Sunday, December 31, 2006
A few more Pregnancy Pics
Last night I got adventurous and did something I never thought I'd do. I let DH some pregnancy pictures of me. Some of them turned out horrid and grainy but there were some beautiful ones too. I even got crazy and let him do some naked ones and when I get them fully edited so my face isn't in any of them, I'm hoping to have a few blown up. They are very professional looking and look like something you might see in a midwives office or someplace. They truly show the beauty of a woman's body...stretchmarks, cellulose and all. LOL Here are just a couple pics to show you. These ones are nicely done and able to be easily shown.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Homebirth: As Safe As Birth Gets
Each year in America, approximately 1% of the births occur inhome settings. In Illinois in 1992, 1,218 families filed birthcertificates that reflected a homebirth. Approximatelyone-third of the births occurred to Black families. Wisconsinhad 591 recorded homebirths for the same year of which 22 wereto Black families. 1 It is probable that many more Illinoishomebirths actually took place but weren't recorded due to adiscriminatory birth registration practice that places theresponsibility for registering midwife-attended homebirths onthe parents and requires a different mechanism than is used forany other occurring births.
One measure of the safety of birth place is infant mortality,specifically, neonatal deaths within the first 28 days.According to the Center for Disease Control, there were 19,098neonatal deaths for 1990 for babies born in a hospital. Forthose babies born at home, there were 260 newborn deaths.Infant mortality is figured as the number of deaths per 1,000live births. The death rate for babies born in the hospital was5.6 and for those born at home was 11.1, which would seem toindicate that a hospital is a better bet for a baby's survival.However, when the homebirth statistics are further broken downinto who attended the birth, the picture changes dramatically.Direct Entry Midwives had the best outcomes with a death rateof 1.9 compared to CNM-attended births (2.9) or physicians --D.O.'s (15.1) or M.D.'s (24.7).
History Until 1900, homebirth was the place of birth for mostevery American. In fact, over 90% of those alive on earth todaywere born at home! Hospital or institutional birth is arelatively new occurance which began to gain in popularityduring the 1920's due to physician promotion and the increaseduse of the automobile. As is the case today, it is a much moreeconomic use of a physician's time to attend patients in asingle place. There is also an economic incentive since aphysician can attend to more than one patient at a time in thehospital and other, less important helpers can attend to themore mundane tasks of birthing.
Part of this shift in birthplace must be attributed to thepropaganda denouncing midwives which took place during thissame time. With their economic and organized power, physiciangroups were able to legislatively increase hospital births byeliminating those who still attended homebirths -- byeliminating the midwife. From the 1930's through the 1960'sstate after state changed their laws to either restrict thepractice of midwifery or wipe out the legal practice entirely.Yet no valid study then or to date has proven planned homebirthto be less safe than hospital birth.
Studies
Many studies have been done in an attempt to prove thathospitals are the safest place to birth. Some of the earlierones included all births which took place out of the hospitalregardless of the gestational age or planned place of delivery.Those studies included miscarriages which took place at home aswell as precipitous births and births that were unattended. Tobe valid, a study must compare equals and change only one item.Lewis Mehl did this when he matched 2,092 women and comparedtheir birth outcomes. The result was that homebirth with atrained attendant was safer than a hospital birth.
What does "safer" mean?
Most families do not want to know the statistical odds ofhaving a good outcome, they want to know more concretelyexactly how a homebirth will be safer. Many studies addressthis by listing criteria and comparing the results.
Chart is one website http://www.midwives.net
As you can see from the chart, many complications seem to occurwith greater frequency in the hospital. Many women are told theywill need an episiotomy in order to prevent tears but the datafrom these births shows that this is not so since there were 9times as many tears in the hospital group! Fetal distress,often cited as the complication necessitating a cesareansection occurred 6 times more frequently in the hospital group.There were 4 times more newborn infections, 22 times moreforceps deliveries, 30 times more birth injuries and 3 timesmore cesarean sections in the hospital group.
EstimatingPreventable Childbirth Related Deaths
The following statistics, derived from data accumulated between1940 and 1980, are conservative estimates of lives lost due toour system of treating pregnancy as a medical event requiringmedical intervention and care. *about 1,000,000 babies died ator before birth that should have lived * about 1,600,000 babiesdied before their 1st Birthday who should have lived * at least1,500,000 children were left severely brain damaged by medicalprocedures * at least 45,000,000 children had minimal braindamage who would have been normal Today, it is estimated that50 newborns die unnecessarily each day whose deaths arepreventable if "the five standards for safe childbearing" wereemployed. This breaks down into a preventable baby death every29 minutes, every hour of the day, each day of the year. NAPSACwrites, "Since 1940 at least a million babies have died inAmerican hospitals who would have lived were it not for thedoctor dominated maternity system that dictates the Standardsfor American Childbirth."
Who should decide what is safer?
Childbirth is not a laboratory project that can be reproducedat will with the outcomes compared with each other. Nor isbirth a medical event, like planned surgery, that can be timed,controlled or forced to obtain the desired outcome. Each year,it seems, scientists discover some aspect of birth that hadbeen unknown or unverified. Also, it would seem that thetechnologies that are initially hailed as the "cure" for acertain problem are found to produce unacceptable side-effectsor increase risks for more serious complications. Birth alsohas a psychological component which can place some women atincredible risk in a hospital.
A recent article in a prestigious magazine looked at homebirthand asked the question, "Is it safe? Is it ethical?" Thephysician writers concluded that homebirth has a "definitesmall risk" and that "hospital births entail a wider range ofrisks". They also felt that since the actual risk factorsinherent in a home birth are very small, perhaps 1/1000, andthe consequences of the birth decision will be borneexclusively by the parents, physicians should support parentswho are willing to accept this risk so as to make theexperience as safe as possible. The Oxford Perinatal Projectalso came to this conclusion after an exhaustive look at everyscientifically valid study performed since the 1950'saddressing aspects of care of pregnant and birthing women andtheir babies. Since science cannot prove homebirth to be lesssafe than hospital birth, I believe that each family has theconstitutional right to choose where to give birth. I believethat until science can prove a detrimental effect on those whochoose to birth at home, medical personal should supportfamilies in their decision. The InterNational Association ofParents and Professionals for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth,NAPSAC, shares this view and asks, "Who is to decide what isthe optimal balance between medical and psychological risk? . .. It must be the parents.
"Sources:
1. Center for Disease Control, "Live births by placeof delivery and race of mother, 1992", section 1, Natality,page 246.
2. Center for Disease Control, "United States, BirthCohort of 1990", Table 43, pages 2 and 5.
3. Litoff, JudyBarrett, The American Midwife Debate, pages 1-10.
4. Mehl,Lewis, "Scientific research on childbirth alternatives and whatit tells us about hospital practice", NAPSAC, 21st CenturyObstetrics, 1978, vol. 1, pp/ 171-207.
5. Stewart, The FiveStandards for Safe Childbearing, pages 137-138.
6. Hoff andSchneiderman, "Having Babies at Home: Is It Safe? Is ItEthical?", Hastings Center Report, December 1985, pages 19-27.
7. Enkin, Keirse & Chalmers, A Guide to Effective Care inPregnancy and Childbirth, Oxford University Press, New York,1989.
NAPSAC is a non-profit and tax exempt organization that may bereached at Route 1, Box 646, Marble Hill, MO 63764, phone (314)238-2010.
Some may argue that statistics do not tell the entire story,and that is true, but it is the best scientific way to diminishthose who promote institutional birth as the only option foreveryone regardless of risk status.
About The Author: Yvonne Lapp Cryns is the owner of Midwives.net - http://www.midwives.net Yvonne is the co-founder ofNursing Programs Online at http://www.nursingprogramsonline.comand a contributor to The Compleat Mother Magazine athttp://www.compleatmother.com . Yvonne is also a law schoolgraduate, a registered nurse and a Certified ProfessionalMidwife
One measure of the safety of birth place is infant mortality,specifically, neonatal deaths within the first 28 days.According to the Center for Disease Control, there were 19,098neonatal deaths for 1990 for babies born in a hospital. Forthose babies born at home, there were 260 newborn deaths.Infant mortality is figured as the number of deaths per 1,000live births. The death rate for babies born in the hospital was5.6 and for those born at home was 11.1, which would seem toindicate that a hospital is a better bet for a baby's survival.However, when the homebirth statistics are further broken downinto who attended the birth, the picture changes dramatically.Direct Entry Midwives had the best outcomes with a death rateof 1.9 compared to CNM-attended births (2.9) or physicians --D.O.'s (15.1) or M.D.'s (24.7).
History Until 1900, homebirth was the place of birth for mostevery American. In fact, over 90% of those alive on earth todaywere born at home! Hospital or institutional birth is arelatively new occurance which began to gain in popularityduring the 1920's due to physician promotion and the increaseduse of the automobile. As is the case today, it is a much moreeconomic use of a physician's time to attend patients in asingle place. There is also an economic incentive since aphysician can attend to more than one patient at a time in thehospital and other, less important helpers can attend to themore mundane tasks of birthing.
Part of this shift in birthplace must be attributed to thepropaganda denouncing midwives which took place during thissame time. With their economic and organized power, physiciangroups were able to legislatively increase hospital births byeliminating those who still attended homebirths -- byeliminating the midwife. From the 1930's through the 1960'sstate after state changed their laws to either restrict thepractice of midwifery or wipe out the legal practice entirely.Yet no valid study then or to date has proven planned homebirthto be less safe than hospital birth.
Studies
Many studies have been done in an attempt to prove thathospitals are the safest place to birth. Some of the earlierones included all births which took place out of the hospitalregardless of the gestational age or planned place of delivery.Those studies included miscarriages which took place at home aswell as precipitous births and births that were unattended. Tobe valid, a study must compare equals and change only one item.Lewis Mehl did this when he matched 2,092 women and comparedtheir birth outcomes. The result was that homebirth with atrained attendant was safer than a hospital birth.
What does "safer" mean?
Most families do not want to know the statistical odds ofhaving a good outcome, they want to know more concretelyexactly how a homebirth will be safer. Many studies addressthis by listing criteria and comparing the results.
Chart is one website http://www.midwives.net
As you can see from the chart, many complications seem to occurwith greater frequency in the hospital. Many women are told theywill need an episiotomy in order to prevent tears but the datafrom these births shows that this is not so since there were 9times as many tears in the hospital group! Fetal distress,often cited as the complication necessitating a cesareansection occurred 6 times more frequently in the hospital group.There were 4 times more newborn infections, 22 times moreforceps deliveries, 30 times more birth injuries and 3 timesmore cesarean sections in the hospital group.
EstimatingPreventable Childbirth Related Deaths
The following statistics, derived from data accumulated between1940 and 1980, are conservative estimates of lives lost due toour system of treating pregnancy as a medical event requiringmedical intervention and care. *about 1,000,000 babies died ator before birth that should have lived * about 1,600,000 babiesdied before their 1st Birthday who should have lived * at least1,500,000 children were left severely brain damaged by medicalprocedures * at least 45,000,000 children had minimal braindamage who would have been normal Today, it is estimated that50 newborns die unnecessarily each day whose deaths arepreventable if "the five standards for safe childbearing" wereemployed. This breaks down into a preventable baby death every29 minutes, every hour of the day, each day of the year. NAPSACwrites, "Since 1940 at least a million babies have died inAmerican hospitals who would have lived were it not for thedoctor dominated maternity system that dictates the Standardsfor American Childbirth."
Who should decide what is safer?
Childbirth is not a laboratory project that can be reproducedat will with the outcomes compared with each other. Nor isbirth a medical event, like planned surgery, that can be timed,controlled or forced to obtain the desired outcome. Each year,it seems, scientists discover some aspect of birth that hadbeen unknown or unverified. Also, it would seem that thetechnologies that are initially hailed as the "cure" for acertain problem are found to produce unacceptable side-effectsor increase risks for more serious complications. Birth alsohas a psychological component which can place some women atincredible risk in a hospital.
A recent article in a prestigious magazine looked at homebirthand asked the question, "Is it safe? Is it ethical?" Thephysician writers concluded that homebirth has a "definitesmall risk" and that "hospital births entail a wider range ofrisks". They also felt that since the actual risk factorsinherent in a home birth are very small, perhaps 1/1000, andthe consequences of the birth decision will be borneexclusively by the parents, physicians should support parentswho are willing to accept this risk so as to make theexperience as safe as possible. The Oxford Perinatal Projectalso came to this conclusion after an exhaustive look at everyscientifically valid study performed since the 1950'saddressing aspects of care of pregnant and birthing women andtheir babies. Since science cannot prove homebirth to be lesssafe than hospital birth, I believe that each family has theconstitutional right to choose where to give birth. I believethat until science can prove a detrimental effect on those whochoose to birth at home, medical personal should supportfamilies in their decision. The InterNational Association ofParents and Professionals for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth,NAPSAC, shares this view and asks, "Who is to decide what isthe optimal balance between medical and psychological risk? . .. It must be the parents.
"Sources:
1. Center for Disease Control, "Live births by placeof delivery and race of mother, 1992", section 1, Natality,page 246.
2. Center for Disease Control, "United States, BirthCohort of 1990", Table 43, pages 2 and 5.
3. Litoff, JudyBarrett, The American Midwife Debate, pages 1-10.
4. Mehl,Lewis, "Scientific research on childbirth alternatives and whatit tells us about hospital practice", NAPSAC, 21st CenturyObstetrics, 1978, vol. 1, pp/ 171-207.
5. Stewart, The FiveStandards for Safe Childbearing, pages 137-138.
6. Hoff andSchneiderman, "Having Babies at Home: Is It Safe? Is ItEthical?", Hastings Center Report, December 1985, pages 19-27.
7. Enkin, Keirse & Chalmers, A Guide to Effective Care inPregnancy and Childbirth, Oxford University Press, New York,1989.
NAPSAC is a non-profit and tax exempt organization that may bereached at Route 1, Box 646, Marble Hill, MO 63764, phone (314)238-2010.
Some may argue that statistics do not tell the entire story,and that is true, but it is the best scientific way to diminishthose who promote institutional birth as the only option foreveryone regardless of risk status.
About The Author: Yvonne Lapp Cryns is the owner of Midwives.net - http://www.midwives.net Yvonne is the co-founder ofNursing Programs Online at http://www.nursingprogramsonline.comand a contributor to The Compleat Mother Magazine athttp://www.compleatmother.com . Yvonne is also a law schoolgraduate, a registered nurse and a Certified ProfessionalMidwife
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Beauty Ideals
Beauty Ideals
In other cultures the body of a woman who has borne children is not considered unattractive; in fact a woman who didn't have signs of childbearing on her body would be considered as a child herself. But unfortunately Western culture really drives home the exact opposite ideal, that of looking like you've not had the kids you've had - flat stomach, smooth skin, perky breasts... and even if we get empowered and stop buying into the popular culture that we're raised with, a lot of it is pretty deeply ingrained and it takes a lot of will to break free of it and experience really enjoying our bodies.
It seems that Western culture is determined to reduce women to nothing more than eye candy. The miracles her body can perform, such as childbearing and breastfeeding, are portrayed as evil curses that will "ruin" her body and reduce her attractiveness. So much time and money and energy are spent by the women in the US and elsewhere in the pursuit of a body that is in a lifelong state of "unmarred" and yet hyper-sexual youth... it is a continually growing industry. But all this does is reduce a woman to the status of object, a lovely doll who strives for conformity in her body and face. Any signs of experience or character or individuality are considered to be flaws that need to be fixed, hidden, or apologized for. Even very young girls begin to realize that their worth in society as attractive, successful females rests on forcing themselves into a mold of how they are supposed to look, an unrealistic ideal that even the most beautiful supermodels do not in reality attain. Our culture flows so deep in and around us that to combat this negative attitude is an uphill battle against a mud flow of resistance, both internal and external.
I think there is a lot of room for most women to learn to support each other in defining your OWN ideal, and striving for that, rather than trying to live up to some air-brushed, computer enhanced version of someone else's idea of what every woman should look like.
What if we are all beautiful? What if we are all amazing and powerful and gorgeous shining lights in this world, and believing anything else is a disservice to the Universe?
(Used with permission from http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=68227566)
In other cultures the body of a woman who has borne children is not considered unattractive; in fact a woman who didn't have signs of childbearing on her body would be considered as a child herself. But unfortunately Western culture really drives home the exact opposite ideal, that of looking like you've not had the kids you've had - flat stomach, smooth skin, perky breasts... and even if we get empowered and stop buying into the popular culture that we're raised with, a lot of it is pretty deeply ingrained and it takes a lot of will to break free of it and experience really enjoying our bodies.
It seems that Western culture is determined to reduce women to nothing more than eye candy. The miracles her body can perform, such as childbearing and breastfeeding, are portrayed as evil curses that will "ruin" her body and reduce her attractiveness. So much time and money and energy are spent by the women in the US and elsewhere in the pursuit of a body that is in a lifelong state of "unmarred" and yet hyper-sexual youth... it is a continually growing industry. But all this does is reduce a woman to the status of object, a lovely doll who strives for conformity in her body and face. Any signs of experience or character or individuality are considered to be flaws that need to be fixed, hidden, or apologized for. Even very young girls begin to realize that their worth in society as attractive, successful females rests on forcing themselves into a mold of how they are supposed to look, an unrealistic ideal that even the most beautiful supermodels do not in reality attain. Our culture flows so deep in and around us that to combat this negative attitude is an uphill battle against a mud flow of resistance, both internal and external.
I think there is a lot of room for most women to learn to support each other in defining your OWN ideal, and striving for that, rather than trying to live up to some air-brushed, computer enhanced version of someone else's idea of what every woman should look like.
What if we are all beautiful? What if we are all amazing and powerful and gorgeous shining lights in this world, and believing anything else is a disservice to the Universe?
(Used with permission from http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=68227566)
Birth and the Woman Within
Birth and the Woman Within Current
A woman believes she knows who she is - where she's come from, what she's been through in life... and in our minds we often limit ourselves to that perception. We feel we can do only what we have done in the past; that we can be only what we have be what we have been. We know ourselves only by what we have already proven to ourselves and to others... anything outside of our past experience of ourselves seems impossible, out of reach.
Birthing a child can be an experience that opens us up to the realization that we are MORE THAN we thought of ourselves...we are more capable, more powerful, more wise, more loving, more woman, than our minds would allow us to believe. In our hearts that knowledge is there all along; through the process of empowered birth a woman can let herself recognize and acknowledge that power, and free herself to revel in the awe of the realization that nothing is impossible for her, that no fear is stronger than her will, that the whole world is open before her. A woman is rebirthed during the birth of her child... born again into a new understanding of the lovely dichotomy of empowerment and humility... bringing into the outside world the woman she has always been, but didnt realize herself.
As with any birth, the new life is not fully formed, is in need of nurturing and protection as it grows and develops... once you have caught a glimpse of the YOU that is vitally, powerfully you, hang on to it and never forget that that is yourself, and you are splendid.
(Used with permission from http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=68227566)
A woman believes she knows who she is - where she's come from, what she's been through in life... and in our minds we often limit ourselves to that perception. We feel we can do only what we have done in the past; that we can be only what we have be what we have been. We know ourselves only by what we have already proven to ourselves and to others... anything outside of our past experience of ourselves seems impossible, out of reach.
Birthing a child can be an experience that opens us up to the realization that we are MORE THAN we thought of ourselves...we are more capable, more powerful, more wise, more loving, more woman, than our minds would allow us to believe. In our hearts that knowledge is there all along; through the process of empowered birth a woman can let herself recognize and acknowledge that power, and free herself to revel in the awe of the realization that nothing is impossible for her, that no fear is stronger than her will, that the whole world is open before her. A woman is rebirthed during the birth of her child... born again into a new understanding of the lovely dichotomy of empowerment and humility... bringing into the outside world the woman she has always been, but didnt realize herself.
As with any birth, the new life is not fully formed, is in need of nurturing and protection as it grows and develops... once you have caught a glimpse of the YOU that is vitally, powerfully you, hang on to it and never forget that that is yourself, and you are splendid.
(Used with permission from http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=68227566)
A substitute for natural pregnancy...*A little humor*
A little *humor*
A substitute for natural pregnancy...
--Author Unknown
A substitute for natural pregnancy has been developed by Breed Bronson, Inc., makers of Infantill formula and other baby products. The YOUterus/Plus-centa unit was introduced in pharmacies and discount stores nationwide today.
A company representative explained the rationale for the product: "Many women find it inconvenient to carry their fetuses and maintain a healthy food supply for them for an entire nine months. Pregnancy changes their figures, can interfere with job performance, and requires avoiding drugs and junk food. And some men don't like to be reminded that female sex organs don't exist solely for them."
After a woman's fetus is implanted in a YOUterus/Plus-centa, the unit is simply kept in contact with a body having a temperature of 98.6* F. "But after the second trimester, " commented the representative, "the fetus can maintain its own warmth. It can be left completely alone, except for periodic refilling of the Plus-centa feeding solution."
When asked if such technology would be an acceptable substitute for a woman's experience of new life developing within her, the representative stated: "We believe it will be fairly common for women to carry their own babies the first few weeks, when the thrill of motherhood is new. But soon, anyone experiencing nausea will be referred to our product. Eventually, anyone appearing pregnant after 6 months will be considered a fanatic."
"Eventually there will be psychologists, completely ignorant of the history of human reproduction, who will state that after 6 months, natural gestation is harmful to the fetus' independence."
All preliminary research has indicated that artificially fed fetuses are significantly less healthy than their naturally nourished counterparts. The Breed Bronson representative commented: "The literature accompanying the units will state that natural pregnancy is preferable. But that won't affect sales. We'll spend millions on freebies to obstetricians, and they'll convey to their patients that natural pregnancy is not greatly important, just a matter of personal preference."
"Through advertising dollars, we'll also enlist the media. Television will present natural pregnancy as abnormal by never showing it. 'Yes, we're expecting,' your favorite sitcom character will say, 'our housekeeper is carrying the baby right now.' Parents will come to believe that pregnancy, especially in public, is immodest."
"In natural pregnancy, only mom carries and nourishes the baby. With a YOUterus/Plus-centa, dad, grandma and sitter will all have equal access. We'll promote this idea that democracy, and not quality or safety, is what is important in fetal feeding."
When asked if the company was concerned about government regulation of a product proven harmful to developing babies, the representative stated: "Are you kidding? We project the government will buy one third of our units to distribute to poor women."
A substitute for natural pregnancy...
--Author Unknown
A substitute for natural pregnancy has been developed by Breed Bronson, Inc., makers of Infantill formula and other baby products. The YOUterus/Plus-centa unit was introduced in pharmacies and discount stores nationwide today.
A company representative explained the rationale for the product: "Many women find it inconvenient to carry their fetuses and maintain a healthy food supply for them for an entire nine months. Pregnancy changes their figures, can interfere with job performance, and requires avoiding drugs and junk food. And some men don't like to be reminded that female sex organs don't exist solely for them."
After a woman's fetus is implanted in a YOUterus/Plus-centa, the unit is simply kept in contact with a body having a temperature of 98.6* F. "But after the second trimester, " commented the representative, "the fetus can maintain its own warmth. It can be left completely alone, except for periodic refilling of the Plus-centa feeding solution."
When asked if such technology would be an acceptable substitute for a woman's experience of new life developing within her, the representative stated: "We believe it will be fairly common for women to carry their own babies the first few weeks, when the thrill of motherhood is new. But soon, anyone experiencing nausea will be referred to our product. Eventually, anyone appearing pregnant after 6 months will be considered a fanatic."
"Eventually there will be psychologists, completely ignorant of the history of human reproduction, who will state that after 6 months, natural gestation is harmful to the fetus' independence."
All preliminary research has indicated that artificially fed fetuses are significantly less healthy than their naturally nourished counterparts. The Breed Bronson representative commented: "The literature accompanying the units will state that natural pregnancy is preferable. But that won't affect sales. We'll spend millions on freebies to obstetricians, and they'll convey to their patients that natural pregnancy is not greatly important, just a matter of personal preference."
"Through advertising dollars, we'll also enlist the media. Television will present natural pregnancy as abnormal by never showing it. 'Yes, we're expecting,' your favorite sitcom character will say, 'our housekeeper is carrying the baby right now.' Parents will come to believe that pregnancy, especially in public, is immodest."
"In natural pregnancy, only mom carries and nourishes the baby. With a YOUterus/Plus-centa, dad, grandma and sitter will all have equal access. We'll promote this idea that democracy, and not quality or safety, is what is important in fetal feeding."
When asked if the company was concerned about government regulation of a product proven harmful to developing babies, the representative stated: "Are you kidding? We project the government will buy one third of our units to distribute to poor women."
REJECTING A PRE-PACKAGED LIFE
by Sandra Dodd
How many things do you do because you're supposed to, because your relatives and neighbors expect it, because it's easy and you don't have to think about it? How many of those things are taking you and your kids in a positive and healthy direction?
"Changing paradigms" is an option! If you're operating on one plane, with one set of rules and expectations, it is possible and often advisable, to shift and see things differently. It's just thinking. It won't hurt you.
Is school the center of children's lives? Should it be?
Is the only acceptable goal of adult life having the most expensive house and furniture credit will buy?
It doesn't take much of a shift to consider house and education secondary instead of primary. What might be primary then? Health? Joy? Togetherness and love?
Part of the pre-packaged life Americans are issued is the idea that happiness comes after college, after home ownership, after the new car. The stick that holds that carrot will not bend. If happiness depends on performance and acquisition, how long will it last? How long is your car the newest on your street before unhappiness returns?
Here's a little paradigm shift for you to practice on. Perhaps happiness shouldn't be the primary goal. Try joy. Try the idea that it might be enJOYable to cook, to set the table, to see your family, rather than the idea that you'll be happy after dinner's done and cleaned up. My guess is that such happiness might last a couple of seconds before you look around and see something else between you and happiness. Joy, though, can be ongoing, and can be felt before, during and after the meeting of goals.
Enjoymentthat word itself is hardly used. Enjoyment is seen nearly as a sin for some people. "You're not here to have fun, you're here to work." Why can't work bring joy? Any tiny moment can be enjoyed: the feel of warm running water when you wash your hands; light and shadow on the floor; pictures in the clouds; the feel of an old book. If you see an old friend that can bring pure, tingly joy for which there are no words.
If you practice noticing and experiencing joy, if you take a second out of each hour to find joy, your life improves with each remembrance of your new primary goal. You don't need someone else to give you permission, or to decide whether or not what you thought gave you joy was an acceptable source of enjoyment.
Can learning be fun? If it's not fun, it won't stick. Can laundry be fun? If you have to do laundry and you choose NOT to enjoy it, an hour or more of your precious hours on earth have been wasted. Can looking at your child bring you joy even when he needs a bath and has lost a shoe and hasn't lived up to some expectation that only exists in your mind? If not, a paradigm shift could help you both.
Your life is yours, and it is being lived even as you read this. Do not wait for approval. Do not wait for instructions, or for a proctor to say "Open your lifebook now and write." Have all the joy you want, and help your children, neighbors and relatives find some too. Joy doesn't cost anything but some reuseable thought and awareness. Tell your kids it's recyclable. They'll love that!
How many things do you do because you're supposed to, because your relatives and neighbors expect it, because it's easy and you don't have to think about it? How many of those things are taking you and your kids in a positive and healthy direction?
"Changing paradigms" is an option! If you're operating on one plane, with one set of rules and expectations, it is possible and often advisable, to shift and see things differently. It's just thinking. It won't hurt you.
Is school the center of children's lives? Should it be?
Is the only acceptable goal of adult life having the most expensive house and furniture credit will buy?
It doesn't take much of a shift to consider house and education secondary instead of primary. What might be primary then? Health? Joy? Togetherness and love?
Part of the pre-packaged life Americans are issued is the idea that happiness comes after college, after home ownership, after the new car. The stick that holds that carrot will not bend. If happiness depends on performance and acquisition, how long will it last? How long is your car the newest on your street before unhappiness returns?
Here's a little paradigm shift for you to practice on. Perhaps happiness shouldn't be the primary goal. Try joy. Try the idea that it might be enJOYable to cook, to set the table, to see your family, rather than the idea that you'll be happy after dinner's done and cleaned up. My guess is that such happiness might last a couple of seconds before you look around and see something else between you and happiness. Joy, though, can be ongoing, and can be felt before, during and after the meeting of goals.
Enjoymentthat word itself is hardly used. Enjoyment is seen nearly as a sin for some people. "You're not here to have fun, you're here to work." Why can't work bring joy? Any tiny moment can be enjoyed: the feel of warm running water when you wash your hands; light and shadow on the floor; pictures in the clouds; the feel of an old book. If you see an old friend that can bring pure, tingly joy for which there are no words.
If you practice noticing and experiencing joy, if you take a second out of each hour to find joy, your life improves with each remembrance of your new primary goal. You don't need someone else to give you permission, or to decide whether or not what you thought gave you joy was an acceptable source of enjoyment.
Can learning be fun? If it's not fun, it won't stick. Can laundry be fun? If you have to do laundry and you choose NOT to enjoy it, an hour or more of your precious hours on earth have been wasted. Can looking at your child bring you joy even when he needs a bath and has lost a shoe and hasn't lived up to some expectation that only exists in your mind? If not, a paradigm shift could help you both.
Your life is yours, and it is being lived even as you read this. Do not wait for approval. Do not wait for instructions, or for a proctor to say "Open your lifebook now and write." Have all the joy you want, and help your children, neighbors and relatives find some too. Joy doesn't cost anything but some reuseable thought and awareness. Tell your kids it's recyclable. They'll love that!
A Woman's Guide to Understanding Her Hormones
(ARA) - For any woman to fully understand her body, she needs to be aware of the impact that hormones can have on every phase of her development. The brain releases many different hormones which can cause internal and external changes to your body, mood and appearance, particularly during puberty, pregnancy and menopause. While each phase presents itself with unique side effects, there are some that are surprisingly common to all three. Here's a guide to understanding and coping with these times of change.
Puberty: During puberty a girl develops biologically, psychologically, socially and cognitively. Her brain releases hormones to stimulate ovarian production of estrogen and progesterone, which cause the body to mature and enable menstruation and pregnancy. During her period, hormones and prostaglandins (hormone-like substances) may cause menstrual cramps, water retention, food cravings and irritability. There are simple ways to alleviate some of these symptoms. For cramping, try over-the-counter pain medications, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Eat a balanced diet with whole grains and vitamin B6 to reduce irritability and cravings, and avoid caffeine and salty foods to reduce water retention. Understandably, puberty is a challenging time, so sites like CoolNurse.com and the podcast, STR8 UP-Health Talk for Teens (available on iTunes) are great resources to ease the transition.
Pregnancy: Hormones change dramatically during pregnancy. The hormone HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) stimulates the ovaries to produce higher levels of estrogen and progesterone to prepare the womb for pregnancy. The body also releases more of the hormone prolactin to enable lactation. Unfortunately, all these hormones also contribute to morning sickness, weight gain, increased appetite and exhaustion. Eating frequent, but smaller, sensible meals can alleviate morning sickness and satisfy an increased appetite. Low impact exercises, like walking or yoga, help to maintain a healthy body weight, increase energy levels and reduce morning sickness. The site PregnancyToday.com offers a week-by-week pregnancy guide as well as message boards for support networks.
Menopause: A woman typically begins menopause when she's between 45 and 55. During this time, the ovaries produce dramatically less estrogen and eventually menstruation stops. Estrogen is so vital to a woman's body that its results in many unwanted side effects, such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and increased risk of osteoporosis. For some, fresh air and cold liquids will alleviate hot flashes, and increased calcium intake and exercise can combat osteoporosis. For others, the side effects of menopause are more significant and may call for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
While puberty, pregnancy, and menopause have very unique effects on a woman's body, they also share a few common side effects since they are all characterized by fluctuating hormones:
Vaginal Yeast Infections: A yeast infection is marked by an overgrowth of yeast in the vagina, accompanied by itching, burning, and a thick, white curdy vaginal discharge. Caused by a pH imbalance of the vagina and fluctuating hormones, yeast infections are very common (75 percent of women are affected) and can be treated over-the-counter. Nature's Cure, for example, makes 1-Day and 3-Day Yeast Infection Convenience Packs. Both come with a vaginal treatment, to kill overgrown yeast and relieve discomfort, and all-natural homeopathic tablets to work with the body to fight yeast at its source. Nature's Cure also created Yeast Control Capsules to help maintain an internal environment that discourages yeast proliferation, even during life stages of hormonal chaos!
Mood Swings: Ever notice that teens, expectant mothers and menopausal women all seem to have mood swings? Hormone surges can wreak havoc on one's mood, causing irritability or sudden emotional shifts. Regular exercise helps by stimulating production of beta-endorphins, a hormone that controls stress and improves mood. It's also important to get plenty of rest, as fatigue can exacerbate sadness and irritability.
Acne: Acne refers to pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads, and occurs when sebaceous glands overproduce sebum (oil) and get clogged, inflamed and infected by bacteria. Most people associate acne with teenagers, but hormonal changes can cause an overproduction of sebum at any age, so it's a common side effect for women during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Although acne may be embarrassing or painful, it usually clears up with a healthy diet, good hygiene, and an over-the-counter remedy that addresses the internal cause of acne, like Nature's Cure Two-Part Acne Treatment. The cream kills acne-causing bacteria and the tablets naturally balance the body from inside to prevent future breakouts.
In the end, our bodies produce dozens of hormones that control virtually everything we do. So the next time you feel "hormonal," just remember -- while you can't turn off your hormones, you can alleviate some of their unwanted side effects.
Courtesy of ARA Content
Puberty: During puberty a girl develops biologically, psychologically, socially and cognitively. Her brain releases hormones to stimulate ovarian production of estrogen and progesterone, which cause the body to mature and enable menstruation and pregnancy. During her period, hormones and prostaglandins (hormone-like substances) may cause menstrual cramps, water retention, food cravings and irritability. There are simple ways to alleviate some of these symptoms. For cramping, try over-the-counter pain medications, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Eat a balanced diet with whole grains and vitamin B6 to reduce irritability and cravings, and avoid caffeine and salty foods to reduce water retention. Understandably, puberty is a challenging time, so sites like CoolNurse.com and the podcast, STR8 UP-Health Talk for Teens (available on iTunes) are great resources to ease the transition.
Pregnancy: Hormones change dramatically during pregnancy. The hormone HCG (Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) stimulates the ovaries to produce higher levels of estrogen and progesterone to prepare the womb for pregnancy. The body also releases more of the hormone prolactin to enable lactation. Unfortunately, all these hormones also contribute to morning sickness, weight gain, increased appetite and exhaustion. Eating frequent, but smaller, sensible meals can alleviate morning sickness and satisfy an increased appetite. Low impact exercises, like walking or yoga, help to maintain a healthy body weight, increase energy levels and reduce morning sickness. The site PregnancyToday.com offers a week-by-week pregnancy guide as well as message boards for support networks.
Menopause: A woman typically begins menopause when she's between 45 and 55. During this time, the ovaries produce dramatically less estrogen and eventually menstruation stops. Estrogen is so vital to a woman's body that its results in many unwanted side effects, such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness and increased risk of osteoporosis. For some, fresh air and cold liquids will alleviate hot flashes, and increased calcium intake and exercise can combat osteoporosis. For others, the side effects of menopause are more significant and may call for hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
While puberty, pregnancy, and menopause have very unique effects on a woman's body, they also share a few common side effects since they are all characterized by fluctuating hormones:
Vaginal Yeast Infections: A yeast infection is marked by an overgrowth of yeast in the vagina, accompanied by itching, burning, and a thick, white curdy vaginal discharge. Caused by a pH imbalance of the vagina and fluctuating hormones, yeast infections are very common (75 percent of women are affected) and can be treated over-the-counter. Nature's Cure, for example, makes 1-Day and 3-Day Yeast Infection Convenience Packs. Both come with a vaginal treatment, to kill overgrown yeast and relieve discomfort, and all-natural homeopathic tablets to work with the body to fight yeast at its source. Nature's Cure also created Yeast Control Capsules to help maintain an internal environment that discourages yeast proliferation, even during life stages of hormonal chaos!
Mood Swings: Ever notice that teens, expectant mothers and menopausal women all seem to have mood swings? Hormone surges can wreak havoc on one's mood, causing irritability or sudden emotional shifts. Regular exercise helps by stimulating production of beta-endorphins, a hormone that controls stress and improves mood. It's also important to get plenty of rest, as fatigue can exacerbate sadness and irritability.
Acne: Acne refers to pimples, whiteheads, and blackheads, and occurs when sebaceous glands overproduce sebum (oil) and get clogged, inflamed and infected by bacteria. Most people associate acne with teenagers, but hormonal changes can cause an overproduction of sebum at any age, so it's a common side effect for women during puberty, pregnancy, and menopause. Although acne may be embarrassing or painful, it usually clears up with a healthy diet, good hygiene, and an over-the-counter remedy that addresses the internal cause of acne, like Nature's Cure Two-Part Acne Treatment. The cream kills acne-causing bacteria and the tablets naturally balance the body from inside to prevent future breakouts.
In the end, our bodies produce dozens of hormones that control virtually everything we do. So the next time you feel "hormonal," just remember -- while you can't turn off your hormones, you can alleviate some of their unwanted side effects.
Courtesy of ARA Content
Taking Care of Your Body is an Important Part of Preparation for Pregnancy and Motherhood
(ARA) - She knew that pregnancy and motherhood are physically challenging to any woman, so when Samantha happily found herself pregnant for the first time at age 40, a lot of attention went into staying healthy, strong and flexible. The fact that she was a dancer and is currently a Pilates instructor definitely gave her a head start. Her goal was to gain a healthy amount of weight and stay as strong and as flexible as possible.
Samantha Binah started each day with breakfast. She is a believer in eating three or small balanced meals a day, as opposed to skipping meals and eating one large meal at the end of the day. Breakfast, for example usually consisted of a slice of whole-wheat toast and a soft boiled egg. She often picked yogurt for a midday snack. Lunch was usually a salad with protein, and for dinner she chose a protein with vegetables, rice or potatoes. She allowed herself one sweet each day. Sometimes that meant fruit and sometimes that meant chocolate. During her pregnancy, there were certain periods when her hunger increased. During those times she definitely ate more, but always tried to make healthy choices.
Normally her exercise program consisted of three, one-hour sessions of Pilates and three, one-hour walks per week. During her pregnancy, she continued these two types of exercises, but varied the time spent and types of movements performed to support the changes in her body. For example, some weeks she opted to do 20 minutes of Pilates a day instead of the three full hours. As a Pilates instructor, she knew that 20 minutes a day instead of three hours would be an invaluable way to safely stay strong and prepare for pregnancy and motherhood. Pilates is a weight bearing and low impact strengthening technique.
Samantha chose four areas of the body on which to focus: legs, back, arms and pelvis. She strengthened all the muscles in her legs and focused on stretching the inner thighs and hamstrings. She worked to keep her ever growing tummy comfortable, and gently stretched to ease any nagging backaches.
She knew that motherhood would challenge her lower back muscles with constant carrying and lifting of baby and baby gear. As she strengthened the biceps and triceps of her arms, she paid special attention to her posture. Keeping a straight, strong upper back would assist with the lifting in future months.
The last area of focus was the pelvis. She performed several variations of pelvic lifts and mimicked Kegel exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor. Surprisingly, she did not work to strengthen her abdominals. Due to her body awareness, she knew that she already had very strong and tight abdominals. For her body, it was important to allow her uterus to grow without constricting it with more tightening.
Working with a pregnant client, she might encourage abdominal strengthening for a very short period into the pregnancy. Another reason to be cautious about abdominal exercises is that late in pregnancy abdominal muscles can separate. This is called diastasis.
When she practiced her own routine for pregnancy and when she worked with pregnant clients she encouraged avoiding the supine (lying flat on the back) position in the third trimester and sometimes even into the second. This is because oxygen may be slightly cut off to the baby in this position. She advises those not familiar with an exercise routine to work with a trained professional if exercising when pregnant. During pregnancy, ligaments loosen due to hormonal changes and special care should be taken.
On September 23rd, Samantha's bundle of joy arrived. She delivered her 6 pound, 9 ounce baby naturally, which was a dream come true. Soon after arriving from the hospital she started to get Noah used to his sleeping arrangement.
Placing her baby next to her own bed, Samantha chose the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper Bassinet. It fastens securely to the adult bed yet keeps the baby close.
"I am breast feeding and the Co-Sleeper allows me easy access to the baby without getting out of bed. I love it," says Samantha.
For information about the benefits of keeping your baby close, particularly in his early days, log on to http://www.armsreach.com/.
Courtesy of ARA Content
C-section Art
While I've never had a c-section, I truly appreciate this artists depiction. The pain and agony she must feel on a daily basis is so apparent in her work.
http://www.cesarean-art.com/
http://www.cesarean-art.com/
Jesus Loves the Little Children
Jesus Loves the Little Children
So, I was just reading a discussion on a very leftist sort of parenting site and found a topic about changing the lyrics of this song. They were debating on how to change the line "Red, Yellow, Black & White" to something 'non-offensive'. Why do we have to get so offended?? I AM white. Sure I'm sort of a pinkish peach color, but I'm still white. My uncle is black. He makes no bones about that. I live in a neighborhood where most of my neighbors are black. None that I know of find it offensive to say that. None have said to me "I'm sorry but I'm a dark chocolate brown, thank you!" My DH is Mexican an if anyone should be offended by the song it would be him as he's not even mentioned in there, but he doesn't find it offensive. I was shocked at some of the new versions they came up with (The most extreme one is first and you can quickly see that this person is NOT a Christian).
Gaia loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
For a green world we must fight
Or she'll soon turn out the light.
Gaia loves the little children of the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world,
morning, evening, day and night
they are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world,
tall and heavy, short and light
they are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
(But then someone mentioned that this would be 'sizeism' so you can't use that).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world,
Every child in every land,
Jesus holds them in His hand,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While some of these are great variations, I think that they lump everyone together and ignore that we have differences and can be just as dangerous as drawing lines to seperate us out. Jesus DOES love us all, no matter of skin color. I think THAT is what this song is trying to say. Even purple or pink, we'd still be loved.
But what about the Jews or Muslims who don't believe in Jesus as a Savior? Maybe we should be all inclusive and just get rid of this song all together so we don't offend them too. The lady who is looking for variations to this song is a Sunday school teacher to 2 year olds. Would you be upset if your 2 year old came home singing a variation? To me, it's MY responsibility to teach about multiculturalism, not a SS teacher.
So, I was just reading a discussion on a very leftist sort of parenting site and found a topic about changing the lyrics of this song. They were debating on how to change the line "Red, Yellow, Black & White" to something 'non-offensive'. Why do we have to get so offended?? I AM white. Sure I'm sort of a pinkish peach color, but I'm still white. My uncle is black. He makes no bones about that. I live in a neighborhood where most of my neighbors are black. None that I know of find it offensive to say that. None have said to me "I'm sorry but I'm a dark chocolate brown, thank you!" My DH is Mexican an if anyone should be offended by the song it would be him as he's not even mentioned in there, but he doesn't find it offensive. I was shocked at some of the new versions they came up with (The most extreme one is first and you can quickly see that this person is NOT a Christian).
Gaia loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
For a green world we must fight
Or she'll soon turn out the light.
Gaia loves the little children of the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world,
morning, evening, day and night
they are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world,
tall and heavy, short and light
they are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
(But then someone mentioned that this would be 'sizeism' so you can't use that).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jesus loves the little children,
all the children of the world,
Every child in every land,
Jesus holds them in His hand,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
While some of these are great variations, I think that they lump everyone together and ignore that we have differences and can be just as dangerous as drawing lines to seperate us out. Jesus DOES love us all, no matter of skin color. I think THAT is what this song is trying to say. Even purple or pink, we'd still be loved.
But what about the Jews or Muslims who don't believe in Jesus as a Savior? Maybe we should be all inclusive and just get rid of this song all together so we don't offend them too. The lady who is looking for variations to this song is a Sunday school teacher to 2 year olds. Would you be upset if your 2 year old came home singing a variation? To me, it's MY responsibility to teach about multiculturalism, not a SS teacher.
Why don't we hear more about THIS?? (c-sections)
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/05/health/05birt.html?ex=1158120000&en=f003438711774f4c&ei=5070&emc=eta1
A recent study of nearly six million births has found that the risk of death to newborns delivered by voluntary Caesarean section is much higher than previously believed.
Researchers have found that the neonatal mortality rate for Caesarean delivery among low-risk women is 1.77 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the rate for vaginal delivery is 0.62 deaths per 1,000. Their findings were published in this months issue of Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care.
The percentage of Caesarean births in the United States increased to 29.1 percent in 2004 from 20.7 percent in 1996, according to background information in the report.
Mortality in Caesarean deliveries has consistently been about 1½ times that of vaginal delivery, but it had been assumed that the difference was due to the higher risk profile of mothers who undergo the operation.
This study, according to the authors, is the first to examine the risk of Caesarean delivery among low-risk mothers who have no known medical reason for the operation.
Congenital malformations were the leading cause of neonatal death regardless of the type of delivery. But the risk in first Caesarean deliveries persisted even when deaths from congenital malformation were excluded from the calculation.
Intrauterine hypoxia lack of oxygen can be both a reason for performing a Caesarean section and a cause of death, but even eliminating those deaths left a neonatal mortality rate for Caesarean deliveries in the cases studied at more than twice that for vaginal births.
Neonatal deaths are rare for low-risk women on the order of about one death per 1,000 live births but even after we adjusted for socioeconomic and medical risk factors, the difference persisted, said Marian F. MacDorman, a statistician with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the lead author of the study.
This is nothing to get people really alarmed, but it is of concern given that were seeing a rapid increase in Caesarean births to women with no risks, Dr. MacDorman said. (My note....WHAT??? Not get people alarmed! I think people NEED to be alarmed about this!!! Babies are dying NEEDLESSLY because of 'convenience' sake).
Part of the reason for the increased mortality may be that labor, unpleasant as it sometimes is for the mother, is beneficial to the baby in releasing hormones that promote healthy lung function. The physical compression of the baby during labor is also useful in removing fluid from the lungs and helping the baby prepare to breathe air. (My note...Kudos to them for adding this!!!)
The researchers suggest that other risks of Caesarean delivery, like possible cuts to the baby during the operation (YIKES!) or delayed establishment of breast-feeding, may also contribute to the increased death rate.
The study included 5,762,037 live births and 11,897 infant deaths in the United States from 1998 through 2001, a sample large enough to draw statistically significant conclusions even though neonatal death is a rare event.
There were 311,927 Caesarean deliveries among low-risk women in the analysis.
The authors acknowledge that the study has certain limitations, including concerns about the accuracy of medical information reported on birth certificates.
That data is highly reliable for information like method of delivery and birth weight, but may underreport individual medical risk factors.
It is possible, though unlikely, that the Caesarean birth group was inherently at higher risk, the authors said.
Dr. Michael H. Malloy, a co-author of the article and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, said that doctors might want to consider these findings in advising their patients. (We could all hope....)
Despite attempts to control for a number of factors that might have accounted for a greater risk in mortality associated with C-sections, we continued to observe enough risk to prompt concern, he said.
When obstetricians review this information, perhaps it will promote greater discussion within the obstetrical community about the pros and cons of offering C-sections for convenience and promote more research into understanding why this increased risk persists.
A recent study of nearly six million births has found that the risk of death to newborns delivered by voluntary Caesarean section is much higher than previously believed.
Researchers have found that the neonatal mortality rate for Caesarean delivery among low-risk women is 1.77 deaths per 1,000 live births, while the rate for vaginal delivery is 0.62 deaths per 1,000. Their findings were published in this months issue of Birth: Issues in Perinatal Care.
The percentage of Caesarean births in the United States increased to 29.1 percent in 2004 from 20.7 percent in 1996, according to background information in the report.
Mortality in Caesarean deliveries has consistently been about 1½ times that of vaginal delivery, but it had been assumed that the difference was due to the higher risk profile of mothers who undergo the operation.
This study, according to the authors, is the first to examine the risk of Caesarean delivery among low-risk mothers who have no known medical reason for the operation.
Congenital malformations were the leading cause of neonatal death regardless of the type of delivery. But the risk in first Caesarean deliveries persisted even when deaths from congenital malformation were excluded from the calculation.
Intrauterine hypoxia lack of oxygen can be both a reason for performing a Caesarean section and a cause of death, but even eliminating those deaths left a neonatal mortality rate for Caesarean deliveries in the cases studied at more than twice that for vaginal births.
Neonatal deaths are rare for low-risk women on the order of about one death per 1,000 live births but even after we adjusted for socioeconomic and medical risk factors, the difference persisted, said Marian F. MacDorman, a statistician with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the lead author of the study.
This is nothing to get people really alarmed, but it is of concern given that were seeing a rapid increase in Caesarean births to women with no risks, Dr. MacDorman said. (My note....WHAT??? Not get people alarmed! I think people NEED to be alarmed about this!!! Babies are dying NEEDLESSLY because of 'convenience' sake).
Part of the reason for the increased mortality may be that labor, unpleasant as it sometimes is for the mother, is beneficial to the baby in releasing hormones that promote healthy lung function. The physical compression of the baby during labor is also useful in removing fluid from the lungs and helping the baby prepare to breathe air. (My note...Kudos to them for adding this!!!)
The researchers suggest that other risks of Caesarean delivery, like possible cuts to the baby during the operation (YIKES!) or delayed establishment of breast-feeding, may also contribute to the increased death rate.
The study included 5,762,037 live births and 11,897 infant deaths in the United States from 1998 through 2001, a sample large enough to draw statistically significant conclusions even though neonatal death is a rare event.
There were 311,927 Caesarean deliveries among low-risk women in the analysis.
The authors acknowledge that the study has certain limitations, including concerns about the accuracy of medical information reported on birth certificates.
That data is highly reliable for information like method of delivery and birth weight, but may underreport individual medical risk factors.
It is possible, though unlikely, that the Caesarean birth group was inherently at higher risk, the authors said.
Dr. Michael H. Malloy, a co-author of the article and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, said that doctors might want to consider these findings in advising their patients. (We could all hope....)
Despite attempts to control for a number of factors that might have accounted for a greater risk in mortality associated with C-sections, we continued to observe enough risk to prompt concern, he said.
When obstetricians review this information, perhaps it will promote greater discussion within the obstetrical community about the pros and cons of offering C-sections for convenience and promote more research into understanding why this increased risk persists.
Ever Wonder how Doctors REALLY View Your Birth??
This is an article about photographing a babies birth. Notice the bolded parts. (I've also thrown in much of my own commentary). I added my own emphasis in red.
(HELLO, this isn't a surgical procedure. It's not an illness that needs to be treated. It's a miracle of life! I guess this shows just how many c-sections (probably unnecessary ones) this hospital does. They don't want to get 'caught ' in the moms seeing just how unnecessary it really was!!)
(Why not? Are they going to do something they shouldn't be?? If they are truly doing their best, this "component" wouldn't scare them. IMO, this leaves more room for doctors to be careless and make rash decisions, including c-sections.)
(Gotta love midwives!! Way to stand up for a mom and what SHE wants not what the hospital and doctors want for them.)
This is my take. I want to remember this one. I want to be able to see exactly how I reacted, what I said, how I pushed, all the details. Unlike a surgery, I WANT to remember the birth of my child.
It's so sad to me that doctors these days have to be so worried about lawsuits that they have to make these rules. It's so sad that we are such a sue happy country that our freedom to choose how we birth, what we photograph, etc is being taken from us. I recently heard there are some hospitals that won't even let you take pictures of the baby being weighed and measured!!!! How tragic it's become. :(
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-deliver2706sep27,0,2142220.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
One of the region's largest hospital groups will soon forbid photography or
videotaping during childbirth, joining a national trend spurred by what some say
is concern over medical liability.
Beginning next month, Florida Hospital plans to bar cameras during labor
and delivery at its Orlando-area facilities with delivery rooms: the main campus
near downtown Orlando, and in Winter Park, Altamonte Springs and
Celebration.
"You don't go into the operating room and take pictures of
surgical procedures," said Pat DuRant, Florida Hospital's assistant
vice president of women's and medical-surgical services.
(HELLO, this isn't a surgical procedure. It's not an illness that needs to be treated. It's a miracle of life! I guess this shows just how many c-sections (probably unnecessary ones) this hospital does. They don't want to get 'caught ' in the moms seeing just how unnecessary it really was!!)
Florida Hospital had been allowing cameras, though with doctor approval and
"as long as it does not interfere with the care of the patient," DuRant said.
But under the new policy, parents will be able to film only after birth and once
a doctor says mother and baby are fine.
The change doesn't sit well with some mothers.
"I think it's terrible," said Sarah Baca, 25, of Orlando, who had a
professional photograph the birth two years ago of her son J.J. at Florida
Hospital's main campus. "It's such a personal, special time in someone's life,
and they're going to take that away."
Florida Hospital is falling in line with a number of hospitals across the
country, including Orlando Regional Healthcare and Central Florida Regional,
that say the birth of a child is not a time to be snapping photographs. Orlando
Regional, which operates the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies in
downtown Orlando and a maternity unit at its South Seminole Hospital in
Longwood, decided to restrict photography about five years ago.
However, the policies at the other Central Florida hospitals are less
stringent than those at Florida Hospital. If the doctor agrees, Orlando Regional
and Central Florida Regional allow videos and photos during much of a woman's
labor, just not during delivery.
"When the mom goes into active delivery, the doctor's here getting ready
for the catch and that type of stuff -- that's the component they don't want
folks videoing," Central Florida Regional spokesman Craig Bair said.
(Why not? Are they going to do something they shouldn't be?? If they are truly doing their best, this "component" wouldn't scare them. IMO, this leaves more room for doctors to be careless and make rash decisions, including c-sections.)
In Daytona Beach, Halifax Medical Center has one of the region's most
lenient policies. The hospital allows photography during both labor and
delivery, with a doctor's approval. So do two Florida Hospital facilities
operated independently of the Orlando-area branches: Florida Hospital DeLand and
Florida Hospital Waterman in Tavares.
Officials of Orlando Regional and Florida Hospital's Orlando-area
maternity units said they are being strict because they are worried about
safety. A person moving around, trying to get the right camera angle, can
distract the staff, they said. They couldn't cite any examples of someone with a
camera causing problems.
Fears about liability
Others say liability is the real issue.
Although an official of the American Medical Association said
the issue was "not something we follow," last year then-President Dr. John C.
Nelson called videotaping "a potential nail in the coffin from a liability
standpoint" and said that's why he banned it in his obstetrics practice.
Florida Hospital and Orlando Regional officials agree liability is a
factor, though they emphasize safety as their main concern. But Bair at Central
Florida Regional said that hospital's policy was prompted by worries that a
photo or videotape could end up as evidence in a trial.
A birth video last year helped lead to a malpractice settlement in
Missouri, attorney James Guirl said. The case involved a child who suffered an
arm injury during delivery. But birth videos tend to be taken at discreet
angles, he said, so it's rare for them to be very useful in a legal case.
Officials of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists would
not comment. In a 2002 article in the organization's newsletter, Dr. Johanna F.
Perlmutter noted concerns about liability and privacy when videotaping, but
emphasized safety concerns.
Officials from the American Hospital Association could not be reached for
comment, and statistics were not available on the number of hospitals nationwide
restricting photography.
Questioning why not
Representatives of the Central Florida Birth Network, an
association of midwives, doulas and birth educators, don't buy arguments that
cameras compromise safety by distracting staffers.
"If as long as they ahead of time say, 'This is your videotaping
area; stay over here in this area,' I don't see why there should be a problem with it," said Sonia Eittson, co-chair of the group.
(Gotta love midwives!! Way to stand up for a mom and what SHE wants not what the hospital and doctors want for them.)
The group's communication director, birth photographer Cristy Nielsen, said
she already has seen more restrictions when shooting births at Florida Hospital
facilities -- something officials said could have been a doctor's or nurse's
preference.
"Instead of being worried about patient care, they're worried about
somebody screwing up and it being caught on film," she said.
Though many women might consider childbirth too graphic to film, some say
recording it allows them to remember one of life's most special events.
"When you're in labor, you have all those hormones and
adrenaline -- you don't remember it, not really," Baca said.
"When I look at the pictures, I can really recall everything -- moments
between my husband and I, when I was having a contraction and he was holding
my hand or looking into my eyes and helping me breathe, that were just
priceless."
This is my take. I want to remember this one. I want to be able to see exactly how I reacted, what I said, how I pushed, all the details. Unlike a surgery, I WANT to remember the birth of my child.
It's so sad to me that doctors these days have to be so worried about lawsuits that they have to make these rules. It's so sad that we are such a sue happy country that our freedom to choose how we birth, what we photograph, etc is being taken from us. I recently heard there are some hospitals that won't even let you take pictures of the baby being weighed and measured!!!! How tragic it's become. :(
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-deliver2706sep27,0,2142220.story?coll=orl-home-headlines
The gods & fairies didn't show up!
Ever have those days where you are made to feel like you just don't do enough? That you have sat on the computer all day and so you OBVIOUSLY have neglected everything. After all, the things that did get done, probably got done by some 'outside force'.Let's see what all we don't do as SAHM.
1. The laundry fairy takes care of all the washing (at approx 15+ loads a week). The fairy then makes sure it's all folded, put into drawers or hung up, socks are folded and everyone has what they need.
2. The food genie does all the grocery shopping and makes breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
3. The school god gets up at 6:45 every morning, gets the uniforms out, kids fed, lunches packed, kids dressed and to school, not only on time, but early. He then picks them back up every day at 3:15, and goes back at 4:45 or 5 if they have an activity.
4. The homework helper makes sure that the kids get their homework done everynight and has it all packed back into their backpacks so they don't get into trouble.
5. The money tree sends out automatic payments to the mortgage company, car company, electric company and everyone else who wants money. PHEW, glad "we" don't have to deal with all that. EVERYONE seems to want money so I'm glad that the money tree takes care of all that for us.
6. Then there is the veteranarian who is here to clean up the dogs throw up and make sure the dog and cat are fed everynight and the cat liter box is cleaned out. The nurse is on call so that she can bandage every scrape, put ice on every booboo and kiss every pinched finger. The landscaper is here to mow the lawn and pick up the crap that is thrown from the white Explorer that so conveniently parks in the driveway and feels the need to clean itself out every morning, right onto the front lawn. The maid stops by daily to pick up all the toys, clean up the dishes after the meals, clean the kitchens, make sure the bathrooms are clean, and do the vacuuming. (Thank God for her...that job would suck!)
7.Then there's the nanny. WOW! What a job she has. Getting the younger kids dressed every morning, changing all the diapers, washing all the sticky fingers and faces after meals, helping to keep the potty training kids on track and not wet all day long and breaking up the fights that seem to happen almost hourly. Her job seems so stressful. Don't forget the baths that need to be given (that alone is an hour of time), teeth brushed and in bed between 8-8:30 EVERY NIGHT....always on time!
8.Let's see, the sex goddess. Yep, thank God for her too. We'd hate to think that when a husband comes home after a long days work that we need to have sex because he is stressed but horny. PHEW, thank goodness that all these other people take care of everything else so that if we wanted to have sex, we'd have the energy to actually do it.
Wow, these men are right...with all the help from the gods and faries, nanny and babysitter I guess we really DON'T need a break. Now, if they would show up just ONE time for their job, it might all be good......
(I've been asked by several people if they could post this. You are MORE than welcome to, just please link back to my blog). :)
1. The laundry fairy takes care of all the washing (at approx 15+ loads a week). The fairy then makes sure it's all folded, put into drawers or hung up, socks are folded and everyone has what they need.
2. The food genie does all the grocery shopping and makes breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
3. The school god gets up at 6:45 every morning, gets the uniforms out, kids fed, lunches packed, kids dressed and to school, not only on time, but early. He then picks them back up every day at 3:15, and goes back at 4:45 or 5 if they have an activity.
4. The homework helper makes sure that the kids get their homework done everynight and has it all packed back into their backpacks so they don't get into trouble.
5. The money tree sends out automatic payments to the mortgage company, car company, electric company and everyone else who wants money. PHEW, glad "we" don't have to deal with all that. EVERYONE seems to want money so I'm glad that the money tree takes care of all that for us.
6. Then there is the veteranarian who is here to clean up the dogs throw up and make sure the dog and cat are fed everynight and the cat liter box is cleaned out. The nurse is on call so that she can bandage every scrape, put ice on every booboo and kiss every pinched finger. The landscaper is here to mow the lawn and pick up the crap that is thrown from the white Explorer that so conveniently parks in the driveway and feels the need to clean itself out every morning, right onto the front lawn. The maid stops by daily to pick up all the toys, clean up the dishes after the meals, clean the kitchens, make sure the bathrooms are clean, and do the vacuuming. (Thank God for her...that job would suck!)
7.Then there's the nanny. WOW! What a job she has. Getting the younger kids dressed every morning, changing all the diapers, washing all the sticky fingers and faces after meals, helping to keep the potty training kids on track and not wet all day long and breaking up the fights that seem to happen almost hourly. Her job seems so stressful. Don't forget the baths that need to be given (that alone is an hour of time), teeth brushed and in bed between 8-8:30 EVERY NIGHT....always on time!
8.Let's see, the sex goddess. Yep, thank God for her too. We'd hate to think that when a husband comes home after a long days work that we need to have sex because he is stressed but horny. PHEW, thank goodness that all these other people take care of everything else so that if we wanted to have sex, we'd have the energy to actually do it.
Wow, these men are right...with all the help from the gods and faries, nanny and babysitter I guess we really DON'T need a break. Now, if they would show up just ONE time for their job, it might all be good......
(I've been asked by several people if they could post this. You are MORE than welcome to, just please link back to my blog). :)
Campaign For Real Beauty
Beauty? What is it? What makes a woman beautiful? Is it her full lips and perfect eye brows? Is it her amazing figure, perfect curves and perky breasts? Or is it simply the fact that she's a woman that makes her beautiful?
Society has been telling us that women are only beautiful is they are a certain way. If they are a certain height, if their hair is perfect, if they have the perfect smile and perfect overall 'look'. Many white women try to look beautiful by layering the makeup, spending hunderds of dollars on facials, skin peels, and skin care products to look and feel younger. Many black women add weaves and hair pieces to the mix. Why this obsession?
Why have we as women let society dictate what is beautiful? Why do we put ourselves through the agony of pluking eyebrows? Why the hassle (not to mention nicks) of perfectly 'stubble free' legs? Why don't we make our men wax their legs? Why don't they have to keep the stubble off their faces or their eyebrows tweezed? My DH and I talked about this not that long ago. I asked him how he would feel if I suddenly decided to not shave my legs anymore. He said that most people would probably think it was really gross and talk bad about me, but that it wouldn't really matter to him, although it would take some getting used to. I mean, think about it, most of us don't shave our the hair off our arms...why our legs? Anyways.....
Look at a few celebrities and what they really look like. We look up to them as some of the most beautiful people out there (Thanks to People Magazine) but look at them when they are normal, like me and you. Take away their $200 foundation, their $50 lipsticks and make them 'normal' and you have you and me!!!
How about Oprah?
http://www.battlehype.com/content/no_makeup/oprah.jpg
Maybe Christina Applegate? http://www.crystalpro.net/stars/christina.jpg
How about Courtney Cox? http://www.anvari.org/db/cols/Child_Artists/Stars_Without_Makeup_B.jpg
Simply amazing that without all the hoopla and makeup, these are real women, with real blemishes and real zits and freckles!
Dove is doing some amazing ad campaigns lately. Here is just one of them on distorted beauty. I wanted to pass this on to you. http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/ We have a long road ahead of us with our daughters. Let's instill true beauty in them. Let's make them know they are beautiful for WHO they are, not WHAT they are. They are beautiful simply because God made them a woman! God made man and woman in His image. They show the softer side of God. They show His beauty, His emotion, His spleder and glory. They show His 'softer' side. Let them see THAT beauty, not the beauty that is portrayed on TV and in advertisements. That's not beauty. That's vanity, pride and false advertising!!!
Oprah has a campaign of her own called Beauty from the Inside Out. Here's the link to some of that http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_past_20010503_b.jhtml
One of my favorite books on feminity and understanding who we are and our beauty is called "Captivating". I HIGHLY recommend this....especially to the Christian women. :)
Society has been telling us that women are only beautiful is they are a certain way. If they are a certain height, if their hair is perfect, if they have the perfect smile and perfect overall 'look'. Many white women try to look beautiful by layering the makeup, spending hunderds of dollars on facials, skin peels, and skin care products to look and feel younger. Many black women add weaves and hair pieces to the mix. Why this obsession?
Why have we as women let society dictate what is beautiful? Why do we put ourselves through the agony of pluking eyebrows? Why the hassle (not to mention nicks) of perfectly 'stubble free' legs? Why don't we make our men wax their legs? Why don't they have to keep the stubble off their faces or their eyebrows tweezed? My DH and I talked about this not that long ago. I asked him how he would feel if I suddenly decided to not shave my legs anymore. He said that most people would probably think it was really gross and talk bad about me, but that it wouldn't really matter to him, although it would take some getting used to. I mean, think about it, most of us don't shave our the hair off our arms...why our legs? Anyways.....
Look at a few celebrities and what they really look like. We look up to them as some of the most beautiful people out there (Thanks to People Magazine) but look at them when they are normal, like me and you. Take away their $200 foundation, their $50 lipsticks and make them 'normal' and you have you and me!!!
How about Oprah?
http://www.battlehype.com/content/no_makeup/oprah.jpg
Maybe Christina Applegate? http://www.crystalpro.net/stars/christina.jpg
How about Courtney Cox? http://www.anvari.org/db/cols/Child_Artists/Stars_Without_Makeup_B.jpg
Simply amazing that without all the hoopla and makeup, these are real women, with real blemishes and real zits and freckles!
Dove is doing some amazing ad campaigns lately. Here is just one of them on distorted beauty. I wanted to pass this on to you. http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/ We have a long road ahead of us with our daughters. Let's instill true beauty in them. Let's make them know they are beautiful for WHO they are, not WHAT they are. They are beautiful simply because God made them a woman! God made man and woman in His image. They show the softer side of God. They show His beauty, His emotion, His spleder and glory. They show His 'softer' side. Let them see THAT beauty, not the beauty that is portrayed on TV and in advertisements. That's not beauty. That's vanity, pride and false advertising!!!
Oprah has a campaign of her own called Beauty from the Inside Out. Here's the link to some of that http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/tows_past_20010503_b.jhtml
One of my favorite books on feminity and understanding who we are and our beauty is called "Captivating". I HIGHLY recommend this....especially to the Christian women. :)
The gods & fairies didn't show up!
Ever have those days where you are made to feel like you just don't do enough? That you have sat on the computer all day and so you OBVIOUSLY have neglected everything. After all, the things that did get done, probably got done by some 'outside force'.Let's see what all we don't do as SAHM.
1. The laundry fairy takes care of all the washing (at approx 15+ loads a week). The fairy then makes sure it's all folded, put into drawers or hung up, socks are folded and everyone has what they need.
2. The food genie does all the grocery shopping and makes breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
3. The school god gets up at 6:45 every morning, gets the uniforms out, kids fed, lunches packed, kids dressed and to school, not only on time, but early. He then picks them back up every day at 3:15, and goes back at 4:45 or 5 if they have an activity.
4. The homework helper makes sure that the kids get their homework done everynight and has it all packed back into their backpacks so they don't get into trouble.
5. The money tree sends out automatic payments to the mortgage company, car company, electric company and everyone else who wants money. PHEW, glad "we" don't have to deal with all that. EVERYONE seems to want money so I'm glad that the money tree takes care of all that for us.
6. Then there is the veteranarian who is here to clean up the dogs throw up and make sure the dog and cat are fed everynight and the cat liter box is cleaned out. The nurse is on call so that she can bandage every scrape, put ice on every booboo and kiss every pinched finger. The landscaper is here to mow the lawn and pick up the crap that is thrown from the white Explorer that so conveniently parks in the driveway and feels the need to clean itself out every morning, right onto the front lawn. The maid stops by daily to pick up all the toys, clean up the dishes after the meals, clean the kitchens, make sure the bathrooms are clean, and do the vacuuming. (Thank God for her...that job would suck!)
7.Then there's the nanny. WOW! What a job she has. Getting the younger kids dressed every morning, changing all the diapers, washing all the sticky fingers and faces after meals, helping to keep the potty training kids on track and not wet all day long and breaking up the fights that seem to happen almost hourly. Her job seems so stressful. Don't forget the baths that need to be given (that alone is an hour of time), teeth brushed and in bed between 8-8:30 EVERY NIGHT....always on time!
8.Let's see, the sex goddess. Yep, thank God for her too. We'd hate to think that when a husband comes home after a long days work that we need to have sex because he is stressed but horny. PHEW, thank goodness that all these other people take care of everything else so that if we wanted to have sex, we'd have the energy to actually do it.
Wow, these men are right...with all the help from the gods and faries, nanny and babysitter I guess we really DON'T need a break. Now, if they would show up just ONE time for their job, it might all be good......
*Written by Kelly Milano*
If you want to reprint this blog, please email me at kmilano@gmail.com for permission. I'd like to link to your blog once you have it up and posted. :)
1. The laundry fairy takes care of all the washing (at approx 15+ loads a week). The fairy then makes sure it's all folded, put into drawers or hung up, socks are folded and everyone has what they need.
2. The food genie does all the grocery shopping and makes breakfast, lunch and dinner every day.
3. The school god gets up at 6:45 every morning, gets the uniforms out, kids fed, lunches packed, kids dressed and to school, not only on time, but early. He then picks them back up every day at 3:15, and goes back at 4:45 or 5 if they have an activity.
4. The homework helper makes sure that the kids get their homework done everynight and has it all packed back into their backpacks so they don't get into trouble.
5. The money tree sends out automatic payments to the mortgage company, car company, electric company and everyone else who wants money. PHEW, glad "we" don't have to deal with all that. EVERYONE seems to want money so I'm glad that the money tree takes care of all that for us.
6. Then there is the veteranarian who is here to clean up the dogs throw up and make sure the dog and cat are fed everynight and the cat liter box is cleaned out. The nurse is on call so that she can bandage every scrape, put ice on every booboo and kiss every pinched finger. The landscaper is here to mow the lawn and pick up the crap that is thrown from the white Explorer that so conveniently parks in the driveway and feels the need to clean itself out every morning, right onto the front lawn. The maid stops by daily to pick up all the toys, clean up the dishes after the meals, clean the kitchens, make sure the bathrooms are clean, and do the vacuuming. (Thank God for her...that job would suck!)
7.Then there's the nanny. WOW! What a job she has. Getting the younger kids dressed every morning, changing all the diapers, washing all the sticky fingers and faces after meals, helping to keep the potty training kids on track and not wet all day long and breaking up the fights that seem to happen almost hourly. Her job seems so stressful. Don't forget the baths that need to be given (that alone is an hour of time), teeth brushed and in bed between 8-8:30 EVERY NIGHT....always on time!
8.Let's see, the sex goddess. Yep, thank God for her too. We'd hate to think that when a husband comes home after a long days work that we need to have sex because he is stressed but horny. PHEW, thank goodness that all these other people take care of everything else so that if we wanted to have sex, we'd have the energy to actually do it.
Wow, these men are right...with all the help from the gods and faries, nanny and babysitter I guess we really DON'T need a break. Now, if they would show up just ONE time for their job, it might all be good......
*Written by Kelly Milano*
If you want to reprint this blog, please email me at kmilano@gmail.com for permission. I'd like to link to your blog once you have it up and posted. :)
A couple pictures of me
Titus 2 Birthing: A Return to a Biblical Birthing Model
According to the Bible, normal birthing in the early days of human civilization was most often handled by trained midwives. Hebrew Midwives were most often trained older women who had apprenticed with a midwife and a woman who had children herself and knew that children were a blessing from the Lord. Midwifery was seen as an office and a ministry and was accounted a great responsibility. These Midwives adhered to a strict level of cleanliness and employed natural means to assist women in childbearing. They also participated in a Titus 2 type ministry by helping to educate young women about their bodies, having children, and healthy pregnancies.
The Bible gives us a wonderful story about 2 Hebrew midwives in Egypt, Shiphrah & Puah, who were charged by Pharoah to kill all the male Hebrew babies (Ex.1). The Bible says these women feared God more than Pharoah and refused, but that is not the most startling part of the narrative. When called to account for their lack of compliance, these women told Pharoah that the Hebrew women didn't labor like the Egyptian women and delivered quickly and effortlessly with the babies arriving before they could get there. Pharoah accepted this information as fact and issued a new decree in light of these new facts. The Bible also goes on to say that God blessed these women and made them famous with large families of their own for their obedience to Him.
So, why did Pharoah accept this information? Because it was true!! The Hebrew women were hardy and ate healthy diets. They were physically active and fit. They didn't fear birth and counted children as a blessing and barrenness as a curse. They relied on older and wiser women to assist them in labor, delivery and early care of their children.
The Egyptian women counted pregnancy and children as an inconvenience and actively practiced abortion, infanticide and extreme measure to prevent pregnancy. The Egyptian women relied on slaves to do everything and were lazy, physically unfit and ate a less healthy diet. Egyptian women feared birth and avoided it at all costs. No wonder the Egyptian women had more problems than the Hebrew women.
Even in non-Hebrew cultures, midwives were the norm and not the exception. Most male doctors considered childbirth beneath their dignity and refused to participate in all but the most extreme cases of difficulty. Until the late 1400's doctors didn't even consider trying to regulate midwifery, much less take over the business of delivering babies.
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, midwifery almost died out when barber-surgeons began trying to monopolize childbirth services. Women were forbidden to practice medicine or midwifery and many midwives were accused of being witches and killed. Only men were allowed in the medical schools and soon the Barber-Surgeon were delivering most of the babies.
Hospitals and asylums opened during the Renaissance to give medical students a place to learn their trade. The unfortunate side effect to this was an dramatic increase in childbed fever which killed vast numbers of new mothers because the students would come straight from the dissection tables to the labor wards and examine the women without washing their hands. This transmitted the diseases not only from the dead bodies to the initial patient, but from patient to patient as the doctor went from one laboring woman to another examining her internally. More women died from childbed fever than survived, and the largest percentage died within 48 hours of birth.
Many women still continued to give birth at home and slowly midwifery began to make a comeback. Midwife-assisted births had better outcomes and almost no evidence of the childbed fever rampant in hospitals. Some hospitals even employed midwives at one end of the hospital to care for the poor and less wealthy patients and doctors at the other end to deliver the babies of wealthy clients. Even here, the midwives' outcomes were better and incidence of childbed fever was much lower. Wealthier women who could afford the doctors often pleaded to be delivered by the midwives to avoid the death in the medical wards.
In 1847, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss instituted rules in his ward that physicians must wash between patients. He was convinced that the infections were being spread by the doctors and that the reasons midwives had better outcomes was directly related to their practices of cleanliness. This practice dramatically decreased the incidence of childbed fever, but most of his contemporaries ridiculed his research and continued to practice as they always had.
By the end of the 1800's many doctors were finally beginning to accept the research of Dr. Semmelweiss and others. Washing standards and protocols were instituted across Europe and American, but many women continued to favor delivering at home to a hospital delivery.
Things were beginning to change because of the introduction of chloroform in labor. Despite the fact that these chloroformed women were unable to care for their babies for several days while they recovered from the effects of the gas, a growing number of women saw the use of anesthetic to be a boon. Nurseries were started because mom was unable to care for her baby for several days, so the babies had to cared for by nursing staff.
In 1940, Twilight Sleep was introduced. This heavy dose of narcotics and amnesiacs completely incapacitated laboring women and caused women to loose control. Many were literally strapped to their beds to keep them from injuring themselves. Recovery was a long process because of the drugs and breastfeeding was more impossible than before. Dads were useless with this kind of labor and delivery, so they were relegated to the waiting room. Twilight sleep was also difficult on the babies were born sleepy and unable to respond or suck. Breathing was difficult and babies had to be watched carefully to insure that they didn't stop breathing. Many were force-fed in those first days after birth because they would not or could not suck effectively due to the drugs in their systems.
In 1944, Dr. Grantley Dick-Reed wrote Childbirth Without Fear. He studied midwives with laboring women and learned how these women assisted laboring women to give birth without medication using relaxation techniques. He also studied the fear-pain cycle and discovered that women who were not afraid of childbirth had less pain and fewer problems.
In 1953, Dr. Fernand Lamaze published his findings about labor and delivery in Russia. His philosophy substituted scientism for faith and introduced self-hypnotism as a method of coping and a way to remove God from the birth arena. His "prepared childbirth classes" were accepted by many hospitals because the instructors taught couples to accommodate hospital practices instead of listening to their own bodies. His work did, however, open the door to childbirth education classes and helped bring the father's back into the picture.
Not many years later, Dr. Robert Bradley introduced his philosophy of husband-coached childbirth in a book by the same name. Dr. Bradley believed that God gaver women the ability and instinct to give birth naturally. He encouraged fathers to take an active roll in pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. He advocated prepared, natural, non-medicated childbirth, breastfeeding, and shared parenting. He encouraged couples to rely on their faith in God and the skills they learning in childbirth classes to prepare them for labor and delivery.
In the late 1980's, a growing trend began taking childbirth back to basics. Advocates of non-medicated, non-interventive childbirth spawned new hope that women were inherently capable to giving birth safely and with manageable discomfort. Hospitals responded by the introduction of the LDR and birthing centers as free-standing birth centers births and homebirth statistics began to rise.
For the couple who desires a natural birth, there are lots more options today. Midwives once again assist couples to birth at home, free-standing birth centers or hospital. Community midwifery is practiced in every state in the union, although not legally in some. Unassisted deliveries occur every day by couples who either can't afford the services of a professional or choose to birth alone.
Childbirth classes of every flavor abound in most communities. Hospitals often offer classes to couples delivering in their facility, although often these classes may be more geared to teaching the couple to adapt to the hospital protocols than how to birth naturally. Private instructors, certified and not, teach classes in homes. More time is focused on options and informed birth than ever before.
Pagan birth practices have also gained in popularity. New age and occult rituals abound with both midwives and childbirth instructors. More often your choice is between Christian or pagan philosophy than secular or religious-based options. The truth is that often New Age and occultic-based practitioners are quicker to acknowledge and emphasize the spiritual basis of birth than are Christians.
In many ways, we have come full circle. Couples are determining for themselves what works best for their families. More and more birth practitioners are women, bringing back the concept of women helping women. The rise of the doula or professional labor assistant has returned the idea of continuous trained support with each couple and in helping women to cope using more traditional measures instead of drugs, whether in a hospital or birth center birth. Labor assistance has also returned the mentoring component back to childbirth. Mortality and morbidity rates are lower due to an emphasis on hygiene, good nutrition, exercise and prenatal care for all women.
The one facet which must still strive to become commonplace is the return of the Titus 2 mentoring roles back into the church and accepted as a part of the Church's responsibility in the arena of birthing and parenting. Christian birth professionals have been ridiculed for espousing a spiritual focus in the birth process, or worse, ignored or shunned by the local church. The concept of "Christian" childbirth and parenting classes is often passed over as unnecessary, lacking in scientific information, out of the scope of what the church felt it's role should be, or simply not practical.
Slowly, however, a new breed of birth professional is taking a stand to return Biblical faith and modeling to the childbirth scene. Christian childbirth education classes are being taught where faith, science, parental responsibility, spiritual headship and authority, and true and accurate teaching on all birth options come together to meet the needs of families. Christian labor assistants offer their skilled hands and hearts to help moms and dads work effectively through the labor process with a minimum of fear, a respect for the female body and it's ability to give birth normally, and a respect for the place of fathers as spiritual heads of their families. Christian music, often praise and worship music, is being heard in labor suites, birthing centers and homes along with prayers and scripture reading as a part of the coping techniques parents can use to make birth a special spiritual time to celebrate the life God has blessed and placed in their home. Christian midwives are becoming more numerous to give birthing couples an option in caregivers and in birth places if they want to birth with few interventions and/or want to give birth in the privacy of their own home.
Christian childbirth instruction may include information on Biblical nutrition, emphasis on the normalcy of childbearing and it's basic safety, a focus on what Scripture says about children and childbearing and what it does NOT say, how God sees and patterned the family model, Biblical models of childrearing, a contrast drawn between faith-filled birthing and fear-filled birthing, and a focus on one-on-one ministry and mentoring. Most of these women (for most are women, although in the Bradley model, classes may be taught by a married couple) are married with children and many are beyond the years of very young children. Many see their work as ministry and an extension of their faith, not just a pay check.
It's time for the Church to wake up and reclaim birth as the spiritual blessing God intended. It's also time to reintegrate faith, Biblical truths and Titus 2 modeling back into birthing. When we do, we will begin not only to see healthier birth outcomes, but a reclaimation of the family by providing them with a happier and healthier foundation.
9/30/98 by Rev. Kathy Rateliff, Certified Christian Doula, Christian Childbirth Educator and Cord Blood Educator Special thanks and appreciation to Apple Tree Family Ministries and it's founder, Helen Wessel, who compiled much of this information in Under the Apple Tree and The Joy of Natural Childbirth.
The Bible gives us a wonderful story about 2 Hebrew midwives in Egypt, Shiphrah & Puah, who were charged by Pharoah to kill all the male Hebrew babies (Ex.1). The Bible says these women feared God more than Pharoah and refused, but that is not the most startling part of the narrative. When called to account for their lack of compliance, these women told Pharoah that the Hebrew women didn't labor like the Egyptian women and delivered quickly and effortlessly with the babies arriving before they could get there. Pharoah accepted this information as fact and issued a new decree in light of these new facts. The Bible also goes on to say that God blessed these women and made them famous with large families of their own for their obedience to Him.
So, why did Pharoah accept this information? Because it was true!! The Hebrew women were hardy and ate healthy diets. They were physically active and fit. They didn't fear birth and counted children as a blessing and barrenness as a curse. They relied on older and wiser women to assist them in labor, delivery and early care of their children.
The Egyptian women counted pregnancy and children as an inconvenience and actively practiced abortion, infanticide and extreme measure to prevent pregnancy. The Egyptian women relied on slaves to do everything and were lazy, physically unfit and ate a less healthy diet. Egyptian women feared birth and avoided it at all costs. No wonder the Egyptian women had more problems than the Hebrew women.
Even in non-Hebrew cultures, midwives were the norm and not the exception. Most male doctors considered childbirth beneath their dignity and refused to participate in all but the most extreme cases of difficulty. Until the late 1400's doctors didn't even consider trying to regulate midwifery, much less take over the business of delivering babies.
During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, midwifery almost died out when barber-surgeons began trying to monopolize childbirth services. Women were forbidden to practice medicine or midwifery and many midwives were accused of being witches and killed. Only men were allowed in the medical schools and soon the Barber-Surgeon were delivering most of the babies.
Hospitals and asylums opened during the Renaissance to give medical students a place to learn their trade. The unfortunate side effect to this was an dramatic increase in childbed fever which killed vast numbers of new mothers because the students would come straight from the dissection tables to the labor wards and examine the women without washing their hands. This transmitted the diseases not only from the dead bodies to the initial patient, but from patient to patient as the doctor went from one laboring woman to another examining her internally. More women died from childbed fever than survived, and the largest percentage died within 48 hours of birth.
Many women still continued to give birth at home and slowly midwifery began to make a comeback. Midwife-assisted births had better outcomes and almost no evidence of the childbed fever rampant in hospitals. Some hospitals even employed midwives at one end of the hospital to care for the poor and less wealthy patients and doctors at the other end to deliver the babies of wealthy clients. Even here, the midwives' outcomes were better and incidence of childbed fever was much lower. Wealthier women who could afford the doctors often pleaded to be delivered by the midwives to avoid the death in the medical wards.
In 1847, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweiss instituted rules in his ward that physicians must wash between patients. He was convinced that the infections were being spread by the doctors and that the reasons midwives had better outcomes was directly related to their practices of cleanliness. This practice dramatically decreased the incidence of childbed fever, but most of his contemporaries ridiculed his research and continued to practice as they always had.
By the end of the 1800's many doctors were finally beginning to accept the research of Dr. Semmelweiss and others. Washing standards and protocols were instituted across Europe and American, but many women continued to favor delivering at home to a hospital delivery.
Things were beginning to change because of the introduction of chloroform in labor. Despite the fact that these chloroformed women were unable to care for their babies for several days while they recovered from the effects of the gas, a growing number of women saw the use of anesthetic to be a boon. Nurseries were started because mom was unable to care for her baby for several days, so the babies had to cared for by nursing staff.
In 1940, Twilight Sleep was introduced. This heavy dose of narcotics and amnesiacs completely incapacitated laboring women and caused women to loose control. Many were literally strapped to their beds to keep them from injuring themselves. Recovery was a long process because of the drugs and breastfeeding was more impossible than before. Dads were useless with this kind of labor and delivery, so they were relegated to the waiting room. Twilight sleep was also difficult on the babies were born sleepy and unable to respond or suck. Breathing was difficult and babies had to be watched carefully to insure that they didn't stop breathing. Many were force-fed in those first days after birth because they would not or could not suck effectively due to the drugs in their systems.
In 1944, Dr. Grantley Dick-Reed wrote Childbirth Without Fear. He studied midwives with laboring women and learned how these women assisted laboring women to give birth without medication using relaxation techniques. He also studied the fear-pain cycle and discovered that women who were not afraid of childbirth had less pain and fewer problems.
In 1953, Dr. Fernand Lamaze published his findings about labor and delivery in Russia. His philosophy substituted scientism for faith and introduced self-hypnotism as a method of coping and a way to remove God from the birth arena. His "prepared childbirth classes" were accepted by many hospitals because the instructors taught couples to accommodate hospital practices instead of listening to their own bodies. His work did, however, open the door to childbirth education classes and helped bring the father's back into the picture.
Not many years later, Dr. Robert Bradley introduced his philosophy of husband-coached childbirth in a book by the same name. Dr. Bradley believed that God gaver women the ability and instinct to give birth naturally. He encouraged fathers to take an active roll in pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. He advocated prepared, natural, non-medicated childbirth, breastfeeding, and shared parenting. He encouraged couples to rely on their faith in God and the skills they learning in childbirth classes to prepare them for labor and delivery.
In the late 1980's, a growing trend began taking childbirth back to basics. Advocates of non-medicated, non-interventive childbirth spawned new hope that women were inherently capable to giving birth safely and with manageable discomfort. Hospitals responded by the introduction of the LDR and birthing centers as free-standing birth centers births and homebirth statistics began to rise.
For the couple who desires a natural birth, there are lots more options today. Midwives once again assist couples to birth at home, free-standing birth centers or hospital. Community midwifery is practiced in every state in the union, although not legally in some. Unassisted deliveries occur every day by couples who either can't afford the services of a professional or choose to birth alone.
Childbirth classes of every flavor abound in most communities. Hospitals often offer classes to couples delivering in their facility, although often these classes may be more geared to teaching the couple to adapt to the hospital protocols than how to birth naturally. Private instructors, certified and not, teach classes in homes. More time is focused on options and informed birth than ever before.
Pagan birth practices have also gained in popularity. New age and occult rituals abound with both midwives and childbirth instructors. More often your choice is between Christian or pagan philosophy than secular or religious-based options. The truth is that often New Age and occultic-based practitioners are quicker to acknowledge and emphasize the spiritual basis of birth than are Christians.
In many ways, we have come full circle. Couples are determining for themselves what works best for their families. More and more birth practitioners are women, bringing back the concept of women helping women. The rise of the doula or professional labor assistant has returned the idea of continuous trained support with each couple and in helping women to cope using more traditional measures instead of drugs, whether in a hospital or birth center birth. Labor assistance has also returned the mentoring component back to childbirth. Mortality and morbidity rates are lower due to an emphasis on hygiene, good nutrition, exercise and prenatal care for all women.
The one facet which must still strive to become commonplace is the return of the Titus 2 mentoring roles back into the church and accepted as a part of the Church's responsibility in the arena of birthing and parenting. Christian birth professionals have been ridiculed for espousing a spiritual focus in the birth process, or worse, ignored or shunned by the local church. The concept of "Christian" childbirth and parenting classes is often passed over as unnecessary, lacking in scientific information, out of the scope of what the church felt it's role should be, or simply not practical.
Slowly, however, a new breed of birth professional is taking a stand to return Biblical faith and modeling to the childbirth scene. Christian childbirth education classes are being taught where faith, science, parental responsibility, spiritual headship and authority, and true and accurate teaching on all birth options come together to meet the needs of families. Christian labor assistants offer their skilled hands and hearts to help moms and dads work effectively through the labor process with a minimum of fear, a respect for the female body and it's ability to give birth normally, and a respect for the place of fathers as spiritual heads of their families. Christian music, often praise and worship music, is being heard in labor suites, birthing centers and homes along with prayers and scripture reading as a part of the coping techniques parents can use to make birth a special spiritual time to celebrate the life God has blessed and placed in their home. Christian midwives are becoming more numerous to give birthing couples an option in caregivers and in birth places if they want to birth with few interventions and/or want to give birth in the privacy of their own home.
Christian childbirth instruction may include information on Biblical nutrition, emphasis on the normalcy of childbearing and it's basic safety, a focus on what Scripture says about children and childbearing and what it does NOT say, how God sees and patterned the family model, Biblical models of childrearing, a contrast drawn between faith-filled birthing and fear-filled birthing, and a focus on one-on-one ministry and mentoring. Most of these women (for most are women, although in the Bradley model, classes may be taught by a married couple) are married with children and many are beyond the years of very young children. Many see their work as ministry and an extension of their faith, not just a pay check.
It's time for the Church to wake up and reclaim birth as the spiritual blessing God intended. It's also time to reintegrate faith, Biblical truths and Titus 2 modeling back into birthing. When we do, we will begin not only to see healthier birth outcomes, but a reclaimation of the family by providing them with a happier and healthier foundation.
9/30/98 by Rev. Kathy Rateliff, Certified Christian Doula, Christian Childbirth Educator and Cord Blood Educator Special thanks and appreciation to Apple Tree Family Ministries and it's founder, Helen Wessel, who compiled much of this information in Under the Apple Tree and The Joy of Natural Childbirth.
Painless Childbirth, and Dealing With Fear
Have you heard of pain free childbirth? Have you experienced it? Most women would say no, but there are those who have indeed had painless births. This is a valid experience, as is the painful birth. But it is not a mark of spirituality, just a wonderful blessing when it happens. Many fearful women hope for a pain-free birth, but they are rarely the ones who experience them. Now you may be wondering, Can it happen to you???
Pain-free labor, though not the norm, usually happens to those who are relaxed and calm and open to birth, and not fearful or controlling. Fear creates tension, which produces adrenaline, and decreases your body's natural ability to relieve pain on it's own.
Medications (epidural or intravenous, narcotic or anesthetic) all prevent the body from providing it's own pain relief in the form of endorphins. Women who are relaxed and calm are usually in control and comfortable, in spite of whatever pain they experience be it great or small. They also tend to have less pain than tense women.
Achieving this calm relaxed state during intense labor takes proper training and practice ahead of time in most cases, primarily to undo the cultural conditioning we've all received from the media about how scary and painful birth is.
One thing to remember about childbirth "pain" is that is it not at all like any other pain you normally experience. Most pain in your day-to-day life is *pathological* - something is wrong. But childbirth is not pathology - it's normal. So the sensations are not pathologically painful, but rather intense and normal.
Some pain in birth is to be expected. Your tissues and joints are being stretched to their limits, and that big bag of muscles that is your uterus is doing an incredible amount of work - something akin to mountain climbing! So some pain is to be expected. Intermittent pain, and pain you generally *can* cope with. But to further clarify, if you do experience really serious *pain* in childbirth then something probably IS wrong - baby's position isn't right, or you are tense and causing dysfunctional contractions. (And of course, everyone has different pain thresholds, but you can increase yours by learning to relax in advance.) These are things that can usually be dealt with by preparing well in advance for relaxation and proper fetal positioning, and also during labor by having a knowlegeable support person with you, and by staying unmedicated and able to walk, rock, lunge, squat, etc. as you feel the need. Without medication you can better respond to your body's signals as the baby moves into position for birth and help avoid much pain.
A few books by Chrisitan authors which might be helpful for dealing with issues of pain and fear in birth are:
The Joy of Natural Childbirth, by Helen Wessel
Under the Apple Tree - Marrying, Birthing, Parenting, by Helen Wessel
Childbirth Without Fear, by Dr. Grantly Dick-Read
The Birth Book, by Dr. William Sears (includes a section on medical pain relief, pros and cons)
I took natural childbirth classes during my first pregnancy. When people would hear that I was planning a natural birth, several asked incredulously, "Why would you give birth without drugs? I mean, you wouldn't have your wisdom teeth pulled without anesthesia, would you???" And I would think to myself, Well, of course not!! That would hurt!! And I'm not a fool...but I think I would like to give birth without drugs.
In my first pregnancy, such comments made me doubt my own sanity just enough that I never did learn to relax, and was a mess in labor - tense and scared, and had both narcotics (demerol, stadol, etc.) and the epidural. But my baby and I both had problems because of it, and the only reason he was released to go home with me was that my family doctor signed him out, saying I could "observe" him far better at home than the nurses in the hospital NICU could. (gotta love that man!! :)) My personal experience with labor drugs resulted in terrible halucinations with the demerol (with no pain relief, no "edge off") so I took the epidural. Then I had:
*dizziness, confusion and sleepiness
*low blood pressure (therefore IV fluids)
*the blood pressure cuff always on, inflating automatically every 10 minutes
*the constant annoyance of nurses (just doing their job, but driving me nuts)
*urine catheter
*constant fetal monitoring
*fever (common side effect of epidural drugs)
*no mobility - not even able to roll over on my own
*slowed labor which nearly led to cesarean
*numbness that wouldn't wear off, and I was unable to walk some 6 hours after the medication had been turned off
*unable to push effectively - 2.5 hours of pushing
*Oxygen mask during pushing (totally annoying)
*incredible postpartum pain from being in unnatural positions that I couldn't feel while I was doing it
My baby got the complete work-over when he was born. His first hours of life were horrifying to me.
*He had to be given oxygen via my bloodstream during labor because his heart rate was struggling.
*He continued to need oxygen at birth, as he was cut off quickly from the flow of oxygenated placental blood when his cord was cut abruptly to get him off to the NICU for suctioning.
*Immediately whisked away to the NICU for suctioning because there was meconium (first stool, very sticky) in the amniotic fluid (more common with epidurals than without) and the fear was that he had aspirated (inhaled) some. He had not.
*Temp was high (as mine was) so he was treated as if he had an infection - prophylactic antibiotics through a shunt in his arm, a complete septic work-up just in case.
*His breathing was funny, a little "chokey", and they kept watching him for signs of additional respiratory problems. I learned later from a midwife that it was probably a reflex caused by the tube pushed down his throat for suctioning.
*Every time I turned around, someone was poking him for another test.
*They wanted to keep him in the hospital for "observation" until his blood work came back. The only reason he was released to go home with me was that my family doctor signed him out, saying I could "observe" him far better at home than the nurses in the hospital NICU could. (gotta love that man!! :))
By the second one I was absolutely committed to natural birth, and in fact chose a home birth in order to avoid the distractions and fears that the hospital had caused for me. I still heard the wisdom teeth comment, but this time I didn't care what they said! I was going to birth my baby the way God made me to, and I didn't care what it took!! Sure enough, I had a much easier birth and much better recovery, and the baby was perfect - 10/10 apgars and a serious set of lungs!
Baby #3 was my hardest birth, but the fastest of all. We called her the "freight train baby" because she was in my arms two hours after the first contraction! At the time I remember wondering to myself, "Why am I having a home birth? If I was in the hospital I'd have drugs by now for sure!" and then before I knew it, there she was. Now in retrospect, I can see that I was in transition after about an hour and a half of rather mild labor.
My greatest downfall with that birth was assuming that I'd be in labor for several more hours, and wondering how I'd make it. If I'd *known* that the baby was coming so fast, I'd have understood why it was so intense! It's funny, I always teach my students not to look back and not to look forward, but to focus on relaxing thoroughly through the present contraction. Now I understand that wisdom on a different level. If I could have stopped "looking forward" to how much longer I might be in labor, I probably would have been much more relaxed!! :)
Back to the question at hand, about pain and fear in birth. I would be lying if I said birth could be painless for everyone. It's not true. Your body goes through incredible physical changes as the baby passes through. But this pain is not pathological. It is normal, it is physiological. And God made woman strong enough to bear it. Best of all, it changes you and empowers you. It makes you feel as if you've conquered something incredible, and you feel strong afterward. Strong in a way you've never known before. I believe it is a strength that God gave mothers. A strength to birth which carries over into mothering in a very unique way. Having done it both ways, having had both hard and easy labors, I would never again choose to be numb for this experience, as long as the choice remains my own.
Pain-free labor, though not the norm, usually happens to those who are relaxed and calm and open to birth, and not fearful or controlling. Fear creates tension, which produces adrenaline, and decreases your body's natural ability to relieve pain on it's own.
Medications (epidural or intravenous, narcotic or anesthetic) all prevent the body from providing it's own pain relief in the form of endorphins. Women who are relaxed and calm are usually in control and comfortable, in spite of whatever pain they experience be it great or small. They also tend to have less pain than tense women.
Achieving this calm relaxed state during intense labor takes proper training and practice ahead of time in most cases, primarily to undo the cultural conditioning we've all received from the media about how scary and painful birth is.
One thing to remember about childbirth "pain" is that is it not at all like any other pain you normally experience. Most pain in your day-to-day life is *pathological* - something is wrong. But childbirth is not pathology - it's normal. So the sensations are not pathologically painful, but rather intense and normal.
Some pain in birth is to be expected. Your tissues and joints are being stretched to their limits, and that big bag of muscles that is your uterus is doing an incredible amount of work - something akin to mountain climbing! So some pain is to be expected. Intermittent pain, and pain you generally *can* cope with. But to further clarify, if you do experience really serious *pain* in childbirth then something probably IS wrong - baby's position isn't right, or you are tense and causing dysfunctional contractions. (And of course, everyone has different pain thresholds, but you can increase yours by learning to relax in advance.) These are things that can usually be dealt with by preparing well in advance for relaxation and proper fetal positioning, and also during labor by having a knowlegeable support person with you, and by staying unmedicated and able to walk, rock, lunge, squat, etc. as you feel the need. Without medication you can better respond to your body's signals as the baby moves into position for birth and help avoid much pain.
A few books by Chrisitan authors which might be helpful for dealing with issues of pain and fear in birth are:
The Joy of Natural Childbirth, by Helen Wessel
Under the Apple Tree - Marrying, Birthing, Parenting, by Helen Wessel
Childbirth Without Fear, by Dr. Grantly Dick-Read
The Birth Book, by Dr. William Sears (includes a section on medical pain relief, pros and cons)
I took natural childbirth classes during my first pregnancy. When people would hear that I was planning a natural birth, several asked incredulously, "Why would you give birth without drugs? I mean, you wouldn't have your wisdom teeth pulled without anesthesia, would you???" And I would think to myself, Well, of course not!! That would hurt!! And I'm not a fool...but I think I would like to give birth without drugs.
In my first pregnancy, such comments made me doubt my own sanity just enough that I never did learn to relax, and was a mess in labor - tense and scared, and had both narcotics (demerol, stadol, etc.) and the epidural. But my baby and I both had problems because of it, and the only reason he was released to go home with me was that my family doctor signed him out, saying I could "observe" him far better at home than the nurses in the hospital NICU could. (gotta love that man!! :)) My personal experience with labor drugs resulted in terrible halucinations with the demerol (with no pain relief, no "edge off") so I took the epidural. Then I had:
*dizziness, confusion and sleepiness
*low blood pressure (therefore IV fluids)
*the blood pressure cuff always on, inflating automatically every 10 minutes
*the constant annoyance of nurses (just doing their job, but driving me nuts)
*urine catheter
*constant fetal monitoring
*fever (common side effect of epidural drugs)
*no mobility - not even able to roll over on my own
*slowed labor which nearly led to cesarean
*numbness that wouldn't wear off, and I was unable to walk some 6 hours after the medication had been turned off
*unable to push effectively - 2.5 hours of pushing
*Oxygen mask during pushing (totally annoying)
*incredible postpartum pain from being in unnatural positions that I couldn't feel while I was doing it
My baby got the complete work-over when he was born. His first hours of life were horrifying to me.
*He had to be given oxygen via my bloodstream during labor because his heart rate was struggling.
*He continued to need oxygen at birth, as he was cut off quickly from the flow of oxygenated placental blood when his cord was cut abruptly to get him off to the NICU for suctioning.
*Immediately whisked away to the NICU for suctioning because there was meconium (first stool, very sticky) in the amniotic fluid (more common with epidurals than without) and the fear was that he had aspirated (inhaled) some. He had not.
*Temp was high (as mine was) so he was treated as if he had an infection - prophylactic antibiotics through a shunt in his arm, a complete septic work-up just in case.
*His breathing was funny, a little "chokey", and they kept watching him for signs of additional respiratory problems. I learned later from a midwife that it was probably a reflex caused by the tube pushed down his throat for suctioning.
*Every time I turned around, someone was poking him for another test.
*They wanted to keep him in the hospital for "observation" until his blood work came back. The only reason he was released to go home with me was that my family doctor signed him out, saying I could "observe" him far better at home than the nurses in the hospital NICU could. (gotta love that man!! :))
By the second one I was absolutely committed to natural birth, and in fact chose a home birth in order to avoid the distractions and fears that the hospital had caused for me. I still heard the wisdom teeth comment, but this time I didn't care what they said! I was going to birth my baby the way God made me to, and I didn't care what it took!! Sure enough, I had a much easier birth and much better recovery, and the baby was perfect - 10/10 apgars and a serious set of lungs!
Baby #3 was my hardest birth, but the fastest of all. We called her the "freight train baby" because she was in my arms two hours after the first contraction! At the time I remember wondering to myself, "Why am I having a home birth? If I was in the hospital I'd have drugs by now for sure!" and then before I knew it, there she was. Now in retrospect, I can see that I was in transition after about an hour and a half of rather mild labor.
My greatest downfall with that birth was assuming that I'd be in labor for several more hours, and wondering how I'd make it. If I'd *known* that the baby was coming so fast, I'd have understood why it was so intense! It's funny, I always teach my students not to look back and not to look forward, but to focus on relaxing thoroughly through the present contraction. Now I understand that wisdom on a different level. If I could have stopped "looking forward" to how much longer I might be in labor, I probably would have been much more relaxed!! :)
Back to the question at hand, about pain and fear in birth. I would be lying if I said birth could be painless for everyone. It's not true. Your body goes through incredible physical changes as the baby passes through. But this pain is not pathological. It is normal, it is physiological. And God made woman strong enough to bear it. Best of all, it changes you and empowers you. It makes you feel as if you've conquered something incredible, and you feel strong afterward. Strong in a way you've never known before. I believe it is a strength that God gave mothers. A strength to birth which carries over into mothering in a very unique way. Having done it both ways, having had both hard and easy labors, I would never again choose to be numb for this experience, as long as the choice remains my own.
Risk & Benefits of Hospital Procedures
In spite of all the advertising touting "home-like" birthing rooms in hospitals, for most women, a hospital birth will be nothing like a home birth. Interventions are routine in the hospitals in my state. Every laboring woman will be hooked up for some period of time to an electronic fetal monitor, given vaginal exams, and be told where and in what position she must give birth. If her membranes are ruptured, she will be required to deliver her baby within a certain time period. If her labor is moving too slowly, she will be given pitocin to augment it or have her water artificially ruptured. She will be told how many companions she may have with her. If she has other children she may or may not include them at the birth. How long she is kept in the hospital will vary depending on her physicianand the particular hospital. How soon her baby will be released also will depend on the baby's pediatrician and hospital policy. Some of the more common interventions that take place during hospital births are discussed below.
AMNIOTOMY
Artificially breaking the amniotic sac is done routinely at many hospitals to speed labor up, get labor going, to test thefluid or to get it out of the way so that an internal monitor can be screwed into the baby's head. It was believed that breaking the water would speed up labor by 30 to 60 minutes butthe only randomized control trial done disproved this. This procedure causes cord prolapse, a serious complication for the baby and increases the chances of an infection. With less amniotic fluid in the uterus during labor, the baby has a greater risk of cord compression problems leading to fetal distress and malpositions of the head.
DRUGS & EPIDURALS
Nearly every woman giving birth in a hospital will receive a drug at some point during her stay. Pitocin is frequently usedto induce or augment labor. Because it causes abnormally strong contractions, many women receive a pain-relieving drug such as a narcotic. Unfortunately, narcotics also are received by the baby and can affect the condition of the baby at birth and for years after. Some of these side effects are respiratory problems,impaired muscular, visual and neural development in the firstweek of life and in the following years, lower reading and spelling scores, difficulty in solving problems or performing tasks when they pose a challenge.
The new drug of choice at many hospitals is the epidural. It must be administered by an anesthesiologist and requires the mother to remain in bed afterward. She must be flushed with an IV fluid prior to getting it to keep her blood pressure up. A needle is inserted into the woman's back and small catheter is left in place where the medication is injected. It numbs the woman's body from the ribs to the toes. Many women ask for this drug because they do not want to deal with the pain of childbirth and believe it is safe for themselves and their babies because the physician who administered it, their obstetrician and the labor and delivery nurses all encourage the use of it and give no information regarding side effects.
The known complications are many ranging from requiring EFM, IV, immobility, urinary catheterization. An epidural also may allow no sensation of labor or the pushing urge, lower blood pressure, abnormally relax the pelvic muscles which may encourage the baby to adopt malpositions of the head, may decrease the production of oxytocin at critical times, and increase the need for forceps and cesarean section. Epidurals cause some serious complications such as heart attack, spinal damage, and spinal headache. After the birth, chronic backache is a common complaint as well as backache. The baby may be exposed to narcotic drugs given to enhance the effect of the epidural and which if given alone can compromise the baby's respiratory efforts as well as require the newborn to metabolize the drugs. We do not know the short or long term effects of the epidural or other drugs on the baby. Some claim that the baby is unaffected unless the mother becomes hypotensive. Some non-interventionist birth attendants recognize that occasionally epidurals may be useful for certain situations. Some examples when an epidural may permit a normal birth are for maternal exhaustion, severe back labor, certain malpresentations or psychological dystocia. Although the FDA approves drugs as safe or unsafe, they have no definition of safe and do not guarantee safety of drugs. Many who work with brain damaged children, wonder if the disability is due to obstetric drug use. They also question if women would make the drug choice if they were given complete information about side effects. The American Academy of Pediatricians discourages the routine use of obstetric drugs.
ENEMAS
This procedure is still done routinely at many hospitals, although no research proves any benefits for the mother or baby. Home birth and natural birth advocates recognize that for the vast majority of women, the process of labor will empty thebowels.
EPISIOTOMY
Although many believe that an ep[isiotomy is necessary to have a baby to prevent damage to the baby's head, prevent trauma tothe mother's perineum and the cut will heal faster and prevent3rd and 4th degree tears, no research supports these myths. Shiela Kitzinger writes that 9 out of 10 American women will have an episiotomy with her first baby although in Holland, only 2 or 3 out of 10 will. The facts are that episiotomy is a cultural phenomena. Research shows that episiotomy is donebecause the doctor was trained to do it, not because it was anecessary procedure. It can be avoided by using more physiologic positions to give birth (not lithotomy), pushing only when mom feels need to, giving birth gently, slowly to thehead, preparing for the birth by doing perineal massage andKegel exercise, avoiding forceps delivery.
FORCEPS & VACUUM EXTRACTOR
Forceps are obstetrical tools which are shaped like large spoons have been in use since the 1500's. Years ago, forceps were used for many problems which are now handled by cesarean section. Today, most forceps deliveries are low forceps, which means they are applied when the babies head is low in the pelvis and birth is imminent. According to Henci Goer, "There is no research to support the elective use of forceps.
"The risks to the mother are perineal trauma, extensive episiotomy, possible extension tearing from episiotomy, hematoma and nerve damage. Lasting effects of forceps or vacuum extraction to the mother may be anal incontinence in spite of a repaired third degree tear. The baby may have damage to the head, eyes, the nerves that lead to the face and neck and arms. However, an article written by a physician which appeared in Parents magazine claims, "Medical studies comparing outlet forceps deliveries with spontaneous (no forceps) deliveries have shown that there is no difference in risk to the baby."(Emphasis mine)
Vacuum extraction is a newer technology that sometimes takesthe place of forceps. As with low forceps, the baby's head must be very low in the pelvis before the suction cup can be attached. It has the benefit of not requiring an episiotomy andmaternal perineal trauma is less than with forceps, but the babystill has the possibility of trauma to the head and face.Chiropractors also recognize that pulling a baby out by thehead changes the spinal alignment, although this is notrecognized in any medical texts.
IMMOBILITY
Along with the lithotomy position comes immobility. It is impossible to move around when you are flat on your back. It's even more difficult if you have internal and external fetal monitors attached to your body, an IV running into your arm and after a narcotic drug was given to "take the edge off." It goes without saying, that if you had an epidural, you would not be going anywhere at all as your legs would have no feeling.
Some hospitals encourage walking and moving around. Others do not like you to be out of your room, which may be quite small and loaded with equipment, making any real walking about nearly impossible. Studies have shown that moving about and being upright can shorten labor as well as changing positions.
INDUCTION
According to statistics from the health department in Wisconsin, one-third of all births in that state are the result of induction, the artificial starting of labor. Most inductions are accomplished using pitocin in an intravenous solution or artificially rupturing the amniotic sac. The reasons for doing this are many. One of the most common for healthy full-term women, is fear of going too far past the "due date" and having a baby with postmature syndrome or meconium staining. Another reason is fear of having a big baby.
Benefits of inducing would seem to be avoiding postmature syndrome, attempting to deliver a baby that had grown too big for the mother and bypassing meconium staining. However, studies fail to confirm this line of thought. The actual amountof time needed for a baby to grow to term varies and figuring an exact due date for each baby has not yet been done. Ultrasounds have at best a 10 day window of error if done in the first trimester. The phenomenon of postdates, is poorly understood. Macrosomia occurs prior to postdates as does "postmaturesyndrome." (p. 181) The entity of postmature syndrome is based on a single physicians "subjective evaluation of 37 babies." Research seems to indicate that watchful waiting is the more prudent course of action for healthy women.
IV
At a great many U.S. institutions, one of the first items of care to be rendered to the obstetric patient will be her IV,"just in case." Just in case she needs drugs or surgery or her veins collapse making insertion of an IV impossible. Nancy Wainer Cohen and Lois Estner interviewed many labor and delivery nurses to find out how frequently a laboring woman's veins collapsed. They learned that this does not happen. This is not the way birth happens in other nations, where a laboring woman is permitted to eat and drink lightly. This cultural warping began in the 1940's when anesthesia was being given to nearly all birthing women by mask and vomiting and food aspiration were risks associated with this. Eliminating food and drink, they felt would eliminate this risk. Today, however, anesthesia methods have improved and this is no longer the problem it once was. Improved intubation techniques make this problem virtually a thing of the past. Doris Haire, a maternity care writer, in looking at 20 years of medical literature on aspiration during surgery found that the cause was not eating or drinking prior to the surgery, but caused by incompetence of the anesthesiologist.
General anesthesia is given to approximately 4% of those who undergo cesarean section. Approximately 0.3% cesarean surgeries will require intubation that will be difficult to do yet not all women who require intubation will aspirate. This translates into denying all laboring women food and drink because 1 cesarean sectioned woman out of 10,000 may aspirate.
Although IV's are supposed to keep the stomach empty, a glucoseIV actually works to slow down the emptying of the stomach. It also may encourage tissues to swell so that it makes it moredifficult to intubate, if that becomes necessary. IV fluidaccumulates in the bladder and that may slow down labor. Somewomen may have sensitivities to the IV and have a reaction fromone. It restricts the woman's mobility. The needle in the arm ispainful and inhibits free movement. The baby also may suffer from the mother's IV, as studies are being done to determine if the excessive sugar administered through a glucose IV may harmthe baby.
About The Author: Yvonne Lapp Cryns is the owner of Midwives.net - http://www.midwives.net/ Yvonne is the co-founder of Nursing Programs Online at http://www.nursingprogramsonline.com/and a contributor to The Compleat Mother Magazine athttp://www.compleatmother.com/ . Yvonne is also a law school graduate, a registered nurse and a Certified ProfessionalMidwife.
AMNIOTOMY
Artificially breaking the amniotic sac is done routinely at many hospitals to speed labor up, get labor going, to test thefluid or to get it out of the way so that an internal monitor can be screwed into the baby's head. It was believed that breaking the water would speed up labor by 30 to 60 minutes butthe only randomized control trial done disproved this. This procedure causes cord prolapse, a serious complication for the baby and increases the chances of an infection. With less amniotic fluid in the uterus during labor, the baby has a greater risk of cord compression problems leading to fetal distress and malpositions of the head.
DRUGS & EPIDURALS
Nearly every woman giving birth in a hospital will receive a drug at some point during her stay. Pitocin is frequently usedto induce or augment labor. Because it causes abnormally strong contractions, many women receive a pain-relieving drug such as a narcotic. Unfortunately, narcotics also are received by the baby and can affect the condition of the baby at birth and for years after. Some of these side effects are respiratory problems,impaired muscular, visual and neural development in the firstweek of life and in the following years, lower reading and spelling scores, difficulty in solving problems or performing tasks when they pose a challenge.
The new drug of choice at many hospitals is the epidural. It must be administered by an anesthesiologist and requires the mother to remain in bed afterward. She must be flushed with an IV fluid prior to getting it to keep her blood pressure up. A needle is inserted into the woman's back and small catheter is left in place where the medication is injected. It numbs the woman's body from the ribs to the toes. Many women ask for this drug because they do not want to deal with the pain of childbirth and believe it is safe for themselves and their babies because the physician who administered it, their obstetrician and the labor and delivery nurses all encourage the use of it and give no information regarding side effects.
The known complications are many ranging from requiring EFM, IV, immobility, urinary catheterization. An epidural also may allow no sensation of labor or the pushing urge, lower blood pressure, abnormally relax the pelvic muscles which may encourage the baby to adopt malpositions of the head, may decrease the production of oxytocin at critical times, and increase the need for forceps and cesarean section. Epidurals cause some serious complications such as heart attack, spinal damage, and spinal headache. After the birth, chronic backache is a common complaint as well as backache. The baby may be exposed to narcotic drugs given to enhance the effect of the epidural and which if given alone can compromise the baby's respiratory efforts as well as require the newborn to metabolize the drugs. We do not know the short or long term effects of the epidural or other drugs on the baby. Some claim that the baby is unaffected unless the mother becomes hypotensive. Some non-interventionist birth attendants recognize that occasionally epidurals may be useful for certain situations. Some examples when an epidural may permit a normal birth are for maternal exhaustion, severe back labor, certain malpresentations or psychological dystocia. Although the FDA approves drugs as safe or unsafe, they have no definition of safe and do not guarantee safety of drugs. Many who work with brain damaged children, wonder if the disability is due to obstetric drug use. They also question if women would make the drug choice if they were given complete information about side effects. The American Academy of Pediatricians discourages the routine use of obstetric drugs.
ENEMAS
This procedure is still done routinely at many hospitals, although no research proves any benefits for the mother or baby. Home birth and natural birth advocates recognize that for the vast majority of women, the process of labor will empty thebowels.
EPISIOTOMY
Although many believe that an ep[isiotomy is necessary to have a baby to prevent damage to the baby's head, prevent trauma tothe mother's perineum and the cut will heal faster and prevent3rd and 4th degree tears, no research supports these myths. Shiela Kitzinger writes that 9 out of 10 American women will have an episiotomy with her first baby although in Holland, only 2 or 3 out of 10 will. The facts are that episiotomy is a cultural phenomena. Research shows that episiotomy is donebecause the doctor was trained to do it, not because it was anecessary procedure. It can be avoided by using more physiologic positions to give birth (not lithotomy), pushing only when mom feels need to, giving birth gently, slowly to thehead, preparing for the birth by doing perineal massage andKegel exercise, avoiding forceps delivery.
FORCEPS & VACUUM EXTRACTOR
Forceps are obstetrical tools which are shaped like large spoons have been in use since the 1500's. Years ago, forceps were used for many problems which are now handled by cesarean section. Today, most forceps deliveries are low forceps, which means they are applied when the babies head is low in the pelvis and birth is imminent. According to Henci Goer, "There is no research to support the elective use of forceps.
"The risks to the mother are perineal trauma, extensive episiotomy, possible extension tearing from episiotomy, hematoma and nerve damage. Lasting effects of forceps or vacuum extraction to the mother may be anal incontinence in spite of a repaired third degree tear. The baby may have damage to the head, eyes, the nerves that lead to the face and neck and arms. However, an article written by a physician which appeared in Parents magazine claims, "Medical studies comparing outlet forceps deliveries with spontaneous (no forceps) deliveries have shown that there is no difference in risk to the baby."(Emphasis mine)
Vacuum extraction is a newer technology that sometimes takesthe place of forceps. As with low forceps, the baby's head must be very low in the pelvis before the suction cup can be attached. It has the benefit of not requiring an episiotomy andmaternal perineal trauma is less than with forceps, but the babystill has the possibility of trauma to the head and face.Chiropractors also recognize that pulling a baby out by thehead changes the spinal alignment, although this is notrecognized in any medical texts.
IMMOBILITY
Along with the lithotomy position comes immobility. It is impossible to move around when you are flat on your back. It's even more difficult if you have internal and external fetal monitors attached to your body, an IV running into your arm and after a narcotic drug was given to "take the edge off." It goes without saying, that if you had an epidural, you would not be going anywhere at all as your legs would have no feeling.
Some hospitals encourage walking and moving around. Others do not like you to be out of your room, which may be quite small and loaded with equipment, making any real walking about nearly impossible. Studies have shown that moving about and being upright can shorten labor as well as changing positions.
INDUCTION
According to statistics from the health department in Wisconsin, one-third of all births in that state are the result of induction, the artificial starting of labor. Most inductions are accomplished using pitocin in an intravenous solution or artificially rupturing the amniotic sac. The reasons for doing this are many. One of the most common for healthy full-term women, is fear of going too far past the "due date" and having a baby with postmature syndrome or meconium staining. Another reason is fear of having a big baby.
Benefits of inducing would seem to be avoiding postmature syndrome, attempting to deliver a baby that had grown too big for the mother and bypassing meconium staining. However, studies fail to confirm this line of thought. The actual amountof time needed for a baby to grow to term varies and figuring an exact due date for each baby has not yet been done. Ultrasounds have at best a 10 day window of error if done in the first trimester. The phenomenon of postdates, is poorly understood. Macrosomia occurs prior to postdates as does "postmaturesyndrome." (p. 181) The entity of postmature syndrome is based on a single physicians "subjective evaluation of 37 babies." Research seems to indicate that watchful waiting is the more prudent course of action for healthy women.
IV
At a great many U.S. institutions, one of the first items of care to be rendered to the obstetric patient will be her IV,"just in case." Just in case she needs drugs or surgery or her veins collapse making insertion of an IV impossible. Nancy Wainer Cohen and Lois Estner interviewed many labor and delivery nurses to find out how frequently a laboring woman's veins collapsed. They learned that this does not happen. This is not the way birth happens in other nations, where a laboring woman is permitted to eat and drink lightly. This cultural warping began in the 1940's when anesthesia was being given to nearly all birthing women by mask and vomiting and food aspiration were risks associated with this. Eliminating food and drink, they felt would eliminate this risk. Today, however, anesthesia methods have improved and this is no longer the problem it once was. Improved intubation techniques make this problem virtually a thing of the past. Doris Haire, a maternity care writer, in looking at 20 years of medical literature on aspiration during surgery found that the cause was not eating or drinking prior to the surgery, but caused by incompetence of the anesthesiologist.
General anesthesia is given to approximately 4% of those who undergo cesarean section. Approximately 0.3% cesarean surgeries will require intubation that will be difficult to do yet not all women who require intubation will aspirate. This translates into denying all laboring women food and drink because 1 cesarean sectioned woman out of 10,000 may aspirate.
Although IV's are supposed to keep the stomach empty, a glucoseIV actually works to slow down the emptying of the stomach. It also may encourage tissues to swell so that it makes it moredifficult to intubate, if that becomes necessary. IV fluidaccumulates in the bladder and that may slow down labor. Somewomen may have sensitivities to the IV and have a reaction fromone. It restricts the woman's mobility. The needle in the arm ispainful and inhibits free movement. The baby also may suffer from the mother's IV, as studies are being done to determine if the excessive sugar administered through a glucose IV may harmthe baby.
About The Author: Yvonne Lapp Cryns is the owner of Midwives.net - http://www.midwives.net/ Yvonne is the co-founder of Nursing Programs Online at http://www.nursingprogramsonline.com/and a contributor to The Compleat Mother Magazine athttp://www.compleatmother.com/ . Yvonne is also a law school graduate, a registered nurse and a Certified ProfessionalMidwife.
Holistic Aromatherapy for Mom and Baby
Pregnancy is not merely a transformation of a woman's physical body. Her emotional state-of-mind is also affected. Certainly the varied levels of progesterone and estrogen during pregnancy are partially to blame. But it's no secret that along with the great anticipation of a new baby's arrival comes an anxiety of what lies ahead. This intense inner transformation is like riding a roller coaster of emotions. Ups and downs become usual and uneasy -- not only for you as the mother-to-be, but also for the people around you, including baby.
Doctors and scientists have confirmed that the mother's emotional state considerably influences the health of her child. If a mother is overly stressed or anxious, it's been shown to affect her baby's birth weight, and could in fact be causing stress to the child as well.
Which is why it's important for expectant moms to focus on maintaining a healthy state-of-mind. Using natural remedies-like aromatherapy, flower essences, homeopathy or herbs-can ease manyof the stresses, discomforts and ailments associated with pregnancy.
If you are interested in exploring these kinds of alternatives during pregnancy, I encourage you to find a certified holistic practitioner or homeopathic doctor in your area. Since there are many herbs that should be altogether avoided during pregnancy, it is best to incorporate natural remedies into your life in consultation with a specialist and after your first trimester.
The following recipes are safe, enjoyable and easy enough to blend right at home, and will certainly make a difference in the way you feel. Combine these remedies, along with other activities you enjoy, such as walking, massage, reading, etc. Not only will your baby benefit from your uplifted spirits, but daddy will too!
**************************
Aromatic Blend to Ease Fears
**************************
It's not uncommon to have fears about pregnancy. You may wonder whether you are progressing normally, whether the baby is healthy, etc. Use this blend to bring comfort and reassurancewhen you feel you need it most. In a 10-ml bottle, pour theessential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·1 drop Roman Chamomile
·1 drop Neroli
Massage the solar plexus. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks.
********************************
Blend to Ease Anxiety, Nervousness
********************************
As the big day draws near, feelings of anxiety and nervousness about the labor and delivery are prominent. Use this blend to clear your mind and bring you peace. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·3 drops Lavender
·1 drop Neroli
Massage the solar plexus. Pour a few drops of this aromaticblend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks. Massage also the temples, neck and forehead if you suffer from insomnia.
**************************
Blend to Bond with Your Baby
**************************
This blend quiets the mind and spirit, allowing mom to feel more in-tune with her baby. It is a wonderful blend formeditation, which can help bring a connection with the child. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·1 drop Rosewood
·1 drop Lavender
·1 drop Neroli
In the evening, set up a tranquil place to light candles and meditate. Massage your abdomen, sacrum and heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Placing your hands on your belly, tune in to the baby's heartbeat, talk to the baby, open yourself to the many sensations your baby is experiencing. The purpose is to FEEL and let love embrace you.
*After the second trimester, replace the Rosewood in this blend with 2 drops of Rose Otto, which will help ease the fears and anxiety of the third trimester. Rose helps to calm your emotions and increases tranquility.
**************************
Blend for Emotional Comfort
**************************
One moment you may feel overjoyed, while the next moment you feel uncertain. It's no wonder pregnant women often feel so frazzled and sensitive. Use this blend to enjoy more of the nurturing comfort you crave. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·2 drops Bergamot
·2 drops Orange
·1 drop Neroli
Massage the solar plexus, abdomen and heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks.
*After the second trimester, replace the Neroli in this blendfor the Rose essential oil (see above).
**************************
Blend to Bring Security
**************************
In the midst of the life-transforming state of pregnancy, we all need to feel grounded and secure. Use the following blend to bring you more confidence and security. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·1 drop Neroli
·1 drop Roman Chamomile
·2 drops Bergamot
Massage the solar plexus and the heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretchmarks.
**************************
Blend to Feel More Loved
**************************
As your pregnant body evolves, it's not uncommon to feel unattractive, uncomfortable and sometimes unloved. This blend will bring you comfort and tranquility to help you feel loved and nurtured.
·1 drops Rosewood
·2 drops Bergamot
·2 drops Lavender
Massage the solar plexus, abdomen and heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks.
*After the second trimester, replace the rosewood in this blendfor the Rose essential oil (see above).
``````````````````````````
Visit www.aromalchemy.com/aromatherapy/ouroils.html to purchase or read more about the essential oils used in these blends.
``````````````````````````
In Good Health,Francoise Rappwww.aromalchemy.com This article was originally published by Françoise Rapp in "TheArom'Alchemy Newsletter," a weekly ezine dedicated to healthy mind, body and soul through the use of aromatherapy. To subscribe, visit www.aromalchemy.com/education/index.html.
Doctors and scientists have confirmed that the mother's emotional state considerably influences the health of her child. If a mother is overly stressed or anxious, it's been shown to affect her baby's birth weight, and could in fact be causing stress to the child as well.
Which is why it's important for expectant moms to focus on maintaining a healthy state-of-mind. Using natural remedies-like aromatherapy, flower essences, homeopathy or herbs-can ease manyof the stresses, discomforts and ailments associated with pregnancy.
If you are interested in exploring these kinds of alternatives during pregnancy, I encourage you to find a certified holistic practitioner or homeopathic doctor in your area. Since there are many herbs that should be altogether avoided during pregnancy, it is best to incorporate natural remedies into your life in consultation with a specialist and after your first trimester.
The following recipes are safe, enjoyable and easy enough to blend right at home, and will certainly make a difference in the way you feel. Combine these remedies, along with other activities you enjoy, such as walking, massage, reading, etc. Not only will your baby benefit from your uplifted spirits, but daddy will too!
**************************
Aromatic Blend to Ease Fears
**************************
It's not uncommon to have fears about pregnancy. You may wonder whether you are progressing normally, whether the baby is healthy, etc. Use this blend to bring comfort and reassurancewhen you feel you need it most. In a 10-ml bottle, pour theessential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·1 drop Roman Chamomile
·1 drop Neroli
Massage the solar plexus. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks.
********************************
Blend to Ease Anxiety, Nervousness
********************************
As the big day draws near, feelings of anxiety and nervousness about the labor and delivery are prominent. Use this blend to clear your mind and bring you peace. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·3 drops Lavender
·1 drop Neroli
Massage the solar plexus. Pour a few drops of this aromaticblend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks. Massage also the temples, neck and forehead if you suffer from insomnia.
**************************
Blend to Bond with Your Baby
**************************
This blend quiets the mind and spirit, allowing mom to feel more in-tune with her baby. It is a wonderful blend formeditation, which can help bring a connection with the child. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·1 drop Rosewood
·1 drop Lavender
·1 drop Neroli
In the evening, set up a tranquil place to light candles and meditate. Massage your abdomen, sacrum and heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Placing your hands on your belly, tune in to the baby's heartbeat, talk to the baby, open yourself to the many sensations your baby is experiencing. The purpose is to FEEL and let love embrace you.
*After the second trimester, replace the Rosewood in this blend with 2 drops of Rose Otto, which will help ease the fears and anxiety of the third trimester. Rose helps to calm your emotions and increases tranquility.
**************************
Blend for Emotional Comfort
**************************
One moment you may feel overjoyed, while the next moment you feel uncertain. It's no wonder pregnant women often feel so frazzled and sensitive. Use this blend to enjoy more of the nurturing comfort you crave. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·2 drops Bergamot
·2 drops Orange
·1 drop Neroli
Massage the solar plexus, abdomen and heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks.
*After the second trimester, replace the Neroli in this blendfor the Rose essential oil (see above).
**************************
Blend to Bring Security
**************************
In the midst of the life-transforming state of pregnancy, we all need to feel grounded and secure. Use the following blend to bring you more confidence and security. In a 10-ml bottle, pour the essential oils and then add organic vegetable oil to fill.
·1 drop Neroli
·1 drop Roman Chamomile
·2 drops Bergamot
Massage the solar plexus and the heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretchmarks.
**************************
Blend to Feel More Loved
**************************
As your pregnant body evolves, it's not uncommon to feel unattractive, uncomfortable and sometimes unloved. This blend will bring you comfort and tranquility to help you feel loved and nurtured.
·1 drops Rosewood
·2 drops Bergamot
·2 drops Lavender
Massage the solar plexus, abdomen and heart chakra. Pour a few drops of this aromatic blend into the palm of your hands and inhale deeply. Add several drops to your unscented lotion and massage on your body to soothe and moisturize dry skin and treat stretch marks.
*After the second trimester, replace the rosewood in this blendfor the Rose essential oil (see above).
``````````````````````````
Visit www.aromalchemy.com/aromatherapy/ouroils.html to purchase or read more about the essential oils used in these blends.
``````````````````````````
In Good Health,Francoise Rappwww.aromalchemy.com This article was originally published by Françoise Rapp in "TheArom'Alchemy Newsletter," a weekly ezine dedicated to healthy mind, body and soul through the use of aromatherapy. To subscribe, visit www.aromalchemy.com/education/index.html.
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