About this financial mess we're in....

All right everyone...calm yourselves & educate yourselves...watch this video & then read what Michael Moore has to say about the current financial "bailout" proposal...

Web Video of the Week from the Organic Consumers Association
Zeitgeist - The Federal Reserve

The original two hour Zeitgeist movie was released in 2007, but its provocative and insightful investigation of the history of the Federal Reserve and the U.S. central banking system could not be more relevant than right now. Every American needs to truly understand the background of this system. We have posted the section of the movie focused on the Federal Reserve. It'll make you think twice about everything you are hearing in the news.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_14910.cfm

From: Michael Moore maillist@michaelmoore.com

Friends, The richest 400 Americans -- that's right, just four hundred people -- own MORE than the bottom 150 million Americans combined. 400 rich Americans have got more stashed away than half the entire country! Their combined net worth is $1.6 trillion. During the eight years of the Bush Administration, their wealth has increased by nearly $700 billion -- the same amount that they are now demanding we give to them for the "bailout." Why don't they just spend the money they made under Bush to bail themselves out? They'd still have nearly a trillion dollars left over to spread amongst themselves! Of course, they are not going to do that -- at least not voluntarily.

George W. Bush was handed a $127 billion surplus when Bill Clinton left office. Because that money was OUR money and not his, he did what the rich prefer to do -- spend it and never look back. Now we have a $9.5 trillion debt. Why on earth would we even think of giving these robber barons any more of our money?

I would like to propose my own bailout plan. My suggestions, listed below, are predicated on the singular and simple belief that the rich must pull themselves up by their own platinum bootstraps. Sorry, fellows, but you drilled it into our heads one too many times: There... is... no... free... lunch.. And thank you for encouraging us to hate people on welfare! So, there will be no handouts from us to you. The Senate, tonight, is going to try to rush their version of a "bailout" bill to a vote. They must be stopped. We did it on Monday with the House, and we can do it again today with the Senate..

It is clear, though, that we cannot simply keep protesting without proposing exactly what it is we think Congress should do. So, after consulting with a number of people smarter than Phil Gramm, here is my proposal, now known as "Mike's Rescue Plan." It has 10 simple, straightforward points. They are:

1. APPOINT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR TO CRIMINALLY INDICT ANYONE ON WALL STREET WHO KNOWINGLY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS COLLAPSE. Before any new money is expended, Congress must commit, by resolution, to criminally prosecute anyone who had anything to do with the attempted sacking of our economy. This means that anyone who committed insider trading, securities fraud or any action that helped bring about this collapse must go to jail. This Congress must call for a Special Prosecutor who will vigorously go after everyone who created the mess, and anyone else who attempts to scam the public in the future.

2. THE RICH MUST PAY FOR THEIR OWN BAILOUT. They may have to live in 5 houses instead of 7. They may have to drive 9 cars instead of 13. The chef for their mini-terriers may have to be reassigned. But there is no way in hell, after forcing family incomes to go down more than $2,000 dollars during the Bush years, that working people and the middle class are going to fork over one dime to underwrite the next yacht purchase. If they truly need the $700 billion they say they need, well, here is an easy way they can raise it: a) Every couple who makes over a million dollars a year and every single taxpayer who makes over $500,000 a year will pay a 10% surcharge tax for five years. (It's the Senator Sanders plan. He's like Colonel Sanders, only he's out to fry the right chickens.) That means the rich will still be paying less income tax than when Carter was president. This will raise a total of $300 billion. b) Like nearly every other democracy, charge a 0.25% tax on every stock transaction. This will raise more than $200 billion in a year. c) Because every stockholder is a patriotic American, stockholders will forgo receiving a dividend check for one quarter and instead this money will go the treasury to help pay for the bailout. d) 25% of major U.S. corporations currently pay NO federal income tax. Federal corporate tax revenues currently amount to 1.7% of the GDP compared to 5% in the 1950s. If we raise the corporate income tax back to the level of the 1950s, that gives us an extra $500 billion. All of this combined should be enough to end the calamity. The rich will get to keep their mansions and their servants, and our United States government ("COUNTRY FIRST!") will have a little leftover to repair some roads, bridges and schools.

3. BAIL OUT THE PEOPLE LOSING THEIR HOMES, NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BUILD AN EIGHTH HOME. There are 1.3 million homes in foreclosure right now. That is what is at the heart of this problem. So instead of giving the money to the banks as a gift, pay down each of these mortgages by $100,000. Force the banks to renegotiate the mortgage so the homeowner can pay on its current value. To insure that this help does no go to speculators and those who have tried to make money by flipping houses, this bailout is only for people's primary residence. And in return for the $100K paydown on the existing mortgage, the government gets to share in the holding of the mortgage so that it can get some of its money back. Thus, the total initial cost of fixing the mortgage crisis at its roots (instead of with the greedy lenders) is $150 billion, not $700 billion. And let's set the record straight. People who have defaulted on their mortgages are not "bad risks." They are our fellow Americans, and all they wanted was what we all want and most of us still get: a home to call their own. But during the Bush years, millions of them lost the decent paying jobs they had. Six million fell into poverty. Seven million lost their health insurance. And every one of them saw their real wages go down by $2,000. Those who dare to look down on these Americans who got hit with one bad break after another should be ashamed. We are a better, stronger, safer and happier society when all of our citizens can afford to live in a home that they own.

4. IF YOUR BANK OR COMPANY GETS ANY OF OUR MONEY IN A "BAILOUT," THEN WE OWN YOU. Sorry, that's how it's done. If the bank gives me money so I can buy a house, the bank "owns" that house until I pay it all back -- with interest. Same deal for Wall Street. Whatever money you need to stay afloat, if our government considers you a safe risk -- and necessary for the good of the country -- then you can get a loan, but we will own you. If you default, we will sell you. This is how the Swedish government did it and it worked.

5. ALL REGULATIONS MUST BE RESTORED. THE REAGAN REVOLUTION IS DEAD. This catastrophe happened because we let the fox have the keys to the henhouse. In 1999, Phil Gramm authored a bill to remove all the regulations that governed Wall Street and our banking system. The bill passed and Clinton signed it. Here's what Sen. Phil Gramm, McCain's chief economic advisor, said at the bill signing: "In the 1930s ... it was believed that government was the answer. It was believed that stability and growth came from government overriding the functioning of free markets. "We are here today to repeal [that] because we have learned that government is not the answer. We have learned that freedom and competition are the answers. We have learned that we promote economic growth and we promote stability by having competition and freedom. "I am proud to be here because this is an important bill; it is a deregulatory bill. I believe that that is the wave of the future, and I am awfully proud to have been a part of making it a reality." This bill must be repealed. Bill Clinton can help by leading the effort for the repeal of the Gramm bill and the reinstating of even tougher regulations regarding our financial institutions. And when they're done with that, they can restore the regulations for the airlines, the inspection of our food, the oil industry, OSHA, and every other entity that affects our daily lives. All oversight provisions for any "bailout" must have enforcement monies attached to them and criminal penalties for all offenders.

6. IF IT'S TOO BIG TO FAIL, THEN THAT MEANS IT'S TOO BIG TO EXIST. Allowing the creation of these mega-mergers and not enforcing the monopoly and anti-trust laws has allowed a number of financial institutions and corporations to become so large, the very thought of their collapse means an even bigger collapse across the entire economy. No one or two companies should have this kind of power. The so-called "economic Pearl Harbor" can't happen when you have hundreds -- thousands -- of institutions where people have their money. When you have a dozen auto companies, if one goes belly-up, we don't face a national disaster. If you have three separately-owned daily newspapers in your town, then one media company can't call all the shots (I know... What am I thinking?! Who reads a paper anymore? Sure glad all those mergers and buyouts left us with a strong and free press!). Laws must be enacted to prevent companies from being so large and dominant that with one slingshot to the eye, the giant falls and dies. And no institution should be allowed to set up money schemes that no one can understand. If you can't explain it in two sentences, you shouldn't be taking anyone's money.

7. NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD BE PAID MORE THAN 40 TIMES THEIR AVERAGE EMPLOYEE, AND NO EXECUTIVE SHOULD RECEIVE ANY KIND OF "PARACHUTE" OTHER THAN THE VERY GENEROUS SALARY HE OR SHE MADE WHILE WORKING FOR THE COMPANY. In 1980, the average American CEO made 45 times what their employees made. By 2003, they were making 254 times what their workers made. After 8 years of Bush, they now make over 400 times what their average employee makes. How this can happen at publicly held companies is beyond reason. In Britain, the average CEO makes 28 times what their average employee makes. In Japan, it's only 17 times! The last I heard, the CEO of Toyota was living the high life in Tokyo. How does he do it on so little money? Seriously, this is an outrage. We have created the mess we're in by letting the people at the top become bloated beyond belief with millions of dollars. This has to stop. Not only should no executive who receives help out of this mess profit from it,but any executive who was in charge of running his company into the ground should be fired before the company receives any help.

8. STRENGTHEN THE FDIC AND MAKE IT A MODEL FOR PROTECTING NOT ONLY PEOPLE'S SAVINGS, BUT ALSO THEIR PENSIONS AND THEIR HOMES. Obama was correct yesterday to propose expanding FDIC protection of people's savings in their banks to $250,000. But this same sort of government insurance must be given to our nation's pension funds. People should never have to worry about whether or not the money they've put away for their old age will be there. This will mean strict government oversight of companies who manage their employees' funds -- or perhaps it means that the companies will have to turn over those funds and their management to the government. People's private retirement funds must also be protected, but perhaps it's time to consider not having one's retirement invested in the casino known as the stock market. Our government should have a solemn duty to guarantee that no one who grows old in this country has to worry about ending up destitute.

9. EVERYBODY NEEDS TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH, CALM DOWN, AND NOT LET FEAR RULE THE DAY. Turn off the TV! We are not in the Second Great Depression. The sky is not falling. Pundits and politicians are lying to us so fast and furious it's hard not to be affected by all the fear mongering. Even I, yesterday, wrote to you and repeated what I heard on the news, that the Dow had the biggest one day drop in its history. Well, that's true in terms of points, but its 7% drop came nowhere close to Black Monday in 1987 when the stock market in one day lost 23% of its value. In the '80s, 3,000 banks closed, but America didn't go out of business. These institutions have always had their ups and downs and eventually it works out. It has to, because the rich do not like their wealth being disrupted! They have a vested interest in calming things down and getting back into the Jacuzzi. As crazy as things are right now, tens of thousands of people got a car loan this week. Thousands went to the bank and got a mortgage to buy a home. Students just back to college found banks more than happy to put them into hock for the next 15 years with a student loan. Life has gone on. Not a single person has lost any of their money if it's in a bank or a treasury note or a CD. And the most amazing thing is that the American public hasn't bought the scare campaign. The citizens didn't blink, and instead told Congress to take that bailout and shove it. THAT was impressive. Why didn't the population succumb to the fright-filled warnings from their president and his cronies? Well, you can only say 'Saddam has da bomb' so many times before the people realize you're a lying sack of shite. After eight long years, the nation is worn out and simply can't take it any longer.

10. CREATE A NATIONAL BANK, A "PEOPLE'S BANK." If we really are itching to print up a trillion dollars, instead of giving it to a few rich people, why don't we give it to ourselves? Now that we own Freddie and Fannie, why not set up a people's bank? One that can provide low-interest loans for all sorts of people who want to own a home, start a small business, go to school, come up with the cure for cancer or create the next great invention. And now that we own AIG, the country's largest insurance company, let's take the next step and provide health insurance for everyone. Medicare for all. It will save us so much money in the long run. And we won't be 12th on the life expectancy list. We'll be able to have a longer life, enjoying our government-protected pension, and living to see the day when the corporate criminals who caused so much misery are let out of prison so that we can help reacclimate them to civilian life -- a life with one nice home and a gas-free car that was invented with help from the People's Bank.

Yours, Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. Call your Senators now. They are going to attempt their own version of the Looting of America tonight. And let your reps know if you agree with my 10-point plan.

Why Women Need to Vote

This came across my desk & it was worth sharing...



WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE



This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers. They lived only 90 years ago.



Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote. And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic.'



They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and! left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack.



Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms. When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and
poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.

HBOhttp://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf



So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because- -why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?



Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels.' It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder. All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.



My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was angry…with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'



HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum. I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order. It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to
declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'



Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party - remember to vote.



History is being made!



http://www.awelllivedlife.net/

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

HypnoBirthing & Interventions

This is from another HypnoBirthing practitioner from the UK. I thought it was worth sharing...

HB and Interventions


We teach our couples to negotiate and accept any 'necessary medical intervention', so I believe to describe a 'good/bad' HypnoBirth or refer to births as 'not a real HypnoBirth' is arrogant and bad psychology for our mums. It is nonetheless a HypnoBirth because HB at its best covers almost every eventuality.
In my early teaching days I was suitably evangelical and the 'p' words -pain & pushing - had no place in my vocabulary or my classes; the visualisations were exclusively of the 'perfect' HypnoBirth. When the inevitable 'necessary' interventions occurred - from a forceps delivery to elective c-section and emergency c-section - mums reported back to me that the lack of preparation for those eventualities had left them a bit lost at the time of their decisions to agree to the interventions and a sense of failure that they'd somehow done something wrong or 'failed' their HypnoBirthing 'final' - and leaving me wondering if I'd omitted something essential.


My own cousin had an amazing HypnoBirth - following a whole series of 'interventions' throughout her very difficult pregnancy. She had wanted a homebirth - massive fibroids made that inadvisable. Her baby was stubbornly breech, despite every turning technique and baby appeared to be doing his best to turn. My cousin was a vaginal breech herself; she changed consultant at 37 weeks to one who agreed to support a vaginal breech. At 41 weeks, the same consultant gently asked her to consider elective c-section. She took herself deep into self-hypnosis and following a dialogue with her body and her baby (ALL very valid HypnoBirthing skills) decided her baby needed help to be safely born. Her consultant at all times stressed that he would support whatever decision she came to - he respected her knowledge and ability to make informed decisions . . . which came purely from HypnoBirthing . . . and he would still support a vaginal birth if that was her decision.


She accepted the offer of the c-section, remaining calm, focusing love and good hormones - and oxygenated blood - down to her birthing body and her baby all the way and requesting lights/sounds/voices, etc. be considered for as gentle a delivery as possible. She adjusted her visualisations to include a gentle delivery and good recovery for herself and baby. This was an adjustment - a negotiated intervention, based on an informed decision (made possible by HypnoBirthing training), not a capitulation or, horrible word - failure.


Again, her surgeon did his best to give her a HypnoBirth. Baby was to go skin to skin with dad while she was 'busy' after the procedure and not to be taken to another room. As soon as possible, baby was to go to the breast. They modified their birthing preferences to take the changes into account - again, making their own informed decisions with every change that occurred. All good use of HypnoBirthing skills.


At the time of Jack's birth it was discovered the cord was twice around his neck, quite tight and thus and very short - which explained why he seemed to be making his best effort to turn and not quite making it. A vaginal breech could have been a bad decision.


As far as mum is concerned, HypnoBirthing worked for her and she's my greatest advocate. Without HypnoBirthing, she would have had no control or choices whatsoever - it would all have been taken over and become a totally medical procedure. As it was, she and her husband used all their HypnoBirthing knowledge and skills to effect the very best birthing experience they could in the ever changing circumstances surrounding Jack's birth day.


Jack - now 10 months old - is an amazing little boy - a glowing example of what we describe as a HypnoBaby, successfully and exclusively breastfed and the most blissful parents you could wish for.


So yes, HypnoBirthing works - DESPITE any circumstances that prevail. HypnoBirthing works - if the parents have total confidence in their ability to make informed decisions. Continuing calm and relaxed, breathing down and communicating with baby exactly as for a vaginal delivery - explaining to her body what is happening and visualising healing afterwards - as hypnotherapists, exactly what we would do to prepare for surgery, ensuring no post-op shock and good recovery.


My teaching now includes mention of this - and urges parents to adjust to any change in circumstances without disturbing the calm focus and continuing with their HypnoBirthing breathing until baby is in their arms.


With Birthing Preferences - they will make a few notes under an 'EVEN IF' section, then put them out of sight. I use the words "EVEN IF" in response to parents' question of "WHAT IF?" It suggests a smoother process and an acceptance that nature's way isn't always the quick and easy way, but HypnoBirthing will still be there for them - working away "as if by magic". Knowing the contingency is there reassures them of continuing control and keeps the fear away.


This is a long post - but this minor emphasis has changed things for my mums who do accept necessary intervention. They still feel empowered and, just as importantly, that HypnoBirthing didn't let them down when it counted.


Geraldine Vinall

Essex UK



Thank you Geraldine for your insight & wisdom...I feel it is our job as HypnoBirthing practitioners to educate our clients to have true informed consent & to empower our clients to have the best birth they can have. Your words ring true...



http://www.awelllivedlife.net/

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

A HypnoBirthing story from Costa Rica

Here's a HypnoBirth story from Sara R. I Hope you find it inspiring...

Our birthing story in Costa Rica

I need to start this birthing story by remembering the wonderful pregnancy I had. I had some nausea and upset stomach in the first three months, mainly due to the prenatal vitamins that were not really in sync with my system until I found the right ones for me. I suffered from some heartburn in the 8th month and the last month was tough on my swollen ankles which I tried to relieve by swimming 3 times a week for an hour until the very last week ofpregnancy. I also suffered from mild sacrum pain during the 7th and 8th month but yoga , swimming and some chiropractic appointments really made things better. Sleeping has never really been easy for me throughout my life and during pregnancy it got worse , especially the last few months, but I guess I was just getting prepared for what followed. Overall it was a really easy and peaceful pregnancy where I tried to exercise and be as healthy as possible. I practiced prenatal yoga, walked, followed a HypnoBirthing course and practiced visualizing the most peaceful, easy and fearless birth possible. I had prepared my body and was as healthy as I could possibly be.

On Friday, October 5th at 2 AM I woke up with some uncomfortable surges and noticedthey were coming each hour or so. I went through the morning by going to the supermarket and running a few errands, as contractions were slowly risingand getting closer together. I kept hydrated with water and Gatorade and really never felt hungry all day so I skipped lunch. After lunch I noticed some brownish mucus-like-thing when I went to the bathroom and thought.. "OK, this must be the famous uterine seal. Here we go".

At 3 PM I called my doctor to tell him my waves were now every 20 minutes. He asked me to go see him in his office and after he checked me he told me I was already 4 cm dilated and I should calmly make my way to the hospital so they could keep Emma's heart monitored. Jeff and I went to buy the last few things, prepared our hospital bag and headed to the CIMA hospital, in Costa Rica . I registered in the hospital, signing all the paperwork and walked to my room. I placed my yoga mat on the floor and Jeff turned on the Ipod where I had prepared my birthing music, especially the sound of waves. Emma's heart was monitored and she seemed to be doing well. It was amazing to see that through each contraction her little heart beat would slow down and then pick up again right after the wave was over. We also had a machine where we could see the peak of each contraction and it would measure theintensity and the time between them. Jeff and I were pretty entertained by this machine, although I was only on it for about 20 minutes since the nurse considered everything was just perfect. Surges were now coming every 10 minutes or so and I just concentrated and breathed through them.

My doula, Ansu, arrived at 5:30 PM and that is about the time when the second stage of labor began. My surges were 5 minutes apart and beginningto get laborious. A nurse checked me and I was about 6 cm dilated. We began really breathing through each wave and enjoying the times in between.

At 8 PM my doctor came in and checked, I was 8 cm and we decided together to go ahead and break my waters. After that, surges really picked up. I was standing, leaning on a couch we had in the room and during contractions it felt really nice to squat. I sounded like a wounded cow and the whole hospital probably heard me , but I think they must be somewhat used to it,even though Costa Rica has 93% C-section rates at the moment and very few women have natural births without epidural or some kind of drugs.

Jeff was there the whole time. I would grab on to his hands and arms during contractions and he was pretty amazed at my strength. Ansu asked me if I wanted to get in the shower. We placed the yoga ball inside the shower and I sat on it as the warm water ran down my back and felt really good. I stayed in the shower for about 30 minutes, breathing deeply through each surge. When I got out, Ansu would massage my back and acupressure points and it all felt really relieving.

By 9 PM I was tired , my whole body shaking like a leaf between contractions, probably from the release of so much energy, and I was ready to ask my doctor for an epidural. In fact, I did. Thankfully, Ansu remindedme of my birthing plan, of what a great job I was doing, of my strong belief of having a completely normal physiological birth without drugs, of helping Emma to come into this world naturally and with her sweet voice, motivated me by reminding me how strong I was and how I could do it without interventions, how I had chosen a natural birth in order to prevent Emma from being exposed to drugs and their side effects. Her support was so important for me. I listened and focused on my goal. Deep inside of me Ireally didn't want any interventions, I knew I still had the strength to carry on, I knew I could do it, that I didn't want any drugs to affect Emma, that my body had the power and wisdom to give birth and have the control over this experience. I wanted this freedom, and I told Ansu I would keep going. I had the confidence and faith in my amazing birthing body. I followed my instincts in labor and allowed my body and my baby to do exactly what they knew to do. I surrended to the power of birthing energy "and I let go"!

Soon after I began to feel a strong urge to bear down and push. I kept squatting each time a contraction arrived and felt I was becoming louder and louder, my voice deeper and deeper. Doctor Paer was close to me and trying, with a flashlight to check if Emma's head was seen, but I realized he was very uncomfortable when joking with Ansu, told her her he would need to make a hole in the floor and go down to the first floor of the building to be able to see anything. It was pretty funny afterwards, but at the moment I was so focused that I couldn't really laugh.

I moved to the other room and sat on the bed in a V position. I knew it was all happening, I knew I just needed a few more breaths, some more strength and I would finally have her in my arms. I breathed down and finally someone announced the little head was beginningto show. Jeff was watching, Ansu was motivating me, and I felt like a ring of fire in my perineum, a lacerating, excruciating pain (still not sure about that through HB) . Her head was fully visible, one more deep breath and her whole body came out. Doctor Paer received her and placed her right on my chest. And, THAT is the image and feeling that I will never forget for as long as I live. That tiny, warm, wet body moving on top of me, her voice, her cry, that little miracle being had just come out of me, I felt time stop I felt like in a trance. All I could do was stare at her in disbelief and welcome her into this world.

Emma was born alert and ready to interact with us. Giving birth naturally has definitely increased my self esteem and confidence. I find myself replaying my birth story in my mind over and over. I have discovered power that I never knew that I had! I made Emma and I went through the experience of giving natural birth! It's amazing. I am confident that I have prepared her for the best start in life and myself for the best start at motherhood.

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

Got GMO?

Everything you ever wanted to know (& even what you didn't want to know) about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO):

http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=21766

The links section alone is super handy!

If you want non-GMO health & beauty products, use Certified Organic Miessence products. Go to my website (www.AWellLivedLife.Net) & compare the list of ingredients to the ones in your cabinet to see what toxins & GMOs you're exposing yourself & your family to.

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

Educate before you vaccinate

This is from a fellow mom on one of the mommy webgroups (Holistic Moms Network's National loop) I belong to...

Autism is an epidemic and for us a long journey. My hope is that this video will bring hope to other families as well as encourage people to educate before they vaccinate. Please share this video with others.

http://www.onetruemedia.com/otm_site/view_shared?p=69fe03066ad23c00f92f51&skin_id=601&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=email

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

Warning about tagless clothing

Check these sites out for more information about how the chemicals in some tagless labeling can actually burn your baby's skin!



http://thoughtsluiza.blogspot.com/



http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2008/09/tagless-tees-suddenly-causing-chemical.html



http://www.awelllivedlife.net/

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