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Mamas at work: Melanie Fiona on coming to terms with not having the birthing experience she wanted

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For mothers like Melanie Fiona, the query: “How are you?” should not be taken flippantly. For those that really consider this thought, as an alternative of quickly responding with “I’m fine!” as is commonly the case in social conversations, it is a moment to really consider your needs.

“It really is the difference between getting over your feelings and testing yourself to be your best self,” he says.

So in answer to the query, Fiona truthfully admits that she has loads on her mind. She’s back on tour, hosting a podcast with Black Love Codie CEO Elaine Oliver, author Ashley Chea, and influencer Felicia La Tour. She is a businesswoman and a married mother of two children at very different points of their childhood. Many adjustments are obligatory.

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“But I’m doing my best. And I think that’s what I stick to. It’s like, ‘give it your all and everything else will be fine,’” he says. “So I’m grateful that I’m healthy and I feel very blessed to be able to experience all of this at once.”

“How are you?” it is usually the most vital query that girls must ask themselves when preparing for motherhood. The most vital thing for expectant moms is to assess how they feel and know that they can be heard once they answer a matter. Since it’s Black Mothers’ Health Week, Fiona recalls the time when she was pregnant with her first child, now 8-year-old son Cameron, and after weighing in, she found that she had gained a major amount of weight in a brief period of time. Her birthing team didn’t take it very seriously at first.

“I used to be 11 kilos heavier. I remember the nurse said to me, “Oh, did you eat a lot on Thanksgiving?” And I said, what? The query got here up: well, why did I gain 11 kilos and would anyone care to discover what meaning?

She was tested for gestational diabetes, but the results were negative, and when the third trimester got here and went, “I was so swollen,” she recalled. “I gained over 80 pounds and no one seemed concerned about why my body was retaining so much water or reacting this way to the pregnancy.”

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When she went into labor, hoping for a vaginal and natural birth, she was told she had developed preeclampsia. Her team began discussing an emergency caesarean section with the singer, and she admittedly was not prepared for this moment.

“I think the biggest supporters I had in the room were my doula, my husband and my best friend at the time. They all made me feel that you should surrender to what is best for the health and well-being of you and your baby,” she says. “And this one nurse stayed with me after her shift because she knew I was having a very hard time coming to terms with the idea that my labor and delivery would not go as planned.”

Finally, Fiona gave birth to a healthy baby boy. While she was grateful for this, she spoke openly about the disappointment of feeling cheated and deprived of the birthing experience she wanted. “I left feeling like there was this huge transformation, and I didn’t feel like I was participating at all because I was in surgery and I wasn’t holding on and pushing like I thought I would,” she says. “And so I was left with postpartum depression, which made me understand my experience and I had to deal with it on my own.”

While pregnant with her second child, daughter Kaia Love (now 2), Fiona did the whole lot she could to prepare for the birth she wanted, which included giving birth vaginally, although she had a C-section the first time. But there have been obstacles.

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The recent doctor she was seeing told her that their practice did not support Fiona’s desire to have a vaginal birth after a cesarean section (or VBAC), so halfway through her second pregnancy she was left with the task of finding a brand new doctor. The next doctor she considered had a personality that did not match hers. Another believed that she could only be a candidate for his care if, based on statistics about the success rate of black women with VBAC treatment, she agreed to sign a contract stipulating that she would not last a certain variety of weeks.

With some help, especially from Kimberly Durden from Kindred Space in Los Angeles, Fiona was eventually referred to several black obstetrician-gynecologists. She selected a one that could come to her home for meetings and who was an awesome support and advocate for her. Unfortunately, the star’s VBAC hopes still fell through as she was told she had developed placenta previa, which is the placenta that grows above the cervix during the third trimester of pregnancy. Having a health care provider who helped her deal with her emotions and reassured her to undergo with it again and schedule a second cesarean section allowed Fiona to come to terms with the situation and emerge from it as a healthy mother with a healthy baby.

“I was absolutely devastated, but my doctor just helped me, not even just physically, but when she came to my next appointment, she literally took 45 minutes to sit down with me and let me cry about my disappointment,” she said.

This support made the difference. It also helped her develop a relationship with her doctor, which she treasures a few years after Kai Love gave birth.

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“I still send her photos of my daughter and she checks me out,” says Fiona. “It made me realize I had two different experiences. Representing myself for the second time made me feel so far more supported that I used to be able to access resources and thus have the option to advocate for myself and create the experience I wanted, understanding that almost all women don’t achieve this. “

Mamas at work: Melanie Fiona on coming to terms with not having the birthing experience she wanted
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 6: Melanie Fiona (R) attends the Netflix Ultimate Birthday Party inspiration event on NETFLIX on April 6, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix)

She adds: “This is a huge problem because black women die at three times the rate of women from other racial groups. It really made me understand that we were dealing with a huge crisis and why it was so important to me to have a woman of color supporting me in the hospital.”

Fiona led talks on Black maternal health and its impact on women. She says black parents-to-be need the high level of support that was required of her as she prepared to give birth for the second time.

“It shouldn’t be like this, but unfortunately we have to do our due diligence because we have to be our biggest advocates. We don’t have a medical system to support us in this way. And so, unfortunately, we have to shop at the doctor’s. But the reality is that not everyone has the time and resources for this and that is the worst truth. It can be overwhelming, but I would encourage women and people giving birth even earlier; if you’re thinking about having kids, you listen to podcasts like , you do your research, you talk to your friends who have kids and you really start to think about all the factors related to the things that you would like to have and you start working on your feet of “OK, well let me look at some the resources available in my community to start educating myself on this when my time comes is very important,” she says.

“Or start it all as soon as you know you’re pregnant,” she adds. People think you may have to wait until week 12 or something like that. It’s like, no, if you happen to’re going to carry your baby throughout your pregnancy, you may have every right to advocate for yourself from the moment you concentrate on having a baby. We have to defend ourselves from the very starting.”

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When she’s not educating and offering healing and community through her podcast, performing, caring for her children, or being a wife, Fiona finds ways to practice self-care. At the time of our conversation, she was just outside the gym, preparing for a workout. Other times he goes out to lunch with friends and doesn’t rush straight home. Most often, she just dresses and takes care of herself. “I create spaces and ways where I can focus on myself and my well-being,” she says.

“I think there are a lot of things we do as moms that make us feel guilty. And I struggled with this from the beginning. But one thing I really realize is that life, God willing, is long. How I show up for my kids when I’m there is also important. Equally important is that my children see me happy and pursuing my own happiness,” she says.

“You have to make time for yourself. “I don’t care if you’re at home and have to put your baby in front of you for 30 minutes so you can lie down on a pad, or if you can sit outside and take a deep breath,” she adds. . “I don’t care if you have to turn to your partner, hire help, or ask a friend, ‘Hey, can you watch my baby for an hour so I can go to a quick Pilates class?’ Sometimes we forget that we are worthy of asking for help with these things.”

Eight years after starting her journey into motherhood, Fiona now finds joy in helping other women deal with their very own struggles. When asked about the biggest lesson she’s learned as a mother and woman, she thinks back to her pregnancies and says the most vital thing is to give up.

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“Surrendering to the idea that you can only control as much as you can. And then mercury retrogrades happen and you wonder why is this happening? Why would my child spill juice all over himself while we were running out of the house? You have to understand that there are some things that are beyond your control and these are the moments that really teach you to have grace and surrender to yourself.”

Fiona adds: “And that is what each pregnancies and births have taught me. When I got here back from labor and delivery with my son, my mantra was to quit because I had to quit on the whole lot. And so, once I became pregnant with my daughter, things took a distinct turn. Even though I did my due diligence, counseled, and went to doctors, considering I used to be prepared, life got here. But if I hadn’t learned the lesson of give up during my first visit, I do not think I’d have made it through the second stage of pregnancy and labor as easily. So give up has been my biggest lesson and helps me stay calm in the chaos.

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This article was originally published on : www.essence.com
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Health and Wellness

I am a medical forensic examiner. Here’s what people can expect from a health response from sexual assault

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Estimated one in five women and one in 16 men In Australia, she experienced sexual violence.

After such a traumatic experience, it’s comprehensible that many are usually not sure in the event that they wish to report it to the police. In fact, Less than 10% Australian women who experience sexual assault, if he gives a police report.

In Australia it’s No closing date After notifying the sexual assault to the police. However, there are strict time frames for collecting forensic evidence, which can sometimes be a very important a part of a police investigation, no matter whether it begins.

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This implies that the choice whether to undergo a medical forensic examination should be taken quite quickly after the assault.

I work as a medical forensic examiner. Here’s what you can expect for those who present a medical forensic examination after sexual assault.

A team of specialists

There are about 100 sexual assault services in Australia, providing 24-hour care. As with other healthcare areas, there are additional challenges in regional and rural areaswhere there are sometimes further distances from travel and deficiencies.

Sexual assault services in Australia are free, whatever the status of Medicare. To find the closest service, you can call 1800 respect (1800 737 732) or Full stop australia (1800 385 578) who can also provide immediate support for telephone counseling.

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It is very important to call the local sexual assault service before appearing. They can provide victims to experience information and advice to stop delay and make the method as helpful as possible.

Consultations often occur within the Hospital Emergency Department, which has a designated forensic apartment or within the Specialist Forensic Service.

The victim-over is seen by doctor or nurse Trained in the sphere of medical and criminal care. There is a sexual assault, crisis worker or social employee to support the patient and provides advice on advice. This known as “Integrated answer“With medical and psychosocial employees working together.

In most cases, the victim’s survival might also have the presence of his own support person.

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Depending on what the victim is wants, the doctor or nurse will take the history of the robbery to conduct any medical care which may be needed (e.g. emergency anticretation) and conduct the examination.

Sexual assault services are all the time very conscious dishes to victims of selection in the sphere of medical forensic examination. If a person presents a sexual assault service, he can receive advice and medical care without undergoing forensic examinations if he doesn’t wish to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cglbtgia0ek

Sexual assault services include all sexes.

Collecting forensic samples

Samples collected during a medical forensic examination can sometimes discover the DNA of the perpetrator or intoxicants (alcohol or drugs that can be relevant to the examination). . Possibility window Collecting these samples can be as short as 12 hours or as much as 5-7 days, depending on the character of the sexual assault.

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In most Australia, an adult who has experienced a recent sexual assault, you can offer a medical forensic examination without submitting a report for the police.

Depending on the condition or territory of the forensic samples, you can often store for 3 to 12 months (as much as 100 years in Tasmania). This allows victims of time to survive definitely whether or not they wish to release them to the police for processing.

A health care provider or nurse will take samples using a sexual assault investigation kit or “rape set”.

Collecting these samples may include taking swabs to detect DNA from external and internal genital areas and wherever DNA transfer may occur. This may come from skin cells during which the perpetrator affected the victim’s snack or from body fluids, including sperm or saliva.

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A health care provider or nurse conducting the examination is minimized by re -traumatization, providing information, elections and control of the victim at every stage of the method.

The victim-overhang can often have a support person with him.
Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock

What about sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy?

During the consultation, the doctor or nurse will address all fears about sexually transmitted infections (sti) and pregnancy if concerned.

In most cases, the danger of sexually transmitted diseases is low. But check tests for 1-2 weeks by way of infection, reminiscent of chlamydia and gonorrhea, and after 6-12 weeks In the case of infections reminiscent of syphilis and HIV, it is normally advisable.

Emergency contraception can be provided (sometimes called “in the morning after a pill”) prevent pregnancy. It can be downloaded as much as five days after sexual assault (however the faster) with pregnancy tests advisable after 2-3 weeks.

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Everything has improved over time

When I was a younger doctor at the tip of the 90s, taking foreheads were often chargeable for an busy international trainee and gynecology on the Emergency Department, which regularly managed many patients and had a small training in the sphere of criminalistics. Usually there was no supporting advisor.

Anegdotically each the doctor and the patient were traumatic through this experience. Studies show that when specialized integrated services are usually not provided, a sense of powerlessness of the victim They are enlarged.

But the way in which we conduct medical forensic examinations after sexual assault in Australia has improved through the years.

Thanks to practices focused on the patient and the appointed criminal and advisory staff, the patient’s experience is believed Strengthening position than for re -traumatizing.

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A sign before the Australian police station.
Less than 10% of Australian women who experience sexual assault, in the event that they even submit a police report.
Melissa Meehan/AAP

Our research

In latest studies published in Australian Journal of General PracticeMy colleagues and I studied the experience of medical criminal examination from the angle of a victim.

We analyzed 291 patients who provide sexual assault services in New South Wales (where I work) for 4 years.

About 75% of patients said that the study was calming and one other 20% said it was high-quality. Only 2% said it was traumatic. Most (98%) stated that they’d recommend a friend present within the service of sexual assault in the event that they were in a similar situation.

While patients talked positively in regards to the care received, many commented that the sexual assault service was not visible enough. They didn’t know learn how to find it and even existed.

We know that many victims’ victims don’t present a sexual assault service or undergo a medical forensic examination after sexual assault. So we must do more to extend the visibility of those services.

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This article was originally published on : theconversation.com
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Health and Wellness

Milan Fashion Week rejects the classics – essence

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“It’s boring, boring, boring,” said the deceased André Leon Talley from Milan Fashion Week in an interview with 1998 with Videofashion. His own words: “You can go for a week of concerts in a city like Milan, and you sit there and want to jump from the shelf until you reach Gucci.” Italian fashion, like Italian culture, is kind of conservative in comparison with the remainder of the fashion capitals, apart from brands corresponding to Moschino, Versace and Roberto Cavalli, where there are more.

New York is full of life and democratic. London is normally suggestive, filled with creative genius. Paris transfers fashion to the highest heights. And a city whose fashion is usually in comparison with Milan, large for craft – and Flash – is understood for designers who bored fashion fanatics, but they’re sublime. It can be filled with family businesses corresponding to Prada and Fendi. I mean, give it some thought, all of us love pasta, since it is reliably tasty, pizza is the default when nobody in the room can resolve what to eat, and it’s rare that any of those disappoints the palate. In this fashion I see Milan Fashion Week. You know what you’ll get and it should be nice.

The prospects have now opened a bit, and designers corresponding to Maximillian Davis and Matthieu Blazy Zhuzs Up Italian trick, corresponding to Ferragamo and Bottega Veneta. Several other designers have also strengthened the energy of the week with more vivid clothes. But let’s bring it back to Talley. What is “boring” in fashion now? In this fashion, people dress, and “quiet luxury” remains to be guilty. It seems that Milan programs this season help to initiate an era that claims that it energy energy again: easy with a funny return.

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Jil Sander’s clothes bloom

Milan Fashion Week imprints the classics
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images

With the exception of 1 blue and one red leather look and a buffed pink dress with columns, the colours in the Jil Sander collection are quite neutral. These are the details they like: double stripes that don’t beg to be noticed, fur at the top of the shirt and coat collars and on the sleeves, sporadically feathered dress and sweater. The collection began with the honest participation of its clothes, which flicker with fringes, giving it an actual party atmosphere. The lace cover worn on white organza and high black shoes caused a distinct approach to an office dressing, wherein explicit, girlish femininity can coexist with elegant improvement. Many women can look and run with them, like men, with their close bags, nonchalan skirts and Rockstar shoes. This program was the final presentation of the husband and wife’s duo who’re apparently Ending their time in the brand: Luke and Lucia Meier (they began running the house in 2017).

Marni animated runway

Milan Fashion Week imprints the classics
Victor Virgin/Gamma-RPHO by Getty Images

When there have been rumors about who would take over Chanel after the VIARD VIARD leaving the brand, I used to be hoping that one in all Jeremy Scott was real. Because fashion desperately needs humor. Nowadays, every little thing is so tense and few people seem funny. Except for, say, Jonathan Anderson and Francesco Risso in Marni. Ready to wear the brand this season, it looked as if it would a mix of ideas in other concert events over the past few seasons, making a sort of carrying a horse.
There was a kamea from such a classy Tracee Ellis Ross-I can not give you a greater casting decision. The neck of the curly sweater of the follicle captivated me. In combination with it there have been brown suede pants and glossy, multi -colored Oxfords, which delivered to mind shoes with a faucet. The pink bubble rubber coat had buttons, a collar and a breast pocket. Another coat, blue, had gray fur. Apart from the fabrics and color, they enlivened these clothes, these are prolonged proportions, which is all the time fun. This is a miserable thing that makes you ought to watch again.

Fendi celebrates a mode century

Milan Fashion Week imprints the classics
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images

Fendi celebrated a centenary with a program that she threw light on why it was so heralded. The tailoring was liquid, daring prints, and the coats beautiful. And we now have Silvia Venturini Fendi to thank. Many stories were told here. There is, in fact, the history of the House of Craft Fur Production, which took shape in coats with a collar with out a collar, long vests and steles. Deep shades in eye-catching productions emphasize wealth-aestly and economically-we are going to have the ability to with Fendi.

General coats and sick ladyiste dresses, cut out, were smooth butter, quality people have recently loved the brand. Sneaky cardigans, skirts, dresses and sweater have been decorated with drags and countless shapes. The dolls took place and hung from the bags. This created a set that spoke with a consumer and culture, not only to himself. The advantage of the brand was that it didn’t depend on her archives. It was not on the nose together with his references. Instead, it remained fresh, next to other collections, but was expected one step over them

Burberry is on itself

Milan Fashion Week imprints the classics
Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images

Daniel Lee’s works in the cult British label people query the brand’s evolution and what means to stay faithful to its history. Industry and its viewers have two minds: some imagine that the home is flourishing when it draws from its heritage, only barely improving him to keep up significance; Others have a more progressive perspective, observing, fairly exactly that fashion is the most when the brands are approaching friends. Christopher Bailey and Riccardo Tisci’s Burberry hit many as unknown. The recent, sometimes dizzying ideas of those designers apparently “did not work”, and on this desire that folks would feel as in the event that they knew the brand again.

Enter: Lee, who joined the label from Bottega Veneta, and whose clothes are easier on the eye, like the current Bottega. His Fall 2025 collection had a really desirable appearance of the same colours, a big sweater dress, a rather glitter leather coat in navy blue blue and other “oooos”, but often “Aaah”. In many respects, clothes sell, adapting to other elements in the collection and translating well into real life, life that’s interesting and dressed as such.

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Health and Wellness

Odra situation around the world: less vaccinations and more explosions

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The US has registered their first death from the Oder since 2015. This week, because a baby who was not vaccinated died in the Odra eruption in Texas.

Usually, most American cases are delivered to the country by individuals who traveled abroad. Until now, Texas officials have reported 124 cases. New Mexico reported nine.

Experts point to a decrease in vaccination indicators from the Odra around the world since the Covid-19 pandemic. In the United States, most of the states are currently below 95% of the vaccination threshold for preschoolers – the level needed to guard the community from the Oder’s explosions.

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Great Britain reported 2911 confirmed cases of the Oder in 2024, the highest variety of cases recorded yearly, from 2012.

The cases of the Odra in the United States last yr were almost twice as much as for all 2023, raising concerns a few child virus preventive. Health officials confirmed the cases of measles in a minimum of 18 states in 2024, including New York, Philadelphia and Chicago.

“Odra is a threat everywhere anywhere,” say American Center for Disease Control on its website.

Here is a brief have a look at the global situation of the Oder.

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Are the Odra explosions common outside the USA?

According to the World Health Organization, about 10.3 million people were infected in 2023 and 107,500 died. Most of them are unvaccinated people or children under the age of 5. Cases were most frequently partly of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, where the income is low and health services insufficient.

In places where measles were largely eliminated, cases spread by travelers from other countries.

While the measles related to the Odra decreased barely in 2023, the variety of epidemic increased. The primary explosions took place in 57 countries in 2023, including India and Indonesia, Russia, Yemen and Iraq. The largest variety of cases in 2023 was 311,500 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

What is the impact of vaccinations?

The global childhood vaccination rate has dropped in recent times, to 83% in 2023 from 86% in 2019, partly as a consequence of vaccination and healthcare disturbances as a consequence of pandemic.

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WHO estimates that vaccinations have helped to forestall over 60 million deaths around the world in the years 2000–2023, as shots increase to extend arrows for more people. In 2000, it’s estimated that 800,062 people died of measles. Before introducing the vaccine in 1963, the primary epidemics caused about 2.6 million deaths a yr.

Odra is so infectious that 95% immunity is required to forestall an epidemic, says WHO. In other words, he infects about 9 out of 10 people revealed in the event that they shouldn’t have immunity.

What international efforts are in the means of stopping an epidemic?

WHO and others support the effort called “Agenda Immunization 2021-2030” to press the Odra elimination.

Independent experts announced America -free America in 2016, but this status was lost in 2018 as a consequence of the Odra epidemic in Brazil and Venezuela. Experts say that reduced vaccination indicators undermine efforts to completely eliminate the disease.

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Global health organizations and other groups have increased their efforts to speed up vaccination programs and closure of gaps in prevention.

Shaboozey's

(Tagstranslat) receiving measles

This article was originally published on : thegrio.com
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