The Human Pacifier

Birth {and life!} at 90mph

2011-10-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

Oh how I have missed this birth blog! I'm so excited to finally have a moment to get back on here and share a little of what has been going on this past year.

Most importantly, we had our baby!! A beautiful baby boy we named Kaden. He is awesome! A very happy, easy going little man who has blessed our life in so many ways. He also has a very cool birth story, my husband likes to call it, "Birth at 90mph." You can read it here and see why! I also feel like we're living life at 90mph right now as well. But, that's the cool part about raising little ones, never a dull moment!

I've also started a brand new card shop called District Nine Design!

Most of them right now are birth announcements, but the shop is quickly growing and expanding. But I thought, how great would it be to offer my Human Pacifier readers a sweet discount on their purchases? I figured all you birth junkies could probably use some cute birth announcements :)

So, in honor of all my birth buddies, here is a coupon code for 20% off any your entire purchase!

HUMANPACIFIER20

It's super easy, just add the coupon code at checkout and it's automatically applied to your total (excludes print packages).

I'm looking forward to posting more on here soon. Expect to see a cool post on dyi placenta encapsulation!!

Blessings to you!

Hello Belly!!

2010-08-31T15:48:00.000-07:00

16 Weeks!!!

Just a quick illustration of why this is the first belly picture I've gotten in four months of pregnancy! (Oh and excuse the rats nest of what is my hair. I took these today just after we got back from a picnic in the park with our lovely friends the Longs. And anything outdoors always involves a whole lotta' running around after Levi!).

Anyway, Photo one...starting off well, a semi-acceptable belly shot in some good light. Photo two...wow, even a front shot, I'm on a roll today! And finally, photo three...the reason why hardly any belly pictures happen this pregnancy...a two and four year old at my feet!

I have gotten a couple of cute shots earlier on this pregnancy, but seriously, in every one there's either Levi's head, Dakota's finger in my belly button, or a vital body part cut off.

This belly popped out literally over night. I've had a little bump since about 12 weeks, but from the beginning of 15 weeks to the end of the week, I would have to say it went from barely noticeable to a beautiful, full moon round belly! This is my third pregnancy and every single time I am astonished at how quickly this happens. Over the weekend I got my first and second, "When are you due?" questions. And my first, "You're glowing!" compliment. That is always music to a mama's ears. Especially coming out of a horrifically hard first trimester when I only felt like I looked like death itself and felt physically even worse.

The really awesome part of this time of pregnancy; the movements! I've been feeling this baby since 10.5 weeks. Just like my son. And just like my son, this one is a very calm mover. I feel him or her maybe once or twice a day and most everytime they are very quiet, fluid movements. Whenever he or she moves, it reminds me of a ballet dancer; soft and gentle. Completely unlike my daughter who was a major squirmer from the beginning!

I commemorated the "arrival of the belly" with something that always makes my heart sing...a shopping trip to Anthropologie!!! And I've got to say, I am thoroughly enjoying dressing this belly up. I consider this era the "fun part" of pregnancy. Not so little that no one knows you're pregnant, but not so big that you can barely fit through the door! Just right.

Intact is "In"

2010-08-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Yaaay!!! Intactivists and newborn American males rejoice! The latest findings from the CDC conclude that U.S. circumcision rates have seen a sharp decline this decade.
CDC Reports Steep Decline in U.S. Circumcision Rates
"The CDC has reported that circumcision rates in the US have fallen sharply
over the last decade—from 56% of newborn boys circumcised in 2006, to 33% in
2009. Declines are being attributed to the American Academy of Pediatrics
statement in 1999 that "existing data [was] not sufficient to recommend routine
newborn male circumcision" and reduced insurance coverage of the surgery—among
other factors."
This is AWESOME news for our baby boys. But it also brings a lot of interesting thoughts to mind for me...
The one that stood out most in my mind when I read the percentages...from 56% in 2006 to 33% in 2009 was this....Thirty-three percent. That means that the number of intact males has now surpassed the number of circumcised males. To me, that's a big deal for our society because it means that the main argument I've heard from mostly all parents I've talked to about circumcision...is no longer valid. Most parents start by explaining that it's healthier, cleaner, etc. But when slightly challenged on those views back away from them quickly because there is really no valid evidence to support them. The next reason most parents site for circumcising their son (sadly) is so that he doesn't look "different". Different from his father, different from other boys, different from society.
If our circumcision rates have fallen to 33%, this means that circumcised penis' have now become the "different". Which is really the way it's always been (speaking in a worldwide sense). Only now, it's right in our backyard.
There's a HUGE delusion in our society that an intact penis is strange, or different, or the "other". It's a completely false assumption. An assumption that has developed here in the U.S. when it was true back in the 50's and 60's, and unfortunately has lingered on into present day. Now, I'm hopeful and confident that that assumption will begin to dissipate with the CDC's new findings, and more and more of our baby boys will be keeping the vital body parts they were born with.

Toddlers at Birth...Awesome or Insane?

2010-08-05T20:12:00.001-07:00

Ummm...has it really been almost 6 months since I posted on here? *Oi*! That's pretty bad. Actually, it's not so bad. I've spent the better portion of this year totally revamping my and my kids life; putting things in perspective, ordering priorities, etc. I set aside what was on it's way to becoming a pretty lucrative photography business. It was completely necessary for me to do if I wanted to FULLY embrace my kids childhood while it is still here. I also have been researching and debating over homeschooling/private schooling like a MAD WOMAN. And....something I've wanted to share with the beloved birth community out here....we're expecting baby #3!!! I'm almost 13 weeks and due in the middle of February :D We're super stoked. And so is Dakota. Levi has no idea what's going on. I guess a two year old boy doesn't usually "get" things of this calibre.

My first prenatal appointment was on Wednesday and it was the longest appointment of my life. Three hours. I'm not kidding. Lots of paperwork and LOTS of giggling and fun. I took my very dear friend, Rochelle, with me and she always makes for a good time like that. But also just spending time bonding with my midwife, Lori, and her apprentice, Becky. I will never tire of saying it, I LOVE MY MIDWIFE!

It's looking as though this may be our first birth center birth. Something different after having our first two at home. We're in the process of selling our house and I'm pretty sure we'll be right smack in the middle of moving when this baby is born. I feel blessed to have the option of a birth center. Our midwife just moved into a new, HUGE birth center and it's great! So I'm comfortable with the idea.

Now for the question I would love to hear all of your input on...for those of you who have had birth center births, or even homebirths, did you bring your other children for the birth? Or, did you opt to leave them at home or in the care of others?

What was your experience like either way?

I've watched many natural births on youtube, and seen a lot of births where the other toddlers are present, and mostly all of the mama's are so peaceful and serene with their kids being...well, kids. Hmmm. Am I the only one who thinks my kids might really bug me during birth??? I guess "bug me" isn't really the right phraseology. What I mean is, will I be okay mentally with the little things that toddlers normally do...cry, play, laugh, make noises. I mean, I'm not even taking them to my prenatal appointments. I feel like I want to enjoy this time with this new baby and listen to what my midwife is talking about and be able to concentrate. If I feel that way about appointments, I'm thinking that's a pretty big sign as to whether I should have my kids at the birth or not. But at the same time, I feel like we're a family. Families stick together no matter how young or old and I really feel strange excluding my own children.

Here are a few key points I've been pondering...

*How will my kids react/feel to seeing me in obvious and varrying states of pain/discomfort at times.
*Will my husband be able to be fully present for the birth if our two and four year old are present (even considering grandma will be there to tend to them).
*Would I rather have grandma tending to the kids? Or to me?

Anyway, back to the question. I would love to hear all of your experiences!! Hearing other women's testimonies and stories is the oldest and wisest method of learning when it comes to childbirth!

Nursing Our Future

2010-02-17T00:34:00.000-08:00

Nursing Our Future

A huge thanks to my dear friend Emily for passing this video along to me. For all nursing moms, okay, all women, okay, all PEOPLE...this is a must watch.

I feel like nursing when and where we need to is SO important. Not only biologically and health wise, but socially.

The video brought me to relive my own "nursing outloud" (aka: nursing where we are, when we need to!) adventures...

On a 747.....with mother-in-law looking on.

While cooking dinner...

On a busy summer day at Disneyland.....

Sitting at the lake, seven months pregnant...

And laying down...

During a photo shoot.....

At a family reunion.....

We nurse....

...Because it's natural.

Because it's normal.

Because it's love.

Are women responsible for unnecessary, non-religious circumcision of male infants in America?

2009-12-29T23:03:00.000-08:00

I found this article (via HealthMad) by way of Jim over at No Circumcision, and sadly I agree with it...

Are women responsible for unnecessary, non-religious circumcision of male infants in America?

I didn’t know how the majority of women in America (mothers, wifes, girlfriends) view the foreskin and male circumcision until I happened to come across a heated discussion about whether infant male circumcision was child abuse in one of the message boards I frequent. It was an eye opener to me because I didn’t know American women think the way they do about the foreskin. I will come to the specific opinions these women had later in this article. First, I’d like to touch upon circumcision of male infants.

Circumcision of male infants happens mostly for religious reasons around the world, but in America, you have parents choosing to have their male child circumcised for non-religious reasons, specifically “hygienic” reasons. Now, the “hygiene” theory is highly suspect and I don’t know of any medical association that says that you need to circumcise male children due to “hygienic” reasons. In fact, routine male circumcision is not recommended by doctors in general. Also, do the propagators of the “hygienic” theory mean to say that most of the men around the world are unhygienic?

Most European men don’t get circumcised and by far the majority of men around the world aren’t – does that make them “dirty?” If an uncircumcised penis was so susceptible to infections, then all these men would be queuing up to get circumcised, but they aren’t. They are living just as normal as anyone else. Also, animals don’t get circumcised and they don’t seem to have any problems with infection.

It does make one wonder as to how the “hygienic” argument came about in the first place. Some believe that Dr. John Kellogg (of the cereal fame) was responsible for propagating this idea of “hygiene.” Apparently, this man advocated circumcising young boys to check/curb masturbation. This is what he said about the subject – to quote him.

“A remedy which is almost always successful in small boys is circumcision, especially when there is any degree of phimosis. The operation should be performed by a surgeon without administering an anesthetic, as the brief pain attending the operation will have a salutary effect upon the mind, especially if it be connected with the idea of punishment, as it may well be in some cases. The soreness which continues for several weeks interrupts the practice, and if it had not previously become too firmly fixed, it may be forgotten and not resumed.”

Its plausible that Dr. Kellog and his peers propagated this Victorian idea of hygiene to justify routine male circumcision. It probably caught on and came to be viewed as a must-doThere are risks to circumcision that most parents aren’t aware of or choose to dismiss, but they need to be considered. Some of the risks are.

1. Risk of fatal infections/uncontrollable bleeding.

2. Unintended snipping of the glans or part of the glans during the procedure.

3. Risk of burn and scarring during electrocautery.

These are just some of the risk factors circumcision entails.

Most supporters of male circumcision put forward the idea that the foreskin is a useless piece of skin. Well, its far from useless. It has many uses. I’d list some of them here.

1. Protects the delicate glans (soft tip of the penis) from injury and keeps the glans moist and sensitive. Its function is similar to that of an eyelid in its protective nature.

2. The foreskin is as sensitive as the tips of your fingers or the lips of your mouth. It contains over 3 feet of arteries, veins and capillaries and thousands of nerve endings (above 10,000).

3. Facilitates smooth and gentle motion between the mucosal surfaces of partners during sexual intercourse.

4. Prevents the desensitization of the glans due to constant exposure of the glans to clothing and other material.

Most parents in America don’t seem to understand the uses of the foreskin and that men can live normally with the foreskin intact. By circumcising their male children, they are taking away the right to decide on this irreversible procedure. Its also curious that while there is so much outrage towards female circumcision – the same outrage is absent when it comes to male circumcision. The reason given ostensibly is that female circumcision affects the pleasure factor significantly, whereas in men that isn’t the case. Well, chopping away the most sensitive part of the penis with all of its veins, arteries and capillaries and erogenic functions takes away from pleasure for men as well. So – shouldn’t people feel just as outraged? The reason they don’t is because they’ve been conditioned to accept male circumcision as opposed to female circumcision.

Talking about women, I think they are one of the main reasons why infant males continue getting circumcised in modern America. These American women (who are mothers, wives, girlfriends, etc) have drilled it into themselves that the foreskin is “ugly,” “dirty,” “disgusting,” etc. Here are some messages from the message board I mentioned earlier in the article. It was an eye opener to me. I am quoting them verbatim.

“It’s only a teeny weeny piece of skin, for heaven’s sake, get real!”

“An uncircumcised penis reminds me of a dog penis.”

“don’t forget the smegma smell – guess that’s why the French stink.”

“but they look GROSSSSS EWWW – i would never saddle my child with it.”

“the stigma of being an uncircumcized male!!!! I have only been with 1 man that was not and boy howdy does that thing look scary. Needless to say it didn’t last!!!!”

“he may not be so thankful to you once he starts dating…” (in response to a woman who chose not to circumcise her kid)

“My husband was not circumcised and says he was teased b/c of it in gym class and was adamant about our boys being circ’ed.”

“It is a little piece of skin”

“with the foreskin ON, they stink even more”

“men don’t want an ugly uncircumsized penis, so get over it and do your boy a favor. Not to mention all the health reasons. Sheesh!”

These are the enlightened American women who make the decisions for their male infants. For them, its just a “piece of skin” and its no big deal. Well, it is a big deal for some men. They wouldn’t be so matter-of-fact and callous if the topic was female circumcision, but they are just so dismissive of male circumcision. Not a surprise that – is it? I think its high time these women read up on male circumcision and the facts about male circumcision. Instead of treating the foreskin as an “ugly piece of skin” and wanting to do circumcision for cosmetic or hygienic reasons – perhaps they should educate themselves a little better. Isn’t it surprising that most Americans have been brainwashed so thoroughly into believing that the foreskin is “ugly,” “abnormal,” “unnecessary,” etc.

Placenta Power

2009-11-29T20:59:00.000-08:00

*Foreword: If you get all squeamish at the sight of a placenta, don't bother reading any further. However, if you're like me and find them intriguing and beautiful (or if you just have a healthy curiosity to see one), then by all means, happily read (view) on!*

Placenta's to me are one of the most amazing parts of pregnancy, birth and motherhood. I kept both of my children's placenta's. Our daughter's was kept for quite a long time, in our freezer, just waiting for the right time to be planted, which turned out to be after the birth of our son two years later. We planted both placenta's on the same day at my mother's house, which was extremely special. I love that we did it this way.

There was something truly special, and almost magical about my mother and I planting my children's placenta's together. I had no idea it would be as emotional of an event as it was for me. I actually was choking back tears almost the entire time. From the time we lay the placenta's on the rocks, ready to be covered with earth, to the time the planting was complete, and I felt the strong sense of closure. My son's placenta planting I have to say was the more emotional, because the birth was so much closer in time. I still felt that gnawing sense of "apartness" you feel from your baby just after giving birth. So planting his placenta was in a way, heart-wrenching to me. But afterward, I felt free. It was something I don't think I had really felt before.

Here, the fetal side of Levi's placenta...

I am so glad that I took photos of my children's placenta's before they were planted. They amaze me everytime I look at them. The fact that the placenta is both 50% your own cells, and 50% your babies cells, makes it' something extrememly special, to me like a shooting star or snowflake. Something so unique and beautiful and awe-inspiring. It's both of you, together forever. No wonder there is such a strong mother/child bond. Also, the simple anatomy of it, the super-highway of life that sprawls out like a blanket over it's walls. Just beautiful.

One the left, Dakota's Plum tree. On the right, Levi's Camphor tree.

I love the idea of planting your child's placenta, and it has been a tradition among many cultures for many years (Navajo, Cambodia, Hawaii, New Zealand Maori). But I also love the idea of consuming the placenta. To me it's the logical and natural thing to do. And again, to many cultures for many years, it has been the logical and natural thing to do.

But our culture is just beginning to understand the awesome powers of the placenta. Placenta encapsulating is becoming increasingly popular. Placenta consumption has been known to help ward off the onset of postpartum depression, as well as facilitate milk production.

The next baby we have, we plan on cutting the placenta in half; planting one half under a tree, and dehydrating, grinding, and encapsulating the other half.

The BEST part of waking up...

2009-11-24T23:06:00.000-08:00

...is seeing this smooshy, sleepy, half-dreaming face every single morning...

Have I mentioned lately how much I love co-sleeping? Oh wait, no I haven't, because I haven't blogged in FOUR MONTHS!!!! Ahahaha...horrible. Really, really horrible. I actually have been blogging, just not on here, over on my personal blog and my photography blog. But that is going to change! I've really missed my fellow birth junkies! And this blog is extremely important to me. Photography kind of took over my life for a few months, but that's not where my heart is. It's with my babies.

So, here I vow, my birth blogging will return to a somewhat normal state. I wanted to blog tonight about how annoying it is that Heidi Klum gets propped up, sucked in (ah-hum, a corset), and shoved out onto the runway only weeks after she has a baby, but alas, could not find a good article to go with. So, just know that I am sufficiently annoyed.

I hope that you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving! It shall not be another 4 months until we meet again!

2009-07-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Natural Mother's Say No to Circumcision

...I couldn't have said it more eloquently myself. Everything the author mentions in this article I completely relate with; their decision not to circumcise their son, why, their reasoning, etc.

I'm still surprised when people ask me if I have to retract Levi's foreskin. ????? I guess that's just the common belief? To me it just seems like such outdated misinformation, it's hard for me to believe that it's still out there.

My response is always, "Noooooooooo. His foreskin should never be retracted, unless he's the one doing the retracting."

Boys foreskins will automatically begin to loosen at puberty or just before. Prior to that, the foreskin acts as an extremely important barrier for the glans of the penis; keeping it moist {which it should be, not dry and chafed like the glans of a circumcised penis}, and keeping harmful bacteria out.

Keeping Levi intact was one of the healthiest decisions we ever made for him. Like the author of the above article, I'm committed to getting the word out in our country that foreskins are our friends! Parents....put...the...knife...down.

It's not our decision as parents to decide which perfectly healthy body parts our children get to keep. We don't cut our daughters. We shouldn't cut our sons.

I especially love this quote from the article...

"When I found out I was having a boy in 2001, I hadn’t really thought much about circumcision. I did about five minutes of research and knew immediately I would never allow unnecessary surgery to be performed on my healthy baby boy. Luckily, my husband (who is circumcised) agreed after I showed him just one picture of a circumcision being performed. If my husband hadn’t agreed, I still couldn't have allowed it to happen, so I was glad to avoid a disagreement."

Most of the women I've talked to who made the decision to circumcise their son, cited there reason as mainly that their husband's wanted him to be. Ummmm....yaaaah. I'm his mother. After the research I've done, which like she said, took literally five minutes to come to a logical decision, even if my husband did still want him to be circumcised, it just wouldn't happen. Like I said, I'm his mother. Protector. Life-giver. Nurturer. I love my husband, I honor him and I submit to him. But I protect my babies too. It's my God given job. And my passion.

But I never had to go through that with Dave. I knew what kind of man I married. I picked him for a reason. He was open minded and logical about it. I showed him a couple of youtube videos, cited a couple of studies and we had a heart to heart and that was it. No circumcision.

2009-06-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

Giselle, a SAHM, frustrated with the lack of support for a VBAC, wrote a consent form.....for her OB. Read it here. SO great!!! And SO needed.

Thanks Sheridan for passing along :D

2009-06-17T22:30:00.000-07:00

If I didn't have a lump the size of Texas in my throat right now I would write more.

Watch for yourself...an absolutely STUNNING, moving and beautiful photo documentation of a homebirth.

I so so so so wish more women in our country got to experience birth the way it was meant. It's so not right that only a tiny few of us have seen the reality of normal birth. It's....soul altering.

Thanks Joy for posting :)

My Breastmilk Tastes like Strawberries

2009-04-22T00:23:00.000-07:00

So the other day my daughter was getting dressed after her bath and she looked down and exclaimed proudly, "I have nipples!" She said it like she just realized it. Then she looked at me and said, " I have nipples, and you have mama's {our codeword for boobs and nursing}."

"Yep." I said.

"I used to suck on your mama's when I was a baby." She said.

"Yes you did." I said. Then I asked her, "Did you like it?"

"Mmmm-hmmmm." She said with a grin.

"Do you remember it?" I asked.

"Mmmm-hmmmm."

"What did it taste like?" I asked her.

Stopping to give it some careful consideration, she said, "...........STRAAAAAAAWBERRIES!!!" with a huge smile on her face!

How great is that?! But the totally cool thing is that strawberries were and still are her all-time favorite food. What a huge compliment coming from her. I love to know that she equates nursing with the sweetest, happiest food/feeling she knows :)

2009-04-22T00:17:00.001-07:00

*Siiiiiigh* Just wish we got to see more of this on our television screen here in the US. When the only exposure most women are getting to viewing birth is "A Baby Story", it's no wonder so many women have such a fuzzy, mislead idea of what real birth is actually like.

If only we got to see commercials like this...

Thanks Sheridan for passing it along!

Naitre Enchantee

2009-03-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

Women NEED to see more births like this. This is NORMAL birth.

I love this video because it shows the mama vocalizing in a very productive manner. Not screaming, not yelling, but opening her mouth wide and letting the energy out. This was such an amazingly therapeutic and I think necessary act for me when I laboured and birthed Dakota and Levi. The "oooooooooooh"s and "aaaaaaaaaaah"s truly open a woman up on the inside. It's such a dance, labour and birth. I love the way her husband and her midwife were touching her also; soft, gentle stroking, not pushing her around or barking orders at her. So respectful.

Notice the babies reaction to being birthed. I always notice this about homebirth/natural births in general compared to the average medically-managed birth. Generally speaking. The baby cries a little, then when he is held close to his bare mama's chest, in the quiet, in the dim light, he's still. He's calm and very at peace. He's still naked, he's barely but thirty seconds old, but he's calm. His arms aren't out at his sides, he's not screaming, he doesn't have his eyes clamped shut to block out the glaring lights. He's calm, because his surroundings are calm.

It's just such a beautiful thing. It makes me sad to think that so many women in our country don't get to have this with their babies. And it's not like we're even giving this up in order to have safer births and newborns, because birth in the U.S. ranks VERY low on the safety index when compared to other industrialized nations. When you consider that about one in every three women who walk through a hospital's doors will be wheeled out with a major abdominal incision, or that a third of all women in our country will be given an episiotomy, is that safe? These are rates are MUCH too high. And it's not healthy. It's not healthy for women, it's definitely not healthy for babies, and it's not healthy for our society.

What is healthy is when women are given the ability to make informed decisions about their health care and that of their babies so that they can have safer, happier births with better outcomes. And then, have the resources available to act on their informed decisions. This means more hospitals with way lower cesarean and intervention rates {along with completely re-evaluating and re-constructing the current model of maternity care to INCLUDE midwifery as a fundamental part of that care}, and WAY more birthing centers with more midwives. The sooner the U.S. can catch on to what other countries already know, such as Sweden, where midwives and ob's work together with the support of the community and state, the sooner we can start to enjoy healthier, happier and safer births for ourselves and our babies.

Naitre_enchantee
Uploaded by magalidieux

Thank you to Mommymichael for sharing this video!

Salma Hayek Breastfeeding an African Baby Boy

2009-02-11T10:39:00.001-08:00

Right on!!! Go Salma!

*EDIT*
Since this clip has now been cut by youtube {whoooooole other blog entry! ARG!}, you can find it here...

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6864594&page=1

Thank you to Megan for passing it along.

During a visit to Africa, actress Salma Hayek came upon a mother who had no breastmilk to feed her one week old baby boy. Salma, who's own child is one year old, took the opportunity to breastfeed the baby, with cameras rolling.

I got tears in my eyes watching this clip. I think, seeing a baby gulping human milk like that, knowing he was longing for it for days and days, made me sad. But also to see the widespread hunger of these little ones at such a young age. Then to think of my own rolly polly breastfeed baby{s}. Just makes it feel not so fair to them. But the world isn't a fair place. Which is why it's paramount to give major props to people like Salma, willing to do something so controversial for the simple sake of a childs health and happiness.

2009-02-09T11:50:00.001-08:00

OH MY GOSH!

I have to get this shirt!

"I have a placenta in my freezer"

Actually, um...I have two :)

2009-02-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

Another awesome story of a "big" baby being born healthy and drug-free. I adore hearing stories like this because I truly believe that most babies, yes, even babies ten pounds plus, are able to be born vaginally with less "permanent damage" than what would otherwise result from a cesarean. If only women were able to labor NORMALLY; walking, squatting, rocking, letting gravity work the baby down, instead of laboring lying flat on ones back, unable to move her legs or torso from an epidural, I think more "big" babies would be able to born without cesareans.

Iowa Woman has 12 Pound 9 Ounce Baby Girl

2009-02-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

I LOVE breastfeeding. I just have to say it. Gosh, it's just the coolest thing in the whole world. I was putting Levi to bed tonight with our usual routine. I rock him and nurse him, then lay him on his tummy {GASP!} in bed and put his pacifier in his mouth and he goes to sleep. Some nights though he's a little more restless than others and I pick him up a few times and just hold him until he's comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Anyway, tonight he tossed his head back and forth a bit and seemed like he wanted to be held so I picked him up with his pacifier in his mouth and held him cradle style like always. He turned his head toward my face as I was putting him in position and opened his mouth to let the pacifier fall out and with eyes closed, and parted lips started to ever so gently pace his mouth back and forth across my lips, thinking that my lips were my nipples {ooooooh if all men could have their way!}. So I sat back down in the glider and nursed him {again} even though I know for a fact he wasn't hungry, he'd just nurse five minutes before that. I sat there and just relished how good that made me feel; that he wanted me. The latex thingy in his mouth was just that to him. A latex thingy. But he wanted me. The real deal. He knows where comfort lies. He knows where to go for safety and familiarity. He knows that when he calls for me, I come. When he calls to be nursed, I nurse. I provide. I give. I surrender. I let every guard down for him. All for him. And he knows it. I LOVE that.

It's what a mother was meant to do. Give all. No matter how many women take offense to that, it's true. We were born to birth, to nurse, to nurture, completely, in pain and in joy, in loneliness, in comfort, all of it, not just the easy parts but the hard parts especially. It's what we do best when nature is at it's best; unobstructed, untouched, left at it's own, no lights, no machines, no man in a white cloak telling us stick there or push it out or suck it in. Just us all by ourselves. Two people alone in a dark room, telling one another without words how much they love each other. Giving all that one has...receiving the world in return.

2009-01-30T09:01:00.000-08:00

Guess what?! Most the sandwiches, breads, ketchup, cereal, yogurt that your kid regularly eats, yaaaaaaaah, it contains mercury too!

Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury

"Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies."

Before this year began I considered what my resolution was going to be. I never got around to making one concrete. The one that was in the forefront of my mind was to feed my family better, more whole foods, more raw foods, A LOT less processed and modified foods and beverages. Now, it's set in stone. I know the stereotype about new years resolutions is that they generally aren't kept, but I actually do keep mine when I make them.

This is just so disturbing and upsetting on so many levels for me, not to mention NOT SURPRISING. I feel like there's nothing left that's "safe" anymore.

Being "anti-vaccination", {which really is a misleading term, I guess a better term would be "pro-informed consent". I just hope and wish that all parents would completely and thoroughly investigate and research the vaccines, and their carsenigenics, we regularly pump into our kids} I would be a hypocrite or just plain negligent if I didn't oppose high frequency consumption of high fructose corn syrup by my kids. Granted, it's in virtually EVERYTHING. So cutting out all HFCS would just not be functionally possible at this point. But doing everyday simple things like shopping at whole food markets, buying locally grown foods, and making meals from scratch would drastically improve the odds of lowering our HFCS intake.

This will be very challenging for me. I don't like cooking. It's not like I hate it, it's just not my activity of choice. It will take major life changes for me to implement this new routine into our lives. However, I'm very good at reading nutritional labels and being aware of what's in certain types of foods. So it will be very easy for me to do the tracking and deciphering part of choosing foods and making good nutritional choices.

Anyway, this is all very alarming. I know the FDA is attempting to quell the scare, but that's what they do. I was feeling disappointed and let down in myself for not cutting the crap {preservatives, HFCS, even before I knew it contained mercury! It was already really horrible for a person} out of my kids diet long before this ever came out. This just put the nail in the coffin.

And it's sad because we can even think we're feeding out family "not so badly". I mean, would you ever think a sandwich could be anything less than totally nutritional? But it can! Both lunch meat and bread {most major brands} contain HFCS! Gosh, it's a daunting task. But, I've never been known to not do something simply because it's the hard route or the road less traveled. So, here's to a new beginning. We've got a long road ahead of us.

2009-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

Yay! Just saw this by way of DoulaMomma...Orgasmic Birth is now available on Netflix!

2009-01-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

An interesting commentary on the "Orgasmic Birth" 20/20 episode by Navelgazing Midwife. Make sure to read the comments as well. Navelgazing Midwife's readers always have such insightful things to say!

VBA3C

2009-01-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Dangers of Mammography

2009-01-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

From Dr. Mercola

Breast cancer is the second most deadly form of cancer for women in the U.S. Only lung cancer claims more women’s lives than breast cancer.

According to Cancer.org’s latest report, Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2007-2008, 2007 ushered in more than 178,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer, and more than 40,000 women died from the disease.

But men are by no means immune to breast cancer. Just over 2,000 men were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, and approximately 450 men died. Since routine screening for men is next to nonexistent, men are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced disease, and therefore have poorer chances for survival.

Unfortunately, conventional medicine is stubbornly holding on to outmoded ideas of cancer detection and treatment, no matter how ineffective it’s been proven to be.

Mammography is a perfect example of this stubborn head-in-the-sand approach to cancer screening.

Education and awareness of better, less risky and more effective options for detecting breast cancer are woefully deficient, but they do exist, and it is my hope you will take the time to review this important information, whether you’re a man or a woman, and forward it widely to your family and friends.

The Case Against Mammography

Health officials recommend that all women over 40 get a mammogram every one to two years, yet there is no solid evidence that mammograms save lives, and the benefits of mammograms are controversial at best.

Meanwhile, the health hazards of mammography have been well established.

John Gofman, M.D., Ph.D. – a nuclear physicist and a medical doctor, and one of the leading experts in the world on the dangers of radiation – presents compelling evidence in his book, Radiation from Medical Procedures in the Pathogenesis of Cancer and Ischemic Heart Disease, that over 50 percent of the death-rate from cancer is in fact induced by x-rays.

Now consider the fact that the routine practice of taking four films of each breast annually results in approximately 1 rad (radiation absorbed dose) exposure, which is about 1,000 times greater than that from a chest x-ray.

Even the American Cancer Society lists high-dose radiation to the chest as a medium to high risk factor for developing cancer.

How Mammography Increases Your Cancer Risk

X-rays and other classes of ionizing radiation have been, for decades, a proven cause of virtually all types of biological mutations. When such mutations are not cell-lethal, they endure and accumulate with each additional exposure to x-rays or other ionizing radiation.

X-rays are also an established cause of genomic instability, often a characteristic of the most aggressive cancers.

Additionally, radiation risks are about four times greater for the 1 to 2 percent of women who are silent carriers of the A-T (ataxia-telangiectasia) gene, which by some estimates accounts for up to 20 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed annually.

When everything is taken into account, reducing exposure to medical radiation such as unnecessary mammograms would actually likely reduce mortality rates.

The practice of screening mammography itself poses significant and cumulative risks of breast cancer, especially for premenopausal women.

Making matters even worse, false positive diagnoses are very common – as high as 89 percent – leading many women to be unnecessarily and harmfully treated by mastectomy, more radiation, or chemotherapy.

There are instances where mammography may be warranted. But the fact remains that there are other technologies that are proven to be more effective, less expensive, and completely harmless, that can save far more lives.

2009-01-02T11:40:00.001-08:00

Heads up! Orgasmic Birth is on 20/20 tonight, January 2!

Happy New Years everyone!

2008-11-25T20:17:00.001-08:00

I've been tagged by DoulaMomma! Okay, so, I was tagged like forever ago but am just getting to it. Eke! Pro-cras-tin-a-tor!

So here it is, six things that have not yet been revealed about me on this blog...

1. I am a total conservative; socially, economically, and ethically. The fact that this will turn off about seventy-five percent of my audience on this blog no longer phases me. Eh, whatever.

2. BUT...as a younger adult, you would have never known it. I used to have ten piercings, and none of them were in my earlobes or belly button. :o What? You think all conservatives walk around in suits? WRONG!

3. I was completely anti-social as a child. Wait...I still am.

4. I'm really egotistical. I think everything revolves around me. Yep, I do. At least I recognize.

5. My first kiss was a girl. She was seven, I was six. You can do whatever you like with that tidbit of info.

6. I can't spell worth a DAM. Um, I mean damn. Me and spell check...BEST FRIENDS.

Okay, so I have to tag six other people. I pick Pam, Isabel, Nicole, Jennifer, Amber, and Kristin Jo.

2008-11-19T20:53:00.001-08:00

I just had to share with you all!

Check out this totally awesome, anatomically correct mama doll and baby!

She's available for sale, and also the pattern is available for sale on etsy by CozyColeman...

2008-11-17T19:22:00.000-08:00

Speaking of co-sleeping...

Ashley at Lotus Flower posted this study on the subject:

Scientific Benefits of Co-Sleeping

Popular media has tried to discourage parents from sharing sleep with their babies, calling this worldwide practice unsafe. Medical science, however, doesn’t back this conclusion. In fact, research shows that co-sleeping is actually safer than sleeping alone. Here is what science says about sleeping with your baby:

Sleep more peacefully. Research shows that co-sleeping infants virtually never startle during sleep and rarely cry during the night, compared to solo sleepers who startle repeatedly throughout the night and spend 4 times the number of minutes crying 1. Startling and crying releases adrenaline, which increases heart rate and blood pressure, interferes with restful sleep and leads to long term sleep anxiety.

Stable physiology. Studies show that infants who sleep near to parents have more stable temperatures 2, regular heart rhythms, and fewer long pauses in breathing compared to babies who sleep alone 3. This means baby sleeps physiologically safer.

Decreases risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Worldwide research shows that the SIDS rate is lowest (and even unheard of) in countries where co-sleeping is the norm, rather than the exception 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Babies who sleep either in or next to their parents’ bed have a fourfold decrease in the chance of SIDS 10. Co-sleeping babies actually spend more time sleeping on their back or side 1 which decreases the risk of SIDS. Further research shows that the carbon dioxide exhaled by a parent actually works to stimulate baby’s breathing 11.

Long term emotional health. Co-sleeping babies grow up with a higher self-esteem, less anxiety, become independent sooner, are better behaved in school 12, and are more comfortable with affection 13. They also have less psychiatric problems 14.

Safer than crib sleeping. The Consumer Product Safety Commission published data that described infant fatalities in adult beds. These same data, however, showed more than 3 times as many crib related infant fatalities compared to adult bed accidents 15. Another recent large study concluded that bed sharing did NOT increase the risk of SIDS, unless the mom was a smoker or abused alcohol 16.

McKenna, J., et al, "Experimental studies of infant-parent co-sleeping: Mutual physiological and behavioral influences and their relevance to SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome)." Early Human Development 38 (1994)187-201.

C. Richard et al., “Sleeping Position, Orientation, and Proximity in Bedsharing Infants and Mothers,” Sleep 19 (1996): 667-684.Touch in Early Development, T. Field, ed. (Mahway, New Jersey: Lawrence Earlbaum and Assoc., 1995).“SIDS Global Task Force Child Care Study” E.A.S. Nelson et al., Early Human Development 62 (2001): 43-55

A. H. Sankaran et al., “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Infant Care Practices in Saskatchewan, Canada,” Program and Abstracts, Sixth SIDS International Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, February 8-11, 2000.

D. P. Davies, “Cot Death In Hong Kong: A Rare Problem?” The Lancet 2 (1985): 1346-1348.

N. P. Lee et al., “Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Hong Kong: Confirmation of Low Incidence,” British Medical Journal 298 (1999): 72.

S. Fukai and F. Hiroshi, “1999 Annual Report, Japan SIDS Family Association,” Sixth SIDS International Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, 2000.

E. A. S. Nelson et al., “International Child Care Practice Study: Infant Sleeping Environment,” Early Human Development 62 (2001): 43-55.

P. S. Blair, P. J. Fleming, D. Bensley, et al., “Where Should Babies Sleep – Along or With Parents? Factors Influencing the Risk Of SIDS in the CESDI Study,” British Medical Journal 319 (1999): 1457-1462.SIDS book, page 227, #162

P. Heron, “Non-Reactive Cosleeping and Child Behavior: Getting a Good Night’s Sleep All Night, Every Night,” Master’s thesis, Department of Psychology, University of Bristol, 1994.

M. Crawford, “Parenting Practices in the Basque Country: Implications of Infant and Childhood Sleeping Location for Personality Development” Ethos 22, no 1 (1994): 42-82.

J. F. Forbes et al., “The Cosleeping Habits of Military Children,” Military Medicine 157 (1992): 196-200.

D. A. Drago and A. L. Dannenberg, “Infant Mechanical Suffocation Deaths in the United States, 1980-1997,” Pediatrics 103, no. 5 (1999): e59.

R. G. Carpenter et al., “Sudden Unexplained Infant Death in 20 Regions in Europe: Case Control Study,” Lancet 2004; 363: 185-191.

Co-Sleeping, Anyone???

2008-11-12T20:43:00.001-08:00

Flickr Photos by David and Corin.

Lately Dakota has been waking up around 12:30 or 1am to come in our room to sleep, which we welcome with open arms. The childhood phase zooms by so quickly, neither of us have ever had a problem with our kids sleeping with us. Actually, we promote the idea. Besides the obvious reasons; it's safer, it's healthier, children need the emotional and psychological support at such a tender age, well, it's also just a TON easier on the whole family. These years are so delicate for their developing brains, after all the research I've done, I've come to the conclusion that co-sleeping is a natural, healthy, necessary and extremely beneficial part of being an infant and child.

Having said that, I would never turn my two and a half year old away. I swoosh her right up and she snuggles in and that's that.

But the challenge now is that we have a three month old who we also want to co-sleep. He's currently sleeping in a portable crib right next to me. I so badly want to sleep him our bed with us, it would make nursing SO much easier in the middle of the night, but there's two considerations I'm seeing somewhat as roadblocks right now:

1. Our bed is a Cal King which is great, but it dips in the middle. So when Dakota comes in at night and sleeps in between Dave and I, the only place left for Levi is on my other side, near the edge {which is totally scary in itself!}. So the few times I have slept him there, he's rolled into me all night! This is not comfortable for him or I.

2. Therefor, I've considered sleeping him in the middle, next to Dakota, but I've always felt like that was such a dangerous option. I mean, how safe can it be to let your three month old sleep next to your toddler??? I'm so afraid of her rolling over on him or something.

So I guess my question to all you is, do you co-sleep multiple children in your bed? If so, what's your sleeping arrangement like? How old were your children when you started letting them sleep next to one another all night?

Any input from you ladies {and men!} would be greatly appreciated. I'm getting so tired of nursing Levi and having to stay awake just to put him back in his crib next to me! I would loooove to just be able to fall asleep with him while he's nursing like I got to do with Dakota. That was THE BEST.

Private Screening of Orgasmic Birth in Orange County, CA

2008-11-10T21:43:00.000-08:00

Private screening of Orgasmic Birth

Followed by a panel of birth professionals

November 11th, 2008

6:00 pm

Regency Rancho Laguna Niguel 8

Rancho Niguel Road in Laguna Niguel

A fundraiser for CABO (Community Alliance for Birth Options)

Advance purchase: $20/individual; $35/couple.

Tickets at the door: $25.Students: $10/individual with school ID

2008-11-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

The best high I ever got was in "labor-land"!!!!

{And I've ingested a great amount of mind altering substances in my past so that says a lot}.

Check this out...Ink Birth

Trust me, you must must MUST see these absolutely amazing birth photos. They are extremely graphic so don't bother if you're gonna get all squirmy and weirded out by it. But if you find the birthing body extraordinary like I do, and want to see what a labor-land "high" looks like, please...click away.

2008-10-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

A great website out of the U.K. dedicate to birthing "big babies"...bigbaby.org.uk

A quote from the site...

"Why are Women SO Terrified of Birthing a Big Baby?

Ever heard a "big baby mum" telling her birth story? Heard the sharp intake of breath and the "Ouch, bet that hurt" mutters when she tells everybody the baby's weight?

The female pelvis is PERFECTLY designed for birth.....no matter the size of the baby.....it is designed to open up to make more space for the baby.....and a baby's head is PERFECTLY designed to gently mould, to make it smaller, so that it passes through the female pelvis with ease. Babies know how to get into a good position for birth, tucking their head tightly so that the smallest part presents first...

But when a women reduces her pelvic capacity, by being immobile on a bed, perhaps due to an induction - for a "big baby" or an epidural, because of the pain caused by the induction, or the fear caused by the constant "big baby" conversations everything gets a lot harder, words like "cephalopelvic disproportion" (CPD) - where the baby's head is too big to pass through the pelvis, get used - needlessly.

If a woman enters labour free from fear and anxiety oxytocin (the hormone of labour) will be free to flow, her uterus will contract efficiently, endorphins (natural morphine like pain relievers released during labour) will flood her body, adrenaline will be kept to a minimum ensuring that her uterus is well oxygenated and making her as comfortable as possible.

She will move instinctively into positions which freely open her pelvis, such as a squatting position (where the pelvis is said to have up to 30% more capacity) or perhaps on all fours - both superb positions for birthing a big baby.

The size of a baby in a normal, physiological birth - where anxiety and "big baby" talk is not present - is largely irrelevant, it doesn't make it more painful and it doesn't make it harder!"

This last part makes so much perfect sense to me and I've thought this exact same thing many times in the past; that a large part of our supposed "inability" to birth "big babies" stems from the fear that is instilled in us very early on. This is a big reason why I feel like ultrasounds should be kept to a bare minimum. It seems like we're often set up on the path to failure the minute our ob senses that the baby may be over what is considered "normal". And the topic of "normal" size babies is one all of it's own; it's amazing how many natural birth videos I've seen and stories I've read in which mama gives birth at home naturally to a baby over ten pounds. So, is it really all that "abnormal" after all?

The point is, and the reason I like this quote so much, is that more than the size of the baby, it seems as if the fear and intimidation that is instilled in us is what largely holds us back from our ability to give birth. And that's really on any level, not just when birthing big babies.

Like the quote says...

"If a woman enters labour free from fear and anxiety oxytocin (the hormone of labour) will be free to flow, her uterus will contract efficiently, endorphins (natural morphine like pain relievers released during labour) will flood her body, adrenaline will be kept to a minimum ensuring that her uterus is well oxygenated and making her as comfortable as possible.

She will move instinctively into positions which freely open her pelvis, such as a squatting position (where the pelvis is said to have up to 30% more capacity) or perhaps on all fours - both superb positions for birthing a big baby."

I'm glad there's websites out there like this now. I think the playing field needs to be leveled more now than ever because it seems like everytime we turn around, we're being told we're not up to birthing our own babies for one reason or another, and this particular reason, the "too big" baby, is one that I think has been and is being completely misused by the mainstream medical community.

That's Right!

2008-10-31T16:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend everyone :)

2008-10-19T23:00:00.001-07:00

I can't possibly look at his little face without completely melting all over the place...

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones

2008-10-17T07:43:00.000-07:00

The End of Circumcision

"...Here in Australia, it's no longer fashionable. Parents have rejected it as outdated and unnecessary, not to mention cruel."

Rock on Australia!!!

2008-10-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

I saw this waterbirth video while reading over at Bellies and Babies. I was immediately drawn to it because it reminded me so much of Levi's birth. The mama alone in the tub; governed by instinct, allowing her body to guide the birth process. It's an amazing and beautiful video and I especially love that it clearly illustrates the vast amount of time {comparative to the amount of time in a typical hospital birth} that elapses between the birth of the baby and the cutting of the cord. Levi stayed attached to his cord for at least ten to fifteen minutes after his birth. My midwife simply prompted me to check his umbilical cord to see if it had stopped pulsating. This is so important and I think very overlooked in our current maternity system.

I felt such a surge of, "Aaaaaaaah!!!" when I watched the interaction of mama and baby after this birth. Again, reminding me so much of Levi's birth {although Levi's birth in actuality was a lot quicker than this. I wasn't able to enjoy feeling his head under the water. He was out and in my arms in less than a minute! But the interaction between mama and baby afterword is what makes me think of his birth}. Instantly holding him in my arms. No tubes. No needles. No clamps. No beeping. No washing. No poking. No prodding. No ones hands but my own. Just his skin against mine in a bath of warm water. If I ever had to choose a moment in my life to describe as euphoric, I would have to say the ten minutes before and after his birth.

Waterbirth rocks!!!

2008-09-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

$how me the MONEY!!! You can follow the paper trail all the way to your babie$ throbbing injection $ite...

How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders?

Read carefully, then put on your "OH!" face :0

2008-09-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

I just discovered blogger's new "Followers" tool {to the right}. I'm stoked. This makes it's so much easier to keep up with my favorite blogs. I always hated the fact that I had so many blogs I loved to visit but didn't want a blog list a mile and a half long. Now I can just follow them {and visa versa} and keep updated all the time! Yay.

2008-09-21T10:51:00.001-07:00

I realized that I've posted Levi pics on our family blog and none on here! So here are some of my little babe as he's grown so far...

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones

2008-09-19T09:04:00.000-07:00

As Joy at Breast and Belly so perfectly put it..."Either you have been there or you haven't."

Read it and weap people. Then rise up ladies and TAKE BIRTH BACK.

Levi's Birth Story

2008-08-17T22:45:00.000-07:00

Read it here...

2008-08-09T18:50:00.001-07:00

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones.

Total perfection, total joy...

My heart has shifted to a whole other universe.

2008-08-05T22:36:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEVI CLINTON JONES!

Waterborn into daddies hands at 12:38 AM this morning in a surprise unassisted birth! Full birth story to come...But in the meantime I'll be basking in the glow of a "HOLY COW COMPLETELY UNBELIEVABLE" night of birthing and smothering my *still vernix covered* son's face in kisses.

Welcome to the family Levi love.

2008-07-26T00:07:00.000-07:00

"Oh Please Oh please Oh pleeeeeeease! Can I be next?!!! I can't WAIT to try out this new vaginal scourge!"

*Oh, and can you pop one in my babies head too? Thanks, that'd be great.

2008-07-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Vaccine Facts & Choice: Drawing the Lines

"As the battle lines are being drawn between those who want to force all children to use 69 doses of 16 vaccines and those who are defending the right of parents to exercise voluntary, informed consent to vaccination, it is coming down to a matter of whose message do you trust. Should government health officials, pediatricians and vaccine manufacturers, who have been denying vaccine risks for three decades, be trusted to be defacto lawmakers and force vaccination on everyone or should Americans be allowed to become informed about vaccination and legally make voluntary vaccine choices?"

-Barbara Loe Fisher, Vaccine Awakening

2008-07-15T22:13:00.005-07:00

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones.

I celebrated this pregnancy and upcoming birth with my women-family on Saturday in the form of a Blessing. You can check it out here. It was amazing. Definitely something I plan on doing for future pregnancies, God willing we be blessed with more.

2008-07-07T18:49:00.003-07:00

34 Weeks of pure belly bliss...

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones.

2008-06-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Homebirth...

2008-06-27T13:10:00.000-07:00

Not birth related, but absolutely a women's issue...

Karolina Kurkova Labeled Too Fat

This is why women are having vaginoplasties {"vaginal rejuvination"} after birth and allowing their bodies to be diced up in designer c-sections in order to retain their "virginal" and "oh so tidy" body parts.

*Sigh*

Come on America, can we float back to reality sometime soon and GET A GRIP on ourselves?

2008-06-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

You have the RIGHT to be INFORMED and protect your child. The process can start here if you choose: AAP Leadership Fights Informed Vaccine Choices

PROTECT. YOUR. CHILD.

The only true means of protection is information. Practice INFORMED consent when deciding whether to vaccinate your child or not.

READ.

RESEARCH.

STUDY.

GOOGLE IT for crying out loud!

DO SOMETHING!

Because the worst possible thing you could NOT do for your child is to NOT KNOW. And asking a pediatrician about whether you should or shouldn't vaccinate your child is like asking a vacuum salesmen whether your carpet is dirty. Get multiple sources of information! And gosh, locate your gut and consult it. Sometime...sit down, forget about the world, and let your heart ruminate on the entire mass vaccination system we enroll our kids in from birth on. How does it feel to you? Does it feel right? We have a built in mechanism that allows us to protect our children and it's called instinct. It's there for a reason. And as diluted, smothered and repressed as it may be in our society, it is STILL THERE.

Here is the new sample letter the AAP {American Academy of Pediatrics} is distributing to your pediatrician to combat your questions and attempts to become informed about vaccines and your child...

"By not vaccinating your child you are taking selfish advantage of thousands of others who do vaccinate their children, which decreases the likelihood that your child will contract one of these diseases. We feel such an attitude to be self-centered and unacceptable. We are making you aware of these facts not to scare you or coerce you, but to emphasize the importance of vaccinating your child. We recognize that the choice may be a very emotional one for some parents. We will do everything we can to convince you that vaccinating according to the schedule is the right thing to do.

However, should you have doubts, please discuss these with your health care provider in advance of your visit. In some cases, we may alter the schedule to accommodate parental concerns or reservations. Please be advised, however, that delaying or "breaking up the vaccines" to give one or two at a time over two or more visits goes against expert recommendations, and can put your child at risk for serious illness (or even death) and goes against our medical advice as providers....such additional visits will require additional co-pays on your part. Furthermore, please realize that you will be required to sign a "Refusal to Vaccinate" acknowledgement in the event of lengthy delays.

Finally, if you should absolutely refuse to vaccinate your child despite all our efforts, we will ask you to find another health care provider who shares your views. We do not keep a list of such providers nor would we recommend any such physician."

Organizations like the AAP do not want you to be informed. They want you to COMPLY. They do not care what you think, believe, or feel, as long as you COMPLY. Is this scaring any of you? Does if make you feel odd? Does is spark something?

The AAP's sole priority is not to inform parents about vaccinations, it is to belittle them, harass them, and SCARE them into COMPLYING with a forced mass vaccination system. How many of you wonder why?

If you haven't visited Barbara Loe Fisher's blog, Vaccine Awakening, yet...now is the time. We've all heard over and over again our mainstream medical industries vaccine chants and mantra's. It's time to hear the other side of the story and make OUR OWN DECISIONS. Our kids are counting on us. Time to decide for ourselves.

2008-06-24T21:10:00.001-07:00

The top three most amazing things said to me over the past four weeks...

1. I dropped my camera's battery at church the other day. A kind fellow quickly picked it up and handed it to me. A very information, lovely man behind me commented, "Man, you would have had a real hard time pickin' that up on your own!".

~Hehehe...HOHOHO...HAHAHAHA! I'm laughing my freakin' ass off! I mean, now that's hilarious! 'Cause gosh, I would have never thought I might have a slightly difficult time BENDING OVER TO MY ANKLES at this size. Thank you sir. Thank you so much for filling me in on that.~

2. "You're WAY bigger this pregnancy. Doesn't she look WAY bigger this time?"

~Why thank you. Actually, it's really not me at all. It appears as though your eyes are simply being pushed so far out of their sockets as a response to this amazing sight of a real, live pregnant woman, that I only appear larger as a result of the close proximity of your eyeballs. Thank you kindly for your opinion anyhow.~

3. "Oh, you're having a boy....you're rear is huge."

~Say it one more time, and I promise I will pull my pants down and show it to you in all it's glory.~

The top most annoying thing I've heard NOT directed at me...

1. I'm trying on clothes in Target. There's a {really} young {really skinny} girl modeling clothes for her boyfriend in the hall. I come out to check on Dakota and my mom. Young girl...{twirling around}..."Does this make me look pregnant?"

~Noooooooo...But those two jagged hip bones sticking out of your sides make your ass look HUGE! I mean, you nearly look like you could weigh, oh, 100 pounds already!

Silly, silly little people. In your next lives you're all going to be eight month pregnant, fully blooming, beautiful specimens of a woman like me. If your lucky. In the meantime, you only wish you got to grow a baby this gloriously.

2008-06-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

Dr. Spock says, "Leave his poor little penis alone!"

2008-06-13T23:27:00.001-07:00

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones.

Thirty weeks! Actually, in two more days I'll be thirty one weeks, which means we will officially be in the single digit countdown days. Totally cool.

The late pregnancy aches are most definitely starting to kick in. By evening my lower back feels like it's about to break in half and in just the last week or so the ligaments on the insides of my legs, the ones that connect your legs to your groin, they've started in with the aching. But, nighttime baths have become a huge ritual for me during this pregnancy. I've found much relief soaking in there. I'm also really glad I've made that my "comfort zone" because I really feel strongly about wanting to birth this baby in the water. I don't just feel strongly about wanting it, but I've had this intuition during the whole pregnancy that this baby will be water born. I tried out the birthing tub when I was in labor with my daughter, but it just wasn't meant for that birth. The tub was too deep, I was too hot and tired. It helped a lot during active labor but the actual birth happened on the bed. It kind of had to, I was pushing for so long in so many positions.

Anyway, this pregnancy has been completely calm and uneventful. I really have nothing to complain about. I've felt generally happy and content throughout the entire thing. Of course I've had the occasional hormonal hiccup, especially lately. But, for the most part, I've just really enjoyed my time with this one. This baby is already very special to me. Although we've had no ultrasounds, I {surprisingly to me} feel a great connection to this one.

As for birth plans, I was originally considering hypnobirthing. But the more the pregnancy has progressed, the more I feel like, "Eh...I've gotten pretty darn good at relaxing myself." I know, labor will hit and I'll probably be like, "OH! I remember this feeling! Maybe I should have prepared more!" But, really, I feel like experience is THE BEST preparation EVER. I know it's going to be hard. I'm going to be tired. It's going to be like climbing a million mountains. But, well, that's labor. And while I definitely think things like hypnobirthing could be great tools for a lot of people, I guess I just kind of feel like I've got it under control. Hmmmm...is this confidence I'm exuding, or has two years distance from birth left me blissfully naive??? Ha, I guess we'll find out!

2008-06-13T14:10:00.000-07:00

It's been on my heart now for a long while to dedicate a section on my sidebar specifically to finding a midwife. I know first hand how completely frustrating and exhausting it can be to not only locate a midwife in your local area, but to find one that matches your needs and fits in with your family as well. So under the section title, "FIND A MIDWIFE!" to the right, you can find five links that are searchable for midwives in North America and the U.S. I hope to continually add to this list, but can only add sites as they become available, and unfortunately at this time there are not many to choose from.

So if any of you happen to know of another site that focuses on searching for a local midwife, I would greatly appreciate you passing it along!

2008-05-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Why is it that everyone automatically assumes that midwives would be COMPLETELY unprepared for any sort of complication during labor?????

When people hear the term "midwive", what do they conjure up in their heads?

It has to be something completely off and totally devoid from all reality. Honestly, it has to be.

I'm getting really tired of hearing the same response over and Over and OVER and OVER again every time I am asked "the question"....

Q. "Oh you're pregnant! When are you due?!"

A. "August."

Q. "So what are you having?!"

A. "We don't know."

R. "Oh! I could NEVER do that!!!" {bulgy eyes}

~Okay, brace yourselves, here it comes...~

Q. "So where are you having the baby?"

A. "At home."

Q. "Which hospital?"

A. "At home."

Q. "AT HOME???!!! OH MY GOSH! YOU'RE CRAAAAAZY!!!"

~Oh! Here it is!!! Are you ready?!~

Q. "WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG???!!!"

Deap breath in ....and *siiiiiiiiiiiiigh*

I have tried answering this question in every way possible. I have tried avoiding it. I have tried expanding on it. I have tried giving personal testimony of my own daughters birth. I have tried answering politely, I have tried answering briefly, comically, honestly, openly, shortly, informatively, with hand gestures, without hand gestures, on my head, swinging from a tree branch, army crawling, hitchhiking, making big faces, making no faces, being calm, being happy, being solemn, being overt. I have tried answering this question in every known way possible to man {um...wo-man}.

Yet, I am still left with the nagging, questioning, "I don't get it" look on the other person's face.

My usual response is something along these lines...

"Good midwives are extremely well trained professionals. They bring emergency equipment with them to every birth and are very prompt at identifying a potentially dangerous situation."

I'm not going to go into a huge diatribe on every single fact I've ever studied about homebirth and midwives. That would take hours. So I give them the best possible answer I can give in the thirty seconds our conversation is likely to last with a few kids at each of our feet.

Plus, I don't feel obligated to give them an extensive, drawn-out, sit-down, "Now look..." answer. This is why I love having a birth blog. People can come here themselves and get all the information they want. They can seek it out themselves. That way, I know I'm writing to an audience who truly wants to be informed and learn about their options.

But honestly, lately when I get asked "the question", I am starting to believe that these people aren't really asking for the sake of becoming informed, but rather as a polite {and completely ignorant} way to say, "Oh! How irresponsible, you're baby is going to die!"

The reason I have started to believe this is because most of the time, their response is not, "Really? Wow, that's really interesting. Do you know where I could read more about that?"

Usually their response is an argument. Or some sort of glossy rebuttal or sugar-coated, "Yah, but what if..."

So here's what I think.....If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question.

I think from now on the tables should be turned. I think this will be my new response...

Q. "WHAT IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG???!!!"

A. "Hmm...that's an interesting question. Well, if something goes wrong either one of three things will happen. 1. {The most likely scenario} My midwife will identify the problem and help to resolve it. 2. My midwife will identify the problem and know that it requires greater medical attention than what she can provide and I will be transported to the nearest hospital. 3. My midwife will not identify the problem and it will self resolve. 4. My midwife will not identify the problem and one or both of my baby and I will die or suffer serious injury.

Now let me ask you a question.....

What if you're laboring in the hospital and nothing is going wrong? What if you're laboring and nothing is going wrong but because you're on the hospital's time schedule, they induce you. Then, because they induced you, your contractions are much too powerful so you need an epidural. But because you got an epidural and have also been on pitocin and possibly a few other drug concoctions, your babies heart rate starts to go crazy. Or your heart rate or blood pressure starts to go crazy. Now there is an emergency situation. Now you need a cesarean. But during the cesarean you get an infection and two days later you die.

All when nothing was going wrong. Nothing was going wrong but because you were in the hospital having a medically managed birth, complications were produced and you or your baby suffer for it. Then what?

Could you fathom that your chances of being in the hospital when nothing is going wrong, and having something done to you to make something go wrong.....are much greater than me being at home and something going wrong on it's own and not being caught in time?"

Now, I completely understand that the person asking the question will either have stopped listening by now or probably just have walked away already.

But, unfortunately I do not feel that trying to give the clean, pretty answer is working anymore. I feel like they just want to argue. And I'm not going to argue. I feel like when most people ask me, "What if something goes wrong?", what they're really wanting to ask is, "Aren't you going to feel bad if something goes wrong?" And my answer is, "Aren't you going to feel bad if something goes wrong in the hospital? We have the second worste infant mortality rate in the industrialized world, that's a pretty big possibility you have there."

Maybe next time I get asked "the question" I'll just say, "Go google it."

*Okay, I would like to take the opportunity to pre-defend myself and the midwifery model of care at this time for all of the homebirth horror stories that are about to come out of the wood work.

I would like to end this post by saying simply.....

-People have died under the care of a midwife.

-People have died under the care of an Ob/Gyn.

There are homebirth horror stories, but there are also many, many hospital horror stories. Unfortunately, homebirth horror stories are vastly glamorized while hospital horror stories are largely masked and under-reported due to a large number of influencing factors such as a society that is generally obedient to a medical authoritative figure as well as the marketing and strategic tactics of an established medical and pharmaceutical community.

If you don't believe that the midwifery model of care is safe, then don't use it. And we all can continue to enjoy the most expensive and least productive maternity care system in the industrialized world.

2008-05-20T10:07:00.000-07:00

From Askdrsears.com...

COMPARISON OF FORMULAS AND BREASTMILK

To be fair, formula companies have produced milk for babies which, at least on paper, seems to resemble the real thing. Formula is definitely better than it used to be. But on close inspection, what the factories make doesn't quite measure up to what mom makes. It is nearly impossible for artificial baby milk manufacturers to make a milk with nutrients even close to what mothers' bodies can make. And these companies' primary goal is to make a profit, so marketing and manufacturing issues influence what finally gets into the can.

One of our concerns is that even though formula-fed infants appear to grow normally, are they really thriving? Thriving means more than just getting bigger. It means developing to the child's fullest physical, emotional, and intellectual potential. We just don't know about all the long-term effects of tampering with Mother Nature – though we do know that there are significant health differences between formula-fed and breastfed infants. Human milk is a live substance containing live white blood cells and immune-fighting substances, and is a dynamic, changing nutritional source, which daily (sometimes hourly) adjusts to meet the individual needs of a growing baby. Formulas are nothing more than a collection of dead nutrients. They do not contain living white cells, digestive enzymes, or immune factors. In terms of human history, they are a new experiment.

Even though the Infant Formula Act passed by Congress in 1985 mandates the Food and Drug Administration to see that formulas contain all the nutrients that babies need, we don't really know everything there is to know about what babies need. The good news is that formula companies are constantly updating their recipe in order to keep up with new research into infant nutrition. The bad news is that each change in formula is really just a new experiment.

Visit Askdrsears.com for this article in it's entirety.

2008-05-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

I was forwarded this by a fellow cesarean awareness advocate in order to share it with all my readers. It's a list of questions women should ask their doctors before they go into labor. Particularly first time moms.

There is a lot of emphasis placed on VBAC's for women who have already had one or more c-sections, and rightly so. But first time birthers are often hit blind-sided during labor with a c-section they had no idea they were in for. A great way to avoid an unnecessary c-section is to be informed before you walk through the hospital doors! Know your doctors views on c-sections and VBAC's and in what cases he/she is likely to perform/or not perform them...

*****

Not planning on a c-section?
There are still things you should know.

One in three deliveries in America are c-sections, yet few women know they’ll need one more than a week in advance. Ask your doctor these questions early in your pregnancy to increase your general c-section awareness, understand your doctor’s views on c-section, and to be prepared for an emergency.

What circumstances cause you to perform c-sections with less than a weeks notice? What is my risk for each of these circumstances?

Does my medical history indicate an increased risk for any of the following complications if a c-section is needed?
-Adhesions
-Serious bleeding
-Blood clots
-Bowel, bladder, or other organ injury
-Reactions to medicines or anesthesia
-Uterine rupture

What measures do you take during a c-section to prevent complications? For example:
-Do you use an adhesion barrier as part of your standard procedure?
-Do you use powder-free surgical gloves?
-What do you do to control bleeding?
-What precautions do you take to prevent organ and nerve injury?
-What planning can we (patient and doctor) do now to reduce the risk of complications?

In an emergency, would my c-section be performed by the doctor on call? If so, do all the physicians in your group follow the same procedures?

What decisions can I make now so that I’m not pushed to make them under emergency circumstances?

Planning on having another child after your current pregnancy? You may also want to ask your doctor these questions:

What are your views on VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)?

What do you do during a cesarean in order to improve my chances for a successful VBAC?

2008-05-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to watching Ricki Lake's documentary, "The Business of Being Born" on Saturday night. I know, I know, a little late to the party, right? I was super excited to see that it is now on Netflix and couldn't wait to get it in the mail so my husband and I watched it on our laptop in bed.

It was everything I thought it would be and have to say that during the duration of the film I ran through just about every emotion possible; total joy, total anger, elation, let down, sadness, optimism, but most of all I came away from it feeling like it was a very necessary documentary. Our country needs to be exposed to the issues that it brings up so that we can begin the healing process of our maternity care system and American mothers and babies can start to experience birth the way they deserve, in safety first of all, and with joy and empowerment.

One of my favorite parts of the film was listening to Michel Odent talk about the "love cocktail" of hormones that surges through us during labor and birth and how even the smallest of interventions disrupts it's natural course. I completely agree with so much of what this man says about our society, it's ability to love, give love and experience love and how it's extremely effected by our birth experiences.

I also really appreciated the cartoon explanation of how interventions so often lead right into a c-section. One intervention such as an epidural or pitocin can lead to another which leads to another which leads to another which then leads to babies heart rate becoming erratic, mom's blood pressure sky-rocketing, or dragging, baby getting stuck in a malposition {or any other possible outcomes of pushing a laboring woman too fast too soon} then *poof*! C-section time! And then, "Oh I'm so glad we where in a hospital!" *Oi* Sigh...if only everyone in this entire country would watch this documentary.

Let's see, other favorite parts...oh yes. Just the pure fact that Ricki Lake was willing to nationally broadcast herself at full pregnancy bloom, naked in a bath...birthing, such a private moment, such a personal event for such a public figure, this spoke volumes to me and really made my heart leap. It told me that this woman believes so strongly in what she's aiming to tell other women that she is willing to put all modesty and celebrity-status on the back burner in order to convey her point. That's a pretty big statement. How many other celebrities would be willing to put themselves out there like that, so raw and vulnerable, for what they believe in? It just says that the cause, homebirth and birth safety awareness, is an extremely important one and so many women feel strongly committed to it.

As for the placement of Meteo's birth {eeek..was that his name?!} towards the end of the documentary {I'd heard some discussion as to whether it should have been there or not}, I didn't mind it at all. And really, it wasn't at the end end, because wasn't the last scene outside an apartment door with a homebirth going on in inside? Anyway, I could be wrong, but the placement of Meteo's c-section didn't bother me. I felt like it was actually a good testament to the fact that sometimes birth is safer under the care of a trained surgeon like an Ob/Gyn, and for some moms and babies this is where they should be, in a hospital with medical intervention. For some. And thank goodness we have hospitals for those that need them. But for the vast majority of birthing women and babies, a hospital is not a place for normal birth to occur.

Which brings me to the other thing I really liked about this documentary. A big emphasis was placed on the fact that Ob/Gyn's are NOT trained in normal birth. Most ob's have never seen a
normal birth. They don't know what it looks like, they don't know what it sounds like, they don't don't how to facilitate one. I liked that it reiterated over and over again the fact that Ob's are trained surgeons, they know how to operate on people, manage people's sicknesses, disabilities, their physical problems, emergencies...but not a normal, low-risk birth. Because normal, low-risk birth does not need managing. And when it is managed or treated like an illness, all sorts of unnecessary interventions and procedures are implemented upon it, then it BECOMES high-risk. Then things go wrong, go strange, head down the c-section path. Not saying that things can't go wrong on their own, definitely they can, and this is when you would transfer to a person like an Ob/Gyn. When they're needed. That's why it's important to have a hospital near by, so if and when a specialist is needed, they can be accessed. But how many unnecessarily dangerous situations are we putting ourselves and our babies in by putting ourselves in the care of people who only know how to medically manage labor and birth?

Many people would say, "Better safe than sorry." And I agree one hundred percent. The biggest fact that came out of this documentary I think is to get out the word to the American people that birth is not safe in this country in the current maternity system! Like the film points out, the U.S. has THE SECOND HIGHEST INFANT MORTALITY RATE in the industrialized world, second only to Latvia. LATVIA people!

So who's at the top of the list? Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands. What is the birth environment in these countries? In these countries, 34 % of women give birth at home with a midwife. This is compared to less than 1% in the United States. The other 66% of women in these countries give birth in a hospital with an autonomous midwife who is employed by national health services {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8492190}. Ob/Gyn's do not manage normal birth in these countries. They are reserved for only high-risk or emergency situations and Dutch women and babies are much healthier because of it. Midwives attend almost all births in these countries, and they are enjoying the lowest infant mortality rate in the world.

"Better safe than sorry"...so go get a midwife!!!

Back to the documentary, these were the things I liked most about it. I think it's an essential film. It was made in a way that it could speak to everyone from homebirth enthusiast to homebirth opponents, and everyone in between. I say, if you haven't already seen it, go watch it on Netflix. It will change the way you view birth in this country.

2008-05-02T11:44:00.001-07:00

..."It seems the Frankensteign authoritive menatlty of those who fear the unvaccinated in America is turning away from a natural existence for a flawed dictatorship/synthetic existence."
-Anonymous Commenter, Vaccine Awakening

If you have ever felt discriminated against because of your CHOICE to not vaccinate your child{ren}, you MUST read this post by Barbara Loe Fisher on her blog Vaccine Awakening...

Promoting Vaccination, Fear, Hate and Discrimination

Actually, no...if you have ever been the one doing the judging or discriminating {i.e- "They're leaching off of the 'herd immunity!", "They're putting their children at risk!", "They should be reported to the CPS!"...} against anti-vax parents and children, even better yet that you read this.

It is absolutely frightening where our freedoms and choices are being led in this country, particularly when it comes to our freedom to choose NOT to participate in a regimen that we have deemed unsafe, unhealthy and threatening to our own children. These are our children. We have THE RIGHT to say NO.

I don't believe in the right of others to kill, mame or inflict harm upon an innocent human being, of any size or state of development. That is not any human's right to do to another. I do believe that we have the right {no...the OBLIGATION!!!} to PROTECT our children from what we believe to be dangerous and that that belief should be respected and not ridiculed and/or prosecuted. EVER.

What kind of society are we living in? When tolerance is hailed around like a shiny badge of greatness that elevates us to super-society-hood, yet, when a minority group who is simply saying, "Let our children stay the way they were born" decides it does not hold the same beliefs that the mainstream medical community does, they are slandered, marginalized, and PROSECUTED. Prosecuted? Yes...prosecuted.

Read the article and then ponder these questions....

1. How much research and time and effort have most parents of vaccinated children put into their choice compared to the time and effort and research that a parent puts into the choice to NOT vax their child? Is the fact that most parents pretty much simply trust what most doctors spew forth to them effecting their increasing fear towards the "outsider" {unvaxed adults and children}?

2. If children who are vaccinated are so squeaky clean and safe from all outside diseases, why are doctors and parents so afraid to be in contact with an unvaxed person? Shouldn't their vaccine protect them? Or, is it possible that like Fisher's article implies, what we're really working with is an ugly {and DANGEROUS} cycle of fear/hate/discrimination against the "others".

3. What does our future look like if we continue to allow mainstream medical America to break down our back door and charge into our home with a syringe for our baby and hand-cuffs for us?

2008-04-28T15:39:00.001-07:00

Pacifying...

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones.

2008-04-21T11:09:00.001-07:00

Flickr Photos by Corin Jones.

I have traversed the territory of dry nursing and now I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Okay, okay, it hasn't been that bad, but man, I really can't wait to get some milk back. Last week I noticed my chest feeling a bit sore and much heavier than usual and what do you know, I discovered substance! Not even close to milk, just clear, very early lactating-like liquid. It almost reminds me of the stuff you find on the tip of a flower stem sometimes, almost sticky. Yes, I know this may be tmi for some of you, but like I always say, that's what you get when you want to read one of my blogs...bodily fluids, boogies, poopy di-dee's and "Oh did I tell you how SWOLLEN my ankles are today???" No, luckily I'm not there yet, but I will be soon, so brace yourselves.

Anyway, so now I'm kind of sore. Which makes the dry nursing a little uncomfortable again. I was just starting to kind of get used to it. It looks like Dakota has made it through the no-milk stage still an avid nurser though, so there's a very good chance of us becoming real live tandem nursers in just a few months! That's very exciting for me. I've heard lots of positive things about tandem nursing and am ready to live the experience. I really think it will make the transition to a family of four a lot easier.

As well as gaining a little something in the boobage {which by the way, "Hellooooo! How can boobs possibly grow this fast?!"} I also gained 2.5 pounds last week! Whoo hoo! I wonder if it has to do with my "whatever you want to call it" substance making a return? Seems logical. But, so far I am on the same exact weight track as I was with my daughter. I gained fifty-two pounds with her, but by time she was nine months old I had lost every pound and was back to my pre-preg size exactly. I was very relieved to say the least. This time, I expect to gain at least the same amount. I think it's just natural for my body. I've been eating really well this pregnancy too and have still gained the same amount, which tells me it's just what my body needs to do. Lucky for me I've been on a Greek salad binge for months and my other cravings have been to a minimum, for things like turkey and especially salmon and seafood. No mattter how much I gain, I am excedingly confident in myself to lose it. I get really uncomfortable in my own skin if I'm even a few pounds over what I know my natural weight is. So, all but one pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans have been put away, but they WILL be back next summer. Anyway, I won't even get started on the "average weight gain should be" thing that so many books and doctors and midwives put out there. I can see how thirty five pounds would be an estimate, but what about the girl who only gained twenty? Or the one who gained sixty? That's probably normal for them. I say try to eat mostly healthy and don't just sit around all day, that way no matter what you gain you won't feel guilty for it. Just enjoy being pregnant and treat your body good! I mean, it's a miraculous thing going on in there.

Also, braxton hicks have started up over here. It seems so early to me, but often I forget about the fact that I'm already more than halfway done with this pregnancy. With the onset of the braxton hicks, I find myself thinking more and more about our upcoming birth and feeling more and more excited. I'm considering trying out Hypbirth . Have any of you tried it? I'm kind of on the fence about it. On one hand, I can completely see how it would work wonders during labor and birth. But on the other hand, I'm not quite sure I have the type of personality to be able to hear someone babbling in the background while I'm trying to surf out a contraction. I know I'm simply uneducated on the subject. I've never heard more than a few seconds of a hypbirth c.d. before. Anyway, let me know if any of you have had any experiences with it before. It's about time for me to start gearing up mentally and physically for this little ones entrance.

2008-04-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

Health Council Warns of Government Plan to Claim Ownership of Every Newborn's DNA

2008-04-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

April is Cesarean Awareness Month.

"What is Cesarean Awareness Month? An internationally recognized month of awareness about the impact of cesarean sections on mothers, babies, and families worldwide. It’s about educating yourself to the pros and cons of major abdominal surgery and the possibilities for healthy birth afterwards as well as educating yourself for prevention of cesarean section."

ICAN-online.org

I've never been through a cesarean section myself, but having a very close family member recently have one and seeing the immense impact it has had on her life, health, and emotions has given me just a glimpse of what it must be like to have to go through such a major surgery and live with the aftermath. I honestly could not imagine having to deal with the reality of it everyday. Especially to know that there are things that can prevent a large number of the c-sections happening in our country today.

So what can we do in April for Cesarean Awareness?

If your pregnant {or trying/thinking about becoming pregnant} and facing a repeat cesarean, here's a few things to consider...

-Know your rights as a birthing woman and how to enforce your right to seek a VBAC (Vaginal Birth Afer Cesarean). You can learn about these rights in detail on ICAN's Women's Rights section.

- You can search ICAN's Hospital VBAC Policy Database to find out if your local hospital bans VBAC or not.

-What do you do if your hospital has banned VBAC's? Find out here.

What can you do if you're not facing a repeat cesarean or have never had one?

-If you know someone who has been through a cesarean, listen to her! Don't just nod your head, but really listen to her. When women feel hurt physically, mentally or emotionally, it's very isolating to feel "not heard" or worse, misunderstood. Don't just pass someone off as "another c-section" story, but realize that these are individual women and they are probably hurting inside and out.

-Ask questions. Inform yourself by talking to women who have had cesareans and also reading reading reading! The insane cesarean rate in our country is not just the problem of the women and families who undergo them. It's all of our responsibility to correct a problem in our society when we see one. And it's not just about the effect of rising health care costs to everyone due to the large number of cesarean's that are performed, it's about taking care of our women and babies. That should be one of our societies highest priorities. Not just sitting back and letting them suffer. Also, get informed for your own personal safety and that of your babies. If you're in childbearing age, you are not immune from the possibility of being faced with a c-section someday. You never, ever know what the future holds. So be prepared.

-Educate yourself and understand the things that could possibly contribute to the need for a cesarean, such as overmedicalized childbirth and labor {customary medical interventions, drugs in labor, etc.} You can read here and here to learn a little about what types of environments and interventions foster the need for a cesarean. Find many sources of infomation about childbirth options, don't just trust what one entity has told you. Talk to your doctor or ob/gyn, but also talk to a midwife or maybe talk to a Bradley Method childbirth educator. Search out information so that you can ensure the safest birth for you and your baby possible and aren't putting yourself at unneccessary risk!

-And finally, if you know someone who is trying to heal from a cesarean, physically or mentally, let them know they are not alone. Offer them support, be gentle and always have an open ear for them. As a woman, I can attest to the fact that the quickest and most direct route to healing is 1. Being heard. 2. Being understood and 3. Getting informed and changing my circumstance. Help a family member or friend start the healing process!

There are good reasons to need a cesarean in some cases. They can be life saving surgeries for both mother and baby. For Cesarean Awareness Month, we should focus on getting informed so that we can know more about this surgery, when it's actually needed and when it may not be.

2008-04-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

Funny, circumcision started in the United States under the guise of "protection" from all sorts of diseases, disorders and {what was considered} "afflictions"; syphilis, cancer, masturbation...when those were disproved, others were made up. {Read more about the history of circumcision in North America here and here.}

Now, South Africa is being faced with the same promotion of a "cultural practice" as a "preventative measure" for disease.

‘Cut circumcision out of the Aids battle’
Sapa
Published:Mar 11, 2008

Circumcision is a cultural practice and should not be used as a preventative measure in the fight against HIV-Aids, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said yesterday.

Addressing traditional healers in Polokwane, the minister said the World Health Organisation’s view that male circumcision should be used as a prevention measure in the fight against HIV-Aids should be interrogated.

The health department said it believed this view was “incorrect and misleading”. It had therefore sought to discuss the matter with traditional leaders to “inform and enlighten all concerned”.

Tshabalala-Msimang told traditional leaders and healers that cultural practices should not be used for “purposes other than those for which they were meant for at the beginning”, her department said in a statement.

“She also called on all role-players to guard against sending confusing messages that would encourage people to get circumcised with the hope of not getting HIV infected,” it said.
The minister again called on traditional leaders to “assert their role” in the fight against HIV-Aids.

Meetings with traditional leaders were being held in all the provinces and would culminate in a national workshop at the end of March where a national position on the World Health Organisation statement would be taken.

2008-03-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

Mary from Better Birth recently wrote about a hospital birth she attended as a doula. Her post is titled, "Ten Centinmeters. Push!" She writes about how impressed she was with the labor environment in this hospital with some great nurses who were very supportive of the mother changing into whatever position she needed and just generally facilitated a mother-centered birth. Until she hit ten centimeters.

This is a striking and very informative account of what generally happens to women in hospitals when they hit ten.

2008-03-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Nursing is not just about hunger! It's so much more than that to the child. This is a video of a little girl tandem nursing her bears. Listen to her mom's question and the response the little girl gives.

It reminds me of when my daughter walked up to me and asked me nurse her doll (which is a pretty common occurance around here). I did, then she pointed to the doll and said, "happy". Nothing beats being able to hear first hand from children themselves how much nursing means to them. Just another reason why toddler nursing rocks!

2008-03-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Espenkotter's Birth...

G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. I ran across this video posted by Nicole over at Bellies and Babies and had tears in my eyes the entire time. It reminded me so much of my own daughter's homebirth. I think especially because of how involved the father was with the entire process. It makes sense doesn't it? Babies are {meant to be} made in love and privacy. Shouldn't they be birthed that way?

2008-03-24T14:50:00.000-07:00

I've noticed a lot lately in the past year or so more and more celebrities are planning homebirths and becoming very birth conscious. Not to say that everything celebrities do, we should do. Far from it! But, it does however illustrate the swiftly changing attitude towards birth in our culture. I think that a lot of women in this country are just getting plain fed up with the irresponsibility and backwardness of our current maternity care system and we're starting to see the effects of that in our pop culture environment.

Actress Minnie Driver Plans a Home Waterbirth

2008-03-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

A midwife's memory of birth.....

2008-03-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

Midwife Ina May Gaskin talks about childbirth...

I've read her ideas about "sphincter law" before in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, and could not possible agree more.

I also strongly agree with what she has to say about the gentleness or {unfortunately} the ferocity of cervical exams.

2008-03-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

I was in Barnes & Noble on Sunday reading through the pregnancy and childbirth books and ran across a book talking about breastfeeding and weaning. To sum it up, this author basically said that after breastfeeding your baby for the first six weeks of it's life, it's already "reaped the major benefits" of your breastmilk (her words exactly) and that at this point, (SIX WEEKS OLD!) it shouldn't be an upset or trauma for your baby to wean. WHAT????!!! Then, she went on to say how basically unnecessary breastfeeding is past infancy and really, it's only psychological at that point. OH. MY. GOODNESS. Where is she getting her information? I really wish I could remember the name of this book so I can look this author up.

It seems like so many people {even people who write books!} don't realize that breastmilk contains so many amazing nutrients, proteins {amino acids}, perfectly proportioned levels of fats {DHA & ARA}, antibodies, enzymes, hormones and so so so much more {most of which we probably don't even know about yet} even after infancy.

Breastmilk is breastmilk, it doesn't have an expiration date!

Though, I'm sure the composition changes over time, it's ALWAYS healthy and extremely beneficial to an infant and a toddler.

From La Leche League International's "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding"...

"Your milk continues to provide special benefits for your baby as long as you nurse him. It doesn't loose it's goodness with the passing of time. Research has shown that the immunological benefits of human milk that protect your baby from illness in the early months continues to offer significant protection as your baby gets older."

Below is an article I read on Lori the Midwife's blog the same day I read that ridiculous excerpt in the book store. What timing...

Breast Milk Contains Stem Cells
Monday, 11 February 2008
By Catherine Madden

The Perth scientist who made the world-first discovery that human breast milk contains stem cells is confident that within five years scientists will be harvesting them to research treatment for conditions as far-reaching as spinal injuries, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.

But what Dr Mark Cregan is excited about right now is the promise that his discovery could be the start of many more exciting revelations about the potency of breast milk.

He believes that it not only meets all the nutritional needs of a growing infant but contains key markers that guide his or her development into adulthood.

“We already know how breast milk provides for the baby’s nutritional needs, but we are only just beginning to understand that it probably performs many other functions,” says Dr Cregan, a molecular biologist at The University of Western Australia.

He says that, in essence, a new mother’s mammary glands take over from the placenta to provide the development guidance to ensure a baby’s genetic destiny is fulfilled.

“It is setting the baby up for the perfect development,” he says. “We already know that babies who are breast fed have an IQ advantage and that there’s a raft of other health benefits.

Researchers also believe that the protective effects of being breast fed continue well into adult life.

“The point is that many mothers see milks as identical – formula milk and breast milk look the same so they must be the same. But we know now that they are quite different and a lot of the effects of breast milk versus formula don’t become apparent for decades. Formula companies have focussed on matching breast milk’s nutritional qualities but formula can never provide the developmental guidance.”

It was Dr Cregan’s interest in infant health that led him to investigate the complex cellular components of human milk. “I was looking at this vast complexity of cells and I thought, ‘No one knows anything about them’.”

His hunch was that if breast milk contains all these cells, surely it has their precursors, too?

His team cultured cells from human breast milk and found a population that tested positive for the stem cell marker, nestin. Further analysis showed that a side population of the stem cells were of multiple lineages with the potential to differentiate into multiple cell types. This means the cells could potentially be “reprogrammed” to form many types of human tissue.

He presented his research at the end of January to 200 of the world’s leading experts in the field at the International Conference of the Society for Research on Human Milk and Lactation in Perth.

“We have shown these cells have all the physical characteristics of stem cells. What we will do next is to see if they behave like stem cells,” he says.

If so, they promise to provide researchers with an entirely ethical means of harvesting stem cells for research without the debate that has dogged the harvesting of cells from embryos.

Further research on immune cells, which have also been found in breast milk and have already been shown to survive the baby’s digestive process, could provide a pathway to developing targets to beat certain viruses or bacteria.

2008-03-05T12:31:00.000-08:00

I took this picture yesterday. I'm sixteen weeks now, and finally feel like I have an actual pregnant belly instead of just a gut hangin' around my waist. It feels very good to finally get a nice, firm, round belly going!

I want to say thank you all so much for the many kind words and suggestions regarding my completely insane second trimester nausea. I took your guy's advice along with my mother-in-laws and cut out the vitamins for now. Not just the oils, all of them. I figured that way I could start up again in a few weeks one by one and pin point the exact culprit {s}. I just stopped taking them last Friday and already I feel SO much better. I've only had one major gagging incident and that was after a particularly long drive in the passenger seat of our car. So that can be expected I guess. I get car sickness even when I'm not pregnant.

Everything is still going really good with Dakota and I's nursing. She nurses about three or four times a day for maybe three or four minutes each time. This is usually only when she gets hurt or is feeling bad or just wants to be close to me. I don't think it's ever because she's hungry. She eats like a horse now that my milk is so low. She's no longer nursing to sleep, for either naps or bedtime. I've noticed it kind of keeps her awake longer. She nurses for about thirty seconds or so then I think she realizes nothing is really coming out and she starts to play. You know; blowing air through her nose, making noises, grabbing my skin. So, now I just let her nurse for a minute and then turn her over on her back and she goes to sleep with me massaging her.

Her night nursings have dwindled down to once a night. She goes to sleep at her usual 8:30 or so, wakes up around 2am or 3am, at which time I take her in our room where she nurses and we go back to sleep together. Then she doesn't wake up until morning. This all started about a month and a half ago. I have to admit, I'm really surprised at this because, honestly, I did not expect her to give up her every two to four hour night nursings until she was completely done nursing altogether. But this is a really great schedule for us considering there will be a baby wanting to nurse ALL NIGHT LONG very, very soon.

I've realized over the last couple of days how glad I am that she hasn't completely weaned yet. It's great that she's okay with my low milk supply, and she's very adjusted to the fact that when I tell her "mama's are all done", she knows that for now at least we have to ease up a little on the nursing. But, deep down inside I truly hope that she's still nursing a little after the baby is born. It has saved us from so many meltdowns over the last two days. We're going through a very severe teething case right now. She just cut her bottom left eye tooth and she's been TOTALLY clingy, and upset and in pain. Man, has the nursing come in handy. I always think about after the baby is born and she's upset because I'm nursing him or her. How awesome would it be to just pull her up on my lap and let her nurse too? Just to kind of say, "See, you're still mine too." Is that selfish??? I mean, by no means am I going to try and get her keep nursing if I see or feel that she is ready to be done, but I just don't want her to be done prematurely. Ya know?

*Sigh* So many of my feelings wrapped up in one tiny little person...uh...okay, two tiny little persons. Whoa.

2008-03-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

QUESTION AUTHORITY...

Especially when they're holding a needle, waiting to shove it in your babies arm.

Check out whale.to for more information on vaccines.

2008-02-28T22:47:00.000-08:00

I'm very surprised...and highly confused. I'm fifteen weeks pregnant and have developed morning sickness! Okay, not morning sickness. It happens all throughout the day, at random moments, sometimes a lot, sometimes a little. But I went through the entire first trimester with this pregnancy feeling generally well. I was a little tired, and very seldom sick. But then all the sudden I hit the second trimester and am feeling like I'm eight weeks pregnant! What is up with that?

When I was pregnant with my daughter I was EXTREMELY ill from week six to week twelve. Then, *poof!* it was gone. I felt great. I never imagined that with this pregnancy I would wait until the second trimester to start getting sick. Now, not only am I feeling nauseated, but this morning I actually threw up. Like, actual, sick, hugging the toilet throwing up. I was trying so hard for about ten minutes to suppress it because my daughter was up and I didn't want her to get upset. She's very attuned to sounds and I knew she would freak. But I just couldn't hold it in any longer. Finally I ran to our bedroom bathroom and had to let go. But our light is out in there so I had to leave the door open in order to see. But of course my daughter was right behind me and got really upset. So...stop vomiting...run to the sink. Nope, still upset. Okay...stop vomiting again {can I tell you how HARD it is to STOP vomiting?!!!} and run to the guest bathroom. The sink was closest, so I used it, but my husband keeps the water turned off because it leaks. Aaaaaaah! Stop vomiting AGAIN! Fiddle with the water valve. No luck! Switch to the toilet. Daughter is now crying outside the locked bathroom door and I have tears streaming out of my eyes and just lost my entire breakfast. *Ugh* Can I please get an explanation?!

My mother-in-law seems to think that it's the fish oil pills I'm taking that are making me sick. She may be right. About two weeks ago, I threw up in the morning and it was pure fish oil. Yuuuuuuuuuuuuck! I do not wish that experience upon anyone! I'm so bummed at the prospect of having to cut them out of my vitamin regimen because I know how important the omega 3's are. But, I think I may have to give it a try for a few weeks and see what happens.

I know all pregnancies are different and all, but come on...this is so not cool. I keep hoping that this is totally just a phase and it's going to go away any day now. But...I'm still hoping.

Have any of you ever gone through this? Did it last the WHOLE PREGNANCY?! Oh dear I hope it doesn't the whole pregnancy.

2008-02-28T22:30:00.000-08:00

Kids Vaccine Linked to Fever, Seizures
February 28, 2008 - 6:28pm
By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA (AP) - Children suffered higher rates of fever-related convulsions when they got a Merck & Co. combination vaccine instead of two separate shots, according to a new study presented Wednesday.

The results prompted a federal advisory panel on vaccines to water down their preference for the combo vaccine ProQuad, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella as well as chickenpox.

In the study of children ages 12 months through 23 months, the rate of seizures was twice as high in toddlers who got ProQuad, compared with those who got one shot for chickenpox and one for the three other diseases.

The risk translates to about one extra case of convulsion for every 2,000 doses of ProQuad given said Dr. Nicola Klein, who lead the federally funded study. She presented the data at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The study focused on children who develop fevers and then go into convulsions _ an occurrence that frightens parents but usually has no lingering consequences. There were no deaths in the new study.

ProQuad was licensed in 2005. It's been in extremely short supply since last year, when Merck suspended production because of manufacturing problems. The company expects to resume ProQuad production next year.

The panel had previously taken a position that they preferred doctors give children as few needlesticks as possible, and that ProQuad is preferable to giving separate shots.
It voted Wednesday to amend that, to say they're no longer voicing a preference for ProQuad over the separate shots.

"Safety, shortages, delivery issues _ lots of reasons not to state such a strong preference," said member panel Patsy Stinchfield, an infectious disease expert at Children's Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Merck officials said their own research, though preliminary, also showed a doubling of the risk in children within five to 12 days of vaccination. However, the occurrence was low _ about 5 cases in 10,000, Merck officials said.

They said there was five times more chickenpox antigen, the key ingredient, in the ProQuad shot than in the stand-alone chickenpox shot. But they said it's not clear that would explain the difference in seizure rates.

For some reason, the difference disappears when comparing rates for 30 days, Merck officials added.

Klein's research checked seizure rates only at seven to 10 days after vaccination, and looked at about 43,000 kids who got ProQuad and 315,000 who got the two other shots together. It found fever-related seizures occurred at a rate of 9 per 10,000 children vaccinated with ProQuad, compared with 4 per 10,000 for those who got separate shots.

Klein is co-director of Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center in Oakland, Calif., one of seven sites in the study. Her work was funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

ProQuad costs $124 per dose, about the same as the two other shots combined.

2008-02-27T10:18:00.000-08:00

The last two days have been huge milestones for my daughter and I's nursing relationship, particularly the last two bedtimes. It seems like over the last month or so my milk supply has been in fluctuation, and consequently my daughter's nursing habits have changed to adjust to the ebbing and flowing of her "mama". But just in the past week I've seen a huge decrease in my milk. I'd say a week ago it was at about fifty percent, and now it's at about ten percent consecutively; no ups, no downs, just a flat ten percent all the time. And not only is it almost gone, but it's composition has changed as well. I can tell by the way it looks and the way she has been nursing that it's almost completely gone back to pregnancy milk; very colostrum-like.

It's been a pretty gradual dwindling so I feel like she'd gotten a good month or two head-ups that something was definitely changing. But now that it's gone down so much over the past week, I could tell she has become a bit confused. Bedtime nursings had become a very long series of switching back and forth from "mama" to "mama" until finally she just gave up, turned over and went to sleep. But it took about half an hour to forty-five minutes for her to finally give up. That's a long time to be searching for milk...for both her and I.

I was fine with this for a while, but two nights ago I found myself lying there feeling very annoyed. Not at her, just at the "dry nursing". I know this is going to sound very strange, but it felt mentally, like kissing someone who has a really dry mouth. It's supposed to be so enjoyable and tender, but wasn't anymore. The daytime nursings weren't bothering me at all because she was going hours in between nursing so it allowed enough milk to accumilate that there was actually something coming out when she nursed. And she would only nurse for a few minutes and then be done. But these bedtime nursings were really starting to feel forced.

So, two nights ago we layed down on the bed and like always she began to nurse...then switched...then switched again. Only staying on one breast for about fifteen seconds because literally, nothing was coming out.

I got this overwhelming instict to just be honest with her. I felt in my heart that she was old enough and smart enough to understand what was going on if I told her simply and gently. Not only that, but I felt like she deserved to be let in on what was going on. Like it wasn't fair for her to be confused and left in the dark.

So I did. I slowly pulled away from her and said, "Oh sweetie, mama's went ni-ni." She looked at me, looked at them, then turned over and I rubbed her back. Ten minutes later she started nudging my chest and trying to find them again, and I softly told her again, "Oh sweetie, mama's went ni-ni. Turn over, I'll rub your back." And she did. For about ten more minutes, when she tried one last time to find them. This time, I reached over and placed a stuffed bunny infront of my chest right in between us. And I told her again, very lovingly, "Sweetie, mama's are ni-ni. It's time to go to sleep." And off she went. I rubbed her back, I ran my fingers through her hair and she fell asleep. No crying. No dram. No problems. It was just that simple...because she was ready, and I was ready.

Last night the same thing happened. Only she didn't try to nurse three times. She nursed for about thirty seconds when we first got in bed and nothing came out. So this time, I gently tried extracting some milk in front of her {knowing she would see nothing coming out} and I told her quietly, "See, mama's are all done." She pointed at them and whispered, "All done?" I said, "Ah-ha. Mama's are all done." And she looked back up at me with an expression of complete acceptance. She turned over and was happy for me to gently rub her back until she fell asleep. And that was it.

All day today she has barely asked to nurse. But when she did, I do what I did last night and just tell her honestly, "Oh, remember, mama's are all done." I even offer the breast to her after I have showed her that nothing is coming out but she only still wants it about half the time. I want her to know that she is still welcome to nurse, and I'm confident that she does know that. She seems very at ease with the fact that this is just the situation, this part of our relationship is changing. And that's okay with her because she wasn't forced into it, it wasn't this shocker of a surprise or somehow put on her against her will. We went through this change together and extremely gradually.

I've changed the way I relate to her in a major way over the last couple of months. I've started to really trust my instincts a lot more than the voice in my head wondering what the right thing to do is. I've also become a lot more honest with her, started giving her more credit as a person and not just a silly child who doesn't know any better. All of this has translated into an extremely smooth transition at a time when things are changing very rapidly with my body {being almost four months pregnant} and our family {preparing for a new family member}.

By paying a lot closer attention to what my own instincts are, things have become so much clearer to me. I watch my daughter intensely. I read her to know when she is ready for the next step, to see when she needs something to change in our relationship. But I've also started to put just as great of an emphasis on my own signs. I listen to myself. I no longer drown out what my mothering heart is trying to tell me with all the echos of what society is baulking at me, or my family is telling me, or books or movies or anything. It's just me and her...lying in our bed at night.

And nothing feels better than to see peace on her face when she realizes that things are changing. To know that you're fostering security and self-worth in your child is like knowing that you've just saved the world. It feels like victory.

I'm not sure what our nursing future holds. I do know that this new baby will be here soon and a whole new relationship is going to form...between all of us. And if she's still nursing or has started nursing again at that point, that's okay with me because I know that it's all happening just how it's supposed to. And that's a good feeling.

2008-02-26T13:29:00.000-08:00

I ran across this via flickr the other day...alternativebirth.org. It's an anthology in the works that will chronicle and promote the alternative birth movement. They are holding a contest for the best birth photo for their anthology. Be sure to check out last year's winner, Maria Iorillo, who's photo was titled, "The Birth of Calliope Swan" by clicking on "Birth Photography". Such an amazing moment she captured.

Here's a little excerpt from the site...

"The Alternative Birth Anthology is an upcoming book which showcases individual voices in the alternative birth movement. The book will provide a forum for parents, doulas, midwives, childbirth educators, and activists who are part of the global grassroots effort to promote holistic, family-centered pregnancy and childbirth practices around the world."

2008-02-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

Should My Baby be Sleeping Through the Night?
by Kelly Bonyata, BS, IBCLC

It's so common for mothers to worry when their babies don't sleep through the night. After all, everyone knows they're "supposed to." Some doctors recommend nighttime weaning and "cry it out" methods if your baby is not sleeping through the night by 6 months or even earlier. Even when the mom herself has no problems with baby nursing at night, she still worries that this is a problem, since American society seem to consider it one. There are books all over the bookstores with advice on solving so-called "sleep problems."

First, please ignore what everyone else says about your baby's sleep habits and what is "normal." These people are not living with you or your baby. Unless your doctor sleeps in the next room and your baby is keeping him awake every night, he has no reason to question a healthy baby's sleep habits. If you and your baby enjoy nighttime feedings, then why not continue? It's a great way to have time with her, particularly if you are apart during the day.

Every baby is different, and some sleep through the night earlier than others (schedules or food usually have nothing to do with this). Your baby may be hungry (keep in mind that breastmilk digests in less than 2 hours) or she may just want time with you. Babies whose mothers work during the week often nurse more at night and on weekends, perhaps to reconnect with Mom.

Doctors tend to look at night nursing only from a nutritional standpoint, but this is only part of the story. After the first few months, your baby will begin to associate the breast with far more than just a way to satisfy hunger and thirst. It becomes a place of comfort, security, warmth, closeness, and familiarity. The act of nursing is not just nourishing; it is nurturing. Keep in mind that these needs are every bit as real as baby's physical ones, and having them met is every bit as needful to baby's overall development.

If the amount that your child sleeps and nurses at night isn't a major problem for you, then there's no reason to try to change anything. You are not doing a bad thing by nursing on demand; you are doing a wonderful thing for your baby. When you comfort baby at night, you are not teaching her a bad habit: you are teaching her that you are there for her when she needs you. Is security a bad habit?

What is normal when it comes to baby's sleep?

It is common for breastfed babies to not sleep through the night for a long period of time. On the other hand, some breastfed babies start sleeping through the night when a few months old.

Both of my children nursed once (occasionally more) at night through their second year. Since this doesn't bother me, I did doing nothing to change it. We co-sleep, and neither my baby nor I generally wake up completely when she nurses. Both started sleeping through the night on their own, when they were ready.

Your baby will begin to comfort herself and to sleep for longer stretches at her own developmental pace. If your baby wants to nurse at night, it is because she does need this, whether it's because she is hungry or because she wants to be close to Mom. Sleeping through the night is a developmental milestone - like walking or toilet training - that your baby will reach when she is ready to. Trying to force or coax baby to reach this before her time may result in other problems later on.

If you can try to take a more relaxed approach and trust that it will come in time, you'll see your baby eventually become a good sleeper. You'll be able to rest peacefully in your heart and mind knowing that she reached this in her own time when she felt secure enough to do so, not because she had no other choice but to quiet herself because no one would come.

Probably one of the main reasons that night-waking babies are such a big issue is that parents don't have realistic expectations of the sleep patterns of babies. We are bombarded with magazine articles and books that perpetuate the myth that babies should not have nighttime needs. Babies were designed to wake up often at night to feed and cuddle, and keep in mind that many adults wake during the night, too. If our expectations for babies were not so different from our babies' expectations for themselves, much of this "problem" might disappear.

See the entire article here.

2008-02-01T09:56:00.000-08:00

An excerpt from: "All About Epidurals" by Sarah Buckley

"Many women have a good experience with epidurals. Sometimes the relief from pain can allow a woman to rest and relax sufficiently to go on and have a good birth experience. However deciding to use an epidural for pain relief can also lead to a "cascade of intervention", where an otherwise normal birth becomes highly medicalised, and a woman feels that she loses her control and autonomy. Often the decision to accept an epidural is made without an awareness of these, and other, significant risks to both mother and baby.

Although the drugs used in epidurals are injected around the spinal cord, substantial amounts enter the mothers blood stream, and pass through the placenta into the baby's circulation. Most of the side effects of epidurals are due to these "systemic", or whole-body effects.

One of the most commonly recognised side effects is a drop in blood pressure. Up to one woman in eight will have this side effect to some degree(5), and for this reason, extra fluids are usually given through a drip to prevent problems. A drop in the mother's blood pressure will affect how much of her blood is pumped to the placenta, and can lead to less oxygen being available to the baby.

An epidural will often slow a woman's labour, and she is three times more likely to be given an oxytocin drip to speed things up(6, 7). The second stage of labour is particularly slowed, leading to a three times increased chance of forceps(8). Women having their first baby are particularly affected; choosing an epidural can reduce their chance of a normal delivery to less than 50%(9).

This slowing of labour is at least partly related to the effect of the epidural on a woman's pelvic floor muscles. These muscles guide the baby's head so that it enters the birth canal in the best position. When these muscles are not working, dystocia, or poor progress, may result, leading to the need for high forceps to turn the baby, or a caesarean section. Having an epidural doubles a woman's chance of having a caesarean section for dystocia(10).

When forceps are used, or if there is a concern that the second stage is too long, a woman may be given an episiotomy, where the perineum, or tissues between the vaginal entrance and anus, are cut to enlarge the outlet and hurry the birth. Stitches are needed and it may be painful to sit until the episiotomy has healed, in 2 to 4 weeks.

As well as numbing the uterus, an epidural will numb the bladder, and a woman may not be able to pass urine, in which case she will be catheterised. This involves a tube being passed up from the urethrer to drain the bladder, which can feel uncomfortable or embarrassing.

Other side effects of epidurals vary a little depending on the particular drugs used. Pruritis, or generalized itching of the skin, is common when opiate drugs are given. It may be more or less intense and affects at least 1/4 of women(11 12): morphine or diamorphine are most likely to cause this. Morphine also causes oral herpes in 15% of women(13).

All opiate drugs can cause nausea and vomiting, although this is less likely with an epidural around 30%(14) than when these drugs are given into the muscle or bloodstream, where larger doses are needed. Up to 1/3 of women with an epidural will experience shivering(15), which is related to effects on the bodies heat-regulating system.

When an epidural has been in place for more than 5 hours, a woman's body temperature may begin to rise(16). This will lead to an increase in both her own and her baby's heart rate, which is detectable on the CTG monitor. Fetal tachycardia, or fast heart rate can be a sign of distress, and the elevated temperature can also be a sign of infection such as chorioamnionitis, which affects the uterus and baby. This can lead to such interventions as caesarean section for possible distress or infection, or, at the least, investigations of the baby after birth such as blood and spinal fluid samples, and several days of separation, observation, and possibly antibiotics, until the results are available(17).

Less common side effects for a woman having an epidural are; accidental puncture of the dura, or spinal cord coverings, which can cause a prolonged and sometimes severe headache (1 in 100)(18) ongoing numb patches, which usually clear after 3 months(1 in 550)(19); and weakness and loss of sensation in the areas affected by the epidural, (4-18 in 10,000) also usually resolving by 3 months(20).

More serious but rare side effects include permanent nerve damage; convulsions and heart and breathing difficulties (1 in 20,000)(21) and death attributable to epidural. (1 in 200,000)(22) When opiates are used, a woman may experience difficulty in breathing which comes on 6 to 12 hours later(23).

There is a noticeable lack of research and information about the effects of epidurals on babies.(24) Drugs used in epidurals can reach levels at least as high as those in the mother(25), and because of the baby's immature liver, these drugs take a long time- sometimes days- to be cleared from the baby's body.(26) Although findings are not consistent, possible problems, such as rapid breathing in the first few hours(27) and vulnerability to low blood sugar(28) suggest that these drugs have measurable effects on the newborn baby.

As well as these effects, babies can suffer from the interventions associated with epidural use; for example babies born by caesarean section have a higher risk of breathing difficulties.(29) When monitoring of the heart rate by CTG is difficult, babies may have a small electrode screwed into their scalp, which may not only be unpleasant, but occasionally can lead to infection.

There are also suggestions that babies born after epidurals may have difficulties with breastfeeding(30,31) which may be a drug effect, or may relate to more subtle changes. Studies suggest that epidurals interfere with the release of oxytocin(32) which, as well as causing the let-down effect in breastfeeding, encourages bonding between a mother and her young(33).

Epidural research, much of it conducted by the anaesthetists who administer epidurals, has unfortunately focussed more on the pro's and con's of different drug combinations than on possible serious side-effects(34). There have been, for example, no rigorous studies showing whether epidurals affect the successful establishment of breastfeeding(35).

Several studies have found subtle but definite changes in the behaviour of newborn babies after epidural(36,37,38) with one study showing that behavioural abnormalities persisted for at least six weeks(39). Other studies have shown that, after an epidural, mothers spent less time with their newborn babies(40), and described their babies at one month as more difficult to care for(41).

While an epidural is certainly the most effective form of pain relief available, it is worth considering that ultimate satisfaction with the experience of giving birth may not be related to lack of pain. In fact, a UK survey which asked about satisfaction a year after the birth found that despite having the lowest self-rating for pain in labour (29 points out of 100), women who had given birth with an epidural were the most likely to be dissatisfied with their experience a year later (42).

Some of this dissatisfaction was linked to long labours and forceps births, both of which may be a consequence of having an epidural. Women who had no pain relief reported the most pain (70 points out of 100) but had high rates of satisfaction.

Pain in childbirth is real, but epidural pain relief may not be the best solution. Talk about other options with your care-givers and friends. With good support, and the use of movement, breathing and sound, most women can give themselves, and their babies, the gift of a birth without drugs."

For references, click here.

2008-01-30T13:16:00.000-08:00

"A woman gives birth according to the way she is and how she feels about herself. Knowing herself and being supported by women who know her helps her go through her birth in a growing way and have more confidence about how she takes care of her children afterward."

— Leah Qinuajuak, Inuit midwife

2008-01-25T14:52:00.001-08:00

Nicole D at Bellies and Babies has generously awarded this blog with the Excellent Blog Award.

By accepting this Excellent Blog Award, I have to award it to 10 more people who’s blog’s I find Excellent Award worthy. I can give it to as many people as I want but please award at least 10. Thank you out there for having such great blogs and being such great friends! You deserve this! If chosen, you agree to the same information above. If chosen, also feel free to award people who have already been awarded…

Here are the kind words Nicole D had to say about me and my little birth blog...

"Corin - gets two... for having the Most Eye-Pleasing Layout AND for having the Most Easily Digestible Educational Pieces (meaning that the lay man can read em and the fence rider can accept them)."

Thanks so much Nicole D! I'm very honored by your award and really glad to know that my blog is easily digestible by the general reader. That was a goal of mine when I started this blog, to make something that everyone could benefit from.

And now, here are my ten chosen winners of the Excellent Blog Award:

1. Joy at Breast and Belly for being the most honest blogger I know.

2. Looking Glass Alice for saying the things I always think but am too chicken to say.

3. Megan at Parenting Baby to Sleep for having an amazing amount of sound information regarding infant and children sleep. And also for her very gentle and self-reflective blog entries.

4. Another one for Megan, but this time for her blog Children Need Love for a beautiful blog design and also for it's great wealth of AP information.

5. Jenny Mae at Slightly Crunchy for having the most well rounded family blog. It covers it all, AP, nutrition, birthing, breastfeeding...and all with a very sweet and fresh perspective.

6. Jim at No Circumcision for having the greatest amount of circumcision information I've yet to see on any blog and for even having a blog dedicated to the ritual of circumcision. We need many, many more of it's kind.

7. Kate at Beautiful Birth Stories for taking the time to compile such a valuable amount of first hand information from the people who know birth the best...birthing women!

8. Running with Scissors for the most enjoyable, consistent pictorial content (meaning cool/pretty photos in almost every blog post.)

9. The Beautiful Letdown for the most creative, and in my opinion, well...beautiful...blog name with the best play on words.

10. William at Poop an Boogies for the most absolutely creative header ever. I love it! Also for having some of the most creatively written and entertaining blog entries out there.

Congratulations winners! You all have great blogs and deserve some recognition. Blog on!

2008-01-22T12:45:00.000-08:00

Speaking of prenatal testing, Sage Femme posted this just last week. What a super amount of valuable information. I was so glad to find her post today.

2008-01-21T10:30:00.000-08:00

In light of being {somewhat} newly pregnant again, my husband and I are of course making many decisions about what tests we will and will not have performed on this pregnancy. I found this short article by Sarah Buckley on prenatal diagnosis. I would love to hear some of your responses to it or insights on the whole subject of testing for genetic diseases and abnormalities. What do you think?

*****

Prenatal Diagnosis

Prenatal diagnosis represents incredible and continuing advances in technology, yet a sleight of hand—a trick, perhaps—is being played on pregnant women. We are told that prenatal diagnosis will increase our choices, but, as these tests become more available, women are feeling that they have less choice to refuse the testing. We already are, through social attitudes, individually responsible for our children's development, and now we also are becoming responsible for producing a healthy baby at birth.

As one woman comments, "I knew it was my responsibility to make sure I was not going to give birth to a handicapped child. But that meant taking the risk of losing a healthy baby. I am responsible for that too."

Finally, as we look more deeply, the parallels between prenatal diagnosis and medicalised childbirth become increasingly obvious. Both industries are centred on high technology and its superior knowledge, and both consider women's own feelings and instincts about their bodies and their babies to be of lesser importance.

Women who choose either path are at risk of a cascade of intervention—from induction to caesarean or from screening to abortion—with pressure to conform to medicalised ideas of "the right decision" at each point. As one woman notes, "…once you've got onto the testing trap you have to get to the end."

Where does this end take us, as individuals and as a society? Does prenatal diagnosis represent liberation or the beginning of a slippery slope towards selecting babies on the basis of socially acceptable characteristics? How will the "new genetics" impact prenatal diagnosis, with the huge amount of information that will soon become available about our unborn babies? And does it…make every woman feel that her pregnancy is "tentative" until she receives reassuring news?

The answers to these and other questions are as yet unknown, but this technology is certain to become more sophisticated in the coming years and our choices more complex. Mother Nature, like many women who are enrolling in these tests, does not know whether to laugh or cry.

— Sarah BuckleyExcerpted from "Prenatal Diagnosis," Midwifery Today, Issue 77

2008-01-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

I got to talking with one of our midwife's apprentices at my last prenatal visit (which was probably one of the best prenatal visit I've ever had), you can read about it on my family blog. Anyway, her name is Laurel and her and I had a lot in common.

We got to talking about how women view their own abilities to give birth. We talked about how we both always hear the same thing when most of our friends or family hear that we're going to have a natural birth.

"Oh, I could NEVER do that."

{Crrrrriiiinnnnge} Literally, I can not stand to hear that. And I hear it over and over and over again. I never have anything to say to these women. I'm sad for them. I guess I've always felt like, "Well, they already have their path marked out for them, so why bother to convince them of anything else? They've already decided to accept what's been promoted to them."

But Laurel brought up a really good point. She said that when someone tells her that, she simply says, "Yah, I couldn't do it in a medicalized environment either."

I've thought very in depth about this exact subject in the past. And actually, I've told my husband before that there is no way I would have been able to birth our daughter naturally had I been in a hospital under an obstetrical model of care with no concrete plans of a natural birth. There's just no way.

-I could NEVER do it with constant fetal monitors strapped to my belly. The simple act of occasionally having a doppler pressed to my contracting belly while I was in labor with my daughter at home, was excruciating. I could not imagine having something tied to my contracting abdomen constantly. It would literally be torture. I would have to get pain relief or possible go nuts.

-I could NEVER do it tethered to a bed by an IV drip. I HAD to move when I was in labor. During active labor, when a rush would come up, I HAD to walk. It's like I didn't have a choice. My body just did it. If I had to be lying strapped down to a bed, I think I would go hysterical. The pain would be beyond bearable.

-I could NEVER do it with the constant tick tock tick tock tick tock of the nurses voice in my head telling me, "Well, it's been x amount of time and you're not really progressing. If we don't see any progress in x amount of time, we may have to consider a c-section." The constant threat of TIME TIME TIME would drive me insane. Not only would it drive me insane, but it would in fact stop my labor. I know that for a fact.

-I could NEVER do it being examined and poked and prodded as much as a nurse and ob/gyn would want to exam, poke and prod me. Being "checked" while you're having a natural labor is painful. Having a nurse and doctor wanting to be constantly "in my business", searching for progress, obsessed with the time chart would piss me off. Unless I ask you to, "KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF MY VAGINA!" This type of constant physical manipulation on the part of hospital staff is, in my opinion not only for technical purposes, but very much for psychological purposes. The doctor or nurse comes in and says, "Okay, we're going to check you now." Or, "Now we're going to break your bag of water." It's always them telling you what they are going to do to you. My midwife never touched my private parts without my permission. She asked, "Do you want me to check you?" This subconsciously assigns an order of hierarchy in our minds. The people who do things to our body without our permissions are the people who have power over our bodies. This completely impacts our ability to birth naturally. When I'm empowered to decide what I want done to my body, my mind gives the go ahead to perform and I can allow myself to relax enough to give birth. No wonder so many women are assigned the "failure to progress role" in hospitals.

Have you ever tried to pee in front of someone who is waiting for you to pee? Worse yet, have you ever tried to have a bowel movement in front of someone who is watching you? Probably not because it would be really hard to do. We made the mistake at our first homebirth of having a lot of people over very early on. Of course it really stalled up my labor. I told my husband, "Trying to have a natural labor with a lot of people watching you and waiting on you is like trying to have an orgasm with a group of people setting in chairs in a circle around you holding clip boards and pens noting every face you make, every breath you take, the color your skin is turning, and how many beads of sweat are accumulating on your forehead. Then tapping you on the shoulder and announcing your every change out loud. Do you think you could climax?" Of course not. Women are human beings. Not super hero's. Our bodies function like human beings. Bodily functions only happen naturally when we are relaxed, in a safe environment and in control. Otherwise, it's going to take a lot of drugs and a lot of outside management to get something to "come out".

Sometimes women have natural births in the hospital. And let me tell you, these women are STRONG. These are women who fight tooth and nail every step of the way to get exactly what they need. They plan ahead. They research. And they are pro-active. Nothing is left to chance because they know exactly what they are in for when they "sign up for the hospital ride." If I ever where for some reason forced to have a hospital birth, I would be one of these women.

I've heard many times girls say, "Well, I'd like to have a natural birth, but I'm going to see how it goes." I've never heard of them coming back and saying, "Oh yeah, it was a piece of pie. I breezed through my natural birth." Nope. Everytime I hear something like, "Well, the doctor didn't think I was progressing like I should so he put me on pit. Then my contractions were so painful I needed an epidural. Then this then that, so I didn't get my natural birth after all." Like it was all somehow out of their hands. Like it would have been that way no matter what.

You have to be FIRM. You have to be DECISIVE. You have to be INFORMED. Natural, safe births don't just fall in our laps in this country (excuse the pun). We have to work for it. And WE CAN DO IT. We are fully capable, fully functioning women. We were designed to do this.

Natural birth...

THERE

DIFFERENCE

...and we can make it happen if we choose to.

2008-01-14T13:58:00.000-08:00

Tears in my eyes...

2008-01-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

My and my eighteen month old daughter's dialogue over this birth video...

Daughter: "Baby?" {rubs her belly}

Me: "Yep, baby is in the mama's belly."

Daughter: "Baby, out?!"

Me: "Yay! Baby came out!"

Daughter: "Yay!" {clapping vigorously} "Baby, out!"

Daughter: "Huuuuuug?"

Me: "Yes, mama's gonna hug the baby."

Daughter: "Muah! Muah!" {blowing kisses} "Kiss?"

Me: Yep, mama's gonna kiss the baby."

We ended with a sweet smile of approval from my daughter and an agreement that "Yes indeed, birth is a reason for applause!"

2008-01-03T09:28:00.000-08:00

A short list of just some of the ingredients found in the vaccines that are regularly injected into newborns, infants and children...

-vesicle fluid from calf skins

-chick embryonic fluid

-monkey kidney cells and calf serum

-rhesus monkey lung cells

-thimersol

-formadehyde

-ammonium sulfate

-aluminum potassium

-monosodium L-glutamate (MSG)

-human diploid cells from aborted fetus

"...Many vaccines still contain thimerosal (49.6% ethylmercury by weight.) While mercury is a highly toxic element second only to radioactive plutonium, when combined with other ingredients, specifically aluminum and formaldehyde, the synergistic effects increase 10,000-fold. Individuals who suffer from chronic mercury exposure will have a unique expression of symptoms...."

from: informedchoice.info

2007-12-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

I was watching this tv show last night about parenting and something about the scene caught my attention. The mom and dad sitting on the couch, the two children laying on the floor with a blanket just before bed, winding down. One was about eighteen months, the other about three years. Both had theirs pj's on and both were relaxing with their sippies in their mouths (with what looked like milk in them, but I'm not sure, I wasn't looking that close). This is not abnormal at all. Which is, ironically, why it caught my attention. This is a very average scene, kids as young as one and kids as old as three and even beyond relaxing before bed, particularly with some sort of liquid beverage to soothe them and of course a blanky or maybe something to suck on. The reason why I alway seem to notice this is because it makes a lot of sense to me. Children this old; two, three years, still need comfort and some sort of attachment to feel relaxed enough to drift off to sleep. It is hard-wired in us. I remember when I was this age I always asked for three things before bed; blanky, ba-ba, pacifier. In that order. Always.

I've thought about this a lot because I've put a lot of thought in the past into whether I should continue nursing my child into toddler-hood. And this is the image that always re-affirms my decision to continue.

By seeing over and over again that all toddlers use something to calm themselves, something to suck on, something to cling to in order to relax, I have come to the logical conclusion that if my child is going to drink something, suck on something, cling to something for an extended amount of time into her toddler years, then I want it to be the healthiest possible thing out there; my breastmilk, my breast, and me. I always come back to the same reasoning; why wean her from the healthiest, most available substance only to provide her with something of far less quality and value?

This whole subject has come up in my mind a lot lately because of our new pregnancy. I've thought, "Can I continue to nurse her as much as she's needing???" Because lately it seems as though she's nursing like a newborn again. Literally, every time I sit down, she wants to nurse. Even if it's just for three seconds, she just wants it. And I give it to her. Because, well.....why not? There must be a good reason. In my mothering heart, something tells me that this has a purpose. It's not just some weird, freak accident of nature. It's got to be normal. But it's hard to believe that it's normal when you very rarely see it in our culture.

Then, I read this article on The Natural Child Project, and it comepletely made sense to me...

The Nursing Toddler: A Baby on Wheels
by Norma Jane Bumgarner

Somewhere along the way the idea emerged that babyhood ends with the beginning of walking and talking, and that with proper parental management, babyhood can end rather abruptly on the child's first birthday. Instead of standing in proper awe of the accomplishments that babies make around the beginning of their second year, we added demands for more. In addition to the big changes from crawling to walking and from body language and crying to talking, we also insisted that they be toilet-trained, sleep all night by themselves, and leave the bric-a-brac alone. It is little wonder that it is at this stressful age that our children are most likely to develop some attachment to inanimate objects. Such attachments are not harmful, but sometimes inconvenient and often a sign of stress.

If we stop to examine a one-year-old child, the absurdity of some adult demands on them seems obvious. They are what someone has described as "babies on wheels," still infants, but mobile and therefore quite vulnerable. Their little foreheads remain babyishly high and broad; their legs are short and often still bowed, and they continue to have infants' round little bellies. The diapers or pants that stayed on pretty well while they were prone tend to fall victim to gravity now that they are vertical. They look like babies and act like babies. They will be three or four before their bodies and faces have stretched out into the shapes and proportions of childhood.

The appearance of these mobile little people still makes us feel we are dealing with babies, and unless we are talked out of it by "experts," we will respond to them in a way appropriate to the care of babies for as long as their babyish appearance and mannerisms continue.

Nursing a child in his second year seems a reasonable way to help meet some of his continuing baby needs. How long he will nurse, how often, etc., is unpredictable. Some little ones this age are too busy with exploring to be bothered with much nursing. Some are happier to eat the family's food and nurse only to go to sleep or when they are hurt. Some even wean during the second year.

Frequent Nursing

By far the most usual behavior for a child in the second year, however, is to nurse a lot. According to a study done in an area of New Guinea where extended nursing was the norm, nursing continued at frequent enough intervals for mothers to continue producing 20 ounces of milk daily into the third year. One researcher who recommends advising mothers to start solids gradually, starting at about six months, says to expect frequent nursing to continue. "The child should continue breastfeeding just as often during the second year, but offer solid foods a few times a day."

A child who may have nursed less frequently near the end of her first year will often surprise her mother by going back to nursing almost like a newborn at times during the second year. Countless mothers have described this pattern to me, and it was observed among healthy children of nomadic Turkana pastoralists in Africa. Mothers would be less distressed by their toddlers' seemingly constant needs to nurse if they were aware of how common frequent nursing is at this time of life. You need to be prepared for such needs and know they are normal and temporary. In fact, the first half of the second year may be one of the most intense nursing periods and the one in which children react most strongly to weaning.

As children begin to walk and explore, they meet all kinds of new, unfamiliar situations. They become frightened by things that are new to them that we may never dream are frightening. They overextend themselves in their efforts to master new skills, even though we adults may not be aware that they are "working." All that babbling or patting or digging or running around is serious work in the business of mastering a new and expanding world.

Some children handle their work with ease, pace themselves, and cope well with their inevitable frustrations right from the beginning. Most are much more easily distressed and disoriented, especially when facing a new task like walking, and tend to venture too far and get hurt easily.

This busy time of life is wearing on mothers as well as on children. You may come to appreciate your child's time at the breast as did the mother who wrote, "Nursing gives me a break from having to be constantly monitoring his latest activity, which is usually more daring than he realizes." Rapidly learning toddlers have urgent and frequent needs for reassurance and encouragement that they are progressing well and that it is safe and worthwhile for them to try something again.

The child who needs a lot of nursing is just as likely to grow up emotionally stable and capable as is the child whose needs seem less overwhelming. Each child grows at his own rate emotionally just as he does physically and intellectually. Nor do we as parents have much to say about what kind of child we will have at this age. We can minimize a child's anxiety level by meeting her needs as fully as possible from birth on. But how much intense parenting she needs, possibly including frequent nursing, in the second year depends for the most part on her inborn timetable. As parents we can slow down emotional growth by leaving needs unmet, but there is little we can do to speed it up. There is no hurry, and your investment in your toddler who seems to be "always attached" will pay off when the time for independence does come.

2007-12-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

CPD (Cephalopelvic Disproportion)- When a babies head or body is too larger to fit through the mother's pelvis.

HBAC- Homebirth After Cesarean

VBAC- Vaginal Birth After Cesarean

HBA3C- Homebirth After 3 Cesareans

HBA2C- Homebirth After 2 Cesareans

nuchal hand- Babies hand presents alongside it's head, making a larger size that has to go through the pelvis. One other variation of this is when a babies arm or elbow is across the face (nuchal arm) which can cause intense pain. A baby can be born with a nuchal hand alongside it's head although the process is usually slow.

Question CPD

"...midwives differ from OBs in that they use pelvic shape to help women find the most effective position to help the baby move through the pelvis. Sometimes lying down at a certain stage, arching the back markedly, or using the McRoberts position—knees to ears---may help babies get under the pubic bone that might otherwise have difficulty descending. Unlike OBs, these midwives do not use pelvimetry to scare women into elective c-sections that are probably unnecessary, but they may use it to help women find the most efficient way to birth. "

Excerpt from Baby Malpositions: Implications for Birth

2007-12-13T10:50:00.000-08:00

I wrote something the other day that fostered some dialogue among my commenter's. That's always a good day for me because to me it shows that we're not all completely comatose out there. There's still a few people who believe in something, who haven't been totally stupefied by our "tune in and tune out" society.

Anyway, here's what I said:

"The fact that infant circumcision is still allowed in this country makes my skin crawl."

Here is the post and the comments that followed.

*****

So, we've got a really interesting issue to contemplate. Should infant male circumcision be allowed in the United States because disallowing it would produce "underground" circumcisions?

I qualify that statement by saying "infant" and "male" for two reasons.

One, what an adult human decides to to his or her own body is his or her choice. If a male were 26 years old and decides that he would like to have himself circumcised, then that's his choice. Just as if an adult decides that they want to have a rib removed for cosmetic purposed or their tongue split for cultural purposes, that is legal. (And yes, people really do have their tongues split. I used to work in the tattoo and piercing industry and there are many other things even more surprising that are legal to do to oneself, like hang yourself by the skin from meat hooks.) These things are legal to do, because the person having them done is giving their consent.

Two, I qualify my statement with the word "male" because in this country, at this moment, we have our panties all up a not over female circumcision. FGM...female genital mutilation...dun dun dun!!! We hate it. We despise it. We, being the good, rightful people we are, fight to outlaw it. Why? Because it's WRONG. Girls having their clitoris' cut off and vagina's sewn shut without their consent is wrong. And God knows, if they had a choice they would probably say "NO!"

Female circumcision, among other reasons, is done do reduce the females genital sensitivity so that they don't enjoy sex as much.

We started circumcising our baby boys in this country to prevent masturbation. To reduce the males genital sensitivity so that he didn't enjoy masturbation as much as if he hadn't been circumcised. If you don't believe me, do a google search on "circumcision masturbation".

Since then, we have come up with all sorts of reasons to keep it in our culture; It's cleaner, it's looks better, it prevents disease, he should look like his dad. The medical reasons that we've been fed our whole lives regarding why we should be circumcised have now been proven false. The American Academy of Pediatrics NO LONGER RECOMMENDS INFANT CIRCUMCISION.

So why is infant male circumcision still allowed in this country when we're fighting to end FMG in places like Africa?

Because here, infant male circumcision is still culturally acceptable.

If a couple asked a doctor to surgically remove their newborn daughter's clitoris, we would be in an uproar. No doctor would do it because he would be ostracized from our community and punished.

But if we should allow infant male circumcision on the grounds that if we don't, then some people may take it underground and do it themselves, then doesn't that mean that we should stop the fight against FGM in other countries? Won't some people try and do it themselves if it becomes outlawed? (FGM has in fact already been outlawed in Egypt as of this year).

We won't stop the fight against FGM mutilation because FGM is not only wrong, but it's culturally unacceptable to us because we don't practice it. AND, we think (obviously) that it's an important enough human rights issue to fight for even if it means there is a backlash.

We see a picture like this, of a Muslim girl having her clitoris forcibly removed and think...

"Oh heavens! How barbaric! How wrong! This must be banned! We must stop it at all costs!"

Then we see a picture like this and think...

"Oh! How painful! How wrong! How barbaric! But....."

Then we qualify it with some statement like, "Well, we really want him to look like his dad..." or "If we didn't allow it then xyz."

Should we be willing to compromise the fact that we think male genital mutilation is wrong and harmful if we are not willing to compromise our fight against FGM? They are the same exact thing. People in this country would never allow FGM to go on, irregardless of what some people may do underground.

Should we let things go on that are wrong and against an individuals human rights because we're afraid of the possible repercussions?

I believe that there would be unlawful circumcision going on, but I don't think that it would be disastrous on the level of abortion.

Here's why:

Most people don't seem to have strong moral and ethical convictions about why their sons should be circumcised. They have their sons circumcised because they want then to look like everyone else. The don't want them to be different or made fun of. OR, they're uniformed. They think that circumcised penis' are cleaner and healthier. They haven't been given the information that a lot of us have that proves those ideas false.

Most people have their sons circumcised because that's just what we do in this country. I've talked to a lot of people about circumcision and the responses I have gotten about why people do it are not passionate ones like, "We strongly believe that we have the right to choose what our sons penis looks like and my constitutional rights would be compromised if it were outlawed." No. The response I hear is, "Well, my husband really wanted our son to look like him." Or, "Well, it just looks better." Or, "Isn't it just cleaner?"

They're very run-of-the-mill, regurgitated responses. Like most people are simply repeating what they've heard and not putting a lot of serious thought and research into it.

These are not the type of responses that would produce mass backlash resulting in millions of kids being hurt because their parents took them to have a backyard circumcision.

In the case of male genital mutilation (or circumcision), the law would make it illegal, people who practiced it would be punished and the act would become culturally unacceptable.

Abortion is a much stickier subject. People have VERY strong moral and ethical convictions on both sides. AND, pregnancy, when unwanted is a HUGE delima.

An uncircumcised penis does not pose the threat that an unwanted pregnancy does.

I'm not saying that I don't think some people would have it done anyway. I'm sure a lot of people would. But I agree with TLC Tugger in his belief that "the underground" circumcision would be how it's been done for thousands of years, by a rabbi with a mogen clamp. I don't think that parents would be in their backyards with a Schick Quattro and a turnicate.

So, I guess the new question is, should we allow female circumcision to go on in other countries if we're going to allow male circumcision to go on here on the grounds that some people may do it anyway?

What do you think?

How do we outlaw something that is wrong without anyone going underground? Is that even possible? Has it ever been possible?

And is it worth it?

I just want to say thanks to all of you who respond and offer your insights on this blog. You make my writing worth while and I truly appreciate all of your opinions. They are priceless to me.

2007-12-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it's been a while without any posting here, but my family and I have in fact been very busy. December is always of course a very busy month...Christmas, my birthday, my mother-in-laws birthday, and this year we added yet another very special December surprise...I'm pregnant! Yay! We found out last Saturday and we are THRILLED!

I am very newly pregnant, about four weeks. It's actually pretty amazing that I know exactly how far along I am at all considering that I wasn't having periods regularly (I'm still breastfeeding our eighteen month old). After I had our daughter, I only had two periods, one in August and one in October. And nothing since. But, I was very positive that I had ovulated last month, and marked it on the calender and here we are...pregnified!

So, we're looking at the middle to end of August most likely. Could be sooner, could be later. Forty weeks counted from the date that I ovulated would put me at August 18th. But almost no pregnancy ever last a perfect forty weeks, and what if the baby needs a few extra weeks? Or a few less? So, I'm just keeping it very open so people don't crawl up my ass on August 19th about the baby not being here yet. (My ass would be the wrong place to be looking anyway...sorry, sometimes I can't help myself).

Anyway, my husband and I are definitely planning a homebirth. Our daughter was born at home and we wouldn't want it any way else.

Right now we're deep in the tentacles of the insurance system. It's kind of up in the air at the moment whether we're going to get the homebirth covered yet. We have Blue Shield HMO and need to switch to Blue Shield PPO in order to cover it. But we just found out that open enrollment isn't until JUNE! So, we're trying to see what type of loop-hole we can jump through to go ahead and switch anyway. So, so sad that we have to constantly jump through hoops just to get a safe and healthy birth. But I'm sure you'll all be hearing much much more about the wonderful insurance companies and the hookers who run them from me now.

Well, it's good news for us, it's good news for this blog. What a wonderful time to have a birth blog!

Homebirth.....beautiful homebirth.....

2007-12-03T11:22:00.001-08:00

physical check, originally uploaded by fooelse.com.

2007-11-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

I've been called a hippy many a'times before...

I do not take offense.

*giggle giggle*

2007-11-29T10:19:00.000-08:00

Looking Glass Alice (which by the way is a PHENOMENAL blog) has posted some great homebirth slogans. Here's some of my personal favorites...

Birth- every home should have one.

Save hospital beds for sick people- have a homebirth!

For Safety Choose a Midwife

Better Birth begins at Home

Drugs in Birth? Just say NO!

Induction? Just say NO!

Birth pool hire $50.00, scented candles $10.00, homebirth PRICELESS

Midwives for Birth! Doctors for Disease!

Homebirth IS the Safe Option

Homebirth. The Thinking Woman's choice.

2007-11-21T12:31:00.000-08:00

The fact that infant circumcision is still allowed in this country makes my skin crawl. Can you think of any other surgery performed on a newborn baby that has been proven not only medically unnecessary, but also detrimental to a persons health that is still allowed?

Not only is circumcision medically harmful (the foreskin protects the penis, keeps it moist which allows for better sensitivity, and as an infant protects it from urine, feces and injury) but it is also completely a human rights issue.

Who says we get to choose which body part our child gets to keep? Scientific studies have already shown that circumcision is unnecessary. So basically, we're left with the fact that we're doing it because our parents did it. We're doing it because we want our sons to look like their dads. What kind of insane reasoning is that? Something is harmful to our child. It hurts them. It mames them. It causes them unnecessary trauma and suffering, not only in the moment of the act, but for the rest of their life whether they realize it or not. But yet still, he must look like his dad, incomplete.

And this is the saddest part. Men have to deal with this. Sometimes, men never think about it. They just continue on with their lives, never understanding the implications it has had on them. But a lot of the time, men do think about it. And it hurts them. And they feel cheated.

I'm tired of hearing how sexist of a society we live in without any mention of the barbaric torture we're putting our baby boys through.

The crap that girls get done to them is hideous enough, but this is right up there with it.

We are permanently disfiguring a persons body solely for aesthetic purposes.

The prepuce (or foreskin) has thousands of nerve endings in it. Removing it means that we are permanently altering the way that person will register the touch of his lover, the touch of himself, the way he views sex and it's pleasure, or lack of.

I'm sorry, but I have to get a bit personal here. When I was a teenager, all my boyfriends were circumcised, except one. The one who wasn't had to constantly remind me to, "be gentle" and "softer". I was used to having to be rather "vigorous" by comparison with the boyfriends who were circumcised. So when it came to the uncircumcised one, I was really perplexed. I thought it was really weird how soft he wanted me to be with him. I was amazed at the lack of movement and action it require to accomplish the "desired outcome" of our "interactions".

As an adult and after much study on the subject I finally got it. HE COULD FEEL.

A lot of men don't think consciously about what has been taken from them. But a lot do.

And we simply don't have the right to decide who gets to keep their genitals in tact and who doesn't.

"They Cut Babies, Don't They?"

The End of Pregnancy, The Beginning of Birth

2007-11-15T20:26:00.001-08:00

summer 06 004, originally uploaded by itzamnavacmitun.

Birth is hard. But pure, unhindered, natural birth has rewards that are unimaginable until experienced first hand.

Check out this couples journey through their natural birth at home. These are some really beautiful photos of what I think are the most mind expansive moments of an individuals life.

2007-11-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

I ran across this site on Lori the Midwife's blog:

www.thedoctorwithin.com

If you're a parent of a "vaccine-age" child, or are going to be, this is extremely pertinent information to you. Unfortunately, doctors do not give us information on the dangerous illnesses and neurological disorders that vaccines are producing, which means that we are responsible for informing ourselves so that we can protect our children the way we're suppose to.

If you want to protect your child.....get informed, get educated, get empowered.

2007-11-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

New research from Cochrane concludes that amniotomy or "breaking the water" does not speed up labor and leads to an increase in risks such as "problems with the umbilical cord or the baby's heart rate" and a "possible increase in caesarean section". Here is the conclusion...

Plain Language Summary

Evidence does not support the routine breaking the waters for women in spontaneous labour.

The aim of breaking the waters (also known as artificial rupture of the membranes, ARM, or amniotomy), is to speed up and strengthen contractions, and thus shorten the length of labour. The membranes are punctured with a crochet-like long-handled hook during a vaginal examination, and the amniotic fluid floods out. Rupturing the membranes is thought to release chemicals and hormones that stimulate contractions. Amniotomy has been standard practice in recent years in many countries around the world. In some centres it is advocated and performed routinely in all women, and in many centres it is used for women whose labours have become prolonged. However, there is little evidence that a shorter labour has benefits for the mother or the baby. There are a number of potential important but rare risks associated with amniotomy, including problems with the umbilical cord or the baby's heart rate.

The review of studies assessed the use of amniotomy routinely in all labours that started spontaneously. It also assessed the use of amniotomy in labours that started spontaneously but had become prolonged. There were 14 studies identified, involving 4893 women, none of which assessed whether amniotomy increased women's pain in labour.

The evidence showed no shortening of the length of first stage of labour and a possible increase in caesarean section. Routine amniotomy is not recommended for normally progressing labours or in labours which have become prolonged.

Read the full review here.

2007-11-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Check out this extremely beautiful and informative video by Sage Femme. These are the reasons I will always be a homebirther...

2007-11-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

What Babies Want: The Trailer for the Film

www.whatbabieswant.com

"What Babies Want is an award winning documentary film that explores the profoundly important and sacred opportunity we have in bringing children into the world. Filled with captivating stories and infused with Noah Wyle's warmth as narrator, the film demonstrates how life patterns are established at birth and before. The documentary includes groundbreaking information on early development as well as appearances by the real experts: babies and families.

Research is now showing us that our society is a product of how we welcome and raise our children. When babies are welcomed with love and warmth and given the immediate opportunity to bond with parents, they develop minds that are coherent and flexible, ready in turn to make compassionate and meaningful connections with others as they grow.

As we learn how early relationships shape the structure and function of the brain, we are also gaining a new appreciation of the wisdom of ancient cultures that understood the importance of welcoming children before, during and after the moment of birth.

Narrated by Noah Wyle, What Babies Want explores these ideas, documenting heart warming personal experiences before, during and after childbirth as well as evidence of consciousness, communication and awareness in prenatal, newborn and very young infants."

2007-10-25T19:54:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a huge disconnect in American women's minds when it comes to the realities of toddler nursing. I have to make the differentiation of saying women, because honestly, in Dakota and I's entire breastfeeding career, we have never received a strange look, a silly comment, or a raised eyebrow from any man.......ever. All of the questioning, opposition, and curiosity has come from women. And only women.

"The question" has become a very big part of our everyday lives.....

"Oh, you're still nursing her???" {completed by the obligatory saucer eyeballs}

This, I was prepared for. I knew since Dakota was just a tiny thing that I'd be allowing her to self-wean. It just seemed like the normal thing to do to me. Why would I force her to do something she wasn't ready to do? Children want to grow up. Children want to be independent. But they need to be allowed to do it on their own time. I think anything else is unhealthy; physically and psychologically.

Though I knew this question would begin to rear it's ugly head sooner or later, I really thought it would be later. It seemed like the minute she started walking, women started wondering why I was still nursing her.

But the biggest surprise has been the total lack of understanding of the entire subject. From what I've gathered, American women don't necessarily oppose toddler nursing, they just don't understand it.......at all. And this lack of understanding allows them to assimilate all kinds of falsehoods and misinformations that are pretty detrimental to the well-being of our society in general.

So, I'd like to take this opportunity to clear a few things up...

~Yes, I am still nursing her.

~No, I have no time limit assigned to the act.

~Yes, sometimes she bites me. This is not a gnawing, "I want to bite your nipple off" bite. It's more of a play bite, or boredom bite. I can usually forecast when one is coming and de-latch her before it happens.

~Very rarely, it happens without notice and I get bit. No, I have never bled.

~My nipples do not hurt.

~Generally, her teeth do not touch my nipples unless she is latched improperly or she is teething and has not adjusted her suck to the new tooth yet.

~No, it doesn't feel weird. Neither physically nor psychologically.

~Actually, it feels good.

~No, not in a weird kind of way. In a good kind of way.

~No, am not concerned about about her independence in the least. I believe that allowing someone to choose for themselves is the best way to foster independence, period.

~I am, literally, her human pacifier.

Which brings me to a very important point...

What makes us think that just because we wean an infant, we are fostering independence? Because that's what all this really boils down to, right? Independence. We as a country are obsessed with it. We are obsessed with having it ourselves and we are obsessed with implementing it on our children. We have this delusion that if we don't cultivate it ourselves, it won't happen.

Just because you take away the thing that the child is reliant upon to fulfill it's need does not make the need go away. The need goes away first, then the action stops on it's own. By taking away the action before the need is fully met, we are pushing our children to fulfill their attachment needs elsewhere.

This can be very dangerous.

To me, this is one of the biggest reason why I will continue to nurse my toddler.

Among others of course...keeping an immature immune system healthy, protecting myself from breast cancer, etc. etc. But that's a whole other blog entry.

I think the biggest, most dangerous assumption that we make about toddler nursing, and the reason why most American women shy away form it, is because we falsely believe that continuing to nurse our toddler will stunt them from maturing and moving onto the next stage of their childhood.

But this is so far from the truth. Here is a really good example...

I just put Dakota down to bed. She nursed for a while, like usual, then she pulled away and started to fuss a bit and wiggle around as I held her in my arms. So I got up, laid her in her crib, she turned onto her stomach and went to sleep as I gently rubbed her back.

She's been swinging back and forth between this and nursing to sleep for the last few months now. For a few weeks, she'll fall asleep nursing. Then for a few weeks she'll fall asleep on her own. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. But every time, her falling asleep on her own phases last a little bit longer.

Natural weaning is an extremely gradual process.

But each time she takes that next step forward, I am gently behind her, supporting her decision. I'm not making the decision for her. But I do guide her. When I see that she's acting ready for the next step, like wiggling and fussing in my arms, I nudge her in the right direction. But I always allow her to signal me when she's ready.

And that's true independence. Unforced, un-manipulated, personal decision making.