Let's go for a Walk

( posted as a commnet on a friend's blog. hoping to remember to post more about his later.)

What's the name of the diet? Which magazine?

I'll probably be starting Weight Watchers again here at work, but only because it's free, and that way I get on a scale every week. I signed up last time to see if I was losing too fast for no reason. Thinking about going back to Sommersizing again. The good old food combing from the sixties, seems to work for me.

Seems like I've tried everything except Atkins. Sommmersizing is close, but not restrictive on good carbs. The no white stuff rule seems to help me feel good.

Let's go for a walk when you have a minute. I've been pushing Nicky around, can't wait for his little legs to get a little longer. I figure he gets enough miles in my living room.

Can cord clamping increase Bilirubin levels?

( a comment I left at neonataldoc's blog, he was commenting on billilights possibles causing moles. )

Wondering if anyone has a link to support that the premature clamping of the umbillical cord may be the cause of high bilirubin levels.

Many natural birthers believe that you should at least wait for the cord to stop pulsing before clamping it. This allows the blood to go where it needs to. Funny thing is when I asked to delay clapming the cord at an OB practice, all four doctors gave me different answers why they had to clamp right away. Two were in direct conflict. One said the baby will get to much blood, another said that baby will loose blood back into the mom, another said mom would bleed too much, and the other said they needed to get the baby under the warmer right away or the baby would get cold. Funny none of that happened when I had a baby at the midwife's birth center, where they wrapped up the placenta and put baby, husband and I down for a nap, in the same bed, before clamping and cutting the cord hours later.

Sure, if neohero needs to help the baby, waiting for dad to fumble the scissors is silly, but for healthy full term babies I don't see the rush.

Where do we draw the line?

Welcome to Blogspot Fellowman, http:://bulgingbag.blogspot.com

In my mind there is no debate, it should be up to the parents to decide the fate of their baby, everytime.

When interviewing my care provider for my last pregnancy, one of my questions was, 'Will you help protect my baby from aggressive care?'.

I had a feeling with this one, that it wasn't meant to survive. I wanted to protect it from being delayed in becoming an angel, or tortured. Turns out that I chose well. When I called her at 10 weeks (LMP) to see what her protocol was, she said I could go for a D&C but she didn't recomend it. A previous provider had sent me to ER, and that was horrible. So much easier this time, just letting my body handle it. The medical industry messes with birth, why didn't I realize they would mess with miscarriage also.

I'm a natural birth advocate. I firmly believe we are safer birthing at home, with a qualified attendant and a nearby hospital.

Should I have tried to rescue my blighted ovum? Many people would think that by just miscarrying, with only a phone call for care that I didn't do enough. Where do we draw the line?

She seems Definate

Saw the Doctor last night. From what I described she said blighted ovum, no longer pregnant. No tests, just call if I have any extra bleeding. Since I hardly spot the pad after only three days, I think it's over.

I look pale as a ghost. My husband sugested the tanning booth to fix it. I asked him to go make me another chocolate milkshake, and he packed me lunch. I haven't really lost that much blood, I think it's just the hormones making a sudden change. I'm back to work today. I took two days to lay around the house. My timing is terrible. The misscarriage occured the last night of our holiday shutdown. At least this time I was only out for two days. Last time I was out for a week and in misery. It figures, the medical industry would be hurtful and harmful about miscarriage just like birth. Without the trip to ER, and the drugs, this time it was much easier. My body rocks.

Asking about birth control slipped my mind. Do I want another child or is four enough. (counting three I gave birth to, and one step-child.)

Well, if I think about it long enough, Gods will decide for me.

Likely to be over now.

Well, I think I have miscarried. It was easy this time. I wonder if the doctor's drugs made the first one harder. The first time I was given methergine and pain pills. I was in agony for more than a week.

This time, I spotted a little and lost the plug in the morning, and then that evening I emptied my uterus with a spash. Can't see how there could be a baby left in there after that much glop. I see my doctor tonight, and we'll see what she says. When I paged her to see what her protocol was, she said I could go get a D&C but she doesn't recommend it, and to keep my appointment today. That trip to the ER with the first was hell, glad to skip it this time.

It really wasn't a good time to have a baby anyways. My youngest is only two and we are still nursing. I work full time, and they just gutted my benefits. Maybe later, but the idea of hauling another one around seemed daunting.

Going to ask about birth control. I don't think there is any safe answer.

Really glad I didn't spared the news around in real life. Don't feel sad about this, I already have three children and a step child, five may have been to many.

Nine weeks and counting

How long can I maintain the illusion of getting fat? Naked it is really obvious that my belly is getting bigger, but when I'm dressed, I just look like I'm getting fat.

I guess being well endowed with curves has its advantages. I started out this preg around 160. Other have started at 178, 162, and 138, and I ended up just shy of 200 each time.

Since that day I walked into Ma's and she said, "Please tell me you're not pregnant.", about six months ago, I don't think I'll be telling my family anytime soon.

Waiting as long as I can to tell the girls. At 6,8 and 10 they think a week is a long time. I get big quick, so I'm hoping for baggy sweaters for Christmas. Since it's winter, I get a little more bulky clothing advantage.

The cult of Vaccines

Bring it on, go ahead with your no-sense. Why should I torture my healthy child to protect your sickly one. Why is it safe to inject newborns with mercury? Why do we keep having those scarey news articles about polio outbreaks among the unimmunized, which fail to mention that it is the vaccine strain of polio, and the wild one hasn't been seen in the US in decades?

Then let's discuss the skyrocketing rates of cancer and adhd, and diabetes, and autism, which are temporally related to the increase in 'mandatory' vaccines. Temporally related means at the same point in time, and doesn't prove a causal link.

I'm angry. The hoo hoo the people spewed over at neonatal doc upsets me. How can these very intelligent people be so misled? That new Gardisil vaccine is scarey. Just barely approved, and now heavily advertised. I doesn't prevent cancer, it provides some immunity against a virus which may be linked to cervical cancer. People are pushing to make it mandatory, and we don't really have any data to show it it even safe.

Immunizing your child puts mine at risk. My friends keep their children away from the recently immunized ones. Shedding the manmade virii, frankencreated for vaccinations hasn't even been studied. The recent rise in shingles seems to coincide with the varicella vaccine. Why vaccinate against chickenpox? Oh, because the immnocomprised ones soemetimes die from it, rarely a healthy child. Why are there so many immunocompromised ones, vaccinations. Kids need to get sick to train their immune systems.

Please go see www.909shot.com for more details.

Harrassed?

Someone at mothering.com asked us to ask our timid friends if they have been harrassed. She wondered if it happened to timid people too.

Here's what I replied:

Harassed by whom?

I used to be a timid mom, harrasment made me who I am.


The sOB who said breaking my water 2.5 weeks before my due date wouldn't interfer with my natural birth plans. Same sOB (surgical OBstetrician) allowed 30 seconds for me to attemp breastfeeding with no help before declaring time's up and convincing the dad to dump 2.5 ounces of formula into my first.

The peds who answered try supplimenting to any concern.

The peds who never reported adverse vaccine reactions with my first.

The pediatrician who claimed that at a year my baby needed cow milk, that human milk and real food including organic greens wasn't good enough.

The nurses who keep asking what formula, and make faces when I say none. Repeatedly asking how much milk, when I am nursing.

The ex who coerced me into weaning because pregnant, or before an airplane ride.

The employer who took away part of my maternity leave after returning to work, and said you know better now, no midwife.

Dr. Amy Tutuer who runs a 'debate' and bans anyone who supports homebirth.

The boss who looked like a deer in the headlights everytime I mentioned nursing/pumping.

The online mommy groups who think it is out of line to nurse near a pool.

The church who wanted me to dump my milk and replace it with their 'free safer formula' since human milk is a 'biohazard'. (quotes mean false)

The priest who laughed and said, no breastfeeding, even in my car in the parking lot, the women would be cruel to me.

Sorry, I just reread your thread starter. I don't have any friends who are unlikely to complain. I choose carefully.

I am a hunter

Feel free to comment in Etherspace

The Shh it's a secret was for real life. Feel free to chime in here, or elsewhere in etherspace. Even go tell toots that I found a doctor who does home births. I can't tell her, I'm still banned.

I met the Doctor yesterday. Wow, how'd she get that degree, and keep her morals and marbles. I'm thrilled. The booklet they handed me with the paperwork covered most of my concerns on page 8. I cheered when I read that page. She routinely does testing equivelent to my wishes, which means almost none. She assures me I am pregnant, with no testing. She said if I don't like the doppler, the only penalty is that I won't hear the heartbeat until 20 weeks, and it doesn't really matter anyways. She liked my vitamins and supplements, especially the yeast defense (TM).

Wow, contrast that to the other sOBs who diagnosed me with ammenoria (no period) until the blood work ($400 worth) came back to change the result. Wow, a doctor who believe women can give birth if they aren't interfered with 90% of the time, and 5% may need a little help, the other 5% may need more extreme measures. Contrast that with the 30% C rate in the US this year.

So excited to share the healing with you all. For all three previous babies I was in an adversarial position with my care provider. It wasn't until eight months into the third pregnancies when I woke up and went to an unlicensed midwife. I was forced to choose another provider this time by my employer, in order to get my maternity leave.

More soon, I'm hoping to blog lots about how the otherside is so much safer. Go tell toots, she can get stuffed. So looking forward to care without the dead baby drum, and the I know better than you horn. No GBS, no quad screen, no ultrasounds, no doppler, just sound advice about eating, and sharing any concerns. So nice to have someone who has confidence in me, not the machines that go bleep.

Shhh It's a Secret

In the previous post, I forgot to mention. I'm not sharing this possible baby with the world yet. Please don't tell, or talk to me about it. I've miscarried before, and it was hard doing the unannouncing.

Having unreasonable fears about facing another doctor. I've been told she's a midwife in doctor clothing. That's the best compliment I've ever heard. To face medical mistraining in order to be licensed in this draconian state which doesn't offer any way to license a laymidwife. She's also a lactation consultant, so that means she may be more supportive of not weaning Darling Son, just because I'm older and pregg'd. Many sOBs would pressure me to stop immediately, unaware of the stress it would cause me.

I had a dream, where I was waiting in a nice big airy well decorated space to meet my new doctor. My fear of heights overwhelmed me. I could see and hear what was going on with the other patients. I woke up before meeting her, but I don't think I stayed long enough to meet her, because of the way I could see down the stairs and out the window.

In real life, I'm considering whether I should write up a questionaire, a list of preferences, and some of my history in advance. I don't wnat to scare her, but maybe she's already on the same page. It's not like I have much of a choice. I need a doctor to save me from my disability plan overseer, and CPS. I can't go without care, because that is ...

No Name as of yet...

Here we go again. Darling Hubby was thrilled to hear the news.

You'd think with my thourough statistiacal background, and knowledge of the obstetric meat grinder, I wouldn't use the calendar for birth control. But what about God's will? Maybe he feels the I should give birth a fourth time. Maybe he feels I should make another angel. He never gives us more than we can handle. Sure why not have another baby at the age of 41?

Too bad I can't post this to the debacle, and give them the blow by blow of my version of a pregnancy and birth. Toots only allows her side into the debate.

Fortunately, I have found a doctor who does homebirths. Wow, there is a God, and she's looking after me.

Advice for a Mom who was told to wean to treat thrush.

(this is a reply I posted to a thread at mothering.commune for a mom who was told to wean her 1.5 year old baby to treat thrush. There was other standard advice already posted.)


The ex ped told me at eight months to just use formula. I had mentioned that the nystatin was making it hard to pump. (Nystatin is a common, horrible antifungal prescribed for thrush, and is greasy.) I wanted another type of treatment, not just the same old supplement line of crap.

I called back the Lactation Consultant in the practice, and she set me up with a pharmacy which had gentian violet. I stains the baby blue, but is much better than thrush.

And pumping was easy without the greasy parts. I was working full time, and not suplementing, so decreasing my output was a concern.


Years laters, for another baby, I went straight to LLL. That time, it may not have been thrush, they thought it was dermititis, a skin allergy. Keeping the shampoo, and other soaps away from the area, and changing my laundry to soap free made a permanant cure.

Other tips, I love the Yeast Defense pills, hot peppers and probiotics all in one pill. The midwife also recomended breaking a probiotic capsule open, and sprinkling the power on the affected area.

You're not alone in getting horrible advice which ends with wean. I avoid doctors for all but stiches. LLL and kellymom combined with mothering.commune solves 99% of the issues that the peds used to mislead me about. Any doubts and I call my unlicensed midwife for the real answers. What a shame that the most reliable care is not offered a license in Michigan.

Did anyone mention water and rest to boost your body's natural defenses? The no sugar really helps, also flour and refined grains can fuel the yeast. Basically the white foods promote it, and whole foods prevent it.

For lots more about the many things that yeast causes, and doctors treat with surgery, read The Yeast Connection. That book claims that most of our mysterious illnesses which doctors fail to control are actually caused by yeasy overgrowth.

Hope you feel better. Great thinking Mama, come here whenever anyone says wean. The breastfeeding isn't the probelm, its the answer.

Epi vs Hot Tub

(Toots at the debacle is debating the effectiveness of water immersion for pain relief in birth.)


Natural birth meant less pain overall.

The epi for my first birth stopped labor. It tooks hours for me to convince them to turn it off, so I could get going again. 25 hours of hell. I hurt worse than a traffic accident after, and my mothering ability was compromised due to loss of confidence in my natural ability.

For the next two, I went natural. I was up and around right away, empowered to care for my new baby. Overall the pain was much less. The recovery was faster.

The second was in the inhospitalbe, and since I was forced onto my back, I tore.

The third was in the water. Only a tiny tear, which didn't need repair. For the third, I didn't even get any pain meds for recovery. It forced me to rest, as my body required.

Toots, you say water birth is dangerous, and then say we should study its effectiveness. I'm confused.

Birth should empower a mom, not cause trauma due to calloused care.

Sue

(the ban seems to have expired.)

Ranting about Banning

( a reply I posted in my moomy group to questions about why I got banned. )


No explanation, no reply to my email asking for it. I posted my goodbye from another computer, and she deleted the goodbye, and banned that computer too.

Since some of my posts are still there, I put a goodbye on my blog.

You've seen my style, I really try to be respectful here. There I was getting a little more snarky. Her Name is Dr. Amy Tutuer, MD, but I started calling her toots. Toots the I know better than you horn, and bangs the dead baby drum. Just a little humour, no cursing. She maintains, with no evidence to prove it, that homebirth makes more dead babies, but women choose it for 'the experience'. There's even a British Doctor who points to overwhelming evidence in England on the safety of homebirth. They can have a homebirth even on public assistance. 80% of women only see midwives. There is seemless transfer of care with no acrimony like transfers are treated here.

As is typical, she was spouting her personal feelings, and claiming that science, studies and research supported her. We have been having fun poking huge holes in every argument.

Today's complaint is "why do DEMs charge so much" DEM is direct entry midwife, like Brigett who attended the birth of my son Nicholas. She thinks $2500 is too much for the entire cost of prenatal, labor, and post natal services, including testing. In my mind it's not enough to keep them in business. Most DEMs barely scrape by, and some get donations from grateful previous clients.

So tempted to send the hordes of angry internet women from mothering.com after her. They have a forum which supported me through the trials at Northridge when they asked me to refill my bottle with 'free safer formula'.

Does everyone know the differences between DEM, CPM, CNM and sOBs (surgical OBstetricians)? Maybe she was tired of my sOB acronym, but I did spell it out. CNM and OBs view pregnancy as a disease, and rescue the fetus. DEMs and CPMs view birth as normal, and only send you to OBs when things out of the range of normal happen. (beware of Sue's sweeping generalization, there are many good and bad exceptions to my general rule.)

I wouldn't mind so much if she hadn't put it at the top of the page that both sides are welcome. She's banned a few others that I know of. She also made a big deal that she'd stop selectively censoring, and it seems to be happening again. She should have at least left my goodbye up. People will be wondering if I'm okay, I was a regular there, and people were noticing my point of view.

Thanks for listening. Still trying to work through my feelings on this. It makes me angry to see her saying that she won't do any backup care for midwives because they are all unprofessional, and dangerous. That's the trouble with homebirth around here, hostile hospital will start over on arrival, instead of picking up from the midwives direction. many midwives become doulas as they pass through the hospital doors. In Michigan we have no licensing for DEMs, they are not illegal like some states, but their not protected by a license like in others. A woman should be able to choose anything from an elective C to an unassisted homebirth, without worrying about CPS (child protective services) punishing you for child abuse, or a hospital letting the baby die while lecturing you on the evils of birthing, instead of providing the care the midwife decided you needed there.

Oh, and to answer your questions T, I can view the site, but not post. No, she doesn't moderate, only deletes parts that don't support her point of view, after posting. She gave me no warning that I was out of line. I think she was just tired of being called toots, it probably happens to her in real life. (her last name is Tutuer -> toots)

Thanks for listening, I feel better now.

I got banned

After many posts, and much time invested in a debate I was banned
from the homebirth debate http://homebirthdebate.com with no
explanation.

I did not curse or threaten. I did give her a nickname toots like
toots the I know better than you horn. I did mention possibly
deleting some of myposts.

What is the custom for this in etherspace? Should she have sent me
a message that she deleted some comments, and why? Should I get an
explanation for being banned?

The page says it's a forum for debate with both pros and cons
welcome. She has banned at least one other, who left a note on my
blog to say so. She is vitriolic in her hatred of homebirthers and
midwives. I thought we were working through her issues, and she
might recover. It was entertaining to keep putting bits of my story
out there, hoping she could see the other side.

I know its her blog, and she can do whatever she wants, but I'd like
to know what was appropriate. I posted as Sue or Sue - an engineer
mom.

Does anyone want to go there and mention Sue got banned with no
reason? I'm not really looking to attack her by sending hordes of
angry women to her site, I'd just like someone to say goodby for
me. I got to know a few of the regulars, and they might miss me.

Someone else understands

(This is someone else's comment posted to the debacle, posted with her permission.)

From delightfulmomma:

...It's hard to find ideas that are wackier than Dr. Odent's...

Let me think of some:

Women should lie down when giving birth.

Women should have fingers placed in her vagina at regular intervals to "check" her performance.

Women should have needles placed into their spines and anaesthetic injected (that risks death and paralysis).

If labor stops or slows down to give a woman a rest, even if the baby is doing fine, we shall inject a synthetic drug (made from pig product) into the woman to "start her up again".

We shall make a biological physiological process as unatural as possible so that as many as 1:3 or 4 women need major abdominal surgery to relieve them of their offspring.

We shall sever the umbilical cord and its vital component of blood (up to 200mls) as soon as the baby is born.

We shall break the waters of the amniotic sack that protects the baby at all labors to speed labor up despite their still being no reliable scientific evidence that says that this practice does in fact speed things up!

Obstetrics:crazy crazy people doing crazy things every day!
Obstetrics: conning women, performing unecessary surgery and misleading the public every day!
Obstetrics: if you want to make money, not have to be particularily bright in medical terms and only have to perform a couple of easy peasy surgical techniques in your career, this is the medical path for you! Obstetrics: anyone can do it!Join now for your easy course on :
1. How to perform a caesarean.
2.How to sew up a caesarean.
This 2 day course will show you how to do this now with an even easier one layer technique. Medics...Don`t mess with complicated heart surgery or play with intricate opthalmology, take the easy option with far more money to make! Course sponsored by pitocin.

Happy note

(a reply to the mommy group, someone wanted a happy story for the day.)

The weather was icky, so we didn't go to Dairy Dan's for the clown making balloon animals. Instead I convinced them it would be more fun to make a bunch of our own. Waiting in line for one, takes way longer than making a dozen puppies.

So I broke out the pump, and a handful of balloons. Blew a few up and wandered away. Well, she said they were out of ballons, so I went to help. Thinking I'd be blowing up more. Nope, they figured out how to tie them, and needed more empties. Neat, my finger went numb the day before from tying all of them.

They had a blast. Sophia made puppies, and tried to copy the seahorse from the clowns at the Civic Center Library (that was Tuesday). Veronica made a parachute. I made swords. So cute seeing the balloons tied all around her. Sophia liked it and made one too.

I mentioned how nice it was that Sophia liked it so much, she made one too. Happy balloon sounds then were sent to the basement, so I could let Nicky out of his highchair. No ballooons for babies, choking hazard.

They played for another happy hour in the basement with them, while Nicky caused as much mayhem as he could. He can now get loose from the high chair, open the kitchen gate, turn the TV, VCR and Sattelite on and off, and reset the computer. Fun ;)

I didn't get a chance to finish my book. The Wizard of London, Mercedes Lackey. I didn't pick up my crochet either. We're making an afgan of granny squares. I have a little notebook where they design squares, so I can make them later. They choose a pattern in the book, and copy to the notebook, picking from the colors we have. We've got quite a pile of squares in the corner, and keep laying them out, or throwing them like frisbees.

Homebirthers deserve good care at hospitals.

(another reply to the homebirth debacle.)

Dr Amy, still looking for a reply about backup OBs. Do you accpet homebirthers? Will you provide backup care?

It might have been nice to be able to keep my sOB, when I fled to a lay midwife in my eighth month of pregnancy. After taking the hospital tour, I was horrified by the attitudes and facilities.

They only had a level one neonatal intensive care unit, which means not even enough to stabilize. Immediate transport by helicopter to another facility, without mom or dad. Mom wouldn't be released for at least twenty four hours to follow, and dad couldn't fly with the baby.

They made a big deal that you could drink water during labor, if your doc approves.

They did not have a tub, and said the shower would do the same.

By choosing to birth at the midwife's office, in her tub. I was safer. Her office was 7 minutes from deciding to go, to getting a C section at a facility with a level 4 neonatal intensive care unit. They would prep the room, with a phone call from her, and be ready on arrival.

How does your hospital treat a call from a midwife having trouble? Or do they not even call your facility?

Homebirth is much safer with good relations at a hospital. For the 5% who choose to transfer, they should recieve immediate good care, not a stern lecture on the evils of homebirth.

I've read stories where the hospital is so hostile, they don't act on the midwife's concerns, and start over, with intake questions and tests, letting the baby die.

I was a believer

(posted as a reply to neonataldoc HIb)

I was a believer. I updated my shots before trying to concieve.

After a year of her getting very sick after every shot, and seeing two of her immunizations recalled, I woke up and started reading. One of her vaccines was recalled for overdosing newborn babies with mercury. That was the published reason. The other for bowel obstructions.

It was hard to watch my child suffer from the vaccinations. The doctors didn't report even one occurance to the VARS database. The doc made the call that it was unrelated, and didn't follow the rules. Vaccine incidents are 95% underreported.

The screaming, the rainbow poops, and the worry was only there for the 7-10 days after each shot.

How 'bout the way that SIDS peaks in two perfect bell curves centered around two and four months age. Same as immunization time.

The only polio seen in the US for more than a decade, is the vaccine strain, not the wild one. Most polio cases in the US recently were caused by the oral vaccine. The caregivers were catching it from the diapers.

And what about the nasty preservatives.

I will not vaccinate my son. It was hard enough watching my daughter suffer.

And before you get on your high horse, vaccines are contraindicated if siblings had bad reactions. It says so right on the manufacturers pamphlet. So even the medicos would agree not to vaccinate another.

I loved the line in the varicella vaccine pamphlet. "There is no evidence of sutained immunity in the absence of wild booosting." So if we vaccinate the kids, they may get chickepox as adults.