says in guidelines for safe prevention of cesarean births that doula care is "probably underutilized."
This is the first study, however, to show a reduction in preterm births and a net savings for public insurance. Cesarean births — about a third of all U.S. births — cost about twice as much as vaginal births, and the 1 in 10 U.S. infants born preterm (before 37 weeks) incur medical costs 10 times greater than those of full-term infants."