March 29, 2008
Freebirth: A Message to Obstetricians from Jenny Hatch, "Physician Heal THYSELF!!"
This video is hosted on My Share Page at One True Media
In the past few months four obstetrics societies have made public statements about Unassisted Childbirth.
The Canadian Doctors (SOGC):
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC)
The Australian and New Zealand Doctors:
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
The Royal College (RCOG) in the UK:
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)
And in a recent article in the Denver Westword Newspaper (I was interviewed for this story)
A Spokesperson for ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) claimed freebirth was "dangerous".
Childbirth goes solo.
By Jared Jacang Maher
Published: May 10, 2007
"According to the guidelines of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the organization "strongly opposes" any birth not performed inside a hospital. A spokesman for the ACOG has a one-word assessment of freebirth: "dangerous."
I have just one message for these doctors, and it is this:
"The moral of the proverb is counsel to prove your trustworthiness with your own affairs before attempting to tell others what they should do."
Break out of the Matrix!
When the various obstetrics societies PROVE that they have the will to reform themselves internally by setting up standards of care that are more about the mother and the baby than they are about the doctor and staff at the hospital, then I will feel more open about listening to any edicts they have about my lifestyle.
Hey Doctors: why don't you set some goals....
1. No inductions before 41 weeks
2. 10% C-section rate
3. No elective C-sections
4. Full acceptance of Lay and Nurse Midwifery both in the home and at the hospital
5. A Complete and total acceptance of VBAC (Vaginal Birth after Cesarean)
6. A willingness to embrace proper prenatal nutrition as the foundation for a healthy pregnancy as outlined by the Brewer Pregnancy Diet
When society stops locking up our midwives for bogus reasons, embrace and promote natural mothering as the IDEAL for a new baby (Natural Childbirth, Attachment Parenting, and Long Term Ecological Breastfeeding), then I will believe you have found your soul as doctors.
Until then? Well, I am going to continue promoting freebirth and encouraging families to break away from your way of giving birth, because frankly, the way you do it stinks.
Lamaze International has a white paper on Elective cesarean Vs. Vaginal Birth (PDF)
American College of Nurse Midwives:
RISKS OF CESAREAN DELIVERY ARE UNDERREPORTED,
BENEFITS OVERSTATED
Media Briefing Highlights Concerns In Advance of NIH Conference
QUOTE:
"Only women themselves can tell us if they are actually demanding cesarean section surgery. With what we are learning from Childbirth Connection today, we now know that women VERY rarely schedule first cesareans by choice without a medical reason," says Susan Hodges, president of Citizens for Midwifery. "Only women can tell us what kind of informed consent process was provided to them. Citizens for Midwifery believes that women are not being given adequate and unbiased information about all the risks and benefits of cesarean sections. Research is needed to understand who and what are now influencing decisions to perform major abdominal surgery 'for no medical reason' despite substantial evidence that all cesareans increase harmful risks for mothers and babies."
Free yourself from the Matrix~!
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 2:35 PM
May 22, 2007
Unassisted Childbirth and Thieves Essential Oils Blend are the answer for plagues of any kind!
I have been taking a blogging break for the month of May, just too busy, but a headline announcing plague at the denver zoo caught my eye yesterday and I thought I would repost an entry I did in September about the Thieves Blend of Essential Oils. It is below:
Here are a couple of highlights from the past few weeks.
Paul and I were part of the Denver WestWord Article on Unassisted Childbirth last week. Here is the link.
Laura Shanley has a round up of the various Unassisted Childbirth Media Stories from the past few weeks on her blog. Go Here.
And Here are the Links to all of the Freebirth articles: (This outpouring of Media Interest in UC Birth has been extremely gratifying to those of us who have been promoting it for many years!)
The Independent 3-20-07 (UK) - Oh, baby!
Guardian 5-9-07 (UK) - Going it alone
Marie Claire 5-10-07 (UK) - The women having 'extreme births'
Globe and Mail (Canada) - 5-15-07 - DIY delivery
Channel 2 News (Alaska) - 5-15-07 - Great Expectations This video clip contains the UC Birth of Twins at home alone, one was a footling breech.
Reuters - 5-22-07 (UK - London)- Freebirthers dismiss fear and bring babies home
The Age - 5-27-07(Australia) - No doctor, no midwife — women go it alone
Same family, different story from Australia - A 'relaxed, beautiful' entry for Carter
And here are the links to the various online versions of the many UC Birth articles that have been written in the past month: Bornfree web site.
And here is a quick overview of some headlines for parents, so many different voices and opinions. Mothers and Fathers really need to just follow their hearts and not listen to all of the fear mongering about babies.
Having large families is an "eco crime"
Vegans sentenced for starving their baby
Stay-at-home mother's work worth $138,095 a year
Navelgazing Midwife - Oh, The Homebirth Debate Blog - Insights into the psyche of the fraud named Amy Tuteur MD (Pseudonym for a couple PR guys from Eli Lilly out to destroy and shut down the debate around home birth with statistics!!!). Go Here
Marsden Wagner's new book Born in the USA: How a Broken Maternity System Must Be Fixed to Put Women and Children First - Go Here
Unassisted Childbirth forum at Mothering - Go Here
Here are a couple of links used in the various debates that I engaged in at Salon and the NHS Blog Doctors comment sections.
The website of the Pre and Peri Natal Psychologists - Go Here
A Declaration of the Rights of Childbearing Women
Monty Python Birth Sketch: And people wonder why we don't want to have a hospital birth?
I have also participated in two online chats at blogs where Unassisted Childbirth was being discussed. Go Here and Here.
Here is a link to a synopsis of my comments at Salon: Go Here
And my Comments at the NHS Doctors Blog starts with this one: Go Here
I posted quite a few entries on that blog, so keep scrolling down for the rest of my comments.
I tend to let myself go when debating with medical people, they are just so full of themselves.
The chats are filled with lots of rage against those of us who birth alone, but I want to take the chance to testify right here on this entry, that I believe bubonic plague is very much tied to unassisted childbirth.
If the hospitals are overun with patients hacking and dying from plague and/or any other disease (certain forms of staph infection only exist in hospitals!), it is the last place in the world a healthy woman should be giving birth to a healthy child. Preparing for a quiet home birth is the best investment a healthy mom can make to insure the safe arrival of her child, despite what those individuals with MDs after their names have say about it. And they have plenty to say, I've been talking to some of them all week!
Speaking of prepration, I was asked to do the Food Basics booth at our Church Preparedness Fair last saturday! It was really fun and I was thrilled to be a part of it.
A little video:
My dear friend Esther baked twenty loaves of bread for the booth. All but one and a half loaves were chowed down by the people who attended. We teach a bread class for young moms to learn how to make this amazing bread which only costs 25 cents a loaf to make from scratch.
I also recorded this version of Be Still My Soul a few sundays ago:
Here is a link to the plague article at Reuters:
I'll start blogging again when Allison and I get back from New York. Too busy right now with rehearsals for our Faure Requiem performance next week with Colorado Repertory Singers. Michelle is graduating and we have a boatload of activities to attend around her commencement from high school. She has decided to accept the scholarship from her Dads alma mater, so each moment we get to share with her until she leaves home is very precious. I'll start blogging again when and if things slow down.
Thieves blog entry:
With Cold and Flu season just around the corner, I am really excited about this new line of products from Young Living. I have been a Young Living Essential Oils Enthusiast for ten years, and have actively worked a business on and off (mostly off) for some years now. I absolutely love these new products. My favorites are the toothpaste, lozenges, and the oil blend.
Recently I started cleaning everything with the Thieves household soap - it does it all - toilets, hardwood floors, etc... Here is a run down of all of the products. A great place to start would be to order the Thieves Kit, which contains a variety of products from the Thieves line.
All are available on my Young Living Web Site
Thieves Kit - Code # 3173
How to use:
Thieves® Essential Oil Blend: For dietary, aromatic, or topical use. When using as a supplement, dilute one drop in 4 fl. oz. of liquid such as goat's or rice milk. Diffuse for short periods of time (1/2 hour or less) in the work or home environment. Possible skin sensitivity. If pregnant or under a doctor's care, consult your physician. Always dilute before applying to the skin or taking internally. Keep out of reach of children.
Thieves® Hard Lozenges: Dissolve one lozenge in mouth, as needed. Swallowing lozenges whole may cause choking. Keep out of reach of children and do not expose to excessive heat or direct sunlight.
Thieves® Spray: Spray on any surfaces that you feel need to be cleansed, such as kitchen and bathroom counters. Not for use on infants or on sensitive areas of the body.
Thieves® Bar Soap: Use as any regular bar soap. For external use only. Store in a cool, dry place. Keep out of direct sunlight and away from ultraviolet radiation sources.
Thieves® Dentarome Ultra Toothpaste: Brush teeth and gums thoroughly morning and night.
Thieves® Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash: Rinse mouth with one tablespoon or capful of Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash for 30 - 60 seconds or as needed.
The Thieves Products are also available individually for purchase:
Thieves Hard Lozenges - Code # 3282
Thieves® Hard Lozenges are a soothing, therapeutic blend of 7 natural essential oils and will refresh you mouth and breath. Lightly sweetened with stevioside and the low-gylcemic sugar maltitol, these lozenges deliver the power of Thieves®, the university-tested essential oil blend, along with the flavor of natural peppermint and lemon essential oils. For fresher breath and relief, try these lozenges.
Thieves Fresh Essence Mouthwash - Code # 3683
Thieves® Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash contains a special formulation of essential oils that gives you incredibly fresh breath. The unique liposome technology (using soy-derived lecithin) binds the essential oils to the mucous membrane inside the mouth for longer-lasting effects on teeth and gums.
Thieves Essential Oil - Code # 3423
Thieves® was created based on research about four thieves in France who protected themselves with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing plague victims. The proprietary Thieves® oil blend was university tested and found to be highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health.
Thieves® oil blend is an integral ingredient in Thieves® Household Cleaner, Thieves® Spray, Thieves® Wipes, Thieves® Lozenges, Thieves® Dentarome Plus and Thieves® Dentarome Ultra toothpastes, and Thieves® Fresh Essence Plus Mouthwash.
Thieves Cleansing Soap - Code # 3679
Thieves® Cleansing Soap is fragrant with the rich aroma of naturally antiseptic Thieves® essential oil blend. Moisturizing plant oils and botanical extracts help promote healthy, smooth skin. A natural soap for sensitive skin. How to use: Use as any regular bar soap. For external use only. Store in a cool, dry place. Keep out of direct sunlight and away from ultraviolet radiation sources.
Ingredients: Saponified Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, and Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil; Vegetable Glycerin; Syzygium Aromaticum Flower Bud Oil; Lycium Barbarum Seed Oil, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Meal, Simmondsia shinensis (jojoba) Seed Oil, Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Cinnamomum Verum Bark Oil, Eucalyptus Radiata Leaf Oil, Rosemarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract. 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil Organically grown in accordance with the California Organic Foods Act of 1990.
Thieves Spray - Code # 3265
The Thieves® Spray is ideal for use on door handles, toilet seats, and any surface that needs cleaning. The small one ounce bottle is also the perfect size for any kind of traveling. How to use: Spray on any surfaces that you feel need to be cleansed, such as kitchen and bathroom counters. Not for use on infants or on sensitive areas of the body.
Ingredients: Pure grain alcohol, deionized water, Thieves® essential oil blend, fractionated coconut oil and soy lecithin. 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil.
Thieves Wipes - Code # 3756
Tired of using dirty sponges you have used a hundred times, only to spread the dirt around on the surfaces in your home? Try our Thieves® Wipes! They are ideal for use on door handles, toilet seats, and any surface that needs cleaning. Simply use and throw away. How to use: Wipe on any surfaces that you feel need to be cleansed, such as kitchen and bathroom counters. Not for use on infants or on sensitive areas of the body.
Ingredients: Pure grain alcohol, deionized water, Thieves® essential oil blend, fractionated coconut oil and soy lecithin. 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil.
Dentarome Plus Toothpaste! Code # 3738
Thieves® Dentarome Plus Toothpaste contains well-proven ingredients-thymol and eucalyptol-found in clove and thyme essential oils, along with gentle, odor-absorbing baking soda. Also contains the powerful oil blend of Thieves®, which was the subject of research published in the Jornal of Essential Oil Research. Dentarom Plus is usually preferred by adults. How to use: Brush teeth and gums thoroughly morning and night.
Ingredients: Baking soda, deionized water, vegetable glycerine, xanthan gum, ionic trace minerals, thymol, eugenol, steviocide (Stevia rebaudiana), the essential oils of wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), peppermint (Mentha piperita), and the blend of Thieves [clove (Syzygium aromaticum), lemon (Citrus limon), cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata), and rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)]. 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil.
Dentarome Ultra Toothpaste - Code # 3744
New Thieves® Dentarome Ultra Toothpaste is an advanced formula of all-natural ingredients that gently clean your teeth and freshen your breath while harnessing the powerful action of pure, therapeutic-grade Thieves® essential oil for fresh breath. How to use: Brush teeth and gums thoroughly morning and night.
Ingredients: Calcium carbonate, essential oil concentrate containing peppermint essential oil, Thieves® essential oil blend (a powerful blend of clove, cinammon bark, lemon, Eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary, zinc oxide, deionized water with papain, xylitol, vegetable glycerine, essential oil base (thymol from Thymus vulgaris), Eucalyptus globulus, and methyl salycilate from wintergreen, xanthum gum, zinc citrate, and stevioside. 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil.
All You Ever Wanted To Know About THIEVES HOUSEHOLD CLEANER
Ordering Information: All are available on my Young Living Web Site
Thieves Household Cleaner - Code 3743, 14.4 oz.
Wholesale/Distributor: $21.50
Preferred Customer/Autoship: $24.89
Retail Customer: $28.29
Dilution Proportions for Thieves Cleaner - NOTE: one capful cleaner = ½ tablespoon
Light degreasing (1:60)
1 capful cleaner : 3.75 cups water
1 bottle makes 30 quarts of light degreaser (.32/quart)
Med. degreasing (1:30)
1 capful cleaner : a little less than 2 cups water
1 bottle makes 15 quarts of medium degreaser (.64/quart)
Heavy degreasing (1:15)
1 capful cleaner : a little less than 1 cup water
1 bottle makes 71/2 quarts of heaver degreaser (1.27/quart)
Pots & Pans (1:100) ½ capful cleaner : 3+ cups water
1 bottles makes 50 quarts of dishwashing liquid (.19/quart)
Hand Cleaner (1:1) ½ cup cleaner : ½ cup water
1 bottle makes 1 quart of hand cleaner ($19/quart)
Floors ( 1:100) 1 capful cleaner : 6.25 cups water
1 bottle makes 50 quarts of floor cleaner (.19/quart)
Walls ( 1:30) 1 capful cleaner: a little less than 2 cups water
Fabrics, Carpet spotting, etc. (1:40)
1 capful cleaner : 2 cups water
Carpet (1:100) 1 capful cleaner : 6.25 cups water
Glass ( 1:320) -1 capful cleaner: 5 quarts water
All are available on my Young Living Web Site
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 6:32 AM
March 23, 2007
Compleat Mother: Infant Mortality Rates by ranking
Infant Mortality Rates by ranking
Infant Mortality Rates by ranking
Senator Joan Heckaman
322 Second Avenue North
New Rockford, ND 58356-1712
701-947-2106 E-mail: jheckaman@nd.gov
Dear Senator Heckaman,
I was asked by Paulette Efimenko to send the following information to you to
present to the committee before this bill comes to a vote.
Regarding Senate Bill 2377 laypeople<
Listed below is the
Infant Mortality Rates by ranking
The medically dominated US maternity care system has ranked us 40th in the world.
At twelfth in the nation in 2006, North Dakota's Infant Mortality Rate, 5.6
per 1,000 live births, was still higher than 33 countries in the world.
http://www.unitedhealthfoundation.org/ahr2006/components/infantmortality.html
What the medical community doesn't understand is that obstetricians and most
physicians are overqualified to attend normal birth.
Having an obstetrical/medical monopoly on maternity care does not produce
the best outcomes.
While the US has the highest infant mortality rate in the developed world,
we also have the highest costs. Spending money routinely medicalizing
pregnancy and birth increases the cost but does not improve the outcomes.
See "Expecting Trouble: the Myth of Prenatal Care in America" by Thomas H.
Strong Jr. MD, neonatologist and obstetrician, Prescott, Arizona.
"The Farmer and the Obstetrician" by Michel Odent, MD, director, The Primal
Health Research Centre, London.
"The Truth about Diet and Drugs in Pregnancy" by Thomas H. Brewer, MD,
co-founder, Blue Ribbon Babies.
Our 'fee for service' system rewards poor outcomes while financially
penalizing good outcomes.
A farmer would go broke if he treated his animals obstetrically instead of
providing them with the things that actually do create good outcomes: enough
good food, clean air and water, a safe environment, shelter, privacy for
birth and lactation.
There are no requirements that the above issues are ever incorporated in the
usual course of medical prenatal, birth, neonatal or postpartum care. This
information is not even in the curriculum of the Medical School at UND. What
is the problem that requires a solution? Who is threatened by the precious
few midwives who attend several dozen births a year in North Dakota?
Midwives have served their communities since before North Dakota was a state. Why do
some fine it necessary to criminalize their contributions to safer birth and
healthier children and families? If anyone finds out why doctors and
hospitals want a monopoly on birth, please let me know.
The time, attention and effort of medical professionals who are of the
opinion that homebirth is not safe, would be much better used to improve
maternal and infant health statistics for babies born in hospitals. A good
reference for them to use is "The Impact of Birthing Practices on
Breastfeeding: Protecting the Mother and Baby Continuum" by Mary Kroeger,
BSN, CNM, MPH with Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC. (Jones and Bartlett,
Pub.)
I also believe this bill is redundant. It is already against the law to
practice medicine without a license. Why do we need a separate law to
prevent people who are not doctors from practicing obstetrics? Midwives do
not 'practice obstetrics' they attend births. Most midwives don't even claim
to deliver babies. The mothers deliver their own babies and the midwife is
in attendance.
Perhaps this bill is a restraint of trade issue. A consortium of medical
professionals is attempting to influence the law in order to increase their
market share. I do not believe this is how our legislative process should be
used.
Sincerely,
--Jody--
~Jody McLaughlin - Compleat Mother
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 11:43 PM
March 10, 2007
My Triplets Were Inseparable, Whatever the Risks
My Triplets Were Inseparable, Whatever the Risks
"FOR the first month, their bedroom, with all the wires and machines, would look more like an extension of the intensive care unit than a home nursery. Endless visits to the pediatrician, ophthalmologist, cardiologist, gastroenterologist and neurologist would fill the boys’ first calendar year.
But with a good insurance plan and Medicaid’s coverage for babies under 2 pounds 10 ounces, we were relieved that we did not have to pay the million-dollar hospital bill. This was not the time to pontificate on how our quest to have a family resulted in a significant financial drain on society’s resources, though that knowledge has weighed on me.
What hasn’t weighed on me, as our boys have grown healthier and bigger (they’re now 4 and thriving in preschool) is our decision not to reduce. I often look at them and ask myself that impossible question: Which one wouldn’t be here?
But I feel no righteousness about our choice, only luck. Time and again I run into mothers at the playground with twins who notice my triplets (it’s hard not to) and gently ask whether I faced that decision, only to then confess their deep guilt at having reduced from triplets themselves.
“Look, don’t,” I tell them. “We could have lost all of ours. We almost did.”
Almost."
Susanne M. Sanchez lives in Hollywood, Fla.
I appreciate Mrs. Sanchez's insights and story. Yet I have to think about the story of the mother who gave birth to triplets that is outlined in the Book Having Twins by Elizabeth Noble
The mother in that story used midwives and had a home birth. Every night her husband would pack her some fruit and turkey by her bed, and she ate and ate and ate the Brewer diet, which is basically a 170 gram protein a day diet, for each additional baby you add 20 grams of protein and 500 calories for higher order multiples. The mother in that story carried her three babies to term and gave birth to them at home.
I would challenge any mother reading this to seriously consider investing in the Noble twins book and start now, before you even get pregnant, to train your body to digest all that protein. It takes time and the wrong time to start is when you are six weeks pregnant, however, any efforts that can be made to increase calories and protein will help those babies.
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 7:23 PM
March 9, 2007
Birthsong: Maya I Johansen: Homebirth & Unassisted Birth
"It is often said that women who give birth at home are selfish, and do not care for the well-being of their little ones. This is so far from the truth. Hospitals are in many instances dangerous for healthy babies. Hospitals are a place for the sick, and germs and bacteria are often transfered to the newborn.
Drugs given to the mother cross the placenta, and cause distress in the baby, and the health risk increases with each hospital procedure that is performed, not to mention psychological trauma from painful medical procedures. Babies born at home are usually more alert and ready to interact and bond.
Their minds are still open as they have been handled gently and lovingly. Often babies who have experienced a great deal of trauma will literally withdraw into themselves.(6) Mothers who have given birth at home are in an optimal state to greet their babies because of the natural "high" from endorphins and the hormone oxytocin.
These hormones are an important part of producing nurturing feelings. I believe this is an important part of forming the loving mother child relationship, and it helps a women get off to the right start in nursing and caring for her little one.(7) Sadly, this is overlooked by the medical profession. Doctors and nurses whisk babies away from their mothers when they need their mothers the most, and at a time when they are most alert and ready to interact."
This article is an excellent introduction to Unassisted Childbirth, contains many links, and even has a quote from an online article by Shel Franco that mentions my fourth birth story!
I highly recomend pregnant women taking the time to read this article and surf around to the various sites, books, and videos mentioned.
Birth Testimony by Amanda Terfansky Counter speaking at the 2nd International Husband/Wife Home Birth Conference
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 8:18 AM
February 21, 2007
Tiny Baby to Leave Florida Hospital
This image is being blasted across the Media as the fullness of American Technology and Medical Innovation. I believe it is an image that should be pounded into the minds of parents everywhere as the absolute failure of the Medical Profession and American Society to teach and educate new mothers with the facts of prenatal nutrition.
What a sad and pathetic way to enter the world....
Tiny Baby to Leave Florida Hospital
"MIAMI (AP) --
A premature baby that doctors say spent less time in the womb than any other surviving infant is to be released from a Florida hospital Tuesday. Amillia Sonja Taylor was just 9 1/2 inches long and weighed less than 10 ounces when she was born Oct. 24. She was delivered 21 weeks and six days after conception. Full-term births come after 37 to 40 weeks.
"We weren't too optimistic," Dr. William Smalling said Monday. "But she proved us all wrong."
Neonatologists who cared for Amillia say she is the first baby known to survive after a gestation period of fewer than 23 weeks. A database run by the University of Iowa's Department of Pediatrics lists seven babies born at 23 weeks between 1994 and 2003.
Amillia has experienced respiratory problems, a very mild brain hemorrhage and some digestive problems, but none of the health concerns are expected to pose long-term problems, her doctors said.
"We can deal with lungs and things like that but, of course, the brain is the most important," Dr. Paul Fassbach said Monday. "But her prognosis is excellent."
Amillia has been in an incubator since birth and has been receiving oxygen. She will continue getting a small amount of oxygen, and her breathing will be monitored once she leaves Baptist Children's Hospital. She now is between 25 and 26 inches long and weighs 4 1/2 pounds.
"She's going to be in a normal crib, she's going to have normal feedings, she's taking all her feedings from a bottle," Smalling said.
Amillia is the first child for Eddie and Sonja Taylor of Homestead. She was conceived by in vitro fertilization, which made it possible to pinpoint her exact time in the womb, and was delivered by Caesarean section."
No one ever talks about the costs of all this abomination, not to mention the long term consequences for this child from her months of torture in the NICU.
I'm looking forward to the day when the woman in America who has the healthiest full term and most beautiful baby is heralded for her amazing contribution to our society. Instead what is blasted from sea to shining sea is the wonder of this little person being kept alive for months outside of the womb..
And I have no doubt in my mind that C-section was performed because Momma had toxemia, a completely preventable malnutrition state for the mother marked by protein deficiency and dehydration.
WATER, SALT, PROTEIN, WATER, SALT, PROTEIN, WATER, SALT, PROTEIN, come on... say it out loud. "WATER, SALT, PROTEIN, WATER, SALT, PROTEIN....these are the keys to healthy pregnancy."
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 8:59 PM
February 12, 2007
Amanda Terfansky Counter Speaking at the 2nd International Husband/Wife Homebirth Conference
Amanda Counter Speaking at the 2nd International Husband/Wife Homebirth Conference in 2001.
This conference was held in July of 2001. Amanda was one of the parents who spoke at this conference dedicated to husband and wife home childbirth.
No Professionals were allowed to attend.
If you would like to purchase the E-Video, Please go here.
If you would like to purchase the transcript to the conference, Please go here.
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 7:25 AM
February 7, 2007
Giving Birth during a Bird Flu Pandemic
U.S. companies prepare for bird flu pandemic
"The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration urged employers to develop plans to cope with a possible flu pandemic on Tuesday, suggesting letting employees work from home and encouraging sick workers to stay home without reprisals.
But a few international companies and small regional firms were already making bird flu planning a full-time job, and said on Tuesday they have had to prepare for the unthinkable.
Jay Schwartz, vice president of information systems at North Carolina-based Alex Lee Inc., is worried about what will happen when food supplies begin to get scarce as people become ill, stay home to care for children when schools close or tend to ill relatives."
For the past few months I have read everything that was posted on the web about the Bird Flu. Not one time have I read one word about the need for mothers to give birth at home during a Flu Pandemic.
I am pleased that government and business agencies are preparing, thinking, and planning. But it must be remembered that in America, when the Flu Pandemic of 1918 hit, most babies in the US were being born at home. Our society has now flipped to the other side of the spectrum and 99% of all babies are born in the Hospital.
With an infectious disease that could be spread easily from person to person, the last place a healthy mother would want to birth her child is in a hospital overwhelmed with Flu Patients.
I thought I would use this post to share my story.
Shortly after my first daughter was born, I was nursing her one day and reading my scriptures. I came to the 24th chapter of Matthew and read verse 19. Jesus was talking about the latter days, and he said, "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!"
I said a short prayer after reading this passage and asked Heavenly Father what was meant by this passage of scripture. Then I had one of the most sacred experiences of my life. The Lord communicated to me that he was talking about this generation of women who were giving birth right now! He let me know that the woe was two fold.
One, the surgical and drug interventions of Allopathic Birth that were disabling a huge number of women was the first form of woe, and second, that when the time came when women were giving birth during the Abomination of Desolation described by Daniel the Prophet, they would be so dependent on the Medical Profession that they would not be able to help themselves because they knew absolutely nothing about natural birth and parenting.
What is this Abomination? Here is a link to a descriptive passage in the bible dictionary: Go Here
"In a general sense, abomination of desolation also describes the latter-day judgments to be poured out upon the wicked wherever they may be. And so that the honest in heart may escape these things, the Lord sends his servants forth to raise the warning voice, to declare the glad tidings of the restoration, lest “desolation and utter abolishment” come upon them. The elders are commanded to reprove “the world in righteousness of all their unrighteous and ungodly deeds, setting forth clearly and understandingly the desolation of abomination in the last days” (D&C 84: 114, 117; D&C 88: 84-85)."
Now in the LDS Health Code we have been given a promise and it is at the end of the Word of Wisdom:
"And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint. And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen."
First and foremost, for protection from the destroying angel, We must keep the commandments! And so, I would like to challenge any of you reading this post to right now read the ten commandments and then repent of your sins.
For a really great overview of the Commandments, I defer to this article from Wiki: Go Here
Tied to keeping the commandments is the diet detailed in the Word of Wisdom as a form of protection from the destroying angels. This low meat, high grain diet was given to the world in 1833 through the Lord's Prophet, Joseph Smith, in Kirtland Ohio.
Do I believe those destroying angels will use a little virus to do the work of cleansing the earth?
Yes I do! This does not mean that I believe every person who will die during a pandemic is evil or is not keeping the commandments. I do believe the laws of morality and health are intrinsically tied to the physical health of human beings. And so with this information of challenging families to eat a whole foods diet, which is the thrust of my efforts on this blog, I also unapologetically declare that repentance and keeping the commandments will give more protection from a contagious virus than any vaccine ever could.
Birth Self Sufficiency
Now for the rest of my story: After I read the passage and had that understanding come into my heart about the reality of last days trials, I had this prompting come into my heart from the Holy Spirit...."I want you to learn everything you can about natural family living and become completely self sufficient in your mothering."
Over the next few days after I had this prompting from the Lord, the overwhelm I felt in my heart, the absolute complexity of what Heavenly Father was asking me to do threw me into a manic state that resulted in a complete nervous breakdown a couple of weeks later.
How could I as this young mother, with no degree, no education, no training in medicine learn everything there was to know about natural mothering? I really could not believe that the Lord wanted me to learn all of those skills that would enable me to feel comfortable taking care of my own family, giving birth alone, doctoring alone, midwifing alone, etc etc etc...the overwhelm was so real, so intense....why me?
But I was determined to learn and follow the counsel that I believed and still do believe was loving guidance from my God.
And so it began.
When I started down this path, I was innocent in my heart. I had no deep dread of doctors, hospitals, and the allopathic model of birth that has spread over the earth. I had no issues with the way things were. I just knew that I had been given some personal revelation and was determined to follow it. As I read, studied, and practiced the skills of self sufficiency in my own family life, I was given a profound education in the politics of birth and non-conformity. I have watched families destroyed by the politics of birth as social workers, doctors, police, and judges have stepped in to intervene when they determined "medical neglect" was playing out in family life.
During the years that I taught The Bradley Method of Husband Coached Childbirth, I was given a very detailed and extensive education on the history of Allopathic Birth in our society, and after a few years of observing and reading about little else but birth, I found myself radicalized and by 1997, I was completely on the side of the birth activists in our society, completely and irrefutably convinced that modern childbirth was killing something sacred in women and leading to the destruction of marriages and hurting the very babies it was supposedly saving with all of the interventions, drugs, and surgery.
For me, what started out as a supposedly simple plan to walk down a different path than my peers, to dance to the beat of a different drummer, to run down the road less traveled has taken our family to this point where we are completely weaned from the medical birthing powers that be.
For my last two pregnancies (in 1996 and 2002), I did all of my own prenatal care, gave birth in the sanctity of our bedroom with only my husband attending me, and we almost never go to Allopathic people for help with illness and disease. We needed help from the doctors after Andy was born in 1996, but by the time we had Ben in 2002 I had learned enough to be able to give birth alone and everything went perfectly!
We do occasionally use the allopathic docs for injuries, physicals for school, and once we did six days in Children's Hospital when Ben needed a surgery. We have been very grateful for this emergency care.
But when considering the realities of a pandemic, no infrastructure is in place to help women in their own homes when the baby is ready to be born. The Medical Profession has been very dilligent in bringing law suits against midwives all over the country, and the current laws and rules regarding who can have a home birth are conformed to medical dogma and practice.
Bens birth put me in the range of being risked out of home birth here in Colorado. I gave birth to him at 42 weeks and three days. One Colorado law says a home birth midwife must pass care to an OB if the mother goes past 42 weeks. And my water broke three days before he was born, and another Colorado law says midwifes must pass care to an OB 12 hours after the water has broken. If I had been under a midwifes care, I would never have been able to have a home birth because of these two factors.
One more time I would like to attempt to shine the spotlight on this breach in our planning for a flu pandemic. Four million women give birth in America every year. If the hospitals become too toxic for them to do so safely, I believe it is smart planning to start educating our people with skills that will help them to safely give birth at home to keep themselves away from viruses and bacteria that could kill both the mother and the baby.
This is my challenge to anyone reading this post.
And here is my link to an Emergency Childbirth Column detailing how to give birth at home alone:
April 25, 2004
By, Jenny Marie Hatch
It has been exactly eighteen months today since the birth of my fifth baby. He was born at home quietly into the hands of his father after a 6 hr labor. He weighed nine and a half pounds at birth, and had a 15 in head. He was born without drugs, knives, surgery, or any significant medical prenatal care. I went to my doctor for a consultation once when I was seven months pregnant.
In the past 18 months he has never been seriously ill, has never taken an antibiotic, or had a vaccination. I took him to see our doctor twice just to have him on record as being born, and other than a few colds and one nasty case of flu, he has been healthy, happy, and a wonderful addition to our family.
Why share this story of medical self-sufficiency?
TERROR?
In the past month I have seen President Bush, a few FBI agents, and various pundits on the news claiming that we in America are at risk of terror.
From Newsmax Monday April 19, 2004:
“Today on "Fox News Live," former FBI Special Agent Harold Copus said that the summer of 2004 will be remembered as the "Summer of Terror."
Anchor Gregg Jarrett told agent Copus that Tom Ridge said special attention will be focused on stopping terror attacks on rail, air, hazmat shipment, chemical facilities and the electrical grid. He asked if all of those were vulnerable. Copas said, "They certainly are."
I perceive a little bit of disconnect on the part of many in the media, our society, politicians, and my own community as these threats are discussed. Few are calling for any sort of real civil defense preparations. Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal is an exception. She has written lately of the need for Civil Defense.
In a recent Column she challenged politicians with these words:
“As government officials last week rehearsed their testimony the enemy was planning new horrors for Americans to endure. Right now we should be preparing--taking protective action in our ports and around our nuclear facilities, at our borders, etc. American officials should not be busy testifying; they should be busy making sure every citizen has a CBN suit, a regulation gas mask and data on how to recognize and respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear incident.
The most pressing thing at the moment is making America safer. Instead, our officials are otherwise engaged. As they were before 9/11.”
I believe it is futile to wait for the government to provide us the skills and tools to survive terror. Could they really do it anyway, with every family in different locations and in need of a variety of resources given the various scenarios of attack and disruptions?
If each individual in America would take a realistic look at their own lives and make some prudent preparations to be able to live for a period of weeks in their own home cut off from water, electricity, communications, commerce, and not able to travel anywhere to purchase anything, our country would be in a far better defensive posture for the War on Terror. I challenge those who are reading this column to begin family civil defense preparations now.
SOME PERSONAL HISTORY
Shortly after I gave birth to my first baby in 1988, I was reading the Bible. My baby was about two months old and I was nursing her as I studied my Sunday school lesson. We were reading the New Testament and I came to the 24th chapter of Matthew. As I read these words in verse 19 “and woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” my heart skipped a beat. Jesus had just been describing to his disciples the signs of the times before his second coming to the world.
As I read those words, I just knew that Jesus Christ was talking about my generation of birthing and breastfeeding women. I also knew deep in my heart that I had to learn everything I could about natural mothering and be prepared that should we have some societal disruptions in America, that I would be prepared to birth, feed, and take care of my babies without the help of any professionals.
My oldest daughter is now almost sixteen. Since that fateful moment in my life, I have run down a path that to many people seemed irresponsible and somewhat suspect as I gradually weaned from the medical profession in regards to my mothering. We have had four additional children since that cold morning in February of 1989 when the words in the Bible leaped off the page and landed straight into my heart.
SELF-SUFFICIENCY
To aid me in my journey to mothering self-sufficiency I became A Certified Bradley Childbirth Teacher and for eight years studied about and taught natural childbirth in every spare moment. As a teacher, I was able to observe the impact my teaching had on the birth outcomes of the couples that took my class, and I was able to practice these principles in a hands on way during my four additional births. In 1996 I decided to stop teaching my childbirth class and became an active participant in the unassisted childbirth movement on the Internet.
I organized the 2nd International Husband/Wife homebirth conference in 2001 and have written three books sharing my experiences and the birth stories of the many couples that have adopted this lifestyle.
One of the most interesting facts as I would chat with my friends on the internet about birth, was how many of these couples had come to home birth because of end times preparations. Either the wife or the husband or both had felt guided by personal conviction that the time was soon coming when it would be prudent to know how to birth a child alone without a midwife or a doctor present.
Many of these couples shared with me that they had experienced vivid dreams regarding societal chaos and instability. They knew that they had to prepare in every facet of life to be self-sufficient, especially in regards to Childbirth and Breastfeeding.
I studied many survival books and was dismayed that few had any real information on how to birth a child in a raw survival situation. Most of these books had been written by men who knew absolutely nothing about birthing and breastfeeding, and so I decided to write my book, Elijah Birth in order to help educate the parents who desire to give birth at home alone. Here is the link to Elijah Birth, How to turn the hearts of the Fathers.
Few Obstetricians are acquainted with the principles of natural childbirth, and fewer still have seen a spontaneous, un-drugged birth and are so dependent on their medications, machinery, and tools, that the thought of a mother intentionally giving birth alone, without any assistance makes it difficult for them to write knowledgeably about childbirth removed from the hospital environment. An exception to this is Gregory White MD who wrote Emergency Childbirth, and his manual is an excellent resource. Click here for the Amazon link.
When life is cut down to the bare minimums for survival – food, water, shelter…. only a couple of life skills are truly needed to keep the family going through a survival time. NATURAL CHILDBIRTH IS ONE OF THEM!
If for some reason our fragile society was to experience a major disruption because of terror, mastering the skills of natural mothering will go a long way in helping to ensure the survival of our people.
We all have heard the stories of mothers who give birth in the car or at home in an unplanned emergency childbirth. So we know it is possible. Motivated by the scripture I read in Matthew 24:19, and the many preparedness dreams, promptings, and my own gut feelings about the true state of the world, I have been on a quest for fifteen years to learn how to do my own prenatal care, give birth without any professional help and then nourish my baby with no formula supplementation. Largely living as if the Medical and Midwifery Professions and Formula Manufacturers did not exist.
We are living this lifestyle right now today, as are many hundreds of couples that have embraced Primal Mothering all over the world.
I would like to share a few helpful tips that if utilized during birth will help the mother and baby get off to a better start. I don’t have any medical credentials nor do I take responsibility for any outcome that you may have during the birth should you decide to provide fully for the health of your family. This information is shared out of deep concern that couples in their childbearing years need to be educated on natural mothering in case of a terrorist attack.
My prayer is that should your family decide to practice giving birth alone before any sort of chaos, that you and each of you will be protected from prosecution for medical negligence by those professionals in our world who get a little antsy when they hear of babies being born without medical assistance.
Let me begin by saying, that for many couples, just hearing that other couples have given birth at home intentionally with positive outcomes is enough to begin the education process and bring comfort to their hearts. Knowing that the vast majority of babes born at home will have no problem whatsoever is encouraging to those making these preparations.
TERROR REALITIES
Imagine you are at home with a pregnant wife, and the electricity goes off. You hear on the radio the city closest to you has been attacked by a nuclear terrorist. You understand that it is crucial to stay in a shelter for the first two weeks after a bomb blast to protect yourself from blast fallout, radiation, and debris. But after two days your wife tells you she is in labor, and it is time to go to the hospital.
What to do?
Do you risk the exposure to hazardous fallout in order to get your wife where it is supposedly safe? Or do you trust nature and proceed at home? Assuming you could physically get to your local hospital, it could be filled to the brim with fallout burn victims or if the blast was accompanied by a chemical or biological attack, the hospital would be the last place on earth you would want your healthy wife and newborn baby to be during and after childbirth.
So you decide to stay home. WHAT DO YOU DO?
HEAVENLY HELP
I would first challenge you to get on your knees and ask God for specific guidance to know what your wife and child will need during this specific birthing experience. You will be guided to know what to do at any given moment and this will help insure the safe passage of your child from inside the womb to outside safely separated from your wife.
STAGES OF LABOR
Labor is composed of three parts. First stage labor is simply about getting the cervix (the bottom opening of the womb) open to allow the baby to move from the uterus to the birth canal. As the cervix widens, a bloody, mucous discharge is often released as it slowly stretches open. This stage of labor can be aided by back massage, and hot compresses to the back. If the mother has painful back labor, the child will possibly be in a posterior position (when the baby comes out it has its face away from the mother’s bottom) and the mother could be aided by counter pressure on the lower back while the baby moves into position to be born.
My favorite book that details all of the stages of labor and gives helpful suggestions for what to do for any given labor situation is Natural Childbirth, the Bradley Way. Here is the link from Amazon.
The final part of first stage, called transition, is typically the most difficult for the mother. It is generally an intense time of contractions one on top of the other that mark the full expansion of the cervix at the baby prepares to be born. During this time it is helpful for the mother to vocalize in a loud AHHHH to help move the energy from the womb up out of her body. I have found vocalization to be the absolute most profound pain relief during my natural births.
SELF-DOUBT SIGNPOST
One of the common emotional signposts of transition is the mother turning to whomever is with her and saying, “I can’t do this anymore”. This “self-doubt” signpost is evidence that first stage labor is almost over and the second stage of pushing is just around the corner. Gentle encouragement is all that is needed to let her know she is doing great and the baby will be born soon.
SECOND STAGE – PUSHING
The second stage of labor generally begins soon after transition and is marked by contractions that come slower and tend to be accompanied with an intense desire to push. Some women don’t feel this desire to push however. Encouraging the mother to be in a standing or upright position will let gravity aid the mother in safely delivering her child.
If it is evident that the baby is coming out feet or bottom first (breech), it is especially important for the mother to be in an upright or standing position during the delivery. But she will know which position is best to deliver her child and should be encouraged to assume whichever position feels right to her.
I only mention the upright information because a few mothers, influenced by the media and current medical dogma will believe and assume that it is best to give birth laying flat on her back, with legs up in the air. This is the absolute worst position for a mother to give birth.
Most women will assume an upright or hands and knees position in which to give birth if left alone. Some will feel more comfortable giving birth in a side lying position. Again, whichever position she feels is most comfortable to her will be the best position to be in. Warm compresses placed on the perineum will aid in a comfortable passage of the baby. I kept a stack of thick cloth diapers by my side during my last birth and my husband’s main task during the labor was to get them wet with warm water and olive oil, which I placed on my bottom during the birth.
It is also important for the mother to keep her bladder empty with frequent urination during labor. Encourage her to use the toilet every hour of labor, and especially during pushing, a full bladder can impede the baby being born. Some mothers experience labor diarrhea while giving birth and this again is nature’s way of opening up the body for the safe passage of the baby. If the rectum and bladder are full it is just that much more space that is taken up which could be utilized by the baby as it is born. Encourage the mother to use the toilet.
BABY RESUSCITATION
As the baby starts to crown, whomever is with the mother can prepare her a hot drink, and get out the bulb syringe, (this tool is the little blue suction device they use in the hospital to suck out the babies nose and throat as it is being born to help them breathe) Bulbs syringes are available at most drug stores. The only “tool” we purchased for our home birth was a new baby syringe to help suction our baby’s mouth and nose. I gave birth in a standing position and my husband stood behind me and suctioned our son’s nose after his head was born. He also checked to see if the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck. It was not, but I have read about couples that had the cord wrapped several times around the neck, and as the baby was born, they quickly un-looped it from the neck.
During my fourth birth, which took place at home, we were not able to resuscitate our son, and so we called 911 for help. The Fireman who showed up first to help, gently suctioned my baby out with his own mouth. He placed his mouth over the nose and mouth of my son, and sucked out the mucous, then spit it out and gave our baby three puffs of air, and Andy opened his eyes. I call this technique “Shawn’s suck and spit baby survival system”.
A few days after the birth, I talked to a high-risk pediatrician and told her about the fireman’s effective suck and spit technique and she told me that this suctioning is a perfect tool to resuscitate a baby as it creates a vacuum effect that is a superior way to clear the airway of a newborn. If a birth took place in a raw situation where no supplies were available, the mother or the father of the baby could suction out the baby if it was slow to breathe with their own mouths. The bigger the baby, the longer they tend to take to breath and pink up.
Some babies get a little stuck as the shoulders are being born, but a lack of drugs in the mother, and an upright position will help to turn the child to get the shoulders out. Sometimes it helps to hook a finger under the child’s armpit and guide them out if they seem stuck. One friend had to do this with both shoulders as his wife gave birth to his 10-pound son. First getting out one shoulder and then the other.
If the baby is breech, and the head gets stuck, again the use of gravity, and a gentle guiding of the head as it is born will help to safely birth the baby. When cold air hits the baby’s body in a breech birth, they tend to want to take in a breath of air, and if this happens, the mother or father should use a finger in the baby’s mouth to create an air passage, so the baby does not breath in any fluid or blood as it is being born. Squatting during pushing opens up the vaginal outlet an additional 10%, which can make a crucial difference is the ease of passage as the baby is born.
WATER BAG
If the water has not broken during labor, the baby can be born in the amniotic sac. My fourth baby was born in his sac, and it helped the birth to be pain-free, however, he was born with a flood of water upon his arrival and this created a very slippery situation. Having lots of clean towels, receiving blankets, and cloth diapers on hand will help to dry the baby, and make it easier to hold. The mother also tends to bleed as the child emerges from her body, this is normal and is not cause for panic.
However, if the mother seems to be hemorrhaging or bleeding more than she should (no more than two cups of blood), immediate breastfeeding is the absolute best cure for a post partum bleed. I read that Japanese Midwives stand ready with a basin to catch the blood and if the mother has hemorrhaged, they will quickly use a bulb syringe to suck up the blood from the basin and reintroduce it into the mother’s body through the rectum. The rectum is the quickest way to reabsorb the blood back into the mother’s bloodstream. Wheat grass juice orally and rectally is also a powerful aid to heal a post partum hemorrhage.
It is normal for the mother to bleed for up to six weeks after the birth. If the blood comes on heavier and is bright red in the weeks after the birth, this is evidence the mother is doing too much and needs to slow down her activity.
Mothers should also be supported in staying in bed for three days after the birth while the uterus contracts down to its normal size. Breastfeeding on demand, again, facilitates this happening.
BONDING, BREASTFEEDING, AND RELEASING THE PLACENTA
The next hour after the child is born is one of the most important in terms of making sure the mother and child get off to the best start physically, emotionally, and as a breastfeeding partnership. Breastfeeding during survival times will be very important as most families cannot afford to have more than a month or two supply of infant formula stored. Getting educated about exclusive breastfeeding before a terror attack will be very important.
Practicing nursing 100% with no supplementation will give that mother even more confidence that she will be able to provide for her child during a long-term disruption in basic services like communications, electricity, and water, not to mention goods and services. Mastering this art of breastfeeding has been one of the most difficult tasks I have ever taken on. But it can be done and all mothers should be encouraged at the very least, to have a copy of the book, The Womanly art of Breastfeeding on hand to help teach her how to nurse if we have an attack. Here is a link to Emergency Breastfeeding information:
After the child is born, immediate breastfeeding is important for a variety of reasons. First, in the un-drugged child, it is what they instinctively want to do. Second, immediate nursing has powerful implications for the mother. The sucking action of nursing releases hormones that help the uterus to contract in order to aid in the safe detaching of the placenta. I nursed my son immediately after he was born, and fifteen minutes later I felt my placenta plopping down ready to be pushed out, completely intact and with a minimum amount of blood loss.
Immediate nursing also aids in bonding the mother to the child, and powerful hormones are released in both the mother and child, which create a beautiful and long lasting attachment.
As the mother feeds her child in that important first hour, her uterus will immediately start to contract in powerful sensations that will help in preventing hemorrhage. This is the absolute most important reason why the mother should never be separated from her baby in the first minutes after birth.
The mother also has Colostrum in her breasts, which is the perfect first food for the newborn. It contains important anti-bodies and has a laxative effect on the baby. The babies first stool (poop), called meconium is a tar like substance that needs to be passed out of the baby, the colostrums helps this to happen.
As the hormones start to rage through the mother, she may feel shaky and cold. Since these are typical shock symptoms it is easy to get frightened if this happens. A warm drink and wrapping the mother up with blankets and a hot water bottle will help with these normal post birth symptoms. Dehydration and the mother getting too cold can keep the placenta from detaching, and so helping the mother to warm up with a warm drink will help with both issues as she drinks and warms her body up.
During the first twenty-four hours it is normal for the baby to expel lots of mucous from its lungs and nasal cavity. In the un-drugged baby, normal sneezing, coughing, and even vomiting can be anticipated as the baby clears the amniotic fluid from its body. I kept clean cloth diapers by my side to help wipe away the mucous that came out of the baby that first night. A bulb syringe or nasal aspirator can also be kept handy to help the baby expel the mucous out of the lungs.
A common cause of post birth complications in the baby is if the meconium that is the baby’s first bowel movement is aspirated into the lungs. In the hospital this complication is treated in a variety of ways, but at home, close monitoring of the baby for signs of breathing difficulty and infection will help to know if this has occurred. If it does, antibiotic type herbs like Goldenseal and Usnea can be given to the mother to be passed into the baby through the breastmilk. Essential oil of Oregano can also be applied to the baby’s feet and held over the child’s mouth and nose to be breathed in to help with infection.
CORD CARE
In the hospital the cord is generally cut immediately. Over the years I learned about a simpler and more holistic form of childbirth called Lotus Birth. We had a lotus birth with our last baby. It was a peaceful and gentle way to welcome our son into our home. We simply did not cut the cord. We wrapped the placenta up in a cloth diaper and kept it with our son in a receiving blanket. Every time I changed the baby’s diaper, I changed the diaper on the placenta as it dried up and drained fluids. I aided this drying process by putting salt and essential oil of Lavender on the placenta, and after six days the cord detached on it’s own.
This type of birth ensures that all of the cord blood gets back into the baby. Babies born lotus style are very content and peaceful. If one gave birth in a survival situation, and no scissors were available to cut the cord with, a lotus birth would make it irrelevant. Immediate cord clamping and cutting has been proven to cause anemia in some children, as up to 1/3 of the baby’s blood volume can be in the cord and placenta at the time of birth. Early cord cutting has also been implicated in the difficult detaching of the placenta in several studies that I have read on the internet.
Should you decide to cut the cord, sterilize the scissors in boiling water, clamp the cord on the mother and the baby’s side with shoelaces, dental floss, or purchase some cord clamps from a midwife supply store, and then cut the cord in between the clamped portions of the cord.
I would encourage you to wait until the cord has stopped pulsating or even better, wait until the placenta has fully detached and been passed.
Get the baby to breast as soon as it is born. When the placenta detaches, and in some cases that can take several hours, wrap it up with the baby and keep the baby close to the mother. Feeding the baby on demand will help the mother to produce an abundant milk supply.
Emergency childbirth knowledge and exclusive breastfeeding will go a long way in helping Young Americans to overcome the Woe predicted by Jesus as the winding up scenes of the end times of our world take place. I challenge all who are reading this article to get educated, put in a few simple supplies like some good books on natural childbirth and breastfeeding, cloth diapers, cloth menstrual pads, a two week supply of water (14 gallons per person), some food, and a few natural remedies for infection.
I can’t express in words the comfort that has come into my heart knowing that should we have terror when I am expecting a baby, we will be able to make it to the other side of a natural childbirth experience with me and the baby just fine. I have absolute faith and confidence that if I can do it, so could any couple who decided to get prepared and go for it. Please, take the time to read, study, and ponder these things. Then take some more time and put in the few supplies needed.
Even if you don’t anticipate ever needing to give birth alone, prepare now for that contingency should circumstances require it. I don’t know that the things I have shared in this article cover all of the issues that may present in your situation, but trust that you will be guided to know what to do for your family when the time comes. I have read hundreds of home birth stories, and so many of these families have claimed divine guidance and help as the baby was being born.
I know this Heavenly Help ultimately is where safety lies. It is my fervent testimony that as each day goes by and the world continues to be in commotion, we can and will be able to survive whatever happens if we muster our faith and grasp the reality that like our ancestors hundreds of generations back, we can give birth safely alone at home.
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 7:32 AM
November 1, 2006
Recent Health News w/ Commentary
Here are some of the stories I found interesting on the Web this past week. The focus of the articles are on Birth and health related stories that completely impact Natural Family Living.
Induced Labor Tied to Fatal Birth Risk
"Drug-induced labor increases the risk for a very rare -- but often fatal -- delivery complication known as amniotic-fluid embolism, a new study confirms.
Researchers in Canada concluded that labor induction doubles a woman’s risk for developing the complication, which is a leading cause of delivery-related maternal death.
About one in five births in the U.S. involves medical induction, and the researchers believe the practice may be responsible for as many as 40 cases of amniotic-fluid embolism and 15 deaths each year in this country"
The article went on to say that most inductions were medically necessary, but that is totally bogus. Most inductions are done because "my doctor is going out of town" type of reasoning, or the fear of the baby getting "too big".
Types of labor induction, including the off label use of Cytotec also cause some serious problems in the mother and the baby. Nurses refer to Cytotec as "Cytoblast" because of the effect it has on the labor.
Mother's Stress May Slow Baby's Growth in Womb
"Cortisol - the hormone released by the adrenal gland in times of stress - appears to be the responsible factor, Dr. Miguel A. Diego of the University of Miami School of Medicine and colleagues conclude in their report in medical journal Psychosomatic Medicine."
Then WHY do doctors give stressed out mothers Anti-Depressants which can DOUBLE the level of cortisol in the blood with ONE DOSE of the drug?
Mothers need plenty of restful sleep, good healthy food, and gentle exercise to build a healthy, full term baby of adequate size.
FDA Won't Ban Mercury in Vaccines
"Since 2001, all vaccines given to children 6 and younger have been either thimerosal-free or contained only trace amounts of the preservative. Thimerosal has been phased out of some, but not all, adult vaccines as well.
Most doses of the flu vaccine still contain thimerosal, though manufacturers produce versions free of the preservative for use in children. The FDA said it was in discussions with those manufacturers to increase the supply of thimerosal-free flu vaccine."
Not True - not one dose of vaccine was pulled after it was determined that mercury was causing problems in children being vaccinated. All of the vaccine "on the shelf" was used up and children continued to get high doses of mercury from the vaccines for the past several years.
Survey Examines How Americans Handle Flu
"But as the survey probed more consequences of containment measures, people began to realize what hardships could await them.
Millions of people live with no other adult who could care for them if they fall ill, Blendon noted. Communities need to plan how to provide emergency in-home help, perhaps through properly trained charity groups.
Then there were practical survival issues. More than 40 percent of those surveyed said they would run out of diapers, baby formula or medications if they had to stay home for even a week."
I personally believe that with a massive flu outbreak the law of the jungle would kick in pretty quick and it would be every family for themselves. Check out this Flu Article I wrote a couple years ago for ideas about how to deal with a pandemic without any outside help.
And some more positive health news and information:
Ecstatic birth - nature’s hormonal blueprint for labor
"Giving birth in ecstasy: This is our birthright and our body’s intent. Mother Nature, in her wisdom, prescribes birthing hormones that take us outside (ec) our usual state (stasis), so that we can be transformed on every level as we enter motherhood.
This exquisite hormonal orchestration unfolds optimally when birth is undisturbed, enhancing safety for both mother and baby. Science is also increasingly discovering what we realise as mothers - that our way of birth affects us life-long, both mother and baby, and that an ecstatic birth -- a birth that takes us beyond our self -- is the gift of a life-time."
The basic philosophy of La Leche League is summarized in the following statements:
"Mothering through breastfeeding is the most natural and effective way of understanding and satisfying the needs of the baby.
Mother and baby need to be together early and often to establish a satisfying relationship and an adequate milk supply.
In the early years the baby has an intense need to be with his mother which is as basic as his need for food.
Breast milk is the superior infant food.
For the healthy, full-term baby, breast milk is the only food necessary until the baby shows signs of needing solids, about the middle of the first year after birth.
Ideally the breastfeeding relationship will continue until the baby outgrows the need.
Alert and active participation by the mother in childbirth is a help in getting breastfeeding off to a good start.
Breastfeeding is enhanced and the nursing couple sustained by the loving support, help, and companionship of the baby's father. A father's unique relationship with his baby is an important element in the child's development from early infancy.
Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible.
From infancy on, children need loving guidance which reflects acceptance of their capabilities and sensitivity to their feelings."
Autonomous Pregnancy and Birth
"Who is responsible for you having a healthy baby?
Many people would say, "My doctor is responsible for seeing that I have a healthy pregnancy and a safe birth."
Most people do not see how absolutely IMPOSSIBLE this is. No one can take responsibility for your healthy but YOU.
"But I don't know anything about pregnancy or birth. It's just easier to let the doctor handle everything, since he has been trained to take care of me."
WRONG again. Your doctor has NOT been trained to take care of healthy women. He has been trained to take care of sick people. Your pregnancy is not a disease or a sickness. Your doctor will treat your pregnancy as if it is a disease to be managed. But you have hit the nail on the head when you say that it's EASIER to let the doctor handle everything."
WHY? Twelve Continuous Weeks of Bradley® Classes
"Twelve weeks, 3 months, the last trimester of pregnancy. The standard series of classes for a Bradley® class is 12 continuous weeks for many reasons. First of all it works. Our statistical analysis shows that students who attend a full 12 week class series are more likely to have an unmedicated birth. In looking at renewal information we have found that the fewer the weeks of classes the higher the rate of medication.
There are many reasons for this and perhaps the first is that there is a difference between learning information and preparing the body physically for an athletic event. No one would go out for an Olympic event with less than 3 months of training. Shortening the time of preparation for birth is like being in a rush to prepare pasta for a dinner party and cooking it for only half the time. Pasta takes time to cook and the human body takes time to prepare for birth."
Orgasmic Childbirth (Warning - this post contains pregnancy nudity)
Dr. Bradley was the first to introduce the idea of orgasmic childbirth into my mind. Reading his book Husband Coached Childbirth was my first introduction to the idea that childbirth should and could be filled with hormonal ecstasy.
As I read the parenting literature during my years of childbirth training and teaching, I was surprised to read mothers compare typical hospital drug and surgery birth to the most horrific rape, and gentle holistic birth to the most wonderful, loving sexuality between married couples.
It is for this reason that I decided to throw all of my birthing education efforts into teaching parents about unassisted childbirth. Only in the privacy of ones own home could the fullfillment and hormonal ecstasy of sexual birth come to fruition.
I wonder what would shift in our society if instead of mothers turning to their husbands after birth and blaming them for the pain, agony, and suffering of bringing a child into the world if instead they were to lovingly say to their eternal companion, "honey, birthing your child just gave me the greatest sexual fulfillment of my life!"
Some may ask how I as a mormon could openly talk about sexuality as it relates to childbirth. I acknowledge that the risk of talking about sexual childbirth opens me up for all sorts of crazy scrutiny and shaming by those prudes in our society who may be uncomfortable with the realities of the whole spectrum of female hormonal facts.
Yet, when I see the couples in my community who have experienced birth rape, and watch the ripple out into society that comes from mothers being tortured and brutalized in ways that are a thousand times worse than the most violent gang rape, I just want to yell from the housetops.....
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO EXPERIENCE THAT SORT OF ABUSE!!!
So, yes, it emboldens me, and it makes me want to write and share and link and educate my sisters with the facts, rather than see the constant display in our society of what is becoming the norm in childbirth.
I watched that Discovery Health Birth show yesterday. All those premies, twins, and c-section babes just being pulled from their mommas wombs, with the drugs, mom on her back while giving birth, the gushes of blood, cutting, and drugging. It just sickened me.
Then, late last night I was watching the O'Reilly factor on Fox and Bill is spewing about the increasing violence of our young people, watching violent movies, being drawn to carnage and blood, and darkness, and I thought...."wonder how long it is going to be before Bill and those like him connect the dots in their own minds."
When babies are born under the knife, and the early imprint of their lives is hazy drugging, being poked with needles, cut up during surgery (either mother or babe), and intense bright lights, with all sorts of interventions and procedures the "norm"....well, why should we be surprised that those children who have been so born are drawn to the darkness in our culture?
How dark does it have to get before we realize that we are killing the future with the drugs and surgery?
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 7:49 AM
October 3, 2006
Underweight Infants at Risk as Teens
Underweight Infants at Risk as Teens
"Children born underweight but not disabled are still more likely to have physical and mental problems as teen-agers, researchers said Monday.
Lower scores on tests of intelligence, memory, learning and motor skills were found to be more likely among 16 year olds who weighed less than 4.4 pounds at birth but were otherwise free of disabilities, the study said.
Low birth weight is a known risk factor for mental retardation and cerebral palsy, but subtler brain injuries inflicted by an undersized head may afflict others born underweight, especially boys, it said."
I spent eight years teaching childbirth before I became on online birth activist. I remember reading a quote by Doris Haire, the famous advocate for proper pregnancy nutrition. She claimed that no matter what the size of the mother, if a child was under seven pounds at birth, the mother was malnourished during her pregnancy.
During my first two pregnancies, I did not eat the Brewer Pregnancy Diet. I was a strict vegetarian and although my daughters were both over eight pounds, I did not focus on protein in the least.
With my boys pregnancies, I ate the Brewer Diet faithfully. Jeff was 8 pounds 14 ounces at birth. Andrew was 11 pounds and 12 ounces at birth (and five weeks late), and Benjamin was 9 pounds 8 ounces at birth.
Ben playing soccer.
All I can do is share my stories of pregnancy and birth and hope that you mothers who are reading decide to take nutrition seriously. Go check out Tom Brewer's web site. Read it, and embrace the idea that nutrition is the KEY! In the end it is the ultimate gift that you can give to your child. A healthy whole brain is built with nutritious food, NOT drugs.
Posted by Jenny Hatch at 9:39 AM