Friday, December 26, 2008

Family wins MMR case

A family finally proved that vaccines damaged their once active boy. Just one dose of the MMR & now their son is permanently damaged. Maybe more people will learn about this case & educate themselves regarding the fact that vaccinations don't really keep their children safe from contracting illnesses & can potentially harm their children.

Here is the link to the video: http://tinyurl.com/8qwxbj

For more information about vaccines & their potential dangers, Dr. Sherry Tenpenny's site has a lot of great information: http://www.nmaseminars.com/

I think it's important that parents educate themselves about vaccines & make their choices based upon the information they learn. That way, if they decide to vaccinate their children, they are doing it with full informed consent rather than trusting that the government & CDC are really looking out for the health & well-being of our children. Look at what has already happened with thimerosol/mercury, not to mention, more recently, lead & melamine. Do your research & decide for yourself...

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Monday, December 15, 2008

Great natural birth articles

Here are some great links to articles about pregnancy issues, how chiropractic can help during pregnancy & why home births are on the rise...

From the ICPA (International Chiropractic Pediatric Association) Family Wellness Newsletter
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pregnancy Matters
Induction is Risky:
From Sydney, AU comes a recent study based on 50,000 births concluding that induction of labor leads to risks for both mother and baby.
Read the entire article here: www.newkerala.com

Pre-term births:
The rise in pre-term births a growing concern--mothers should be more informed of risks.
www.story.japanherald.com

Home Births on the Rise and in the News Again:
A great article showing the benefits of home birth, the support for home birth in UK Obstetrics and the bias of ACOG and the AMA in the US.
www.nytimes.com

Home Births Recommended in Scotland:
www.news.scotsman.com

Chiropractic and Pregnancy:
View a great interview with ICPA member, Dr. Caroline Von Fluegge on Fox TV. www.myfoxatlanta.com

Read more about chiropractic care for safer, easier births here: www.icpa4kids.org/research/pregnancy/chiro.htm

Read more about natural birthing here:www.icpa4kids.org/research/pregnancy/natural.htm

Pregnant women should avoid statins: www.redorbit.com

Six ways to reduce inflammation without statins: www.articles.mercola.com

Women who do too much: www.chealth.canoe.ca

To find a doctor of chiropractic in your area who supports your right to choose health care for your families, visit: http://www.icpa4kids.org/locator/index.php
To find a holistic practitioner in your area, visit: www.hpakids.org
Sign up for Family Wellness First here: www.icpa4kids.org/e-news.htm
Visit Family Wellness First archives here: www.icpa4kids.org/wellness/archive.htm
Family Wellness First comes to you as a courtesy of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association in collaboration with the Holistic Pediatric Association.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A beautiful HypnoBirthing story

Here's a wonderful HypnoBirthing story that another HypnoBirthing practitioner shared...enjoy & be inspired!

Mason’s Birth Story 2008
My pregnancy was wonderful and enjoyable from the start: no morning sickness, absent was unbearable fatigue and crazy cravings never found me! All of the things I had been told by many to expect. Throughout my pregnancy, in addition to the congratulatory excitement from family, friends and strangers also came the ‘doom and gloom’ birth stories. I would politely listen but would never let them get the better of my positive outlook.
Positive attitude is what I believe created my pregnancy and birth outcome! That is how I knew HypnoBirthing was the right choice for my husband, my baby and me. Growing up, I was always fascinated by pregnancy and birth. From a young age, I would ask my mom what labor was like for her and what it felt like to be pregnant. I have never forgotten her responses. She shared with me that she never felt more beautiful or amazed by her body then when she was pregnant. She also told me that the pain you feel in childbirth can’t be described because it is the only discomfort where there is a joyous outcome!
My midwife thought that I would go earlier than my guess date (a Thursday). At my appointment a week beforehand, she said the baby’s head was at a zero station and I was dilated 1 cm. My parents rushed in from out of state a few days earlier than planned but the baby did not! My husband and I enjoyed the next week + with my parents; walking, watching movies, walking some more, eating great meals outside in the backyard and enjoying each other’s company!
My husband decided to take the few days around my guess date off from work in case anything should happen. It ended up being a great time to prepare for the baby and relax! He decided over the weekend that he would return to work on Monday. On Monday morning, around 5:30 AM, I woke up for my third or fourth usual bathroom trip of the night. When I returned to bed and tried to fall back asleep, I felt a small ‘gush’ of fluid and thought, "Oh great, I AM going to experience that part of pregnancy when you can’t hold your bladder from acting on its own!" It happened a second time and this made me return to the bathroom where I stayed for the next 20 min or so trying to decide if this was indeed my water breaking. Still not 100% sure (my mom never had her water break with the three of us and since I had replicated her wonderful pregnancies, I was not expecting this to happen!), I returned to the bedroom and woke up my husband saying; "I think my water broke". He told me he thought something was going on when I did not return to bed right away. As I stood there, a more noticeable gush of fluid happened and we were both sure at that point this was indeed my water breaking!
I told him that he wasn’t going to work that day! He told me he had a feeling that this would be the case! My first thought was, "what do we do now?!" I suggested to my husband that we try to get some sleep since my surges didn’t seem to have started a regular pattern yet and we were up for a long day ahead of us. Of course, that didn’t happen! We were too excited to sleep! I thought maybe we should wait to wake my parents but my husband reminded me that this was what they were here for and he went downstairs to tell them they would be grandparents that day! When he let them know what had happened, my mom said "Thank god!" and gave my husband a high five! My dad was still half-asleep but was still able to say, "Cool!" in an excited voice! I started to have some surges shortly after my water broke and Mark timed them, although still inconsistent, at about 10 minutes apart.
It now made sense why I was hungry before going to bed. My body must have been preparing for the big event! I told Mark we should eat breakfast before I might not want to eat anymore and he left to go and get bagels. My dad made breakfast while my mom continued to time my surges. They were happening about 8-10 min apart at this point but they were tolerable and not bothering me. We enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing breakfast outside in the backyard and I noticed my surges start to gain some intensity and get closer together. Something in my mind told me I should take a shower. This is when my mind/body connection started to take over!
My surges continued to get closer and at about 10:15 AM, Mark asked me if we should call our midwife. I spoke to her and she asked me how I was feeling now that the surges were getting stronger and closer together. I told her I was doing well and that the surges were still inconsistent but some were coming as close as 6 min apart. She said to call back when they were under 5 minutes apart or if the intensity went to the next level, whichever came first. I then decided I wanted to lie down in my bed and listen to my affirmations and Rainbow Relaxation. The surges started to become more and more intense and I needed to focus inward to get through each one. This still wasn’t really difficult to do though! During the time when I was listening to my HypnoBirthing exercises, I relied more and more on my labor support team (Mark and my mom!). Mark was applying counter pressure on my hips and my mom held my hand or helped with the counter pressure.
At this point, I was listening to a CD my sister made for me to relax (I asked her to do this so I could save it for ‘birth day’!). My surges quickly became 2-4 minutes apart and Mark said he thought we should call the midwife back. Time distortion was beginning to happen at this point for me; things seemed to be happening quickly but I still didn’t feel like it was time to go to the hospital. My biggest fear was getting to the hospital too quickly. Especially knowing that my water had already broken, I knew in the back of my mind that induction could become a reality if I was admitted too soon. Mark spoke to our midwife and she said she would meet us at the hospital. I started to cry because I said it was too soon and it didn’t seem "bad enough yet" (although I wasn’t sure what I meant by that)! My mom reassured me that it wasn’t too soon, my surges were coming so close together. I decided it was time to go.
We had a 25-minute ride to the hospital. Mark drove my car with me in the front seat and my mom behind me pressing on my shoulders every time I signaled, "OK!" with another surge. It was a bit more difficult to stay focused in the car but I tuned into my sister’s CD and we all began singing the closer we got to the hospital. We arrived and were checked into the room at about 2:00 PM. Donna, our midwife, was there and right away I was at ease with her calming spirit. I told the nurse I wanted to keep my own clothes on and she looked at me as if she didn’t know what to do with that answer. Donna let her know it was okay for me to wear my own clothes, as long as I knew my pants had to come off eventually!
They monitored me for the required 15-20 minutes and Donna watched me as I relaxed through my surges. We talked about her checking me but she didn’t want to do the one exam she would probably end up doing too soon because it would "start another clock" now that I was in the hospital with my water broken. She said by observing me, she would guess I was still in early labor but then decided we would see where I was at. After checking me, she said I was open about 2 cm. (and then ‘stretched’ me a bit closer to 3 cm). Thinking back to this, I wonder why I wasn’t extremely upset upon hearing this news. I was in early labor, I could be possibly facing induction- the awful pitocin and then EPIDURAL?!?! Donna had me try the chest down, butt up position to encourage the baby to move into the best position. This was the most uncomfortable part of my birthing and when I do remember feeling pain. When Donna said, I only had to try it for three surges, that made all the difference for me. I was out of that position immediately after those three surges passed and my body told me I wanted to go into the shower.
My body was telling me exactly what I needed. At times, it was almost as if I was hearing a voice in my head commenting on what was happening to me and around me but it never took my focus away from my body or my baby. It is something that is difficult to explain but it was truly amazing. Mark sat on the bench in the shower with me and provided counter pressure and support the entire time. The water felt so good. All of a sudden though, I said I have to get out now. I just knew I was done with the water but I didn’t know why, the thought came up pretty abruptly! I got out and wanted to lie on my side in the bed. I thought I had been in the shower for about 20 minutes but I was in there for almost an hour!! After getting out, I remember having a wavering moment when I told Mark I wasn’t sure if I could do it. When he told me I could, I said adamantly- "No! You have to say, I AM doing it!!". I realize now that I was telling this to myself, it was the first, and last time I had a slightly negative thought cross my mind.
Lying in the bed, I told my mom to turn on "Rainbow Relaxation". The powerful surges rushed through my entire body and forced a low grunting sound that ‘pushed’ my energy downward. This feeling really embodied the word ‘surge". At that point, I had no control of my body but I felt so IN control of what was happening and what my baby was doing at the same time. Donna came into the room and I remember hearing her say to my mom, "Is she pushing?!" My mom told her I had been responding to the last several surges this way. Donna asked me if I felt like I wanted to push and I told her I didn’t know! I just knew that my body was doing what it needed to do. She decided to check me again- it was only 4:00 PM at this point but when she checked me, I was completely open and ready to have the baby!
I pushed for just under two hours. It was extremely tiring but so empowering at the same time. I lost all sense of time and place at that point but I was still tuned in to "Rainbow Relaxation". It had played a couple times already but as focused inward as I was, I always became aware of when it was about to end. I would say, "Again!" to my mom and she quickly realized I needed the CD re-set to make "Rainbow" play again. I focused on the ritual of it playing. Every time Jessica Porter’s voice (from the older HypnoBirthing CD) was ending the relaxation, it was only then that I consciously heard her voice and knew to tell my mom to press play again. I remember opening my eyes at one point and seeing a few nurses just standing at the foot of the bed watching. I didn’t know when they got there or that they WERE there! Every single person who came into the room whispered and never disrupted me. I still have no idea when or for how long the nurses came into the room! The lights were kept low the entire time. They ASKED for my birth preferences, which pleasantly surprised me. They read them and followed my requests from beginning to end. These were all things I really noticed afterwards but I KNOW they made a huge difference in the success of my birthing experience.
It was wonderful to touch my baby’s head as it was emerging. I decided in the moment to not use a mirror as I thought I would want to but it didn’t matter. I could hear and listen to each word Donna said to me in her low and calming voice. Near the end, I remember feeling tense and telling my body to relax and noticing how much easier it felt after that. Donna told me to give her my hands so I could bring my baby to me. This was something I wrote in my birth preferences and I am so glad that I did. It was unbelievable to feel my baby under the arms and bring him onto my chest. Another preference and a memory I wouldn’t trade for the world was when Mark leaned over and said to me, "It’s a boy! We have a son!"
Mason came into the world at 6:07 PM on Monday. His birth was the most wonderful, powerful and incredible experience I have ever had. It still is hard for me to believe sometimes that my birthing experience was what I dreamed it would be. However, I know this is what made it a reality.
I believed in my body, and myself,
I trusted my baby and knew he had an active part in his birth,
I remained positive from the start of my pregnancy through the birth,
I relished in the amazing support of my husband and my mom,
I was comforted by my midwife’s presence and
I used all the lessons learned in Hypnobirthing to maintain all of these feelings during this most wonderful time.
It was so wonderful to enjoy Mason after his birth- he was fully alert for over 4 1/2hours!!!

Shared by Kathryn Beck, CH, HBCE, HBFS, RMT www.imaginehealthandwellness.com

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Saturday, December 6, 2008

What you think if what you get

What you think is what you get...

From the Midwifery Today newsletter:

A 2002 Taiwan study investigating the association between demographic-obstetric factors and perceived labor pain in 90 primiparas (1st time mothers) having normal births found that their perceived level of pain was related to their expected level of pain. The researchers found no significant association between the pain and newborn birth weight, maternal age, body mass index, confidence in labor or duration of labor. They concluded that the "findings suggest that primiparas' perceived labor pain is correlated with psychogenic rather than physical factors."— Kaohsiung J Med Sci, 18(12):604–09, 2002

So, be mindful of the language you are using. In HypnoBirthing, we teach our class members to eliminate the word "pain" from their language & use the word "sensation". I even have my class members play a little game: Whenever you bump your elbow or knee or stub your toe, instead of instantly saying "Ow! That's painful!", I want you to say, "Oh! What's that sensation!" If you do this exercise, you will find that the sensation is throbbing, stinging, numbness, etc. AND that the sensation will go away much faster than concentrating on the "pain". I encourage my class members to do this exercise often so that their brain begins to be conditioned to look for the sensation rather than an automatic response of pain. That way, when the time comes & labor starts, the body/mind will be trained to go to an automatic "sensation" response as well.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

A beautiful birth

Here is a beautiful video of one couple's home waterbirth experience...enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niJ6F2p9Ql8

"Pregnancy and homebirth/water birth experience of our daughter olive. Music by ben harper. Birth should be an empowering experience - this is just one small snippet of what her birth was like for me. I felt powerful, present, connected to all women before me, truly doing what God made my body to do. Special thanks and praise for our midwife Kathy Mitchell who rocks!!"

For more information about the benefits of a homebirth please go to gentlebirth.org or mothering.com

For more information about the benefits of a waterbirth visit waterbirth.org.

http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/