Labor standards based on studies on Caucasian babies

[sandra]

this really freaks me out. will my doctor know how to deliver my baby properly? in light of the fact that all of his knowledge is based on studies of the delivery of Caucasian babies?

below are some differences between the development of South Asian fetuses and Caucasian fetuses. i'll try to find some more info about East Asian and Southeast Asian as well.

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Many 'standard' measurements of fetal size and pregnancy development are based on studies of Caucasian children. Similar studies on Indian women are producing the unsurprising result that the 'standards' are somewhat different for different populations.

Scientific reports about pregnancy-related medical problems, nutrition, and traditional practices related to pregnancy, labour and delivery are also in this section.

Growth pattern of the Indian fetus. A 1995 study from CMC, Vellore, India, which found that the pattern of growth of Indian fetuses is different from that of British fetuses, as measured by ultrasound. Since the standards in the West are based on Caucasian kids, Indian women in the west could end up having unnecessary tests or treatment if their ob/gyn doctors are not aware of these differences. This study also found that the average length of the pregnancy was shorter for Indian babies. The slowing of fetal growth after 28 weeks along with the shorter pregnancy resulted in smaller Indian babies.

Fetal size and growth in Bangladeshi pregnancies. . A smallscale study of 20 women which found that Bangladeshi fetuses, although smaller than Caucasian fetuses, grow at a similar rate during the third trimester. (as opposed to the previous study of 120 Indian pregnancies).

Food cravings. are common during pregnancy. This study in Sri Lanka followed the dietary cravings of 473 pregnant women. Among other conclusions, they found that food cravings were significantly higher among women who had love marriages than arranged marriages, and in those who believed in "devil dancing and gods". :-) (Abstract and reference)
Ghee on the umbilical cord is commonly applied several times each day for the first few days of a baby's life in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. However, it significantly increases the risk of the baby getting tetanus.

Comparison of ovulatory activity among well-nourished and undernourished women. Better-nourished mothers still resume ovulation at around the same time as poorly-nourished mothers.

Gestational diabetes. This study in Melbourne found that the incidence of gestational diabetes was significantly higher (15%) among women born in the Indian subcontinent as compared with women from Northern Europe or the Americas.

Similar results were found in this study in London.

This US study also finds that immigrant women born in South Asia have a higher risk of gestational diabetes.

The prevalence of gestational diabetes in this study in this South Indian study was found to be only 0.56%, in contrast with the studies of immigrant women.

This Karachi study found that prevalence of gestational diabetes was similar in Pakistan to that in Western countries, but complication rates were higher, possibly due to poorer glycemic control.

Some personal experiences of sawnet members with gestational diabetes have been compiled.

Congenital rubella. The incidence of congenital rubella was found to be 2.3 times higher in Asian than non-Asian births in England and Wales.

Nutritional issues. This study demonstrates that vegetarians give birth to infants with less DHA in their plasma and cord artery phospholipids but this did not appear to be independently related to the outcome of pregnancy.

[SunWuKong]

this really freaks me out. will my doctor know how to deliver my baby properly? in light of the fact that all of his knowledge is based on studies of the delivery of Caucasian babies?

maybe get a Chinese doctor? sometimes they know more about health issues specific to Chinese/East Asians, like hepatitis B.

maybe bunboy can deliver your children.

[AngryABCGirl]

I personally know plenty of Chinese OBYNs (or whatever) who know what they're doing. Of course bunboy can deliver your children.

[sandra]

I personally know plenty of Chinese OBYNs (or whatever) who know what they're doing. Of course bunboy can deliver your children.

but how do you know they know what they're doing? just because they're Chinese or because they're not obviously messing up?

and it would suck if bunboy were the only doctor qualified to deliver east asian babies. no offense to dr. csb.

would it be unreasonable to ask that more studies be done of the formation of fetuses of other ethnicities - in light of the population of minorities in America? similarly, would it be unreasonable to ask that doctors be educated on these studies and the differences between the ethnicities - maybe at least if they are going to be based in inner-city hospitals.

[nonamerasian]

would it be unreasonable to ask that more studies be done of the formation of fetuses of other ethnicities - in light of the population of minorities in America? similarly, would it be unreasonable to ask that doctors be educated on these studies and the differences between the ethnicities - maybe at least if they are going to be based in inner-city hospitals.

More than one person has told me that aspects of our medical system is ideal for Whites, being that they are the majority, and not much data has been collected in the past testing. For example, whether certain drugs that are good for Whites are as good or even bad for other groups.

Supposedly, in terms of drug testing, there are moves to change things, but that's controversal.

I've been hearing more about that since one of the experimental HIV/AIDS drugs or vaccine was allegedly working for Blacks and some other group and doing nothing for Whites.

Things that make me wonder is why do some groups allegedly have healthier babies in poorer countries, I believe Blacks from the W.I. and Hispanics from C. America are cited as examples, while their American counterparts allegedly have less healthy babies.

Does it somehow tie in to the rumors of the medical field being too White-centered?

I'm a laywoman. I don't know.

[>:^|]

More than one person has told me that aspects of our medical system is ideal for Whites, being that they are the majority, and not much data has been collected in the past testing.

This problem pretty much goes across all fields of health care. The majority of research is done on White males. Men are typically preferred subjects because previous arguments were that female hormonal systems introduced a variable that confounded the research.

I believe that Whites tend to be the subjects not only because they are the majority but also because recruitment tends to be from an ethnocentric perspective. That is, unless somebody wants to test how untreated syphilis affects the body. :mad:

My thought is that your medical professional (doctor, dentist, psychiatrist, whatever) should have experience working with people of your ethnicity/racial group/gender/sexual orientation/etc.

Things that make me wonder is why do some groups allegedly have healthier babies in poorer countries, I believe Blacks from the W.I. and Hispanics from C. America are cited as examples, while their American counterparts allegedly have less healthy babies.

Just a gander ... Poverty and environmental racism?

[applehead]

i don't know.
i don't doubt that those difference do exist
but i can't say that it really worries me.
maybe if they did more studies on fetuses
being carried by women of Asian descent
who were born and or raised in the united states.

[sandra]

i don't know.
i don't doubt that those difference do exist
but i can't say that it really worries me.
maybe if they did more studies on fetuses
being carried by women of Asian descent
who were born and or raised in the united states.


but what if they feel it is unnecessary to do these studies? because most of their patients are white or because it is impractical to seek out people of asian descent to perform studies on them?

[applehead]

but what if they feel it is unnecessary to do these studies? because most of their patients are white or because it is impractical to seek out people of asian descent to perform studies on them?

that's true.
we are only a small portion of the population.
and it will be yeeeeeeeears before something like
this will probably even be considered.
maybe if there was a wave of certain birth
defects/disease
that babies of asian american parents are
becoming victims to, there might
be a push for some kind of study.