Some share-worthy finds from my reading this week:

ACOG commits fraud

“A recent press release details some of the lengths that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is willing to go to preserve its near-monopoly over maternity care in the United States.” … Namely, fraud. “ACOG is not a protector of maternal or fetal life — it is primarily concerned with avoiding competition from midwives that could negatively affect the incomes of its members.” Why do people forget this? Do they not realize that it is nothing more than a union that has assumed great political power?

Canadians get to birth breech babies again

“Physicians should no longer automatically opt to perform a cesarean section in the case of a breech birth, according to new guidelines by the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada. … ‘The safest way to deliver has always been the natural way,’ said Dr. Lalonde.” And to make sure women have access, they have launched training programs for obstetricians to become trained in assisting breech babies to be born vaginally. Congrats to the Canadian ladies!

Docs perform c-section on womb without baby inside

I like how they blame the mom. Because, you know, after they’ve completely terrified the woman, she deserves to get anything she asks for, right? Because they always do exactly whatever the mom asks for, right? Oy vey.

What if English were written like Chinese?

A bit off-topic, but who says we can’t have fun? I’ve marveled at the mysterious language for some time, and clearly my Japanese logo derives from this type of language marking. A great read for any fellow word nerds.

Your turn!
What shareworthy things did you read this week?
Share your favorite.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

This statistic is staggering to me. While I had heard that to be the current homebirth rate, research indicates that 1% is not the current homebirth rate at all, it is only the out-of-hospital birth rate, and includes free-standing birth centers. The actual current rate of homebirth is 0.65%

That’s right, despite all our education and the spread of information on the internet, our homebirth rate has decreased!

I have to admit, I feel helpless. I wonder where we went wrong. I wonder if all of us aren’t just preaching to the choir. I fear the medical system has so entrenched itself into our legal system that true freedom is impossible.

Is this what we’re headed for again?

Your turn!
Are we fighting a losing battle? What will it take to win?
Share your thoughts in the comments!

Evidence-based medicine

Health care in the United States is struggling to redefine itself. We have been spending twice what other countries spend on health care, yet our citizens are less healthy. We now have legislation to create more or less universal insurance coverage, and we are about to embark on a technology-driven quest for quality and uniformity. At the same time, Americans are increasingly turning to alternative health care practitioners, mostly at their own expense, because the health care system is not meeting their needs.

A Country Doctor offers the argument that evidence-based medicine is a liability to health care. S/he points out that the over-systemization of diagnoses and treatments are doomed to fail the throngs made to rely on them, as people’s chemistries are different and their care can not be based on a one-size-fits-all model of care.

“New” option for turning breech babies

“Sifting” is a practice from Latin American cultures which encourages breech babies to turn. Its appears to be more successful than traditional versioning, and is certainly not painful like a manual version.  Now let’s hope they will also learn and adopt the techniques which allow a baby who will not be turned, to still be born without surgical measures!

Real men take delivery

In one of many responses to the original editorial of a father saying everyone is better off when women birth without the father present, one father says “I’m secure in myself, so I don’t mind taking a back seat.” His story along with many others (even many of them c-sections) are offered as proofs that it is a better start for the family if the father is present.

Midwifery Modernization Act update

Obstetricians stalled progress of the Midwifery Modernization Act of New York. There is still time, so check out the three fact sheets and then support it.

Baby born unassisted during storm

I have to admit, I’m torn. It’s almost humorous how little attention this gets, almost as if the normal birth of a child is no big deal. I wish they would make a bigger deal out of it, so that people might think about it and realize that childbirth is a normal function of the female body. But conversely I’m glad they don’t blow it out of proportion. How would you prefer the media to handle these stories?

Your turn!
What shareworthy things did you read this week?
Share your favorite.

From what I’ve heard from other pregnant women since, I was not alone. Many thinking women today seem frustrated with the obstination they face in society. They even form whole groups which declare their lack of bravery as a means to spread their message.

But I’m rethinking that position. I wondered long and hard over the years why they thought it was so brave. Ignorance, obviously, but was that all? I hoped for a better excuse than that for the people I encountered.

While it is still unnerving to have someone look at you in wonder and amazement as if you have a third eye or are a circus act, and the truth of the matter is that taking responsibility for your own childbirth in an effort to work with the process is the safest approach, it is also brave.

It is, in fact, quite brave to have a baby at home.

It takes a lot of bravery to seek the truth.

Most people are content with mediocrity. If you don’t know this, just look at the reason you’re here: Women (and people in general) are so inclined to go with what appears the easiest, that we eventually end up with birth looking like a medical miracle instead of the natural order. To even so much as wonder anything aside from what we’ve been conditioned to believe takes a lot. To actively pursue the truth when ignorance is such bliss is quite brave.

It takes a lot of bravery to challenge the establishment.

You’re not trying to challenge anything, I know. You just want to find the safest and healthiest path for your baby. But in so doing, the establishment is challenged by you! The men involved have spent their entire careers focused on this topic. The institution has spent generations indoctrinating western medicine, including the medicalization of birth, into a large portion of the world. For any lay person to question a self-declared expert in their field of study, let alone a woman in such a “delicate” state, is not generally appreciated.

It takes a lot of bravery to follow your own path.

The masses are loud, and apathetic, and condemning. They don’t understand why you don’t just do what’s normal, and don’t really care to understand because then they’d have to deal with the issue in their own lives, too. It’s much easier to make harsh judgments, criticize you over them, and go back to their regularly scheduled programs. So not only are you on your own, alone, but you must also then defend these choices, advocate for yourself and your baby, and develop thick skin while hormones rage, you’re needing to nest and have support, and you feel most vulnerable.

But you, you push through. You persevere, you do what it takes, you challenge yourself and do what you know to be best for your birth and your baby, fully aware of all the risks, including that of losing relationship with friends and family.

Now I like to think that every time someone tells me I’m brave, that they’re not really commenting on me at all, but themselves. They know they’re not brave, they know they’re not strong enough to challenge their own thoughts, let alone a system, to find the truth, and go down that narrow path. And when they tell me that so boldly I can’t help but hold my head up high and say “Thank you”.

Your turn!
Does it bother you to be called brave? How have you dealt with it?
Share your thoughts in the comments!

Surely there must be some valid reasons. Here I present to you my own.

1. You have a bona fide medical condition

I don’t mean you have small hips because hips separate and spread and allow the baby through, unless yours have fused together for some reason, which is certainly a valid medical condition which would require you to have a c-section in the hospital.

Or you might be a hemophiliac. Hypochondriacs don’t count.

2. Your baby has a condition which requires immediate medical attention.

I know of a baby who had a couple organs form outside its body. Thankfully this was revealed by ultrasound during the pregnancy and they were able to plan a hospital birth which was scheduled in such a way which allowed for the baby’s surgery to be performed immediately after emerging from the womb.

3. You are a people-pleaser.

I struggle to term this one, because I want to give this reason the respect it is due. I don’t want for it to be misconstrued in any way.

It is true that hospital birth is the de facto birthplace. And people being what we are, we usually assume and expect what is de facto until we have reason to think otherwise. When you’re the one introducing that upset into someone else’s paradigm, you might find yourself the unintended-consequences recipient of quite a challenge. People don’t always adopt changes of view without resistance. Particularly with something so sensitive and serious as childbirth. The life of your child. The idea of you bucking the medical system’s presumed protection of it.

These are not necessarily easy things to deal with, and particularly not for the uninitiated woman who is just trying to stay atop of all the pregnancy hormones raging through her body. I believe a woman can do anything! Everything! But she can only do so much at one time.

4. You believe in the medical system, and that birth is a medical event.

“Birth is a very intricate process in which tragedy waits around every corner. If it were any less complicated, then it wouldn’t take doctors 8 years of full-time study to learn it!” If this resembles your thoughts in the slightest way, then your whole approach to health care and the understanding of our bodies  demands that this is the safest and best place for you.

5. You are truly terrified of birth anywhere else.

The fear – tension – pain cycle is a physiological fact. If you truly fear for the safety of your baby or yourself in the absence of the latest medical widgets and wizardry, that fear will impact your body’s ability to function properly, it will affect your labor, and potentially lead to disastrous consequences.

In conclusion

While I do advocate wholeheartedly for holistic childbirth which is safe, healthy, and empowering, there are times and conditions in which a hospital does present as the best option for a birth.

Your turn!
Under what specific conditions would you choose a hospital birth?
Share your thoughts!

Homebirth mothers refused prescriptions

Everyone’s outraged about this, but I don’t see why. If I were a doctor, I wouldn’t want to go prescribing or dispensing medication based solely on someone else’s okay. If it’s my butt on the line, why would I?!? This is part of the deal. You want medical treatments: you go the medical route. You want home or natural treatments, you go the home or holistic route. These women should stock up on cayenne, read up on hemorrhage, and learn how to deal with it without medical help. Or seek medical help if that’s what’s truly necessary.

Midwifery Modernization Act for New York

Has made a couple steps forward this week. Hopefully ACOG will not get in the way of consumer rights to the healthcare of their choosing, and New York midwives will soon be able to practice without “approval” of an obstetrician!

Hog Plum useful after birth

Another option for people looking for herbal alternatives to western medications in childbirth. Hog plum is used well for pain and bleeding after childbirth*, as well as helping to stimulate milk production and its general antimicrobial properties.

* This article says it can also be used during childbirth, or to bring it on, but I’m wary of interfering with the process in that way and personally would recommend against it.

Women Deliver

Women Deliver is a nonprofit organization attempting to bring down the global maternal mortality rate, which is as much as 1 in 7 in under-developed countries. While I hope that they are able to bring quality (holistic) care to these women, any care is better than death and I have to applaud their mission of protecting and empowering women.

Your turn!
What shareworthy things did you read this week?
Share your favorite.



Samuel’s birth story starts a week before my EDD (estimated due date). Around May 7th or 8th. I had not seen my midwife since March. I loved seeing her apprentices. They were the ones who did all of my prenatal appointments anyway. The midwife missed my 36-week home visit, but her apprentices came out. I was upset that she missed my appointment. I talked it over with Charles and thought of dropping her then. When she missed my 2nd home visit, I was done. I was 38 weeks, and had not seen or heard from her in months! She had not called to check on me, didn’t apologize for missing my home visits, nothing.

Charles and I talked over the idea of having a freebirth once again. The apprentices helped me find another midwife in case we chose to go that route. They knew that we were comfortable with having a freebirth. We didn’t think it would hurt to have a midwife attend if we changed our minds.

For all of this craziness to happen when I could give birth at any moment was very stressful for me. I had prodromal labor for about 3 days.  It was hard for me to deal with. I had trouble sleeping, because I would wake up during the night with contractions, and then I would wonder if this was the day. I was becoming exhausted, no sleep, contractions off and on during the day and night, taking care of the girls. I started to feel really drained physically, and emotionally. One night I cried to Charles about how tired I was, and I felt ready to be done. I wanted the contractions to either produce a baby, or stop completely because I couldn’t take it anymore.

A friend suggested I do what worked for her with both of her kids: A walk on the beach, a nice big meal, and nipple stimulation. The next day we took the girls to the beach. I had a couple of contractions on our walk to the beach from the boardwalk. I had a few contractions once we left the beach. Those contractions felt different from the braxton hicks I was having. I didn’t think anything of it. We came home and Charles went back out to get Chipotle. I LOVE their burritos. After a few hours I started contracting again, and asked Charles to get the birthball for me. I sat at the computer, tweeting, checking email, eating more of my burrito, and timing contractions. The contractions were anywhere from 5-10 minutes apart, and lasting for 45 seconds to over 60 seconds.

I still didn’t think I was really in labor. I went to bed a little after midnight, and kept waking up with more contractions. I needed Charles to rub my back through them, and I had to get on my hands and knees to deal with them. I was back and forth to the bathroom, back in bed, sleep, contractions, back to sleep. Looking back, I woke up to several contractions that I had to moan through. We decided to move downstairs to the couch around 3-4am.  I sat at the computer on the birthball again, but kept leaning across the birthball with more contractions. I was feeling them really low in my belly, and in my back now. I also kept going to the bathroom to pee after every couple of contractions. Sitting on the toilet made them feel worse, so I didn’t sit there any longer than I had to.

I decided to join Charles on the couch, but after a few contractions and not being able to get up fast enough to lean across the birthball, I decided sitting on the birthball would be best. Charles would wake up and rub my back through the contractions, and then he would lie back across the couch to sleep.  That was fine with me. I needed him to be as rested as possible. I tried  to watch an episode of The Young & The Restless that I had recorded. At this point, it still didn’t hit me that I was really in labor. It wasn’t until I started to feel like I needed more support. That was around 6am. I told him it wasn’t that his support wasn’t enough, I just felt like I wanted midwives to be there. He suggested I give it another hour to see how I felt, and I agreed. My dad was up getting ready for work, and we thought of sending him on, but I quickly changed my mind in a matter of minutes.

In case you’re wondering, I still wasn’t convinced that I was going to have my baby soon. I was beyond being in denial, extremely exhausted, or both!

CLAPPING!!!! Nobody was ‘all up in her business’ or yelling at her, and she knew when to push and the baby still CAME OUT?!?? Go figure!

I couldn’t imagine a more perfect representation of “midwife” than hers. So gently: “Oh, it’s time? [Let me stand over here out of your way and keep my hands to myself!] … There you go.” She truly was “with woman”.

The mother, Sarah, has noted that this was the first and only waterbirth allowed in this particular hospital. They did not allow her without a fight, and even then there was much opposition.

She has requested the following of all holistic birth supporters:

If you like what you just saw from the staff of Women’s and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, please send the nurse manager a complimentary email. They need to be proud of this birth!! They have never had a waterbirth here before, and it is not well accepted by all in charge.

The very supportive nurse manager’s email :

rpiaggione@kaleidahealth.org

Her name is Robin Piaggione. She is working hard to make this possible for more women! Let’s flood her with emails, and give her more ammunition in the fight for gentle birth choices in this hospital!

Your turn!
What drives your passion for holistic birth?
Share your thoughts.

Dannette Lund took childbirth back!

Despite outright refusal by both her obstetrician and her midwife to let exercise informed consent and VBAC her second child, Dannette educated herself and did not give up until she finally took matters into her own hands, to follow through on exactly what she knew was best for herself and her baby: she didn’t show up to the hospital until the last minute when it was too late. (I also know someone who did this. It works!)
Dr. Alan Peaceman, an obstetrician and childbirth researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago, lends support to birthing women. “It is sad. Many of us believe that [mandatory repeat cesarean] is not in the best interests of women. We are not convinced that babies are safer or healthier.” And he encourages more women to advocate for themselves: “There is nobody advocating for lower C-section rates. It’s not insurance companies. Not doctors and not women.”
Also noteworthy: in March the National Institute for Health (NIH) tasked OB’s with looking for ways to lower the occurrence of routine cesarean sections after the first one.

Postpartum Depression is for Men, too

Full report available, but I’ll save you the time and present to you their conclusion: Prenatal and postpartum depression was evident in about 10% of men in the reviewed studies and was relatively higher in the 3- to 6-month postpartum period. Paternal depression also showed a moderate positive correlation with maternal depression.

Autism linked to childbirth

A cursory look at Elaine DeLack, RN’s theory makes it seem entirely plausible that autism is linked to the usage of pitocin during (or to initiate) labor and childbirth.

Women should birth without their partner present

Columnist Colin Brazier finds support from Michael Odent in his belief (and experience) that birthing women are better off without their partners around.
But what if the husband were not relegated to a passive position in the first place?
And if the anxiety hormone is elevated with the extraneous person, could it not then also be elevated by the presence of the medical professional who is an intruder to her nether regions?

Your turn!
What shareworthy things did you read this week?
Share your favorite.

But there is a cost.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is a 3-week commitment starting this Tuesday, June 8th, to:

1. Do yoga 5x/week. Child’s pose, corpse  pose, moving ossonyms (I should probably learn how to spell that!), whatever you like! If you don’t know any yoga you can go get a DVD from the store, stream it from Netflix, or get it from Bindu’s friend for $2.
2. Write 800 words every day. Anything. Anywhere. Anyway. Anyhow. Every day. Okay, this might be easier if WordPress hadn’t taken away my “Word Count” indicator, but hopefully that gets put back soon will be easier again now that I’ve eradicated the faulty plugin that made it disappear.

This unproject couldn’t come at a better time for me. I haven’t worked out in 3 weeks, I’ve just completed the most epic week of my life to both recover from physically and to process mentally, and I have my new little blog here just waiting for all the thoughts and ideas swimming around my head to be poured into it. And then along comes Bindu. I think the universe must love me!

Read more details, if you must. Then Join Bindu and I for The 21.5.800 experience!

Your turn!
Are you going to be joining us? Who are you listed as in the official list?
You must tell me!