Don't Like It? Stop Staring...

There have been some very interesting blog posts lately about breastfeeding in public.

It all started when one blogger, a woman, asked why breastfeeding mothers can't cover up and be discreet while breastfeeding in public.

I've breastfed in public anywhere and everywhere. In church. On a dance floor, while dancing. On a Ferris Wheel. In the grocery store. At fairs, at concerts, malls, people's homes, field trips, at the side of the road.....anywhere that my baby happened to be hungry while I was out.

I do not use blankets or covers. I do not isolate myself in a dark corner, or in the bathroom. And yet, out of the hundreds of times that I've nursed my babies in public, I can only recall two instances where the people around me even knew what I was doing...98% of the time, everyone assumes the baby is sleeping in my arms.

In fact, when my oldest was 13 months old, I had one friend ask me if I had weaned her or not while my daughter was nursing at my breast. When I pointed out that I was nursing her at that very moment, my friend was very surprised, as she thought my daughter was just cuddling with me.

I've never received a negative comment. But somehow, there is still this perception in our culture that moms who breastfeed in public are "whipping it out" for all to see, and need to be covered up.

Afraid that your husband will see another woman's breast? Fine, tell him not to stare. And then make sure he never reads magazines, watches TV, goes to the mall, or goes to the beach. Because between all the Victoria Secret ads and billboards and skimpy bathing suits at the beach, he is bound to see some breast, and oh no we can't let that happen!

Do you have a young child and are afraid of him or

her seeing a breast? Stop right there, because this is part of the problem. Because if young children are taught about breastfeeding and see it in their childhood, then they won't grow up into adults who believe babies should eat under blankets. If you are worried it might be awkward if your child starts asking questions, please don't. I've breastfed at many a play date and park and the following conversation usually occurs:

Child: "What are you doing?"

Me: "I'm feeding my baby."

Child: "oh" and then bounds off to play.

Why is this even a big deal in the first place? A mother feeding her baby....so what?

For more on this topic, visit Adventures in Babywearing and PHDinParenting.

Don't Like It? Stop Staring...

My Thoughts on The Nestle Family Event.

As most of you know, I currently boycott Nestle. I'm not going to go into ALL the details of why in this post, but it basically involves the fact that Nestle has horrible unethical business practices, and these practices lead to the deaths of infants. For more information on the boycott itself, I urge you to visit Baby Milk Action and read up on why Nestle is one of the most boycotted companies in the world.

Recently Nestle invited a group of prominent bloggers to come to California on an all-expense paid trip and participate in study panels. I was shocked and disappointed for two reasons: 1. some bloggers claimed not to know about Nestle's unethical practices and the 30 year boycott and 2. some bloggers did, and seemed not to care.

As a blogger, it is your responsibility to be diligent about the companies that you choose to represent on your blog, whether it be through product reviews, advertisements, or giveaways. It's as simple as that. Even if you truly did not know about the Nestle boycott, how hard is it to Google Nestle and take a look at what comes up? Or to even Google Nestle ethics? This information is NOT hard to find, especially since the Nestle boycott is supported by so many people and organizations.

Once these bloggers had the facts of the Nestle boycott and Nestle's unsavory practices brought to their attention, I watched as many remained indifferent. This, I cannot understand. I heard so many excuses from them, as they parroted the Nestle PR people and talked about the small things that Nestle in doing in Africa. People, this is not a corporation that simply provides crappy health insurance and low wages to its employees; we are talking about a company who uses slave labor, whose unethical practices contribute to the death of infants, and who participates in many other transgressions that are just as unbelievably unethical. I love the post over at The Curvature, who goes into more details about the degrees of evil issue, I strongly encourage you to read it. Nestle is an evil corporation. And after finding out the facts, and learning about Nestle's transgressions, it continues to be beyond me how bloggers can continue to support the company and accept free candy and food.

There were some bloggers who claim that they knew of Nestle's transgressions and still went participated in the event in order to "open up a dialogue" and "ask Nestle the hard questions". Out of all the reasons to participate, this reason is the one I understand the least.

Nestle has been one of the most boycotted companies for over 30 years. 30 years!! Organizations such as Baby Milk Action and The International Baby Food Action Network have been trying that whole time, to "open up a dialogue" with Nestle. Time and time again, Nestle has refused to answer their questions, or even debate with them. For heaven's sake, we are talking about a company that faced criminal charges and has had lawsuits brought against them by governments. Still. they refused to listen, and to answer the hard questions.

So, I ask you this: do you honestly believe that a company who has been boycotted so strongly for so long, that has faced global organizations and refused to budge, that has faced criminal and civil charges brought against it by governments, do you think a company that has done all this gives a damn about having a dialogue with you? Especially when you are accepting free gifts and plane rides from them at the same time? Or building candy crafts?

Please. Give me a break.

Accepting free stuff from them and building candy crafts from them and shopping in their store is not showing them that you are concerned over their business practices. Every time you work with them, every time you buy one of their products, you are putting money in their pockets. You are supporting them, and therefore what they do. So please, don't try to hide your desire for free stuff and attention behind "trying to open a dialogue" excuse. I don't buy it.

If you want to let them know you don't like their practices, join the boycott. Support Baby Milk Action. Write them letters. But stop holding your hands out for free stuff. I find that disgusting.

Am I being harsh? Maybe. But if in reality, you just don't care about Nestle's practices because you like their candy too much, own up to it. Don't try to hide behind excuses.

Other great thoughts about this issue:
PhD in Parenting's open letter to the bloggers.
Blacktating's post on Nestle Family, Bloggers, and Race: Why It Matters
Nestle Corporate Crimes

My Thoughts on The Nestle Family Event.

Telling A 4 Year Old She Will Burn In Hell Does Not Earn You Brownie Points With God.

The other day, I was folding laundry in the master bedroom while the girls were playing in the backyard. The doorbell rang and when I answered it, there stood two very nicely dressed, nice looking girls. These girls were young, they could not have been older than 15 years old.

They were Jehovah's Witnesses.

Now, I get that part of their religion calls for them to try to "recruit" people, so I really did not mind too much that they knocked on my door. I politely told them I wasn't interested. One girl said, "Ok, have a nice day" but the other girl got really pushy until I finally got curt and said again that I wasn't interested and that I was busy and had to go. Then I shut the door and went back upstairs to fold laundry.

I was putting some folded towels away in the bathroom when I heard the Mermaid say something that I couldn't make out through the bathroom window. Then I heard a girl's voice say frantically, "Come on Kristy, we're not supposed to be doing this!" Of course that got my attention, and I went to the window and looked down to see one of the girls, the one who had just spoken, standing at the edge of my yard and looking around nervously.

The "pushy" girl was IN my backyard. Talking to my four year old.

And I heard her say, "Don't you know that if you don't find the right church you will burn in hell?"

To my four. year. old.

Of course I ran down the stairs and out the front door, fury all over my face. I must have looked like a mother bear coming to protect her cubs, because as soon as I hit the door the girls turned and RAN.

But then, as I am chasing this girl out of my yard, she has the nerve to spin around as she is running and WHIP TWO BROCHURES AT ME!!

For the next two nights the Mermaid had nightmares that our house was on fire, and she was burning. She doesn't understand the concept of Hell yet, and this was not how I had planned for her to learn.

When did sharing your religion cross over into scaring 4 year old little girls? Into trespassing on someone's property? Into not respecting someone's wish for you to leave them alone?

I'm curious is anyone else has had this type of experience.

Telling A 4 Year Old She Will Burn In Hell Does Not Earn You Brownie Points With God.

In the News

A few stories that have been floating around the WWW:

CDC Says Cesarean Triples Neonatal Death Risk.
From the article:

While the increased risks of cesarean section to neonatal and maternal health have long been known, an even more grim issue came to light in a study released in the September, 2006 issue of Birth Journal. The CDC conducted research on cesarean section and neonatal mortality, expecting to find that the neonatal mortality rate (defined as death within the first 28 days of life) following cesarean section correlated directly with medical complications of the mother and baby. What they found, instead, was that regardless of risk factors, babies born by cesarean section face a risk of death nearly three times that of vaginally born babies.

VBAC? How About On The Interestate?
An amazing story about a woman a VBA3C on the side of the freeway! Frankly, I'm surprised she was able to find a doctor that would allow her to try a vaginal birth!

Let The Baby Decide: The Case Against Inducing Labor
From the article:

Labor should be induced only when medically necessary, never simply for convenience or because a woman is sick of being pregnant. The risks in these situations far outweigh the perceived benefits. Determining postmaturity or a woman's readiness to give birth are complex processes. We are just beginning to understand the long-term effects on the fetal brain of drugs such as Pitocin, and the exact long-term effects of inducing or augmenting labor are unknown. Pregnant woman wanting information on the safety of a drug can consult the Physicians' Desk Reference or call the product safety officer at the pharmaceutical company where it is manufactured.

The Physical Impact of Cesareans
From the article:

We’re seeing only the tip of the iceberg in regard to the impact of cesareans on women and their families. The reality is that the impact is far larger and deeper than we know. As the cesarean rate increases, so does our glimpse into the reality of the immense proportions of the epidemic and its impact on our lives.

And finally, IKEA Employee Sends Breastfeeding Mother To Bathroom.
From the article:

"On Wednesday I was in IKEA Red Hook in the middle of breastfeeding, fully covered, when I was told I had to stop doing "that" and go to the nearby family bathroom. The IKEA employee and security guards were extremely rude to us. I was hustled off to the bathroom and then had to wait because someone else was using it. I was humiliated, my daughter was upset from being interrupted in the middle of her feed. When eventually I gave up and headed for the car to finish feeding, the security guards who had seen the entire event insisted on checking my receipts.

As always, I welcome your thoughts and comments about any of these stories.

In the News

Pit To Distress: Or, Another Reason To Run Away From The Hospital.

Lately there's been a lot of buzz surrounding the article Pit to Distress: Your Ticket To Unnecessary Cesarean?

From the article:

“Pit to distress.” How have I not heard about this? Apparently it’s quite en vogue in many hospitals these days. Googling the term brings up a number of
pages discussing the practice, which entails administering the highest possible
dosage of Pitocin in order to deliberately distress the fetus, so a C-section
can be performed.

Yes folks, you read that right. All that Pit is not to coerce mom’s body into birthing ASAP so they can turn that moneymaking bed over, but to purposefully squeeze all the oxygen out of her baby so they can put on a concerned face and say, “Oh dear, looks like we’re heading to the OR!”

She goes on to say:

Jill asks the questions, “OBs, do you still think women are choosing not to birth at your hospitals because Ricki Lake said homebirths are cool? Do you
still think we are only out for a “good experience?”

I imagine that all of us who have openly questioned the practices of obstetricians in the U.S. have been hit with the same backlash. We must be selfish, irrational and motivated by our own personal satisfaction. We’ve been indoctrinated into a subculture of natural birth zealots and want to force pain on other women or just feel mighty and superior. We fetishize vaginal birth and attach magical powers to a
so-called natural entrance to the world.

Nah. It’s stuff like “pit to distress” that made me run for the nearest freestanding birth center. If I had to do it all over again, I’d stay home.

Yes, I am a big fan of home birth. But I'm not a "natural birth zealot". I don't believe that home birth is an option for everyone, but it is a real problem and a real shame when women who choose not to give birth at home have to choose instead to give birth in a hostile environment where Pit to Distress is becoming more common. Where women are told what they can and cannot do, where they are lied to, and where they are transformed into powerful women whose bodies are doing what nature intends to women who are forced to lay still, be helpless, and let someone else take over their birth for them.

Haven't we had enough already? Consumer desire is slowly making progress in terms of changing hospital practices, but it isn't enough. We need to demand more.

Pit To Distress: Or, Another Reason To Run Away From The Hospital.

Don't Want To Let Go...

Today is July 4th, Independence Day.

It was also my due date with Kalei.

Today, instead of going to my IL's cookout, the Knight and I are going to hold a small ceremony. We're going to spread some of his ashes on my grandmother's grave, so that they can be together both physically and spiritually. We're also going to spread a small amount in our backyard, so he can be with the girls when they play outside. The rest we will keep, in the heart-shaped urn in our living room.

I'm grieving, yes. But mostly I feel anger. I heard his heartbeat at 12 weeks, and it was perfect. Why the f*ck did it stop beating? What the f*ck happened?

I know that he probably would not have been born today, with my history of being at least 7 days "late". He probably would have sat, safe and snug, in my belly for at least another week.

I should be at that cookout today. With my big belly and swollen ankles, sitting in a chair and holding a glass of water, hoping that someone else will push the Guppy on the swing because there would be no way I could get out of that chair without the use of a crane. There should be boxes of supplies for the homebirth set up at home. Instead there are boxes of baby stuff that were given to me by friends, still sitting in my bedroom because I still cannot bring myself to put them away in storage.

I'm angry, at myself and at God. But then I think about those two weeks that I carried him, after we found out that he had died. I remember how sometimes, when I was just waking up, in the funny stage between sleep and being awake, I would actually forget that he had died and I would think that I felt him kick. At the time I thought that it was so cruel, that moment of forgetfulness. But now? Now I wonder if that was God's way of letting me know that Kalei was, and is, still with us.

After all, isn't it in those moments of stillness, those moments of quiet transition, when our guard is down and our minds are open, that we are most able to hear His voice?

Don't Want To Let Go...

Ok, Now This Is Getting Ridiculous...

Extremely ridiculous.

Poster of Toddler Breastfeeding Doll Sparks Criticism.

From the article:

New mothers and staff have criticised Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust for putting up the image on the children's ward at Rochdale Infirmary.
The poster shows a child of two or three breastfeeding a doll under the headline
'It's normal' and accompanied by the caption 'Children copy their mothers,
teenagers do it! Celebrities do it'.

Health chiefs insist that the poster is designed to promote breastfeeding but critics say that the picture is 'distasteful, inappropriate and crude'.

Okay, people? Seriously. It is a picture of a child nursing her doll. DEAL!

Such a shame that people are so upset over something so sweet. Really, there are no words for this level of foolishness.

Ok, Now This Is Getting Ridiculous...

Honoring The Real Woman's Body

Since I have stopped watching cable television, one thing I realized that I definitely don't miss is the ads that show perfect women with their perfect bodies that are perfectly made up and put together in their perfect clean homes.

Today's women are bombarded by ads on two levels: first, if your family isn't happy and joyful at all moments of the day, and if your house isn't perfectly clean and bright and sunny, then you are doing something wrong and you should not be happy until you buy their product.

The second message is, if you don't have a perfect body and if you don't wake up every day and put on a nice outfit and makeup and have perfect hair, then you are doing something wrong and you will only be happy when you buy their product.

I'm not talking about the ads that show young girls in size 4 walking on the beach in bikinis (although that certainly adds to the problem). I'm talking about moms on TV who are holding a 6 week old baby but are lacking the 6 week postpartum body. The message is: once you pop out your baby you should be able to squeeze right back into your size 4 pre-pregnancy jeans. No muffin-tops or postpartum bellies allowed, please!

Let's talk about real life: about wearing maternity jeans after pregnancy for a bit; about being so busy taking care of a newborn that you forget to shower for a day or two, never mind do your hair and makeup; about how pregnancy and giving birth is going to change your body. Even if you are a size 4 starting out and you are a size 4 after you give birth, there is still going to be changes. If it isn't weight gain it is stretch marks, or you might weigh the same but the weight sits differently on you now. It's going to be different and that's okay because that's real, that's life, and those changes are our badges of honor for bringing a new life into this world.

Women should be proud of their bodies, their stretch marks. I think this would be the case, except we are bombarded by these ads that cause us to place unrealistic expectations on ourselves, and I think a lot of women are ashamed of their bodies and keep it hidden away as much as possible, when in fact it should be viewed as honorable and part of the essence of motherhood.

I can't be the only one who feels this way, can I?

Some links that I've read this week around this topic:

Midwives Honor The Sensuality of Pregnancy and Birth.
From the article:

The media reflects a lot of image confusion, resulting in pregnant women diminishing their desire to look pregnant. The social image of adopting a lean, masculine-looking body has influenced some pregnant women to try not to have any excess adipose tissue on them after birth. Our lean culture has pregnant women joining the obsession of calorie restriction and adopting eating disorders. This phenomenon has become so common that it must be screened for routinely during the prenatal health history. Superstars and models brag to the media about how much they exercise and the expertise of their personal trainers, who helped them reach their size two by their tenth postpartum day.

House Fairy wrote an awesome post that you must read on this entitled "Emerging From Underneath The Mountain of Capitalism's Misinformation"
From her post:

No wonder the tweens/teens gobble up the tabloids. They tell such a crisp and clean and linear and beginning-middle-end kind of a story, huh? Meet a hot dude, have an obnoxious wedding (or not, usually not) have a be-bop pregnancy with a tiny rounded shiny (what is that one about, btw?) tanning boothed belly--twins are hot right now, maybe try for twins--, and have a very mysterious birth with no details, prattle on about how you breastfeed and then appear on such and such red carpet such and such weeks afterwards with no baby in sight and unveil your new bod!The end!

And finally, if you haven't yet, please go visit The Shape of a Mother to see what real women look like.

It's one thing to diet and work to be thinner for health reasons, but to do it just to fit into our society's expectations on what women ought to look like? Something isn't right...

Honoring The Real Woman's Body

Ultrasounds and Autism

There's an article in Midwifery Today recently that discusses the link between ultrasounds and autism, as well as other birth defects.

From the article:

Early studies showed that subtle effects of neurological damage linked to
ultrasound were implicated by an increased incidence in left-handedness in boys
(a marker for brain problems when not hereditary) and speech delays.(5) Then in
August 2006, Pasko Rakic, chair of Yale School of Medicine's Department of
Neurobiology, announced the results of a study in which pregnant mice underwent
various durations of ultrasound.(6) The brains of the offspring showed damage
consistent with that found in the brains of people with autism. The research,
funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, also
implicated ultrasound in neurodevelopmental problems in children, such as
dyslexia, epilepsy, mental retardation and schizophrenia, and showed that damage
to brain cells increased with longer exposures.(7)

I heard something similar through the grape vine after the Guppy's birth and vowed not to get another ultrasound done unless it was truly medically necessary.

We once x-rayed pregnant woman and believed it was safe. Why is it so hard to believe that ultrasounds aren't as safe as people think? Another case of technology being over-used to the point of harming mothers and babies.

Let's also not forget that thanks to the ultrasound, so many moms are being told that their babies are "too big" to be born vaginally and are scheduled for a c-section or induction. Ultrasounds are not guaranteed. They can be off by as much as five pounds!!

*sigh*

Ultrasounds and Autism

Journey

This journey has been very long and tiring for the whole family.

We did try to induce my labor at home with herbs. However, for some reason, my body refused to let go of the body. The herbs had no effect at all.

So, after being dumped by my first obgyn for asking too many questions and "questioning his authority", I found a wonderful and compassionate doctor who was willing to sit with me, answer all my questions, and discuss my options. After much discussion and inward-seeking, we chose to induce in the hospital.

My beautiful baby was born on February 26th at 5:50 PM. It was a boy. We named him Kalei, which means "beloved" in Hawaiian.

The hospital staff was simply amazing. They took pictures, little tiny footprints, and let me have all the time I wanted with him to say goodbye. We were able to take home the pictures, blankets, baby card, baby hospital wrist band, and other materials that they gave to us as mementos. We had the baby blessed and they put the holy water in a seashell during the blessing, then gave us the sea shell to take home as well. My mother and a couple of understanding and close friends were there to say goodbye as well.

Walking out of the hospital with a bag of mementos in my arms instead of a baby was really hard.

We are choosing to have him cremated, and a wonderful funeral home offered to do it at no cost. We have a catalogue of urns and keepsakes to choose from, and I can't seem to bring myself to pick one out. I'll probably leave that choice up to the Knight.

Physically I am feeling fine. Emotionally, I am having my ups and downs. But I am so incredibly grateful for the supportive friends and family members who has made this journey easier.

My Name @ Yahoo! Video

Journey

Thank You

Thank you so much to everyone and to our family and friends for their kind words and support. Right now the support we are receiving is what is keeping us going.

We've decided for personal reasons not to continue the process in the hospital. Instead, we are going to induce labor this weekend and give birth at home, as originally planned.

I'm not sure when I will feel up to posting again, so in the meantime, thanks again for all your support.

Thank You

My Dearest Baby,

I remember the second I first got an inkling that you existed. I was feeling off, not my usual self, and my stomach seemed to be sticking out more than usual. Staring at the positive pregnancy test, I was elated, excited, and overjoyed. Our family was going to be complete.

I was impatient and eagerly counted down the weeks until you were due to appear. Even two months of severe morning sickness did not decrease my enthusiasm.....8 weeks....12 weeks....14 weeks....18 weeks. So close to the midway point. Boxes of baby clothes from friends piled up in my room, waiting to be sorted through and used. We started to make exciting plans for the birth; who would be there, if I should give birth on the back porch in the nice warm weather, wanting to give birth in the water like with the Guppy.

Then, a curious glitch: the midwife had a hard time finding your heartbeat. She determined that you were an elusive baby; that the placenta was in the front, making it harder to find the heartbeat. Nothing really to worry about, but let's get an ultrasound done just to make sure.

I really didn't think I had anything to worry about. I was excited to be able to see you, to know what your gender was. After all, there were no signs that anything was wrong; no mother's intuition on my end that something wasn't right. So when the doctor started speaking in a solemn voice, the only thing I could manage to do was stare at you on the ultrasound screen and try to ignore the things he was saying.

"No movement.......no heartbeat....only measuring at 14 weeks.....so sorry....."

He was right, there was no movement. But I could see your beautiful form on the screen; your small head and round tummy; your little arms and legs; much smaller than you should have been but still so incredibly beautiful and still.

Should I have known that there was something wrong? Would a more intuitive, attentive mother sensed that something wasn't right instead of walking around for over four weeks with you passed away inside of her? Does it even matter? The pain would still be there, my heart would still be breaking, and I wouldn't have had that extra four weeks of sweet, blissful ignorance: time I spent imagining your birth and what you were going to look like, wondering what to name you, wondering when I would finally feel you move.

I don't even know if you were a boy or a girl. I wish I did know, I could give you a proper name. Would you have had brown hair like the Mermaid? Or would your hair have been lighter like the Guppy's? Would you have preferred to nurse on the right breast or the left? Would you have liked to be swaddled with your arms free or in the blankets? All these small things, these things that I took for granted in knowing about my children; I will never know them about you.

You aren't on this earth anymore, little angel. But you are forever and always in my heart, in my mind, and in my soul. We weren't able to get to know each other, but we will someday. Until then, my angel....

Love,
Mommy

Shame on You, Enfamil

Enfamil has recently released a new "breastfeeding support kit" for those moms who want to breastfeed.

Honestly, the fact that they are purposely trying to sabotage a mother's breastfeeding effort has me so infuriated that I am at a loss of words.

So, rather than subject everyone to an angry tangent that would contain a lot of curse words, I'm going to suggest that you check out what Rixa wrote on her blog, and what House Fairy wrote on hers. They are so much more articulate than I am when angry.

For shame, Enfamil.

Shame on You, Enfamil

Government warns Simplicity bassinets are deadly

The Knight forwarded me this article on the dangers of Simplicity bassinets. According to the article:

The "close-sleeper/bedside sleeper" bassinets, made by Simplicity Inc. of
Reading, Pa., can allow infants to slip through the product and suffocate,
said the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Simplicity Inc.'s 3-in-1 and
4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than
federal standards allow.

There are two reported deaths already. And if this isn't bad enough, my favorite part of the article states (emphasis mine):

"SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.'s assets in
April, "has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products,"
CPSC said in a release Wednesday. "SFCA maintains that it is not
responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc."

*banging head against desk*

Well, they have just permanently lost one potential customer. Any others?

Government warns Simplicity bassinets are deadly

Monitoring in High Gear: What Happened to Evidence Based Practices?

Giving birth in the hospital? Afraid that the nurses might give you too much attention? Have no fear, the BirthTrack Labor Progress Monitor is here!Seriously, all joking aside, this device is ridiculous. According to the website:

BirthTrack continually tracks and displays the most important diagnostic variables. Currently, cervical dilatation and head station are assessed by the physician/midwife manually during vaginal examination. In the usual procedure vaginal examinations are performed numerous times during normal labor. In the case of labor arrest or other complications the number of vaginal examinations increases. The information available to the caregiver is inaccurate due to the objective nature of the measurement and intermittent. In the event of
non-progressive labor, the diagnosis may be delayed, thereby preventing the mother from obtaining the best medical care.

Yes, because it is absolutely essential to know exactly how many centimeters a woman is dilated!

The sensors are placed on your abdomen, two are attached to your cervix, and one is attached to the fetal scalp. Makes it kind of hard to get up and walk around, huh.

I love what they state about partner participation. From the site (emphasis mine):

You will have continuous information regarding the progress of labor and you will know the position of your baby every second. Your partner will be able to be an active participant in the labor process as he/she follows the progress of the partogram on the screen next to your bed.

Yes, because heaven forbid we take the time to focus on the woman and give the woman the attention and support she needs and deserves. Heaven forbid we use evidence based practices and let her get up and walk around; it is so much more convenient to just strap her in and watch the monitor!

What in the world is happening to our maternity system, and to our society as a whole, where the focus is shifting from people and support to technology and convenience? This is getting a little scary.....

But, hey, at least they have the machine that goes PING!

Monitoring in High Gear: What Happened to Evidence Based Practices?

SIDS Caused By Toxins?

I was forwarded this very interesting email today concerning the cause of SIDS.

How can crib death be prevented?
Many parents may be unaware of a 100% successful crib death prevention campaign which a New Zealand scientist, Dr Jim Sprott, has been running in New Zealand for ten years.

Here's an interesting excerpt from www.thecauseofsids.org:

Dr Sprott states with certainty that the cause of crib death has been
discovered: it is caused by very toxic nerve gases which can be generated from mattresses and certain other bedding used in babies' cribs. These toxic nerve gases are generated when compounds of phosphorus, arsenic and/or antimony in the bedding combine with household fungus which commonly grows in bedding.

These gases (which are all anticholinesterase agents), when inhaled by a baby or absorbed through the baby's skin in a lethal dose, shut down the baby's central nervous system, stopping breathing and then heart function. Thus the cause of crib death is not medical – it is the result of environmental poisoning. The baby can be fatally poisoned without waking and without physical struggle.

The solution is to prevent exposure of babies to the gases by wrapping
mattresses in accordance with a specified protocol and ensuring that bedding used on top of the wrapped mattresses is not capable of the gas generation concerned.

It would be really interesting to see what the rest of the medical community think of this study, and also to learn why this study is not well known in this country.

SIDS Caused By Toxins?

AMA Resolution to Outlaw Homebirth

This is absolutely ridiculous. The American Medical Association has apoted a resolution to outlaw homebirth!! Not only do they provide absolutely no science to back up their reasoning, but it is a gross violation of women's rights.

From the article:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 16, 2008)—Just in time for Father’s Day, at its annual meeting last weekend, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted a resolution to introduce legislation outlawing home birth, and potentially making criminals of the mothers who choose home birth with the help of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) for their families.

“It’s unclear what penalties the AMA will seek to impose on women who choose to give birth at home, either for religious, cultural or financial reasons—or just because they didn’t make it to the hospital in time,” said Susan Jenkins, Legal Counsel for The Big Push for Midwives 2008 campaign. “What we do know, however, is that any state that enacts such a law will immediately find itself in court, since a law dictating where a woman must give birth would be a clear violation of fundamental rights to privacy and other freedoms currently protected by the U.S. Constitution.”

You can read the full article here.

I am still speechless...

AMA Resolution to Outlaw Homebirth

April is Cesarean Awareness Month

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

Cesarean awareness is for mothers who are expecting or who might choose to be in the future. It's for daughters who don't realize what choices are being taken away from them. It's for scientists studying the effects of cesareans and how birth impacts our lives. It's for grandmothers who won't be having more children but are questioning the abdominal pains and adhesions causing damage 30 years after their cesareans.

CESAREANS are serious. There is no need for a 'catchy phrase' to tell us that this is a mainstream problem. It affects everyone. One in three American women every year have surgery to bring their babies into the world.These women have lifelong health effects, impacting the families that are helping them in their healing, impacting other families through health care costs and policies, and bringing back those same lifelong health effects to the children they bring into this world.Be aware. Read. Learn. Ask questions. Get informed consent. Be your own advocate for the information you need to know.

www.ican-online.org

April is Cesarean Awareness Month

Our Maternity System: Can It Be Fixed?

Those of you who regularly read this blog know that I am a strong supporter of natural childbirth, especially homebirth, for those women who wish to have one. This is because I personally believe that the maternity system in our country is simply broken and needs to be fixed.

Now, I am not saying that OB/GYN's are evil people who are out to make a profit at all costs. Rather, I believe that it is the system itself that is faulty. It is the system that these people are working in that has created the situation where the Cesarean rate is 30% and where a large proportion of medical students never even see a natural birth during their training. OB/GYN's are simply trained that women need intervention, that they need drugs, epidurals, that they need the doctors help to give birth to their babies and that the women can not do it alone. In what other system would the situation described by Mardsen Wagner in this interview occur?

I learned that in the rural town of Madera, California, doctors had decided that they no longer wanted to attend births in the Madera County Hospital. They complained that it took too much of their time and didn't pay enough. So in 1968 the county recruited two midwives to fill the gap. After two years, the rate of babies dying around the time of birth in the hospital was cut in half. Alarmed that their style of maternity care was being made to look bad, the doctors in town agreed that they would once again attend births in the hospital if the two midwives were fired. The hospital fired the midwives, the doctors returned, and
soon the rate of babies dying around birth rose to its earlier higher levels.

This is horrible. And I think that more and more people are realizing this.

Documentaries are popping up that discuss this problem, such as Birth as We Know It and Pregnant in America. Recently I've received word that Ricky Lake is also planning on releasing a documentary on being pregnant in America, titled The Business of Being Born, in which she will also discuss her experiences with her own homebirth. You can read an interview she did about the documentary here.

Two other articles that have been in the news lately about homebirth and midwives:
Elizabeth Larsen describes how the maternity system needs to be improved.
Darleen Dunn writes about just what services a midwife can provide for an expecting woman.

I think as birth becomes more and more medical, as the rates of intervention increase, women are beginning to take action. I hope this trend continues. I hope women continue to find the strength and courage to take their pregnancy and child's birth into their own hands, and to help "fix" the maternity system.

Our Maternity System: Can It Be Fixed?

WalMart's All Things Baby

If you haven't heard by now, on February 3rd WalMart is holding an "All Things Baby" event in participating stores. The event includes:

...an exclusive Nutrition & Feeding Educational Seminar sponsored by Similac. Local experts will offer quick overviews of basics for raising strong and healthy families. Enjoy a complimentary gift bag with samples (while supplies last). Kids are welcome — activity sheets will be provided so they can have fun while you learn.

Hmmm....really I'm at a loss for words. I wonder if breastfeeding will even be mentioned. There are no stores participating in my area, but if there were you would bet I'd be at the event, breastfeeding the whole time and asking the "local experts" about the benefits of breastfeeding.

This is so sad and pathetic it would be laughable if not for the fact that the health of babies is at stake.

WalMart's All Things Baby