Early C-Section Risks Endanger Newborn Babies by Elizabeth Walling
(NaturalNews) A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that having an elective repeat c-section before 39 weeks of pregnancy puts a newborn at risk for serious illnesses and even death. Just about 40 percent of all cesarean sections are repeat procedures, so this study is quite relevant to any woman considering an early elective c-section.
As of 2006, c-sections accounted for more than 30 percent of all births in the United States, up from 20 percent in 1996 and 5 percent in 1970. C-section rates continue to climb, but this procedure is not always to the benefit of the newborn involved. Of course there are many c-sections performed for medical reasons, even to save the life of an infant or mother, but many are elective, meaning there is little medical reason behind the caesarean.
Some of these elective c-sections are done as early as 34 weeks, although the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends elective c-sections be performed no earlier than 39 weeks.The study looked at records of more than 13,000 women who had elective repeat c-sections at any one of 19 clinical centers belonging to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network.
The women had an elective repeat c-section between 37 and 39 weeks of pregnancy without any prior indication of an early c-section.The study then examined whether these women had babies who later died or suffered from serious medical conditions such as respiratory distress, infections or seizures. It was also noted if babies were hospitalized longer than usual, if they were admitted into neonatal intensive care, or if they required respiration at any point during the initial stay at the hospital.Results were conclusive that babies delivered before 39 weeks were much more likely to suffer from health problems.
For infants delivered at 37 weeks, the risk doubled compared to delivery at 39 weeks.These results confirm that babies should not be delivered before 39 weeks simply for the sake of convenience, says Dr. Alan T. N. Tita, assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. He also states this evidence is important for counseling mothers to wait to have an elective c-section until after the 39-week mark.
Obviously, if there are medical reasons behind the procedure the risks involved are outweighed by the benefits. But if there is no strong medical reason to perform a c-section, mother and baby are much better off waiting until after 39 weeks.Paddock, Catharine. Early Repeat C-Section Riskier to Baby. Medical News Today. (2009)Winstein, Keith J. Early C-Section Carries Risks, Study Finds. The Wall Street Journal. (2009)
High Fructose Corn Syrup Contaminated with Toxic Mercury
High Fructose Corn Syrup Contaminated with Toxic Mercury,
Says Research by Mike Adams, NaturalNews Editor (NaturalNews)
New research published in Environmental Health and conducted in part by a scientist at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy has revealed that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is contaminated with the toxic heavy metal mercury.That means that many of the products using HFCS may also be contaminated with mercury.
Carbonated sodas are sweetened with HFCS, as are candy bars, bread, salad dressings, pizza sauce, fruit drinks and thousands of other grocery items.Mercury is so highly toxic that it causes severe neurological disorders. It can also result in the loss of hair, teeth and nails as well as muscle weakness, loss of kidney function, emotional mood swings and memory impairment. (http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Mercur...) (P.S. Somebody please update this Wikipedia page with this latest research about HFCS being a source for mercury exposure, too.)The highest level of contamination found in the study (http://www.ehjourna l.net/content/ 8/1/2) was 0.57 micrograms of mercury per gram of HFCS.
The EPA says that an average-sized woman should consume no more than 5.5 micrograms per day of mercury, meaning that the average American consumer may be eating five times the upper safety limit of mercury every day due to high-fructose corn syrup consumption if they consume the foods tested in the study.That's because the average American consumes 12 teaspoons of HFCS every day! So just by eating the standard American diet of processed foods, consumers are right now potentially exposing themselves to exceedingly high levels of mercury that far surpass the safety limits set by the EPA.
Buy groceries, get free mercury!
High-fructose corn syrup is used in almost everything, it seems. A second study conducted by David Wallinga, M.D., entitled "Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup" (http://healthobserv atory.org/ librar...) reveals that nearly one-third of all grocery items sweetened with HFCS were contaminated with mercury.Eating some sweetened yogurt? Mercury!How about some salad dressing with HFCS? Mercury!Want some ketchup on that burger? Mercury!
In fact, mercury is found in thousands of grocery products sold across the world right now. And it's no exaggeration to say that mainstream consumers of popular food items are likely suffering from widespread mercury poisoning (especially if you add in the mercury exposure they're getting from dental fillings).
Politics at the FDA
There's an angle on this story that nobody is yet reporting. The lead author of this study, Renee Dufault, used to work for the FDA. In fact, she investigated the use of mercury at chlorine plants, where the manufacturing process results in the chlorine being contaminated with mercury. With chlorine being dumped into the public water supply, this is obviously a health concern.Renee Dufault retired from the FDA last year.
Only now, nearly a year after her retirement, has she dared to release her findings about mercury and high-fructose corn syrup.Can you guess why? As an employee of the FDA, there's little question she would have been pressured into silence about the HFCS mercury contamination issue. A lot of powerful corporations that wield steady influence over the FDA would not be happy to see the truth come out about HFCS and mercury. So she waited until after retiring from the FDA to go public with these findings.In fact, Reuters is now reporting that Dufault told the FDA about her findings, but the agency did nothing to act on them. Is anybody really surprised?
Did the CRA know about the mercury contamination of HFCS?But let's give the CRA the benefit of the doubt for a minute here. Let's suppose that right up to 2005, HFCS was routinely contaminated with mercury, but now suddenly it's all mercury free.Doesn't anybody wonder why didn't the CRA recall the mercury-contaminate d HFCS when it became aware of the issue?If all HFCS is now manufactured in a mercury-free process (which is highly doubtful, by the way), then that means at some point the CRA must have realized HFCS was contaminated with mercury and it made a decision to switch to a mercury-free process.
Why was the public never warned about the pre-2006 mercury in HFCS? And why weren't foods containing HFCS recalled from store shelves due to their mercury content?If the CRA's present-day statements are to be believed, it means the group must have been aware of the mercury contamination of HFCS through 2005 and yet it did nothing to make that fact known to the public.So even if HFCS is free from mercury today, the CRA has a lot of explaining to do. The group either knew about the mercury contamination and did nothing to warn the public, or it didn't know about the mercury contamination, putting it in a position of remarkable ignorance about the safety of a product it has routinely claimed to be "safe" and "natural" for many years.So which is it? Is the CRA run by liars, or just fools?My offer for a phone interview with a CRA representative remains open.
If anybody from the CRA wants to get on the phone with me and defend HFCS, the door is wide open. You know how to reach me.Disclaimer: This article is an opinion piece. All statements are my own opinion and are obviously not agreed to by the CRA, which vigorously defends the safety of HFCS. Almost as if their jobs depended on it, come to think....Sources for this story:
Environmental Health: http://www.ehjourna l.net/content/ 8/1/2
Washington Post: http://www.washingt onpost.com/ wp-dy...
Huffington Post: http://www.ehjourna l.net/content/ 8/1/2
Chemicals Cause Infertility
Non-Stick Cookware Chemicals Cause 150 Percent Increase in Infertility
By Mike Adams, January 29, 2009
By Mike Adams, January 29, 2009
Is eating off non-stick cookware a new form of chemical birth control? New research published in the journal Human Reproduction reveals that women with the highest levels of Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in their blood are 150% more likely to have difficulty conceiving a child.
PFCs are commonly used in non-stick cookware, and eating off non-stick cookware inevitably results in the consumption of these chemicals. Even so-called "diamond" non-stick surfaces are easily scratched.
A previous report by NaturalNews exposed the truth about so-called "diamond" non-stick cookware surfaces. See: http://www.naturaln ews.com/021059. html PFCs are also known to impair fetal growth, harm the liver and suppress immune system function. They're also highly toxic to the environment, both during the manufacture and disposal of non-stick cookware products.So why do the chemicals remain legal in the U.S. and other countries? Because they're made by powerful corporations like DuPont (the owner of the Teflon trademark).
Those corporations hold great sway over U.S. regulators, and they routinely distort the truth to hide the dangers of their chemicals.DuPont, for example, illegally withheld information about the health risks of its chemicals from the EPA, says a Bloomberg article from 2004 (http://www.ewg. org/node/ 16471). It's almost routine these days for corporations to lie about the dangers of the chemicals they produce.To this day, DuPont insists PFOA and Teflon are perfectly safe to cook on.
Transformation Aids Each Other
My dear friend, DeLynn, sent this to me today. I loved it enough to share it with all of you! It gave me hope that all the emotional/spiritual work I have been doing so rigourously is also adding in changing my children and those I love. Thanks DeLynn. Something I already believed but DEFINITELY needed a reminder. Abundant peace, Rachel
After the dust has settled from the holiday dinners and family occasions, I thought it an appropriate time to offer a kabbalistic understanding of the nature of family.
Each of us comes into this world with a specific set of spiritual goals that must be achieved over the course of our lifetimes. These changes take place within the individual, but are not limited to the individual. Kabbalistically, children not only inherit our DNA, they also inherit a portion of our consciousness. In fact, DNA, molecules and atoms are all really different levels of consciousness.
Thus, each time a parent changes, changes are also taking place in their children. Likewise, when children embrace spirituality, beginning at the age of twelve and thirteen, any transformation they undergo will also influence their parents. A spiritual umbilical cord forever links parents, children and siblings.
When one boat rises, everyone experiences a bit of that new elevation; when one falls, everyone in the family sinks a little bit. The purpose of a family is to create an opportunity for constant interactions that allow us to discover those places within us where self-centered desire governs our behavior.
Family members have the annoying talent of triggering reactions within us, thereby giving us an opportunity not to react. Each time we forgo a selfish desire and choose selfless behavior - each time we choose our response instead of reacting - we make a change in our lives. And with each change, we receive a little more Light.
As we've seen, our efforts benefit our families as well, giving them additional strength to identify and transform their own selfishness. And as a family experiences the power of spiritual transformation and connects to the world of Light, those benefits extend to its friends, neighbors, and community.
As people throughout the world succeed in moving away from the dictates of the ego and toward selflessness, the entire planet is transformed into a paradise.
For the beginning of this new year, let us all realize that one great way to bring about peace on earth (and in our minds) is to be conscious and proactive at home. The more compassion and tolerance and self-awareness we show our family, the more we will see that reflected in the world at large.
For the beginning of this new year, let us all realize that one great way to bring about peace on earth (and in our minds) is to be conscious and proactive at home. The more compassion and tolerance and self-awareness we show our family, the more we will see that reflected in the world at large.
Happy New Year to Everybody!
All the best,
Yehuda
All the best,
Yehuda
Repeat C~Sections Increase Risks
So aside from the fact that C-sections are ever increasing at more phenomenal rates than ever before....along side it is the issue of performing a c-section too early. I find it COMPLETE craziness that the medical field has chosen to deem 37 weeks as full term. We are we LUMPING woman into this little box as all being the same, all the time. If it were truly the case that 37 weeks was full term, then all babies born at 37 weeks would be healthy. Right?
I could go on but I have bolded parts of the article that stood out the most to me. You decide for yourself what you think. I know what I think about it. ILLOGICAL!
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
By Rob SteinWashington Post Staff Writer Thursday, January 8, 2009; Page A01
The common practice of scheduling a Caesarean section a little early to make childbirth more convenient sharply increases the risk that babies will be born with potentially serious complications, according to the first large-scale study to examine the dangers.
The study of more than 24,000 full-term infants found that those delivered at 37 weeks to mothers who had elective repeat C-sections were about twice as likely as newborns delivered at the recommended 39 weeks to experience breathing problems, bloodstream infections and other complications. Babies born at 38 weeks were 50 percent more likely to have problems; the risk was about 20 percent higher just a few days early.
"Having a baby at term, you might expect the baby would do well and come to your room with you and then go right home with you," said Catherine Y. Spong of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which sponsored the study in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "This shows there are significant risks."
The findings come as health authorities have become increasingly alarmed about the rate of Caesarean births, which has been rising steadily and is now at an all time-high, according to another federal report released yesterday. More than a third of U.S.-born babies are delivered by C-section, which involves removing the baby through a surgical incision in the abdomen instead of vaginally through labor.
The reason for the increase has been the subject of intense debate. In part it is the result of more women having children later in life, when complications are more common. In part it is because doctors are identifying more problem pregnancies early and intervening to protect the mother or the baby. And once a woman has had a C-section, she is much more likely to deliver subsequent children the same way.
Although a pregnancy is considered full term after 37 weeks, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that elective repeat C-sections occur no earlier than 39 weeks to make sure the baby has fully developed. But some women opt to deliver a little earlier for a variety of reasons, including being eager to see their baby, being tired of pregnancy or for convenience.
"Sometimes a patient is bonded to their physician and that physician may be going out of town and the patient wants that physician to perform the delivery and says, 'Can we schedule it when you're in town?' " Spong said. "Sometimes her in-laws are coming at a certain time and she may want to deliver then."
Although previous studies have suggested increased risks in C-sections before 39 weeks, the new study is the first large-scale attempt to confirm and quantify those risks.
"I think that as a patient or a physician, you might be convinced that being close to 39 weeks is probably good enough and there's probably no difference if you are going to turn 39 weeks on a Sunday to have a Caesarean on, say, a Friday," Spong said. "Before this, we didn't have the data to say that there would be more risk."
For the study, Alan T.N. Tita of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and his colleagues analyzed data collected by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which gathers data on pregnancies at 19 medical centers nationwide.
Of 24,077 women who gave birth through a repeat C-section between 1999 and 2002, 13,258 were clearly elective -- meaning the researchers could find no evidence that the baby or mother was in distress or any other medical reason the woman could not attempt to deliver through labor. Of those, nearly 36 percent of the deliveries occurred before 39 weeks.
"To have more than a third of them done before 39 weeks is surprising," Spong said. "These are all elective repeat Caesareans without a medical indication and without labor."
Because the study was conducted at academic medical centers that are most likely to follow official recommendations, the actual rate may even be higher, Tita said.
More than 15 percent of the babies delivered at 37 weeks suffered a complication, such as problems breathing, low blood sugar, infections or conditions that required intensive care, compared with about 8 percent of those delivered at 39 weeks. About 11 percent of those delivered at 38 weeks experienced complications. Babies born at 37 weeks were four times as likely as those delivered at 39 weeks to have breathing problems.
Although most babies with these complications recover quickly, they can need testing and treatment, including intensive care, that require them to remain in the hospital for at least several days. In some cases, the complications can be dangerous.
"Respiratory distress requiring a ventilator can be life-threatening," Spong said. "So although most do well, there is the possibility of serious adverse outcomes."
At the very least, such complications are stressful for parents and their babies.
"There are economic implications and emotional and impact on the families," Spong said. "Breast-feeding is more difficult, and bonding is more difficult."
While other experts agreed that the study provides important information to help women and their doctors make decisions about timing C-sections, some said the risks of complications are relatively low and need to be weighed against the small but not insignificant chance that waiting a week or two would result in more stillbirths.
"This paper, although it provides important information about risk, does not give us the whole story," said Michael F. Greene of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who wrote an editorial accompanying the study. "It doesn't provide an accounting of how many babies may have died waiting to get to 39 weeks. You have to balance both sides of the ledger."
But Spong said the magnitude of the risk of stillbirth from waiting is unclear, and the new study shows the risks of complications from early delivery is significant.
"It's hard to advocate doing a Caesarean at 37 weeks to try to prevent a stillbirth when we don't really know the true risk," she said.
EVERY Week COUNTS!
This is just to go along with the post below. Some more stastical information which is always a good thing, I think~ Rachel
This time of year, some hospitals see a small uptick in baby deliveries thanks to families eager to fit the blessed event in around holiday plans or in time to claim a tax deduction. Conventional wisdom has long held that inducing labor or having a Caesarean section a bit early posed little ri
sk, since after 34 weeks gestation, all the baby has to do was grow.
sk, since after 34 weeks gestation, all the baby has to do was grow.But new research shows that those last weeks of pregnancy are more important than once thought for brain, lung and liver development. And there may be lasting consequences for babies born at 34 to 36 weeks, now called "late preterm."
New research shows that the last weeks of pregnancy are more important than once thought for brain, lung and liver development. A study in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in October calculated that for each week a baby stayed in the womb between 32 and 39 weeks, there is a 23% decrease in problems such as respiratory distress, jaundice, seizures, temperature instability and brain hemorrhages.
A study of nearly 15,000 children in the Journal of Pediatrics in July found that those born between 32 and 36 weeks had lower reading and math scores in first grade than babies who went to full term. New research also suggests that late preterm infants are at higher risk for mild cognitive and behavioral problems and may have lower I.Q.s than those who go full term.
What's more, experts warn that a fetus's estimated age may be off by as much as two weeks either way, meaning that a baby thought to be 36 weeks along might be only 34.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the March of Dimes are now urging obstetricians not to deliver babies before 39 weeks unless there is a medical reason to do so. "It's very important for people to realize that every week counts," says Lucky E. Jain, a professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine.
It's unclear how many deliveries are performed early for nonmedical reasons. Preterm births (before 37 weeks) have risen 31% in the U.S. since 1981 -- to one in every eight births. The most serious problems are seen in the tiniest babies. But nearly 75% of preterm babies are born between 34 and 36 weeks, and much of the increase has come in C-sections, which now account for a third of all U.S. births. An additional one-fifth of all births are via induced labor, up 125% since 1989.
Many of those elective deliveries are done for medical reasons such as fetal distress or pre-eclampsia, a sudden spike in the mother's blood pressure. Those that aren't can be hard to distinguish. "Obstetricians know the rules and they are very creative about some of their indications -- like 'impending pre-eclampsia,'" says Alan Fleischman, medical director for the March of Dimes.
Why do doctors agree to deliver a baby early when there's no medical reason? Some cite pressure from parents. "'I'm tired of being pregnant. My fingers are swollen. My mother-in-law is coming' -- we hear that all the time," says Laura E. Riley, medical director of labor and delivery at Massachusetts General Hospital. "But there are 25 other patients waiting, and saying 'no' can take 45 minutes, so sometimes we cave."
There's also a perception that delivering early by c-section is safer for the baby, even though it means major surgery for the mom. "The idea is that somehow, if you're in complete control of the delivery, then only good things will happen. But that's categorically wrong. The baby and the uterus know best," says F. Sessions Cole, director of newborn medicine at St. Louis Children's Hospital.
He explains that a complex series of events occurs in late pregnancy to prepare the baby to survive outside the womb: The fetus acquires fat needed to maintain body temperature; the liver matures enough to eliminate a toxin called bilirubin from the body; and the lungs get ready to exchange oxygen as soon as the umbilical cord is clamped. Disrupting any of those steps can result in brain damage and other problems. In addition, the squeezing of the uterus during labor stimulates the baby and the placenta to make steroid hormones that help this last phase of lung maturation -- and that's missed if the mother never goes into labor.
"We don't have a magic ball to predict which babies might have problems," says Dr. Cole. "But we can say that the more before 39 weeks a baby is delivered, the more likely that one or more complications will occur."
In cases where there are medical reasons to deliver a baby early, lung maturation can be determined with amniocentesis -- using a long needle to withdraw fluid from inside the uterus. But that can cause infection, bleeding or a leak or fetal distress, which could require an emergency c-section.
Trying to determine maturity by the size of the fetus can also be problematic. Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes are often very large for their age, but even less developed for their age than normal-size babies. Growing beyond 42 weeks can also pose problems, since the placenta deteriorates and can't sustain the growing baby.
Making families aware of the risks of delivering early makes a big difference. In Utah, where 27% of elective deliveries in 1999 took place before the 39th week, a major awareness campaign has reduced that to less than 5%. At two St. Louis hospitals that send premature babies to Dr. Cole's neonatal intensive-care unit, obstetricians now ask couples who want to schedule a delivery before 39 weeks to sign a consent form acknowledging the risks. At that point, many wait for nature to take its course, says Dr. Cole.
Orgasmic vs. Induced...You Choose!
Here is a trailer of a new website have been scouring over for the past several months. ORGASMIC BIRTH. What a GREAT name! The video is finally out which I am excited about receiving soon. It is all so FASCINATING to me! There is an EXCELLENT video found on the site that I tried to download here but couldn't figure out. It's called Birth By The Numbers. WATCH IT! It's chalk full of VERY IMPORTANT information of why we are where we are at with the C-section rate and such. Can I say I LOVE videos? What a BENEFICIAL and QUICK way to educate the masses!
My good friend Bonnie just emailed me a GREAT article in regards to pitocin and induction of labor. Thank you, my friend for sending it my way! Here's a little blurb from it!
"According to Nancy Griffin and Mothering magazine [2], the medical inducement of labor is medically required in only about 3 percent of pregnancies, but 81 percent of women in US hospitals receive Pitocin either to induce or augment their labors. “The majority [of induced labors] aren’t medically necessary,” and “that therefore approximately 75 percent of all inductions put both the mother and baby at risk."
According to Roberto Caldreyo-Barcia, MD, former president of the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and an eminent researcher into the effects of obstetrical interventions, Pitocin is the most abused drug in the world today."
“The World Health Organization deplores routinely using Pitocin. The Physician’s Desk Reference says that Pitocin should be used only when medically necessary.”
“Pitocin can cause increased pain, fetal distress, neonatal jaundice, and retained placenta; and recent research suggests that exposure to Pitocin may be a factor in causing autism.”
Eric Hollander of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, for example, links autistic children with Pitocin-induced labors.
“In 1978, the FDA advisory committee removed its approval of Pitocin for the elective induction of labor. (The drug has never been approved by the FDA for the use of augmenting labor.) The current Physician’s Desk Reference clearly states that ‘Pitocin is not indicated for elective induction of labor’.” [2]
“Augmenting labor, often confused with induction, is a slightly different process, used to help or speed up a labor that began on its own.” “A basic fear of the natural process of childbirth has led, over many centuries, to a cultural warping of childbirth. Justifiable fear about the possible death of a baby or mother in childbirth, combined with beliefs in magic, rituals, drugs, herbal remedies, and much later, technology [technology being viewed on the same level as blood letting], has led to the use of a whole host of ‘cures’ for labors that didn’t seem to start ‘on time’.” [2]
The article is actually called "Don't Push The Baby." Please click on the link and read the whole thing. It is DEFINITELY an intriguing read. For some of you, this article might be a bit out there since it is ultimately discussing the metaphysical implications of forcing a baby to come before his/her set forth time. Which, by the way, I absolutely agree need to come into play when we are discussing effects of any choice we make in regards to birth. The person writing the article is VERY passionate. If you feel it to be a bit harsh, then please just take from the article what sings to you! I did, for sure!
When we choose to disregard the emotional/pyschological and spiritual aspects of a choice and believe that only the physical matters, we then create a destined outcome that might make things worse instead of better. As you already know, my belief is that the majority of physical issues are only manifested because of storage overload from an emotional/spiritual space. I was just talking with Elena from Birth As We Know It last week and we were both shaking our heads in disbelief of how the emotional/physcological aspects of birth are not being dealt with or even discussed ANYWHERE. I choose to believe that all realms of ourselves....physical, emotional, and spiritual work in harmony in striving to create the healthiest US! That only tells me that each plays an important role in my overall well being. To think that one is more important than the other only creates improper imbalances and with that can come all kinds of future crises or calamities.
At this point, I am planning on attending Elena's apprenticeship workshop next month. I am VERY excited. I am going with a friend, her daughter and my sister in law Yulia, who is working with me at births right now. The rule is NO BABIES at the workshop....but my dear friend, Charlene, has offered her services to me and will be watching Mabel for 10 days, bringing her back and forth so I can still attend somewhat to Mabel with feedings and such. THANK YOU, CHARLENE! You are my angel! I had not planned fully on going. Merely because of several restraints. First being cost. Next, the Mabel issue. Then finding a place to stay in Chico, Ca. Within one week of fervent prayer, the stars aligned and it seems that everything has come perfectly into place for us to be able to attend. My jaw is still dropping, to be honest. I am in SHOCK!! I honestly thought I wasn't going to be able to go and with VERY little effort everything came together and we're going.
So...aside from the ECSTASY over going, I am sharing it here because I am asking for prayers. Part of me believes Mabel will be fine because when I was praying about going, my prayers also consisted of that if everything worked out then that meant that Mabel would be HAPPY while we were there. But another part of me is VERY attached to my sweet little one. We have worked VERY hard to create a trauma free/emotionally healing environment from conception til now for her. One where she can share with us always where she's at emotionally and we will respond and help relieve any issues. The last thing we want is for her to feel saddened or abandoned in anyway because of this trip. All of your prayers have helped me/us so much in the past, I know they will again this time. I will go ahead and say how much I truly have and am appreciating it!! It means to much to me and I have noticed so much love from each of you when I make these requests. Thank you!
Oh, by the way, we had a VERY Merry Christmas! I was going to post about our Christmas first but I am waiting for my mother in law to upload the pictures on her computer. When that happens I will post more details. I hope everyone has a VERY JOYFUL rest of the holiday season!!
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
Rachel
Evangelina Margarita's Birth
Another INSPIRING and BEAUTIFUL birth! Olya's special delivery was another uplifting moment in my life. Beware of tears streaming while reading this! My tears were FLOWING. Again...I LOVE that I even get the opportunity to participate in something so AMAZING! I just can't believe it.
Olya, I feel so touched by being a part of your whole experience. When you decided to enter this new path, you COMPLETELY took the bull of the horns and spend the last 5 weeks using every moment applying faith, trust, courage and strength in yourself and your Higher Powers!! WOW!
You are another woman in my life who has become more than just a friend but a dear sister! Please understand...that I am not here to teach you or help you learn ANYTHING. I believe that I am here in only the capacity of helping you to REMEMBER who you are, what you are, and why you are here! I believe that if I have even done that, it is only because it has been gifted to me by my Higher Source. Please know...that you have done the same for me! THANK YOU!
I love you, Olya! Rachel
Dec 8, 2008 at 11:49 pm we welcomed our beautiful Evangelina Margarita into this world, weighing 6lb 6 oz and 19 1/4 " tall. I had an AMAZING birth experience! I strongly believe, actually KNOW that preparation - emotional , spiritual and physical - equal in ALL areas is essential. It is essential for every aspect of life, but as we connect so close to Divine Power during birth, I believe that it is so important to be at peace and in harmony with everything. This is the way - as I see it - for our spirit to connect to God and Heavenly Mother more then ever as we are bringing one of Their sons or daughters into our world.
I am so ever grateful to Rachel, who helped me to learn so many new things. I am very grateful to Heavenly Father for leading me to her , and to everyone who was a part of the process. Thank you to all! The birth of my baby was so beautiful and so empowering, it brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it. I wish sincerely for every woman to experience the same feelings that I have inside and have the birth that is right for them.
I started having contractions on Sunday. Nothing too-too regular, and since I already had at least 2 false alarms, I didn't even pay attention. I enjoyed the church, then the sweat lodge, wonderful food and conversation and didn't think twice about anything. Over night I kept dreaming about beautiful colors - never had that before - and woke up very invigorated, happy ( although not really looking forward to a VERY long day with my son's performance), and full of love. I felt so much LOVE for my husband - it is hard to explain. Later - when I was in labor - Rachel told me to snuggle with my husband , as the same energy of love that creates the baby, brings it here too. I immediately thought about morning. THAT is why it felt so different.
As we were getting ready to leave, I kept more and more realizing that my contractions are coming all the time , and regularly. I didn't time them yet, but started to realize that something is different now. I didn't want to get too excited though - the "what if false alarm" kept me pretty grounded. Then it started snowing . I ALWAYS imagined that I'd have this baby on the FIRST day it would snow in Dec! It was so cute when my almost 5 year old son saw the snow and said " Mommy, Christmas is coming! " and when I said that the baby would need to be born first, he came to me and said : Ok! Baby, can you come now?! We want Christmas! " Made me laugh, yet think too.
So, by around 11-30 I was pretty sure something was different. I called my midwife with a question , and then decided that , yes, it would be a good idea to give heads up to others ( she works with the partner and has an apprentice). And just as that quote that I posted a few weeks ago, once we commit, the universe provides. I felt complete assurance instantly that this is it.By about 1 pm I met with my husband and he decided to time contractions. They were about 5 minutes apart. I realized that I am NOT going to my sons performance ( as I was helping backstage), Justin's sister was able to help ( THANK YOU!), and Justin and I headed home.
The contractions were strong enough for me to be constantly reminded of them and for me to stop doing things, yet I felt that there would be a little bit before it would "hit". We wanted to have a homebirth. Lot's of people think that it is not safe, complications, etc - well, on my own experience : you are FAR more in danger at the hospital, as absurd as it may sound. Do your research - there is nothing like seeing it with your own eyes.All through the labor Justin and I kept going in the awe :" This is AMAZING. SO much BETTER then the hospital! " As I had 2 hospital births, both inductions ( and at THAT time I thought that my hospital experience was not too bad. Until I started to learn to THINK for myself rather then follow what I was told ) I had a lot to compare to. Just being at home made my labor be so much easier. No monitors, no ties, no IVs, no shots - just me and my baby and my husband. Not for a second did I worry about my baby's well being. ( and i was going crazy following the monitors in the hospital ). Ability to be free to move - ahh, what a blessing! i felt the same intensity of contractions at 7-8 sm at home as I felt at 3-4 sm in the hospital. I will give credit to hypnobabies, but I didn't use them until the very end. There was just no need : being comfortable in my surroundings made a HUGE difference. Justin was all in the clouds . He would tell everyone who called him that he couldn't talk, because his wife was in labor :) : ) :) I love my husband. :)
So, we prepared everything : the bed, the towels and all the other stuff that you get in the hospital ( and that they literally charge you 1000 times MORE for, and you get it all for under $70 off the home birthing sites). I rested for a little , although by then it was rather uncomfortable. By 6: 45 I decided that I wanted Rachel here. I had 3 midwifes all to myself! :) How cool is that? You are lucky if you get 1 doctor through your labor - I don't think that ever happens though, unless the doctor is your family member.To speed up things we went for a walk - sort of. The walk consisted of bout 50 feet and then me hanging on Justin thinking "open, open , open" and "peace" - my hypnobabies stuff - and me gradually getting lower and lower to the ground. Plus, the fact that I had to pee every 15 minutes didn't help either - we mostly walked up and down the hill on the nearest street. When finally, my "stops" became more like crawls on the ground, I figured it was about time to get back. Plus, the fact that it was freezing outside made "home" sound wonderful.
I didn't plan on waterbirth at all. I thought that I'd labor in water and deliver on the bed. But I didn't really have an objection to waterbirth either. I decided to go with the flow and see what my body would want. Through the whole labor I was kind of thinking that I would not even want to labor in the tub - I felt nice and comforted by what I had around. By the time I was 7-8 sm though, the thought of warm water was very appealing. Justin filled the tub, and once I got in, I felt SO MUCH pressure to just go away. I loved the feeling. The contractions were there , but they were not nearly as intense and I felt them on the "dry" ground. With the hypnobabies affirmations cd in my ears I even wondered if it was normal to feel so good. Don't get me wrong : I FELT the contractions, but I loved feeling them. Not to sound self-distractive or anything, but I welcomed every single one of them. I don't know , whether it was the fact of hypnobabies, or emotional work, or the fact that I never had the real labor before , or it is all the factors together( which is what i believe was the truth), but I loved my contractions.
There was a moment during the transition that it really was hard, but a huge part of it ( I think) was that I didn't have the urge to push : i just consciously pushed because I knew I needed to. I still can't understand why I didn't feel like pushing. I'll figure it out before the next one :) When the head crowned though, everything else became absolutely easy : no pain, no pushing , nothing - my body just did the work. I cannot express my feelings in words - there are no words - of how wonderful and AMAZING it feels to have your baby come, to feel the little head coming into this world, and then seeing it , taking the body into your OWN arms and bringing the baby to your chest. Every woman deserves and needs to feel this. Doctors truly rob us of this joy. The LOVE and CONNECTION that appears the moment you feel your baby is something that cannot be described.
I am so ever grateful to Rachel for re-creating the power within me. I went from being freaked out to move, to having complete confidence that in case we had to deliver the baby ourselves, we would be able to do that. ( Although I DID want her to be there :) And I am happy she was ) My little girl was born at 11;49 - just 10 minutes away from the new day! Interesting enough, that a few days before I wrote in my pregnancy journal that I planned on having the baby before or on, but not later then Dec 8, 08. Sure enough! The power of believe, thought, words and prayer is amazing.
I lost a little bit of blood after the delivery - the same reason I bled at the beginning too : the way my placenta formed and attached - and that is when I learned for myself, that had I NOT followed the inner feelings and continued with my "safe and proven " hospital program, I think neither I nor my baby would be here right now. Yeva ( short for Evangelina in Ukraine, and that is what we are calling our little girl ) had a very short cord that she HAD wrapped around her neck , and that UNWRAPPED within the last couple of weeks. If I went with the doctors, i would NEVER make it to these last "couple of weeks". The fact that the cord was short was also UNKNOWN. I was told that she had a VERY LONG cord according to the U/S. With this "100% accuracy" ( as my doctor AND perinatologist assured me) I would be INDUCED, which means that somewhere during the delivery either the cord would get much too tight for the baby to be able to get enough oxygen or the placenta would tear off earlier. Results of both are terrible enough for me not to want to write them. And then the fact of induction. Pitocin makes one bleed more and contract harder. In my situation that would be a straight path for transfusion in the best case scenario.
None of this happened. THANK YOU, God and Rachel. To God - for inspiring me and showing me the right way. To Rachel - for being responsive to inspirations and acting on them. Through just 5 weeks that I had with Rachel, she taught me SO MUCH, and made me understand SO MUCH - things that may have sounded crazy to others. But the truth was that there was no time to be fulling around : I had 5 weeks to do everything that a regular person would have at least 8 months for. And it all paid off miraculously : a beautiful healthy baby, beautiful birth, and so much knowledge and realization.
This is truly the best experience in my life. There is nothing that compares to it. Everything I learned, knew and loved came together at one moment. I felt complete and happy. And now I am on a new path of discovery of joy of natural and truly spiritual upbringing of my children, joyful living, true love and conscious conception.PS : I am just realizing that the way I feel ( physically ) is AMAZING. My baby is barely over a day old, I would not even be home from the hospital yet. Comparing to the other 2 births , I feel like I can run a marathon. Yes, I am tired, yes, I feel that my body delivered a baby, BUT I feel great - just like you WOULD feel after running a marathon : tired, worn out, but GREAT. I am really looking forward to applying 100% of everything I learned and more for the next birth, and having another wonderful experience.
Fuel for the Fire!
This article was just as upsetting or maybe even more than the other articles I've been posting recently. Chris and I just finished watching "Happy Valley." For those who haven't seen it, I'd recommend you do so! Again...let me reiterate. I find it EXTREMELY scary the amount of personal power we give to so many different people and/or things around us. Be it doctors, pills, drugs, food, alcohol....you name it! We're all looking REALLY hard to find that emotional escape. Or as the Native American's say we're all "chasing a good day to die." If life isn't going the way we want it....we just pop a pill or eat or drink our feelings away. Or if we really want to have a baby, we're just so sick of being pregnant it's ok....we don't have to wait...we'll just cut it out!
We COMPLETLEY go agaisnt every part of ourselves that is telling us we can think and act for ourselves. That we can change with the help of true and faithful friends/family. That we can turn our True Source for insight and understanding to forward our need for change and clarity. So...I must ask... Can we all throw down the facade? Can we be honest with each other or more imporantly, ourselves, and make the needed changes to find peace within us? Can we raise our voices to speak our truth and stand up for those things we know bring true happiness? Most importantly, can we turn inward....into our own hearts and seek the courage and strength to ask for help and understanding from our Higher Power and FULLY and COMPLETELY believe that NO MATTER WHAT They are there for us and WANT to BE? I KNOW we can. I have faith in myself, my Higher Power, and HUMANITY!
I was watching a TV show awhile ago (one of the worst shows on birth on cable television I have seen yet) where a woman actually said she was scheduling a C-section for delivery because the "the old ways of having a baby were just too barbaric and we should use the new technology that has been given to us." I think I'm still in shock that those words actually came out of a pregnant woman's mouth! Anyway....read and judge your feelings for yourself. I'm so grateful that someone is doing something to bring it to light and expose the fact that things need to change. WHAT A BLESSING! Read on!
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
Premature births: Utah earns a 'D' from March of Dimes study
By Heather May and The Salt Lake Tribune's news services
Updated: 11/13/2008 08:14:21 AM MST
By Heather May and The Salt Lake Tribune's news services
Updated: 11/13/2008 08:14:21 AM MST
With almost one in nine Utah babies born too early, the Beehive state is essentially failing when it comes to preventing premature birth, the leading cause of newborn deaths. Utah, lik
e the nation as a whole, earned a D grade from the March of Dimes, which released its first Premature Birth Report Card Wednesday. One cause is women or doctors scheduling deliveries a couple of weeks before the due date without a medical reason. In response, there is a push by Utah doctors to refuse to electively induce labor or perform Cesarean sections unless a woman is one week or less away from her due date. Michael Varner, who helps oversee obstetrics research at the University
(Kristin Schalk, of Tooele, watches Wednesday as her daughter Ashlynn, 3, looks out the Intermountain Medical Center door. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune )
of Utah, has heard the pleas: "They're 38 1/2 weeks [along] and they're tired of being pregnant. Their doctor is going out of town. It's a week before Christmas." But, he adds, "doctors should just say, 'No.' Hospitals should just say, 'No.' A spontaneous onset of labor and vaginal delivery is overall the safest."
Babies born even a couple of weeks early are at risk for respiratory and feeding problems, jaundice, long-term mental disabilities and sudden death, Varner said. A baby's brain at 35 weeks weighs two-thirds of what it will weigh at a full term of 40 weeks, according to the March 
of Dimes. The nonprofit graded each state on its rate of premature births - defined as babies born at less than 37 weeks gestation. Utah's rate in 2005 was 11.4 percent, compared to the national 2010 goal of 7.6 percent. The U.S. rate was 12.7 percent. Vermont earned the only B grade, the highest mark given. Several states, mostly in the South, got Fs.
of Dimes. The nonprofit graded each state on its rate of premature births - defined as babies born at less than 37 weeks gestation. Utah's rate in 2005 was 11.4 percent, compared to the national 2010 goal of 7.6 percent. The U.S. rate was 12.7 percent. Vermont earned the only B grade, the highest mark given. Several states, mostly in the South, got Fs. (Jessica Anderson, a registered nurse at Intermountain Medical Center, attends to 9-hour-old Jaxon Ottosen in the neonatal intensive care unit. Jaxon was born nearly two months premature, which a March of Dimes report suggests is a growing problem. (Francisco Kjolseth/The Salt Lake Tribune )
"The United States is failing our tiniest and youngest citizens on the very day they are born," said Amy Hansen, director of the Utah March of Dimes chapter at a news conference in the newborn intensive care unit at Intermountain Medical Center. Utah's premature birth rate has jumped 24 percent since 1995. Varner said the main reason is the number of babies delivered between 34 and 37 weeks, due to a rise in the number of twin and triplet births and improvements in care that allow doctors to deliver ill babies earlier.
Another reason is the "disturbing" trend of elective inductions or C-sections before 38 weeks, he said. It's hard to know how often that happens. Counting induced vaginal deliveries and C-sections, about half of Utah's 52,000 births are scheduled, though some of those are for medical reasons.
Noticing that such late pre-term deliveries lasted longer by several hours and caused more complications, Intermountain Healthcare created a policy a couple of years ago to reduce late-term elective inductions. Before inducing labor, women must be 39 weeks along and their body must be ready to deliver, as measured by a soft and dilated cervix.
In 1999, about 28 percent of all elective deliveries at Intermountain happened before 39 weeks. This summer, it was down to 2.6 percent, and those patients had to get the medical director's approval. Women shouldn't schedule their labor as if it's a haircut, said Janie Wilson, operations director of Intermountain's Women and Newborn Clinical Program.
A handful of pregnant women at IMC said they had no problem with the guidelines. "You're asking for more complications. Kids come when they're ready," said Wendy Dowdle, who is 36 weeks pregnant. She said her two other children arrived a little more than a week early naturally. Besides reducing late preterm births, there are other ways for women to prevent premature births: stop smoking, attain the right weight before pregnancy, space out pregnancies at least by 18 months and start prenatal visits in the first trimester.
Swapping Breast Milk
WOW! How AWESOME is this quote? Boy, did I need it this morning! After the Thanksgiving hustle and bustle, I just was and am so INSPIRED by this quote.
"The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."
~Brother Lawrence
~Brother Lawrence
The Practice of the Presence of God
I just REALLY LOVE this quote. It just so HIT home for me. I have always thought about how I can really get into a space of peace and acceptance when so much CHAOS is constantly and consistently around me. We do live in a world that is so BUSY and GOING all the time that I have truly prayed about getting into that space where I can keep a prayer always in my heart. And I have only wondered that because I know how desperately I need it!
All this quote is telling me is that it's only about my perception. I can believe this quote to be the truth and then pray to have it realized and choose to see my world through that belief. I feel SO HAPPY about that. I'm gonna do it! In the process, I am sure because I am making this intention....I will first need to see what lies are holding me back from truly applying and believing this. YEAH! Here we go! Let all work on this together. Wanna? Then we can help each other move toward this PEACEFUL point of tranquility in each of our lives, no matter where we are or what is taking place. 
Ok....so to switch gears....
Ok....so to switch gears.... HERE is a VERY interesting video about a group of woman sharing their breastmilk with each other. Of course, as you already know I'm sure, I think this is a BEAUTIFUL idea and one which has been around MUCH longer than the concept of formula or bottle feeding. I remember my husband's grandmother telling me stories of nursing her sisters baby for a year, along with her own. It was interesting to hear her tell it because, aside from the fact I had heard it several times, each time she told her she could comment at the end that she always felt VERY close to her niece. They had a bond she didn't have with any other of her nieces and nephews. I think that is SO SWEET!
Just a couple of my observations. I'm not understanding why this idea seems so new or foreign to people. Or that it seems strange or even disgusting. Read a few history books in regards to pregnancy or childbirth and you will see this is a practice that has been around for eons of time now. Remember "wet nurses?" They were around as early as 50 years ago. When I was hospitalized 7 years ago, my dear Millie was 4 months old. I was SO GRATEFUL for all my dear sisters and friends who breastfed her and donated breastmilk to me. I remember shedding tears over it. It was SO TOUCHING to me that other woman could and WOULD, even wanted to, love my lovely baby so much that they would share their life giving nutrition with her. What a blessing it was!
Another thought....so the doctor who states that we really shouldn't be passing breastmilk to each other because of all the bacteria. Are you kidding me? When are we going to come to the realization that LIFE is FULL of BACTERIA! People, it's all around us all the time. We can scrub, clean or disinfect a surface or item as much as you like but...I can promise you that as soon as any human contact touches it, it's contaminated again. I must admit here, I am MUCH MORE SCARED of chemicals than I am of bacteria. Chemicals are killing people left and right. Way more than bacteria is. Look at the number of hospital caused deaths each year. My personal belief is that is NOT bacteria killing people but all the CRAP we're putting in their bodies really thinking it's saving their lives. Some of it is saving their lives, I'm sure. But I think it's gone WAY overboard!! There is NOT BALANCE! It's all focused on the physical issues when in actuality we could change so much physically if we would look at our emotional worlds along with the physical.
The doctor then goes on to discuss how people can just purchase, for a mere $2200, enough breastmilk for their baby through the milk bank. Again, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? And....she points out, the GREAT (note the sarcasm) thing about the process they use is that they pasteurize the milk before you get it so it is SUPPOSEDLY bacteria free. (This is the ULTIMATE lie we tell ourselves, isn't it?) So...aside from the fact that now there is very little foreign or unwanted bacteria, (hahahahaha!) in the milk, we have also killed the majority of the nutrients and VERY beneficial enzymes. Guaranteed, we have also messed with the fat structures and who knows how our babies new little bodies will even deal with that? Seriously, I am laughing at this. Your going to pay THAT MUCH money for something that has been so deranged to the point that who knows how beneficial it really is anymore. I think you might as well use formula then. It's cheaper, right? I have to say....I LOVED the woman's comment at the end when she says something like....If it's good enough for their babies, then it's good enough for ours. LOVE IT! That was the BEST part of the whole video, I think. WAY TO GO, you breastmilk swapping woman. Keep up the AWESOME work. Your inspiring other woman to know they can do the same. I JUST LOVE IT!!
I know that I still haven't posted my feelings about the last post. I'm holding off a bit. I'm not sure if I am going to even share. I wonder if I had said enough from the 2 previous posts. I think my ideas and feelings in regards to pregnancy and birth have been VERY obvious. The one part about the article that was GREAT for me was that it answered one of my questions from the previous posts. I stated that I wondered how often doctors made choices out of feared of being sued. The article stated, and I quote "By far, the biggest reason for the increase is doctors' fear of being sued if something goes wrong during a vaginal birth. Need I say more.
COME ON, WOMAN! Let's stand up for ourselves, our babies, our bodies and MOST IMPORTANTLY, each other. Let's own our voices in a loving way and speak the truth in regards to vaginal births. Let's show an example through our actions and our voices of what birth is and can be. Let's teach woman they don't have to be afraid of this or that. Let's teach woman that fear is what has brought us to this point. We, of course, can give 10,000 other excuses as to why we may want a c-section instead of a vaginal birth but their merely excuses brought about by fear of the unknown.
I think I've said enough. Are you inspired? Ready to face the birthing world? I hope so! Most importantly, let's all strive to be there for each other. To be a sounding board of support, love and strength...no matter what way a woman chooses to deliver. Let's educate woman on all their options. Maybe....just maybe....they will feel their own strength and courage to be able to face within themselves what they didn't want to face. I don't know. I'm realizing that the more I think I learn, the less I really know. These are just my thoughts and opinions. So...don't listen to me. Turn to your own hearts. They have all the answers you need to know what's best for you and your LITTLE, TINY, INNOCENT, FULL OF LOVE, bundle of joy!!
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
What the *@#*%?
My gagging reflex is so out of control after reading this article, I can't even type my feelings about it! I will type more once the nausea has subsided! Rachel
P.S. I'm posting a picture of Mabel with this article so we can stay focused on the fact that a human life is what we are discussing here.
P.P.S. Oh BTW, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you all! It's 12:30 am and officially the day of appreciation and gratitude. So...here we go! At this VERY moment, I am SO MOSTLY grateful for all of my 5 AMAZING and BEAUTIFUL homebirths. Especially my last 3 waterbirths. For the many woman, friends and loved ones, who empowered me to have faith in myself, my baby, my body, and most importantly my Heavenly Parents and our brother, Jesus Christ. HOLY COW! Am I EVER so THANKFUL!!!
By HILARY WALDMAN
Special To The Courant
November 24, 2008
The night before their son was born, Elisa Girard and her husband shared dinner at a romantic waterfront restaurant and toasted the fact that, the next morning, they would become parents.The timing was certain. Long before she learned the gender of her growing baby, or chose his name, Girard told her doctor that she didn't want to leave anything about his birth to chance.
As a doctor herself, Girard, now 33, had seen some women suffer from complications of labor and delivery that can include incontinence and pelvic floor weakness. She believed a C-section might be a healthier approach.But, added Girard, the chief resident in OB-GYN at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, "I liked the idea of having it planned in a calm atmosphere."The era of back-to-nature childbirth is giving way to a new trend.A growing number of healthy young women across the country are putting the dates of impending Caesarean sections into their calendars, scheduling thebirth of the children with the same foresight and precision as locking downa haircut or an important meeting.
The planned C-section gained cachet among celebrity moms about four yearsago, when Time magazine dubbed former Spice Girl Victoria (Posh Spice)Beckham "Too Posh to Push." By last year, the trend had crept so far beyond Hollywood that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology weighed in- telling doctors that it's OK to perform a C-section on demand, as long ascertain safety precautions are followed.Still, purely elective C-sections remain a minor contributor to the nation'srecord Caesarean delivery rate, which hit an all-time high in 2005, the mostrecent year for which figures are available. That year, more than one-third of the 4 million babies born in the United States were delivered byC-section.
By far, the biggest reason for the increase is doctors' fear of being sued if something goes wrong during a vaginal birth. Other contributors include research suggesting that vaginal births for babies in a breech position or mothers who have had a previous C-section may not be as safe as they were once considered.But although fewer than 3 percent of Caesareans are considered purely elective, doctors, midwives and other experts say they reflect a dramatic change in the way women in Connecticut are approaching childbirth."The expectation of birth is now something you want to plan, push a button and take the baby home," said Dr. Carolyn M. Zelop, the director of maternal and fetal medicine at St. Francis."I want to leave with my little bikini incision, and here I go," Zelop said."These are people who think that's the ultimate control."
Changing Approach
Twenty years ago, women had a dramatically different idea of control.Childbirth education classes were packed to capacity with women who wanted to give birth as naturally as possible. Anesthesia, fetal monitors and episiotomies were considered conventions of a male-dominated medical profession that wanted to take a beautifully slow and messy process and makeit quick and sterile.The thinking has changed."I've lived through the era of 'Don't come near me with anesthesia,' " said Dr. Matthew L. Saidel, an OB-GYN at Hartford Hospital who has been delivering babies for decades.
Today, Saidel quips, he has patients who ask for an epidural (anesthesia) when they step off the elevator on the labor and delivery floor.Reasons for choosing a C-section vary. Professional women sometimes like to clear their business calendar before going out on maternity leave. Some try to schedule a birth so out-of-town relatives can arrive in time to help.Others have a husband in the military who may be heading for deployment overseas. Still others have religious or spiritual convictions about the timing of birth and believe that being born on a certain date or at a certain time or when the stars are in a certain alignment can set up an infant for an auspicious life. And there are some days when nobody wants to deliver. This past Sept. 11, no one scheduled a C-section delivery at St. Francis, said Laura Bailey, nurse manager of the New Beginnings Family Birth Care Unit at St. Francis. Friday the 13th is also an unpopular date.
Doctors tell women that a C-section can be safe if the mother-to-be has passed the 39-week mark of an uncomplicated 40-week pregnancy and if she is sure she does not want more than two children.After two Caesareans, the risk increases for complications that can cause uncontrollable bleeding and end with a hysterectomy or worse.But the ability to choose a C-section is so new that many questions remain.
Some studies suggest that conventional labor and vaginal delivery stimulates and strengthens a baby's lungs better than a C-section.And a study by Yale researchers published in the October 2008 issue of the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry hints that the bonds that tie a mother to her newborn may be stronger in women who deliver vaginally.
Complications
On the other side of the debate, Dr. Christine A. LaSala, a Hartford Hospital urogynecologist, said she has seen women's bodies ravaged by multiple vaginal deliveries, including problems such as incontinence and sagging pelvic organs. LaSala scheduled a C-section when it was time to deliver her first child, a daughter, in January."There seems to be a correlation to vaginal childbirth with these problems,"LaSala said. And, to be certain, the ability to deliver a baby surgically has saved the lives of countless mothers and their babies, especially since about 1940,when doctors began to refine the art of childbirth in hospitals.
Elisa Girard is careful to stress that the decision to have a scheduled C-section is strictly personal and says she would never encourage her patients to opt for surgery strictly out of convenience. But recently completed research suggests that more women will be able to make the choice if they wish to.Girard recently surveyed all of the nation's resident physicians training to become OB-GYNs. Of the 459 who responded, 71 percent said they had performed an elective C-section during their residency, and 74 percent said they would be willing to perform elective C-sections once they go into practice."The residents are the future," Girard said. "It gives us an idea of what the trend will be."
Reclaiming Our Innate
I received this in my email this morning. You have got to be kidding me! Someone tell me what has happened to COMPLETELY understanding the concept of the importance of nursing? Especially when it comes to hospital protocol of premature babies. I recognize that all hospitals are not the same but SHEESH!!
HERE is the link to watch the video. So, we have a situation where milk based formula is killing premature babies because of a certain bacteria that eats away at body tissues. Can you believe this? It seems that one of the cases, the mother was offering that her breastmilk to be fed to her infant but because of hospital protocol, they fed the baby milk based infant formula without the mother even knowing.
Let's see....hospital protocol. WOW! What a WONDERFUL thing! It's there to protect us from each other and ourselves, right? HOLY COW! I feel so frustrated with how many woman I have spoke with who express there negative outcomes in regards to their births all because of hospital protocol. I will ask them, "So, why did the doctor or hospital do that?" Their response, "I don't know....I guess it was hospital protocol." Guaranteed it was! I had a situation where I attended one of my sister's births. After the delivery, the nurse took her daughter over to the warmer and left her there, naked and shivering, while she went on to attend to other things. I asked the nurse if I could swaddle my niece and pick her up so she could calm down and really get warm. She stated to me that I could not. When I questioned her as to why not, in a VERY irritated tone, she went on to say that she needed to stay on the warmer until her body temperature reached a certain level. She said it was HOSPITAL PROTOCOL! Ok, is it just me but is there logic in this thinking? I'll give them a little credit, maybe some. The warmer was warm but the hospital room was FREEZING, as they always seem to be and I have a hard time truly believing that my niece's body temperature would reach the needed levels for her to then be wrapped and given to her mom. Well, to say the least, I finally just wrapped her in a warm blanket and proceeded to pick her up. As you all already know, the minute I did so, she immediately stopped crying and relaxed.
My thinking then is what devastation are we placing in the emotional lives of so many laboring woman and dear sweet BABIES just so we can follow hospital protocol? And so often....when the mothers questions the illogical ideology of the protocol, doctors and nurses tend to show obvious irritation. I guess because they feel they know best and ALL of US should just comply with their requests. If we don't comply, then sure enough they will then move on to fear tactics to induce the change they are looking for.
Now understand please, I am not saying this is ALWAYS the case. There are some VERY good doctors/nurses out there who do their best to strive to really listen to their patients and fulfill what they feel would be the most helpful for their particular situation. I am wondering how we got to a place where we truly believe that someone knows us better than we know ourselves. Similar to the video yesterday, the one hospital ruled out doulas at their hospital for fear they would speak up against hospital protocol. HEAVEN FORBID!
Can we all think about free agency? God's rightly and divinely gifted blessing that let's each of us learn from our own choices and really experience life in such a way that we can move forward in life the way we choose is best for us! But no....that is not to be it seems, in so many aspects of life, but DEFINITELY when you enter a hospital. Please know, that I am forever indebted to the men who aided in saving my life on, at least, 2 occasions. The way I see it, the hospital can and should truly be a place of healing and a teaching ground for giving people the opportunity to first and foremost, trust themselves and then pray that they doctors/nurses they've been given can also be trusted to do what is best for them. I wonder, how often do you think that a doctors choice of how to treat his/her patient is based in a place of fear? Do doctors choose to treat/act a certain way for fear of being sued? Do they constantly ask the liability question before asking what would really be BEST? I don't know. I'm not a doctor and never plan to be one. I'm just, sort of, thinking out loud here. I really WONDER!
So...I ask the question, because the hospital has so much potential to really be a place where true healing and health does take place, can we, as a society, lessen our pride and really learn how to LISTEN to each other? Can we break down our own walls of "high mindedness" and belief that because we've educated ourselves or because someone has a certain education, we or they know best and we should just turn over our own beliefs and power to them? Or that someone should really listen to us and follow our counsel because we know what is truly best for them? COME ON! How do we really know? WE don't know. We can't know. And to be honest, we'll NEVER know.
My belief is until we get to the place where we choose love and free agency WAY above and beyond our own pride or even deeper, what we believe to be our own KNOWING (because we have a certain education, credetinals, certification etc.), we will keep running in these same circles of feeling COMPLETELY dissatisfied with each other and even more often, with ourselves. We can't in ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM completely blame the doctors/nurses or whoever for the frustration we feel. Let us not forget, we gave over our power to them. We choose to let them tell us what is best for us and our baby. We choose to believe that they always know better than our inner knowing. We choose to believe that they have the power of God and can with the lifting of a knife, save us or our babies. We choose to believe that all will be safe and well when we enter a hospital and that any risks will be circumvented because of their knowledge and education.
So...I could sit here and could rant even more about the medical system but I've choose not to! They are not the problem, we are. We, especially as pregnant woman, choose to tap into our own fears of pregnancy and childbirth and turn our own inate wisdom over to someone else, and then blame them for the outcome we did not like. That's how I see it anyway. Does that mean when we enter a hospital we need to be non compliant or even angry or mean? Heaven's NO! The way I see it, that means if we feel we need the assistance of what the hospital has to offer, we enter it full well knowing of what might or could take place and in a VERY LOVING way, stand UP for what we believe in. We enter retaining our personal dignity and power by having taken the time to educate ourselves on what the process of pregnancy and birth or even whatever it is we are needing to enter the hospital for. We stand firm but kind, in our resolve to listen to ourselves and our HIGHER POWER! Whatever or whoever that is for you!
My belief is once we can all get to a space where we have worked out our fears, when we enter a space of control we can still receive what we need in a loving, gentle way because we keep our hearts pure by standing up for ourselves. Our perception changes and what we receive then is SO MUCH BETTER than what we ever thought we could. That's what happens when we honor that place inside of us that truly and deeply knows what would create the ULTIMATE outcome for happiness for us! What would happen if we all did that? What would happen if we all turned our hearts and searched for our inner peace? What would happen if we each decided HERE and NOW to take our own inner knowing BACK and really LISTEN to it instead of all the outside voices that we think know more?
I throw out to each of you to really think about this concept and if it rings true to you, then RIGHT NOW at this moment....APPLY IT! Search for understanding of how and in what ways you can really do that. I know I am. I know I am one PRIDEFUL woman who so many times in my life thinks I know what is best for someone else. But...I really don't. I REALLY DON'T! I can only listen to what my heart is teaching me and then share that with others and if it something they are also meant to apply and learn, then SO BE IT! We can then grow and learn together how to keep listening to our hearts and our heads and not someone else's mouth.
Ok....I think I'm done now. Maybe I will have more tomorrow. There is a SLC Tribune article I may want to discuss soon. We'll see. I hope my words come through clearly. Let's look at our own selves if we want to see change in the world around us. That is the ONLY way it will happen. In my humble opinion anyway. LOL!!
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
Rachel
Dear Doulas
Hello again. I am SO sorry for the extended delay in my posting. I really had planned on trying to post sooner but...life has been coming quite quickly and steadily lately. Which is SO EXCITING for me! Can I just say that I LOVE people? I LOVE THEM! I LOVE connecting with people. I LOVE watching people. I LOVE learning from people. I LOVE feeling with people. I LOVE talking with people. I am just so in LOVE with people right now.
I have been learning and truly "getting" how disconnected from people I really am. Especially the ones I LOVE the most. It's so interesting to me how probably the MOST SCARY feeling for us is LOVE! To let love in REALLY....to be vulnerable....to fully give ourselves in a soft hearted way to each and every person we are connected to! I have spent some much time in prayer seeking, understanding, really integrated into my soul this idea. I desire and LONG to put it into full practice.
So...to change avenues here, I received THIS in my email box today. Click on it and watch it and tell me what you think. This is SHEER craziness. Heaven forbid...a doula speak up to the hospital staff who SUPPOSEDLY always knows better, right? OH, SO WRONG! This video kind of got me going this morning.
First, the positives. I think it's SO GREAT that the doula really helped her client and they had that aspect shown on the video. Hopefully, people really wanting to know about and understand doulas will glean the changes made in the woman's birth because of the doula and go on the research it themselves. That is always a BEAUTIUFL thing. To know that if someone is wanting something then something like this video can, at least, open their eyes to it.
Now...you have got to be KIDDING me that we should ALWAYS tell our doctor and clear everything with them. I'm not saying that that can't be a benefical thing. What I am saying is....or the way I see it is....we are then saying to ourselves and pretty much the rest of society that I freely and fully give my birth power over to someone else and they can tell me if something is good or not good for me and my baby. Cuz SUPPOSEDLY they know best, right? Can I say SO WRONG again?
Even with the friends whom I have helped, I may have new insights, educational knowledge, ideas, concepts etc. that could or may could not help her. But I am NOT HER!! I am not in her body. I am not in her brain and DEFINITELY I am not in her heart. How do I know what is best or not best for her and her birth?
Well, you could say in the moment of birth then I could tell her what to do and what is safe or not safe for her, right? WRONG AGAIN! I DEFINITELY and RIGHTLY SO would throw out ideas, suggestions, even persuasive comments about what I think would help to create a safer or easier birth situation but ULTIMATELY it is HER say NOT mine. Let me reiterate. I am NOT in her body. I am NOT in her mind and I DEFINITELY am not in her HEART!
My belief and experience thus far, is that when a woman is TRULY preparing herself physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually that she will inherently know what is BEST for her body and her baby. At any and all moments. If things are going great or things look a bit scary. When there might be a crisis or when all is going well. It really doesn't matter. When a mother is FULLY prepared, in all realms of her life, and is going into the birth process understanding fully what she may have to deal with or look at or change or whatever....she KNOWS what is BEST....hands down EVERYTIME!!
2 words. Trust and Faith. I have realized you cannot go to a birth and feel ok with the whole process of it without applying those 2 words. I cannot EXPRESS FULLY enough the WONDERFULNESS of the "Birth as We Know it" video and the "Birth Into Being" website. It will COMPLETELY change your perspective on what CONSCIOUS birth is and HOW to apply it to you and your birth.
Then on top of all that is taught through that AMAZING video and website, I have learned of and applied so many other emotional and physical aspects during my pregnancy that I am still in AWE of all that I insights I have gained over the past couple of years. PEOPLE....it is so much FUN! It is so EXCITING to me to share it with others. I am OVERJOYED with how the mothers I am involved with feel and GROW during the process of releasing and rebuilding themselves and their babies. LOVE IT! LOVE IT!
Anyway...I think I'm done now. I am happy that I could share. Thanks for reading. I hope each woman will gain the empowerment they need to know they can create what they want with each and every pregnancy and birth. I LOVE YOU ALL!
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
Joseph Aaron's Birth Story
"Paradoxically, we achieve true wholeness only by embracing our fragility and sometimes, our brokenness. Wholeness is a natural radiance of Love, and Love demands that we allow the destruction of our old self for the sake of the new."
~Jalaja Bonheim
Aphrodite's Daughters
I LOVE this quote. I have been waiting for the PERFECT time to share it and I believe it goes right along with Lyndsey's birth story. My belief is that Lyndsey's birth was as GLORIOUS as it was merely because she was ready and willing to let go of the old patterns of what she called LOVE to retrieve the new. She sought to gather up and look at her weakness and brokenness (as is stated above) to enter a rebirth of herself. A new relationship and connection with herself, her loved, her Savior and her Heavenly Parents. It is BEAUTIFUL to watch. Just like a sunrise or sunset. It happens over and over but each time looks and feels different. When we are really looking at us, each experience teaches us something new but it feels COMPLETELY like home. I hope you enjoy her birth story as much as I did!
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
Words cannot express the gratitude I have for the you, Rachel, my soul sister! You have inspired me to reach inside myself and see my true beauty! I prepared for this birth physically, spiritually, and mentally and can testify to all you women out there, when you fully prepare you will be astounded at the results! We, as women are so powerful and we need to claim that power!
Before I tell my story I have to talk about my journal entry about how I wanted my birth to be. Rachel suggested I write what I wanted my birth to be like in detail. I completely forgot about it until after my birth and she asked me how close it was to my entry, and I was shocked to remember it was almost spot on!
My contractions started at about 12:30 am and were about 5-8 minutes apart. At this point I don't remember them being painful, just uncomfortable enough to not be able to sleep through. So I went into my living room and lit my prayer candles. (a few days prior to my birth I wrote inspiring words on candles and said a prayer to go along with them) I turned on my birth mix of music, which was beautifully soothing. It was a combination of tibetan singing bowls, an artist named Deuter, who is amazing, and some celtic instrumentals. As each of my contractions came I would spiral my hips, which I had learned from a beautiful movie called Birth As We Know It, and it helped move the energy through my pelvis. It felt great! This was a very peaceful time for me, and it lasted for about 3 hours. My contractions then slowed to one every ten minutes, and I knew from my previous birth that I should try to sleep. So I laid on my couch with my music still on and slept. When my husband woke up they slowed even more, and I told him to go ahead and go to work. I had been checking myself and knew I was only at four centimeters, and with the contractions being slow I figured they wouldn't start back up again until night.
I had a great morning with my daughter. We watched a movie and read some books and when she went to take a nap i took one as well.
After about an hour they picked up again to one every ten minutes and were getting really powerful! I called my husband to come home just because I wanted some support. At this point i still thought it would be awhile. He got home around 2 and by then they were extremely powerful and about every 3-5 minutes apart. We hurried to blow up and fill up the pool and by about 2:45 we had managed to fill it half way. In the mean time I had called Rachel to come. I couldn't check myself anymore because of how close they were, but knew this baby was coming! Spiraling was no longer helping. The only thing I could do at this point was a low moan, and knew from the birth of my daughter that this meant I was either lightly pushing or was soon to be pushing. Rachel arrived at 3 and by then I was ready to push. I was so frightened she wouldn't make it in time, and when she arrived I was so relieved. Even though I am sure things would have turned out fine had she not gotten there in time, having a woman there for me is amazingly helpful. She encouraged me and reminded me of the power that I had and soon I was feeling my babies head move through my perineum! It was amazing! I helped stretch my skin as his head slowly came out, and soon after I was reaching down to pick Joseph out of the water! I can't describe to you the euphoria I was experiencing at this time, along with shock that he came so FAST!
So that is my story. I am honored to be a woman and to have this responsibility of bringing these beautiful souls into the world, and someday I hope to be like Rachel in helping other woman recognizing and carrying out this beautiful task! Thank you so much for letting me share my story with you!
With Love,
Lyndsey Merrill
Movin' Mabel
My dear sweet friend, DeLynn, emailed me the other day asking me if I knew what she did for a living, wondering if I knew she was a photographer. She stated that she had been reading my blog and noticed that people were asking for pictures of Mabel. She asked if she could come over and take pictures of her for FREE! OF COURSE SHE CAN!! So...on Halloween morning she showed up with all her gear and took some AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS pictures of Mabel. I've posted the one up top first because this is Chris' and I favorite. Probably because up until the last couple of weeks, seeing her like this was a VERY common occurrence. Here are some more! I hope you all enjoy them as much as we do! Thank you, DeLynn. I LOVE YOU! Don't fret, soon enough....you will be posting some of your own on your blog! 
Mabel was 4 months old on the 28th of October. She, well as of last week, weighed 10 1/2 lbs. She's probably a bit closer to 11 lbs now. Still not as big as my sister, Amy's, 11 lb. baby at birth. LOL!! She started rolling 5 days ago. She rolls all around back and forth across the room. She can pick up toys and play with them. Well....put them in and out of her mouth, right? She is the CUTEST thing. She has brought such JOY to all of us! Since she has been a bit more mobile, she has been SO MUCH HAPPIER! She loves to be put on the floor and look around and grab at stuff. The CUTEST thing she does though is when she's tired on the floor, she just lays her head down and rests. Sometimes for 5+ minutes at a time. She looks just so content and serene.
My feelings were that she was having a hard time really wanting to incarnate into this LOVELY body of hers. I don't blame her. Goodness....just feeling all the sensations and such of birth (not to mention just living the rest of life :) would probably put any baby into a state of.....HOLY COW, do I really want to be here? So....as I stated, really up until the last few weeks, she had a hard time being really happy and feeling free. Chris and I have talked to her off and on about being ok about being here until Chris finally gave her a blessing and told her we loved her, we were here for her, and all would be ok. We told her we would teach her of her Savior and Heavenly Parents and all would be well and as it should be. It has seemed that literally just a week or so after that she has become a whole new baby. I LOVE IT! I can tell energetically that she is just so much more at peace with the world and her life here!! Oh....I think we had to process a bit about her birth too. You know, she was born with the cord around her neck and such. I think that makes it a bit more traumatic. We just kept reminding her that we REALLY, REALLY want her here and are so HAPPY she chose our home.
I must admit, I am getting more and more excited about doing this all over again. As I said before.....it was a bit hard at first. But now, I find it THRILLING to apply all the new insights and inspirations we have gleaned over the last couple of years, in regards to parenting and loving communication, especially. Chris has been WAY MORE involved than ever! It brings tears to my eyes to just sit back and watch him with her. She knows him so well too! I can tell her we're gonna see Daddy and her eyes light up and she sings and coos to me! I feel so HAPPY!!
I am rereading "Nonviolent Communication" again. One of my favorite books. I really want to get his parenting book. I read this about 3 or so years ago and have applied some from the book but have forgotten so much too! Habitual behavior had snuck back in. I have found though that applying the teachings from that book along with group, energy work, sweat lodges, breath ceremonies and all the TOTALLY GROOVY, AWESOME emotional processing things we do lately.....my connection with all my family has become deeper and more bonded. I am sure it is because I am choosing to be ok with myself and the find gratitude in the world around me. Some days I am so good at that and others days I pray for it!! But....I think I have worked through some more energy over this weekend so today I am feeling PEACEFUL and ALIVE again.
I think that's it for now. There is a so BEAUTIFUL quote I have been wanting to share so check back. It SO APPLIES to my life right now. I read it the other morning and had some new FUN epiphanies.
Abundant peace to all,
Rachel
P.S. I'll post more pics, wait did I already say that?.....ok....well, I will post more pics of Mabel soon!