"VBAC: Is it Safe?"

Excellent video interview by Dr. Stuart Fischbein discussing VBAC vs. repeat cesarean- and risks of both.

HERE to Watch the VIDEO

"How Vaccines Became BIG Business"...

.. or how to make a million dollars off of the scared masses.

A very clear calculated look at the history of the flu vaccine production within the business sector of Big Pharma. Did you think that it was about health? Did you think it was about saving lives? Did you think it was about stopping a pandemic? You'd be wrong.

Paul Waldie and Grant Robertson don't take sides in their article for the Globe & Mail. They don't point fingers at the vaccine manufacturers or the anti-vax movement populous. They give you the facts, clear and cold.

....but the statement of these facts leaves little room for anyone to NOT see that Vaccines are "BIG Business". Businesses that looks at dollars signs in the Millions, if not Billions. With current news stories breaking about former CDC directors being named President for Merek's vaccine division, and Research scientists and directors of WHO being paid large amounts of money by various pharmaceutical companies/vaccine manufacturers..... well really, do you need a map to join the dots?

Money talks. And it talks very loudly.

How vaccines became big business

Paul Waldie and Grant Robertson Globe and Mail Update Published on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2009 8:15PM EST

A health care worker fills a syringe with H1N1 flu vaccine on the opening day of public clinics in Winnipeg, Oct. 26 John Woods/The Canadian Press

Making flu vaccines used to be a money-losing business. But that all changed with a flu pandemic on the other side of the world

"In a year that will be remembered for widespread public worry about the H1N1 virus, or swine flu, vaccines have become a $24-billion business. Analysts predict the global vaccine industry will top $40-billion by 2012. For companies like Glaxo, Sanofi-Aventis, Merck & Co., Novartis AG and Pfizer Inc., the fear of a pandemic has translated into a financial windfall that has been years in the making. Worldwide, nearly 1 billion doses of H1N1 vaccine have been ordered in 2009...

“The barriers to enter the market are extremely high,” said Mr. Monteyne in Belgium. “You don't become a vaccine maker over night. That's why we have a few big players, and very few only.” That meant the giants could push hard to increase prices. And they did.

Sanofi-Aventis expects to earn close to $6-billion (U.S.) in vaccine revenue next year and double its sales by 2013. This quarter, sales of H1N1 vaccine alone will top $500-million. It is suddenly a good time to be a flu shot maker....

Glaxo had been lobbying several governments around the world to get higher vaccine prices and access to massive cash reserves countries were setting aside to cope with a pandemic threat...

Indeed, the company had already been lobbying governments well before then. Since the late 1990s, prices for flu vaccine in North America have soared from $2 per dose to as high as $12 in 2007. The price has recently fallen back to about $8 as buying volumes increased in the face of H1N1. But that's still a healthy margin, as some analysts estimate it costs about $1 to make each dose.

The company does not discuss its costs, but Mr. Monteyne said the cost of a flu shot is flexible depending on whether the buyer can pay more. “We have a tiered pricing strategy,” Mr. Monteyne said. “It is mainly based on the level of income of the country.”...

New fears over H1N1 were the catalyst to a completely new way of buying and selling vaccines that many countries are expected to follow. Flu shots are now a product for the masses. Non-seasonal flu shots such as H1N1 could become a yearly norm.

Soaring vaccine sales are also pushing companies to chase profit in other types of shots. The race is now on to develop blockbuster vaccines, defined as those that bring in more than $1-billion annually. Two recently developed vaccines – Prevnar for pneumonia and Garasil for cervical cancer – have become blockbusters, selling close to $2-billion a year....

HERE to read the complete article from the Globe & Mail

10 Ways to Avoid an Unnecessary C/Section

An excellent blog/article by Dr. Chukwuma Onyeije, that arose from a story on CNN regarding Joy Szabo. The story detailed the fact that Ms. Szabo had been told that she could not have a VBAC at the hospital where she planned to deliver. As a result, she ultimately moved nearly six hours away from their home in Page, Arizona, to Phoenix to give birth at a hospital that does permit women to have VBACs. And, thus, one woman's quest for a vaginal birth after a cesarean became national news.

Patient's trust physicians to make tough calls by virtue of our expertise, training and because they believe that we want what is best for them. My fear is that physicians risk losing the trust and goodwill we have with patients if we steer them away from safe vaginal deliveries toward unnecessary cesarean deliveries for questionable reasons. The current trend towards not offering VBAC may have begun due to concerns regarding safety or even medico-legal exposure; however at present, it has metaststatized to inordinant levels that I have referred to as PVH (physician-VBAC-hysteria).

The reversals in the rate of VBAC have clearly increased the Cesarean rate in the US, but have not (in any definable way) improved maternal or fetal outcomes. Therefore, presented for your review is my most recent slideset on practical ways that patients can avoid some of the pitfalls which may result in an unnecessary cesarean delivery."

HERE to read the entire article and view the presentation

Ahhhhh... yet again, more information about "Conflicts of Interest" within major health organizations and Big Pharma.

WHO ADVISER CONCEALS A DONATION OF MILLIONS FROM A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

Thursday, 17 December 2009 11:33

WHO ADVISER CONCEALS A DONATION OF MILLIONS FROM A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY

Written by Louise Voller & Kristian Villesen for the Danish daily newspaper, “Information”

10.12. 2009

A Finnish member of the WHO board, an advisor on vaccines, has received 46 million crowns (6 million euros) for his research centre from the vaccine manufactures, GlaxoSmithKline. WHO promises transparency, but this conflict of interests is not available for the public to see at WHO’s homepage.

Another ‘WHO’ vaccine advisor is withholding information concerning financial support from the pharmaceutical industry.

Professor Juhani Eskola is the director of the Finnish research vaccine programme (THL) and a new member of the WHO group, ‘Strategic Advisory Group of Experts’ (SAGE), which gives advice to the WHO Director-General, Margaret Chan. ‘SAGE’ also recommend which vaccines - and how many - member countries should purchase for the pandemic.

According to documents acquired through the Danish ‘Freedom of Information Act,’ Professor Juhani Eskola’s Finnish institute, THL, received almost 6.3 million Euro from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for research on vaccines during 2009.

This amount of money qualifies GlaxoSmithKline as THL’s main source of income.

HERE to read the complete article

Depro Provera BC shot weakens bones

Well, even more proof of the evil of the Depro-Provera birth control shot. This just scares me silly. I had one, ONE shot, and swore to never again be convinced to take any kind of artificial hormones for any reason. I gained 30 lbs in 2 months... and I was a very physically fit and active young woman at the time, and instantly lost my period for 4 months. Now I read this study and wonder, yet again: How many other hidden problems might I have caused to myself by taking this horrifying shot 11 years ago?

Contraceptive Depo-Provera May Weaken Bones

Nearly half of women in study lost bone mass within two years

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 23 (HealthDay News) -- In a study of women who received the "birth control shot" -- also known as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera), nearly half lost at least 5 percent of their bone mineral density in the hip and lower spine within two years.

Women who were smokers, who had never given birth and who didn't consume much calcium were at highest risk, and they continued to experience significant losses in the third year of use, according to the report published in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

HERE to read the entire article

Sleep Training: A review of research

Peaceful Parenting has put together this excellent list of books, articles and websites on the topic of Sleep training.

HERE to go directly to the Peaceful Parenting Website

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Sleep Training: A Review of Research

The following is a list of resources for research-based information on infant sleep, night time parenting, baby crying, need for nourishment and comfort at night, and physiological body and brain responses to 'controlled crying,' 'cry it out,' or 'sleep training' methods. Also see psychological conditioning studies on learned helplessness (which occurs to babies whose care-givers utilize these methods).


BOOKS:

*The No-Cry Sleep Solution
*The Baby Sleep Book
*Gentle Birth, Gentle Mothering
*The Baby Bond
*Natural Family Living
*The Baby Book
*The Continuum Concept: In Search of Happiness Lost
*Baby Matters
*Attachment Parenting: A Commonsense Guide to Understanding & Nurturing Your Baby
*Primal Health: Understanding the Critical Period Between Conception and the First Birthday
*The Attachment Connection: Parenting A Secure & Confident Child
*Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby & Young Child
*Mothering Magazine



ARTICLES:

Excessive Crying Harmful to Babies

Being Wise to Babywise [advocates for CIO, 'controlled crying' and 'sleep training']

The Dangers of Leaving Baby to Cry It Out (CIO)

Sleeping Like a Baby

Crying It Out Causes Brain Damage

Dangers of Your Baby 'Crying It Out'

Ask the Experts: Sleep Training

Healthy Infant Sleep

Should Baby Soothe Himself to Sleep?

Sleeping Through the Night

The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Biological Imperatives: Why Babies Do Not and Should Not Sleep Alone

Where Should Babies Sleep at Night? A Review of Evidence

The Con of Controlled Crying

10 Reasons to Sleep by Your Baby

Breastfeeding, Nightwaking: Protection from SIDS

Solitary or Shared Sleep: What is Safe?

Babies Not Designed to Sleep Alone

Baby Sleep: A Review of Research [with links to articles]

Train Up a Child in the Way He Should Go

Reason 742 to Share Sleep

Primal Love & Mothering

Night Time Parenting: A Practical Approach for the Reduction of Attachment Disorders and the Promotion of Emotionally Secure Children

WEBSITES:

Co-Sleeping vs. Crib Fact & Statistic Sheet

Baby Sleep Institute and McKenna Library of Research

To connect with other parents and get in on Sleep Forums:
SafeBedSharing.Org

Thank you for Breastfeeding!

Bliss does it again with another great free handout- this one to say "Thank you for Breastfeeding in public"

"Nursing In Public" cards

back of card

front of card


HERE to go directly to the Bliss Breastfeeding site to order your cards

Society and the Sexualized Breast

The original author of this article/blog/post is unknown- to whomever you are, out there in the world of cyber space... a HUGE thank you!!! And if you ARE the author, let us know who you are so that we can give credit where credit is due!!!




Society is so sexualized that they have forgotten what God created
our breasts for in the first place. They throw hissy fits over
breastfeeding in public and expect us to feed our babies in dirty,
stinky bathrooms. So I ask you to judge for yourself, which breasts are
truly offensive here? And I understand some of you won't think ANY of
them are offensive. But I am making a point by showing how ridiculous
it is that society looks upon scantily clad women in sexy ads as ok,
even GREAT, but providing important nourishment and nutrients to your
child in public by breastfeeding is offensive, distasteful, disgusting,
whatever. Give me your feedback. :)


Wait... well, this is a bad example. Let's try again...

Hmmm... just a minute. Surely i can find better ones than these...

Eh... still not racy enough. I'll check one more time.

That's better. LOOK AT THAT! I see about an inch of boob! Totally disgusting.

Ugh! Look at that indecency!! She must be from some third-world country to be exposed like that!!

Now that's just... There's no words to describe how inappropriate that is. Something needs to be done!!



Now
this takes the cake!! How dare they actually put such a disgusting
image on the cover of a magazine where teenage boys might see it. This
simply must be disposed of ASAP via a shredder, before teenage boys
learn what boobs are really for!!


This just makes me want to vomit!

...but why stop at breastfeeding women? There are boobs
everywhere. Beware! If you thought the above photos were offensive, you
WILL DEFINITELY be offended by the photos below.




Not this one though. This was in plain view on newsstands and in mailboxes in 19 countries worldwide!

Not this one either. This one actually won an award!

Oh, and i guess this ones fine too, since everyone knows you can't sell jeans without someone being topless.

or beer, for that matter!

or sunglasses...

or CDs...

...you
know what? Maybe I'm crazy, but i think that someone mixed up some
photos here. The first batch are offensive, but the second batch are
just fine and dandy???

people who live in glass bras:


shouldn't throw stones:








Which message is healthier?

Breastfeeding which is medically approved to give HUMANS the best start in life. . . or


Images that promote STD's, unattainable beauty standards, sexual promiscuity, plastic surgery, and just plain TRUE indecency?

Which would you rather your daughter live up to?

Ifyou think women have the right to breastfeed their children no matter
where they are, please re-post this. The least you can do is help some
children get the best nutrition they can get. Breastfed babies have
lower instances of obesity, asthma, allergies, certain childhood
diseases, learning disabilities, and other health problems. For each
woman who feels like she shouldn't be breastfeeding right where she is,
there is an innocent baby who is losing out. Don't be responsible for
any child's health problems. support breastfed babies and their right
to eat in public like the rest of us.

Today HRT, Tomorrow.... Vaccine manufacturers?

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is on the verge of being seriously slapped down for selling women Hormone Replacement Therapy pills that cause cancer.... not just for selling them, but for selling them with full knowledge that they may cause cancer. Court battles are being waged all over the US as women are going after Pfizer for knowingly selling them a product that they knew was cancer causing... and so far Pfizer has lost every single engagement.

The law firm behind a $78 million (US) court-ordered settlement in the fall of a lawsuit brought against the company pfizer, created a video made to look like a TV news segment. In it, they accuses Wyeth of willfully hiding the drug's dangers.

(in response Pfizer has demanded that the courts remove the video from You Tube saying " it could prejudice juries in upcoming court cases.")

HERE to read the original blog and View the Video


So today, the vast majority of the public now KNOW that HRT treatments can cause cancer and doctors and patients alike are saying "NO" to hormone replacements. Finally, the public has been forced to admit and SEE that Pfitzer didn't care about the public taking it's medication, only about the bottom line and making a profit.

The first of the biggies to tumble out of public favour?!

Is this the start of something that might actually save our health and lives? Holding Big Pharma accountable for their gross negligence and their money grubbing actions? If it's HRT today, who will be next to be held accountable for the damanges to public health and the deaths they have caused in their bid to make billions of dollars for their pockets?

Shall I whisper it?

Dare I say it?

...are the vaccine manufacturers next?



..........we can only hope.

Anatomy of a Pandemic- PBS special of Failure of the H1N1 Vaccine program

Anatomy of a Pandemic -- PBS Special on Failure of H1N1 Vaccine Program

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
December 17 2009

Millions of people are being asked to take the H1N1 vaccine, but there is no way to screen out individuals for whom that vaccine will be reactive and could potentially cause permanent brain, immune system dysfunction, or even end in their death.

In the 25 years there has been a dramatic rise in the numbers of children who are suffering chronic brain and immune system dysfunction. One child in six in the U.S. is learning disabled. One in nine has asthma. One in 100 is diagnosed autistic.

Are vaccines worth the risk?

HERE to go to the original Blog and Video

Treating GBS (Group B Strep): Are Antibiotics Necessary?

Another fantastic Blog (as usual) by Peaceful Parenting, on yet another topic that I have long ranted about.

Group B Strep

I actually got into a war with my secondary midwife, while pregnant with Logan, on this topic. During one of our few appointments together, she tried to tell me that I "had" to have a group B strep test done. I refused and gave her my reasons, but she was completely incapable of seeing the logic in my refusal and was so twisted up by the medical machines propaganda about it that she just could not accept my decision.... which ultimately lead to me getting a new secondary midwife.

While the article is older, the information is just as valid today as it was when it was written.

Treating GBS (Group B Strep): Are Antibiotics Necessary?

This is a wonderful, useful, well-researched article. However, it was written in 2003, and there was little research at the time of alternative methods of dealing with/treating GBS in pregnant women and during labor. A lot has been done in this area of birth research in the past 6 years and we now know that the use of chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) is as effective (if not more so) in treating GBS without the negative side-effects that antibiotics carry for a newborn baby.

HERE to read the entire PP blog and attached article

Does the end really justify the means?

A wonderful Blog from Midwifery Ramblings, that brings up a topic that I have ranted about for years now:

"well I did such'n'such, and I turned out fine!!"

I recently posted on exactly this topic on a Facebook group and replied,

"My parents drove me home from the hospital wrapped in a blanket in my mothers arms, and she wasnt' wearing a seat belt.... but I'm just fine.

My parents smoked in the same room as me from the time I was born....and I''m just fine.

My sister was fed carnation canned evaporated milk and corn syrup from the time she was 3 weeks old... and she's just fine.

My dad taught me to swim by throwing me into the deep end of the pool when I was 4 years old.... and i'm just fine.

REALLY!! We're just "Fine". So that means it's all good, right?

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Does the end really justify the means?

This has come up quite a bit lately. I always seem to come across someone who touts the old line of "I was/did/had _____ and turned out just fine. My child will too." You can fill this in with "I was formula fed, and turned out just fine.", or "I was delivered by cesarean, and turned out just fine.", or any of the other things that are PROVEN to be less healthy for babies. Why do people justify less healthy choices with completely anecdotal ( and often incorrect ) evidence? Unfortunately, it's much easier to continue with this mindset, than to admit that you could have done better for your child(ren), or yourself.

HERE to Read the entire Blog

Birth is a Human Right issue

Birth Is a Human Rights Issue

by Jan Tritten

© 2009 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Editor's Note: This editorial originally appeared in Midwifery Today, Issue 92, Autumn 2009/2010.]

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men [and women] are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”(US Declaration of Independence)

Every mother and baby has the right to be treated with reverence and respect during the birth process, including pregnancy and beyond.

When a woman becomes pregnant, she and her baby have unalienable rights. First, the right to life: In June of this year, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a landmark resolution acknowledging maternal mortality and morbidity as a human rights issue.(1) The adoption of this resolution prods governments to “change the way they view maternal death—that is, as a human rights issue no less serious than executions, arbitrary detentions, or torture.”(2)

Next, the right to liberty: The word “liberty” contains aspects of freedom, independence, autonomy, emancipation. These concepts are not usually considered in relation to the childbearing year. It is time to declare that mothers and babies have the right to liberty in pregnancy and birth.

Finally, the pursuit of happiness is of utmost importance to those of us who care for mothers and babies. Most births around the world lead to some varying degree of preventable trauma for the mother and baby. I say it is preventable because much of it is iatrogenic, caused by the doctor or midwife. In many cases, if the mother, baby and birthing process had been treated with respect, the trauma would possibly have never taken place. Instead, the mother likely would have had the most miraculous experience of her life. At the very least, she would have felt a part of the decision-making process if things still did not go as planned. Birth today is a doctor dictatorship in many practices and in many hospitals. Mothers and babies are missing the healthiest possible beginning, both physically and emotionally. Their human rights are being violated.

Pregnancy and birth are usually the most crucial and powerful passages in a woman’s life. This can be perceived by the mother as either a powerfully great experience or a traumatic ordeal. Mom will generally have one of these reactions and those feelings will last her entire life, even if they are buried in the busy job of mothering. She will either soar at the thought of her birth or be driven to the depths of sorrow, especially in this age of the cesarean cut. The same is true of the way the birth experience imprints on the baby. Though he or she may not consciously remember it, the experience will have many life-long effects on the child.

HERE to read the complete article

Mum’s victory in breast milk donor battle

Victory is sweet... but the fact that it was such an arduous and emotional battle is a pathetic commentary on our times. For ANY medical establishment to claim that there "is no evidence there was any benefit in giving [breast]milk to babies born after 29 weeks for more than the first few weeks of life."..... it boggles the mind that any of these doctors are even allowed to retain their medical licences, not to mention haven't been charged for making gross false statements and deliberately misleading patients. But for this family, they have overcome yet another huge hurdle and can now maybe relax a bit and enjoy the Christmas season with their family.

Mum’s victory in breast milk donor battle

Sue Carr-December 14, 2009

A MUM who was refused donor milk for her premature baby despite fighting breast cancer has had the decision overturned.

Dawn Hockey was 12 weeks pregnant with her second child when she was diagnosed with cancer in June.

Defying the odds and surviving two bouts of chemotherapy, baby Alex was born seven weeks early on November 1, weighing 4lbs 10oz.

But although doctors agreed to provide donor breast milk until Dawn could feed Alex herself, the 28-year-old ­– who also had a single mastectomy – was left devastated when bosses at Stepping Hill Hospital, in Stockport, said they were stopping the donations.

They claimed there was no evidence there was any benefit in giving milk to babies born after 29 weeks for more than the first few weeks of life.

As reported in the M.E.N. last week, Dawn, of North Road, Glossop, who is married to Michael and also has a 15-month-old son William, decided to

appeal the decision.

But after transferring from Stepping Hill to Tameside Hospital, primary care trust bosses in Tameside and Glossop decided in her favour and will supply donor milk until Dawn can breastfeed, when her chemotherapy ends in March.

Dawn said: “It’s such a relief, it’s amazing. I’m over the moon.

HERE to read the entire article

"Alzheimer's risk linked to appetite hormone leptin"

A new study has linked low leptin levels to the brain plaques found in Alzheimer's patients. This same hormone, Leptin, has also been linked to lower percentages of obesity. Why is this of a huge interest to me? Because this hormone is naturally found in.... *drum roll please*...

Breastmilk!!!!!

Breastmilk: it does a body good!! (In a lot more ways than one!!)

Alzheimer's risk linked to level of appetite hormone

High levels of a hormone that controls appetite appear to be linked to a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, US research suggests.

The 12-year-study of 200 volunteers found those with the lowest levels of leptin were more likely to develop the disease than those with the highest.

The JAMA study builds on work that links low leptin levels to the brain plaques found in Alzheimer's patients.

The hope is leptin could eventually be used as both a marker and a treatment.

The hormone leptin is produced by fat cells and tells the brain that the body is full and so reduces appetite. It has long been touted as a potential weapon in treating obesity.

But there is growing evidence that the hormone also benefits brain function.

HERE to read the entire article

Breast Milk Hormones and Their Protective Effect on Obesity

Francesco Savino, Stefania A. Liguori, Maria F. Fissore, and Roberto Oggero
Department of Pediatrics, Regina Margherita Children's Hospital, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy

One mechanism by which breast-feeding may protect against the development of childhood obesity is through the activity of components of breast milk such as hormones involved in appetite and energy balance that we describe in this review. Differences in growth pattern and body composition between breast-fed and formula-fed infants might be due to a different endocrine response to feeding or to bioactive substances present in breast milk that could influence the infant's response to energy intake and metabolism

"Babywise" is very unwise and dangerous

"On Becoming Babywise" by Gary Ezzo..... I'm not sure that there is another book out there that has caused as much damage and heartbreak and controversy as this one. Nor another book that has been published and accepted by huge groups of people to be the "Best parenting advice", even though the books basic premise goes against just about every major paediatric association and health organizations well founded and researched advice - especially when it comes to infant feeding practices.

The book’s author is Gary Ezzo, a pastor with no medical background and does not have any academic background in any field that has any relevance to his books. Ezzo has been proven to misquote studies and twist information around to suit his needs- even facts that clearly go against everything he preaches when the entire research papers or article has been reviewed. He has been excommunicated from several churches and is considered to be "unfit" for public ministry. But the most telling fact is that his own children are estranged from him and refuse to have any dealings with him. This is particularly scary since the Ezzos say the goal of their program is friendship with adult children and urge that parenting philosophies, including their own, be judged by "observ[ing] the end results."...

...Obviously his parenting philosophies do not stand up to the end results that he advertises.

A paper released by the American Academy of Paediatrics states:

On Becoming Babywise,
has raised concern among pediatricians
because it outlines an infant feeding program
that has been associated with failure to thrive
(FTT), poor weight gain, dehydration, breast
milk supply failure, and involuntary early
weaning. A Forsyth Medical Hospital Review
Committee, in Winston-Salem N.C., has listed
11 areas in which the program is inadequately
supported by conventional medical practice.
The Child Abuse Prevention Council Of Orange
County, Calif., stated its concern after
physicians called them with reports of
dehydration, slow growth and development,
and FTT associated with the program. And on
Feb. 8, AAP District IV passed a resolution
asking the Academy to investigate
“Babywise,” determine the extent of its effects
on infant health and alert its members, other
organizations and parents of its findings.

The more research you do about Gary Ezzo and his books and teachings, the more you begin to realize that it is a dangerous trap for new parents to fall into. Personally I (and my Natural Mothering partner Helen) have made it our goal to removed as many copies of the "Babywise" books from circulation as possible. When we find them in second hand stores and thrift shops we buy then and tear them up into little pieces. Spending $2-3 to save some unsuspecting family from heart ache is a small price to pay.

Below are some links for more information about the "Babywise" books and principals, and about the Ezzo's.

.... or just do a google search of your own.... but be prepared to be horrified by some of the stories you'll read!





‘Babywise’ advice linked to dehydration, failure to
thrive
by Matthew Aney, M.D.

Evaluating Ezzo Programs

Critics Question Wisdom Of `Babywise' Parenting

By Hanna Rosin- The Washington Post

Index to Site Articles and Resources

Helena Bonham Carter on breastfeeding

Yet another great story of a famous mom who believes in full term breastfeeding!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Nell Burton!

Dec 15, 2009 by DESIREE

Name: Nell Burton

Date of Birth: December 15, 2007

Parents: Helena Bonham Carter & Tim Burton

Siblings: Billy Raymond (10/03)

Facts:
- Nell's name wasn't revealed until 8-months after her birth & was at one point thought to be named Indiana Rose
- Helena chose to name her daughter Nell after all of the "Helens" in her family lineage

Quote from Parent:
"People say, `You're still breast-feeding, that's so generous.' Generous, no! It gives me boobs and it takes my thighs away! It's sort of like natural liposuction. I'd carry on breast-feeding for the rest of my life if I could." - Helena, on breastfeeding her children.

HERE for the original article

Ina May Gaskin

For all of my friends and readers out there who are childbirth activists, who are home birthing guru's, who are midwives and midwifery students, doulas and childbirth educators, who are concerned mothers who educate and research continuously so enable themselves to make the best decisions for themselves and their families.....

a new blog has been born! One that I know I will be following closely as the author is none other than one of my greatest heroes: Ina May Gaskin

So, book mark this new blog for future reference http://www.inamay.com/?p=313

This is a beautiful story about midwife, Sudy Storm and her grand daughter Kassy. Sudy is a southern Oregon midwife who spends three to six months of the year working in Sierra Leone. She also attends Southern Oregon University where she is working on her BS in Anthropology. Along with her work as a midwife, Sudy, or Satta, as she is called in Sierra Leone, is helping women there form farming co-ops to feed their families and earn a living.

The Littlest Midwife

by Sudy Storm

© 2009 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved.

[Editor's note: This article first appeared in Midwifery Today Issue 90, Summer 2009.]

The day my 10-year-old granddaughter told me she was going on my next trip to Sierra Leone I looked into her eyes and knew it was time to take her. Kassy had already told me she wanted to be a midwife, and she knows more about female anatomy and reproduction than most girls her age. She is full of questions and I am bursting with answers......

...The Paramount Chief of the Jawei Chiefdom, Chief Kallon, gave Kassy her Mende tribal name, Kadiatu. She is called Kadi by our African family and friends. She didn't take long to settle into the routine of village life. We do prenatal appointments on Fridays; and of course she was by my side asking questions and at times even giving the answers. One day during our prenatal appointments she disappeared. I went looking and found her in the treatment room working with the Chief Dispenser, Mr. Sulaiman Koroma, her new African Papa (grandfather). They were standing side by side listening with a stethoscope to the labored breathing of a child. He was patient with Kadi and also seemed to recognize in her something beyond her 10 years.

HERE to read the entire article

Mom in UK needs Breastmilk and support asap

I read this story yesterday and my heart just broke. This a mom who needs support and help for herself and her little baby- but it looks like the British health authorities are stalling and may actually withhold what her baby desperately needs: Breastmilk.
If you are in the UK and have any means to help, PLEASE do what you can! Because when the governments are asses, then it's up to us moms to step up to the plate and do what WE can to help a fellow mother in need.


Cancer Mum in Baby milk plea

A YOUNG mum who was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant is appealing against a decision to stop giving donated breast milk to her premature baby.

Dawn Hockey, 28, was 12 weeks pregnant with her second child when she received the devastating news in June this year.

Defying the odds and surviving two bouts of chemotherapy, baby Alex was born on 1 November – seven weeks early – weighing 4lbs 10oz....

..."I had to stop breastfeeding William (her 15 month old son) which was heartbreaking enough and the agreement was that Alex could be on donated breast milk until I could take over when I finish my treatment in April.

"I can’t feed him, not while I’m on chemotherapy.

"He has been exposed to two doses of chemotherapy in the womb, we don’t know what damage that has done to him, and there are things in breast milk that strengthen your immune system, not in formula.

"This is our argument, this is what he needs."

HERE to read the whole news story

MYTHs of Breastfeeding

I love the Newman Breastfeeding Clinic & Institutes handouts that are available on their site at www.nbci.ca I direct new moms to the Clinic's website for information about breastfeeding almost daily.

This is one of my favourite articles/handouts written by the NBCI staff- one that EVERY expecting parent should read Before baby arrives..... and one that every medical professional that works in Obstetrics, Maternity Care and Paediatrics should be forced to memorize before being allowed anywhere near a new mom and her boobie baby.

The handout is 4 pages long, and full of brilliant information about breastfeeding, answers some of the biggest worries of new moms and puts the boot to some of the worst Breastfeeding myths that for some reason seem to circle around the media, moms groups, and doctors offices endlessly . So put an end to the old wives tales and pass this vital information around!!

Here are a few of my personal favs:

1. Many women do not produce enough milk. Not true! The vast majority of women produce more than enough milk. Indeed, an overabundance of milk is common. Most babies that gain too slowly, or lose weight, do so not because the mother does not have enough milk, but because the baby does not get the milk that the mother has. The usual reason that the baby does not get the milk that is available is that he is poorly latched onto the breast. This is why it is so important that the mother be shown, on the first day, how to latch a baby on properly, by someone who knows what they are doing.

11. Women with small breasts produce less milk than those with large breasts. Nonsense!

12. If the baby is off the breast for a few days (weeks), the mother should not restart breastfeeding because the milk sours. Not true! The milk is as good as it ever was. Breastmilk in the breast is not milk or formula in a bottle.

5. Formula company literature and formula samples do not influence how long a mother breastfeeds. Really? So why do the formula companies work so hard to make sure that new mothers are given these samples, their company's samples? Are these samples and the literature given out to encourage breastfeeding? Do formula companies take on the cost of the samples and booklets so that mothers will be encouraged to breastfeed longer? The companies often argue that, if the mother does give formula, they want the mother to use their brand. But in competing with each other, the formula companies also compete with breastfeeding. Did you believe that argument when the cigarette companies used it?

9. There is no such thing as nipple confusion. Not true! The baby is not confused, though, the baby knows exactly what he wants. A baby who is getting slow flow from the breast and then gets rapid flow from a bottle will figure that one out pretty quickly. A baby who has had only the breast for three or four months is unlikely to take the bottle. Some babies prefer the right or left breast to the other. Bottle fed babies often prefer one artificial nipple to another. So there is such a thing as preferring one nipple to another. The only question is how quickly it can occur. Given the right set of circumstances, the preference can occur after one or two bottles. The baby having difficulties latching on may never have had an artificial nipple, but the introduction of an artificial nipple rarely improves the situation, and often makes it much worse. Note that many who say there is no such thing as nipple confusion also advise the mother to start a bottle early so that the baby will not refuse it.

HERE to read the Handout

BC College of Physicians verdict on Home births

To Quote one of my favourite child birth experts Gloria Lemay:

"I never thought I'd see the day. College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC are recognizing that homebirth is a safe choice and that women are grown up enough to be respected for their choices. Major miracle."

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia
Planned Home Births

Fundamental Responsibilities
1. Consider first the wellbeing of the patient.
2. Practice the profession of medicine in a manner that treats the patient with dignity and as a person worthy of respect.
Responsibilities to the Patient
12. Inform your patient when your personal values would influence the recommendation or practice of any medical procedure that the patient needs or wants.
17. In providing medical service, do not discriminate against any patient on such grounds as age, gender, marital status, medical condition, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status. This does not abrogate the physician's right to refuse to accept a patient for legitimate reasons.
21. Provide your patients with the information they need to make informed decisions about their medical care, and answer their questions to the best of your ability.
22. Make every reasonable effort to communicate with your patients in such a way that information exchanged is understood.
24. Respect the right of a competent patient to accept or reject any medical care recommended.

Here to read the entire PDF document

1 in 3 women infertile after Caesarean Sections

One in Three Women Infertile After Caesarean

Even More are Too Traumatized to Give Birth Again

Jul 11, 2009 Joanna Karpasea-Jones

Various research shows that as many as one in three women suffer infertility after having caesarean sections that are hyped as routine.

A study in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology has found that almost half of all women who have a caesarean section birth for their first child, don't have any more children. Of these, one in five have chosen not to have more children because they are too traumatized by the surgery and one in three are physically unable to because of caesarean-caused infertility problems.

The rate of post-traumatic stress disorder was six times higher than in first time mothers who had given birth vaginally.

Here to read the entire article

The H1N1 Primer for Pregnant Women

by Maryl Smith

© 2009 Midwifery Today, Inc. All rights reserved.

I am thinking about getting the immunization. Is the H1N1 shot safe and effective?

"...One way to investigate safety is to read the actual vaccine label or package insert that is provided to your physician. One company states [brackets mine] that the vaccine has not "been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutogenic potential, or for impairment of fertility....
...Concerning administration to pregnant women, the insert reads: "Pregnancy: Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine. It is also not known whether these vaccines can cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women or can affect reproduction capacity. Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed." Based upon that statement, one would typically view administration of the H1N1 vaccine to pregnant women as an "off-label" use…except for the tiny loophole-comment tagged on the end....
...Public health experts said that there's no way to know if any rare side effects will occur in the new vaccine until millions of people are vaccinated. Those unknowns certainly can make an expectant mom concerned about being able to make an informed choice. Reports are beginning to come in from around the world of vaccine side effects ranging from rashes and rare muscle-weakness disorders to anaphylactic shock and death. The percentage of vaccinated people who experience severe complications has yet to be calculated.

Just recently, web postings have been starting to accumulate from women who have suffered miscarriage 1–4 days after receiving the H1N1 vaccine in the first and early second trimesters of pregnancy. There is not enough clinical data available to know if this is coincidental or causal, but the numbers of postings are growing and may eventually generate further investigation."

HERE to read the Complete article

Canada gets a "C" for infant mortality

The statistics for infant mortality rates in our group of 17 peer countries is in and Canada Receives a "C".... ranking only above the UK and US for worst infant death rates in it's peer group.

While Canada's infant mortality rates have greatly improved since the 60's falling significantly between 1960 and 1980—from 27 deaths per 1,000 live births to 10 deaths- and continued to improve in the 1980s and 1990s, the lowering numbers have basically stalled since 1998, although it did drop from 5.4 in 2005 to 5.0 in 2006.

Even though Canada’s infant mortality rate has decreased since the 1960s, the rate of improvement has been lower than in most of Canada’s peer countries. Japan’s infant mortality rate, for example, was higher than Canada’s in 1960, at 31 infants per 1,000 live births. In 2006 it was 2.6, about half the rate in Canada.

In 1990, Canada ranked 5th among the 17 peer countries. It is now tied with the U.K. for the second-highest infant mortality rate—only the U.S. performs worse.

The study suggests that some of the statistical differences between countries may be due to different reporting measures and classifications. Other researchers suggest that Canada’s ability to reduce infant mortality is constrained by the successful delivery of more preterm babies and babies with very low birth weight. These babies face higher risk of death. Still more researchers point to vastly improved infertility treatments also bringing about far more multiple births as a factor in the infant mortality rates of Canada.

.... But no where do they talk about the fact that Canada and the US lead the pack with the highest numbers of Caesarean Sections and medical interventions in child births. I think that if we really truly want to analyse the abominable infant mortality rates that our country has right now, we need to point the finger in the direction that shows the greatest impact: The medicalization of Child Birth and the interference of the medical machine trying turn maternity care into a 9 to 5 business and to press birthing women through a cookie cutter than they are incapable of fitting.

Now THAT is a Study that I really want to read.

Health Infant Mortality

[ September 2009 ]

Description Grade Assessment: Definition Infant Mortality The number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

Key Messages

• Canada gets a “C” and now ties the U.K. for 15th place out of 17 peer countries. Its infant mortality rate is shockingly high for a country at Canada’s level of socio-economic development.
• Although Canada has dramatically reduced its infant mortality rate over the past few decades, other countries have done better.

• Infant mortality is a sentinel indicator of child health and the well-being of a society over time.

Has Canada improved its relative performance on infant mortality?

HERE to read the entire article

Breast Feeding Does Not Cause Breasts To Sag

Breast Feeding Does Not Cause Breasts To Sag

December 11, 2009 ⋅

While the benefits of breastfeeding are unquestionable, many new mothers choose not to for fear of sagging breasts. However, breastfeeding alone has no impact on a woman’s breast shape, according to a first-of-its-kind study presented today at the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) Plastic Surgery 2007 conference in Baltimore.

“Many women who come in for breast surgery tell us their breasts are sagging, drooping or are less full because they breastfed,” said Brian Rinker, MD, ASPS Member Surgeon and study author. “Although the amount of sagging in the breasts appears to increase with each pregnancy, we’ve found that breastfeeding does not worsen the effect.”

HERE for the entire article

High risks to infants through Vit K injection

An excellent and eye opening article on the topic of Vitamin K injections given at birth.

Getting ready for the arrival of our newest family member has spurred me forward in researching various birthing and newborn practices that we rarely think twice about. All 4 of my children have received the Vit K injection at birth. I assumed it was "necessary" and therefore didn't question it. But as has been proven to me over and over again, never ASSUME, never take someone else's word for it, without FIRST doing the research your self.

There are three primary areas of risk associated with the Vitamin K injections:

1. Inflicting pain immediately after birth causes psycho-emotional damage and trauma to a newborn, which is totally inappropriate, and unnecessary.

2. The amount of vitamin K injected into newborns is 20,000 times the needed dose[ii]. Additionally, the injection may also contain preservatives that can be toxic for your baby’s delicate, young immune system.

3. An injection creates an additional opportunity for infection in an environment that contains some of the most dangerous germs, at a time when your baby’s immune system is still immature.

I've posted several articles about the neurological impact of pain on the newborn, yet we tend to be blinded by the focus being on circumcision (and so it rightfully should be!!), and forget about other physical pains that are inflicted on our new born babies- such as injections.

And here's the twist: Vitamin K doesn't HAVE to be injected!! I CAN be taken orally! Well..... DUH! There is a first for me. .....and I'm off to research the availability of oral Vitamin K drops in Canada. (But I'll definitely let you know what I find out!!)

High Risks to Your Baby From Vitamin K Shot They Don't Warn You About

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
December 08 2009 | 517 views

It has been standard practice in the U.S., and most western countries, since 1944 to welcome babies into the world by subjecting them to a variety of medical interventions, one of which is a painful jab with a syringe full of vitamin K. This injection is routinely done to almost all newborns, unless you, as a parent, refuse to consent.

Birth is an overwhelming sensory experience for your baby. He has never before experienced cold or hunger, been blinded by artificial lights, or felt the touch of hands or metal instruments, paper or cloth. Even gravity is a foreign sensation.

A needle stick is a terrible assault to his suddenly overloaded sensory system, which is trying to adjust to the outside world.

Is this injection really in your baby’s best interest?

Is vitamin K really necessary immediately after birth? Or is there a more compassionate alternative?

HERE to read the entire article By Dr. Mercola

Do you still think that the WHO and many world governments truly are "independent"? That they are motivated solely for the benefit of the populations that they are suppose to be protecting?

Yea, I don't think so.

It's a strange thing that when you start to investigate all these so called "Experts" in the field of viruses and vaccines, the deeper you dig, the more collusion and outright conflicts of interest you discover.

One of the members of SAGE at the time and today was Dr. Albert “Mr Flu” Osterhaus. Not only was Osterhaus in a key position to advocate the panic-inducing WHO “Pandemic emergency” declaration. He was also chairman of the leading private European Scientific Working group on Influenza, which describes itself as a “multidisciplinary group of key opinion leaders in influenza [that] aims to combat the impact of epidemic and pandemic influenza.” Osterhaus’ ESWI is the vital link as they themselves describe it “between the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin and the University of Connecticut, USA.”

What is more significant about the ESWI is that its work is entirely financed by the same pharma mafia companies that make billions on the pandemic emergency as governments around the world are compelled to buy and stockpile vaccines on declaration of a WHO Pandemic. The funders of ESWI include H1N1 vaccine maker Novartis, Tamiflu distributor, Hofmann-La Roche, Baxter Vaccines, MedImmune, GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi Pasteur and others.

Not to lose the point, the world-leading virologist, official adviser on H1N1 to the governments of the UK and Holland, Dr Albert Osterhaus, head of the Department of Virology at the Erasmus MC of Rotterdam, also sat on the WHO’s elite SAGE and served as chairman at the same time of the pharma industry-sponsored ESWI which urged dramatic steps to vaccinate the world against the grave danger of a new Pandemic they insisted could rival the feared 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

The Wall Street bank, JP Morgan estimated that in large part as a result of the WHO pandemic decision, the giant pharma firms that also finance Osterhaus’ ESWI work, stand to reap some €7.5 to €10 billion in profits. ¹⁴

A fellow member of WHO’s SAGE is Dr Frederick Hayden, of Britain’s Wellcome Trust and reportedly a close friend of Osterhaus. Hayden also receives money for “advisory” services from Roche and GlaxoSmithKline among other pharma giants involved in producing products related to the H1N1 panic....

..Even more the meetings of the “independent” scientists of SAGE are attended by “observers” who include, yes, the very vaccine producers GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Baxter and company. In the past decade the WHO, in order to boost funds at its disposal entered into what it calls “public private partnerships.” Instead of receiving its funds solely from member United Nations governments as its original purpose had been, WHO today receives almost double its normal UN budget in the form of grants and financial support from private industry. The industry? The very drug and vaccine makers who benefit from decisions like the June 2009 H1N1 Pandemic emergency declaration. As the main financiers of the WHO bureaucracy, naturally the Pharma Mafia and their friends receive what has been called “open door red carpet treatment” in Geneva.¹⁷

World Health Organisation ‘Mr Swine Flu’ Under Investigation for Gross Conflict of Interest

Politics / Global Pandemic Dec 08, 2009 - 02:08 PM

By: F_William_Engdahl

HERE to read the complete article

Vaccine Book recomendations

Peaceful Parenting has put together a good review of 4 books about Vaccination for children. To that list I would also add:

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children's Vaccinations

By Stephanie Cave, M.D., F. A.A.F.P., Deborah Mitchell

"Evidence of Harm"
by David Kirby

HERE to read the entire article

Infant pain changes sensitivities in adults

An excellent blog about Pain and male circumcision by Sweet Little Bundles Birth Services

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Infant Pain, Adult Repercussions: How Infant Pain Changes Sensitivity In Adults

ScienceDaily (Sep. 28, 2009) — Scientists at Georgia State University have uncovered the mechanisms of how pain in infancy alters how the brain processes pain in adulthood.

HERE to read the entire Blog article

Breastfed Baby Bassinet Cards

Here is a link to a great idea! Bliss Breastfeeding has launched

Breastfed Baby Bassinet Cards

Front of Card

Back of Card

"Breastfed Baby" cards are FREE! Contact Bliss Breastfeeding HERE to order as many as you need!!!

1/3 of kids toys contain toxic chemicals

.... But notice: nothing is being done about it. A data base has been established for parents to look up the various toys to see if they contain any of the toxic chemicals.... but that's it. Is it not the responsibility of the governments to oversee the testing of these toys and to insure that toxic toys are banned? Why is it the responsibility of the parent to look up each and every toy that their children have, or that they are preparing to purchase for the holiday season? Is this data base well advertised? I've never heard of it before and if I haven't, I can guarantee that the vast portion of the consumer population hasn't either.

So great, we have a data base to refer too, and we can spend hours looking up each and every toy in our childrens rooms to make an educated decision about what is safe for our children to love. But WHAT is the government doing?

I think it's about time we asked them. Don't you?

Toxic chemicals found in a third of children's toys: Study

December 4, 2009

WASHINGTON – A third of the most popular children's toys in the United States this year contain harmful chemicals including lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury, a US consumer group said Wednesday.

The Ecology Center, which published its findings on the website HealthyStuff.org, tested nearly 700 toys ahead of the Christmas shopping season and found that 32 percent contained one or more toxic chemical.

HERE to read the complete article

"Kelly Rutherford pregnant and breastfeeding"

As I've said before, I love hearing about celebrities who openly talk about breastfeeding in the media. It's such a shame that the media have to try to twist a negative implication into her story though: Really? is it necessary to comment on the fact that her two year old son is "talking"? Don't most two year olds talk? So why does the author even feel the need to bring up the obvious? Yes her child is two. Yes he talks. Yes, he still breastfeeds. What's your point?

This mom applauds you Kelly.

Pregnant Kelly Rutherford Still Breastfeeding Her 2-Year-Old Son

Will it soon be double duty time for Gossip Girl actress Kelly Rutherford? We recently reported actress Kelly who is 40, and her entrepreneur husband, Daniel Giersch, are expecting their second child in June. Meanwhile it turns out Kelly is still doing breast feeding duty for her talking two-year-old son, Hermès. She tells US Weekly, “”It’s an amazing bond with your child. Some cultures do it up to five years, normally. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just do it as long as it feels right for my son.’”

Rutherford also attributes her slim figure to nursing: “I was thinner after my pregnancy than before, and I think a lot of it was the nursing. They say it helps your body get back to shape in a natural way.”

HERE for the original article