A few Quotes on the Safety of Homebirth
Notable Quotes On Homebirth Safety
“Excellent outcomes with much lower intervention rates are achieved at home births. This may be because the overuse of interventions in hospital births introduces risks or the home environment promotes problem-free labors.” - Henci Goer, Obstetric Myths versus Research Realities: A Guide to the Medical Literature. Bergin & Garvey, 1995
“Most of American obstetric practice in hospitals is not based on science but on myth. What obstetricians do may be the utmost in high-tech, but it is not true science. What you don’t know about modern medicine can hurt you and your baby, perhaps permanently.” - David Stewart, Ph.D., as found in “Is Homebirth For You?”. Copies still available. Contact us for one!
“It is safe to say that a woman should give birth in a place where she feels is safe” - Maternal and Newborn Health / Safe Motherhood Unit of the World Health Organization, Care in Normal Birth: A practical guide. WHO, 1996.
“It is inherently unwise, and perhaps unsafe, for women with normal pregnancies to be cared for by an obstetric specialist.” - Murray Enkin, A Guide to Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. Oxford University Press, 2000.
“For the Netherlands, as the only country with a sizable proportion of natural childbirths (home birth as proxy)…Dutch national perinatal statistics from 1986 …found that perinatal mortality rates were much higher for obstetricians in hospitals than for midwife-attended home care or midwife-attended hospital care, at all levels of risk when controlling for gestation, maternal age and parity” (pg. 17—from studies by Treffers and Laan 1986 and Tew and Damstra-Wijmenga 1991). - Critical Quotes from the Review of Literature in Peter F. Schlenzka, “Safety of Alternative Approaches to Childbirth,” Stanford University, March 1999.
“The WHO [World Health Organization] commissioned in 1979 a Perinatal Study Group to examine the “problems surrounding birth and birth care” and …the recommendations …strongly argue for a non-interventionist approach to childbirth” (pg. 17—from WHO 1985 #6). - Critical Quotes from the Review of Literature in Peter F. Schlenzka, “Safety of Alternative Approaches to Childbirth,” Stanford University, March 1999.
Unassisted Childbirth FAQ
FAQ’s
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is UC?
Unassisted Childbirth is a planned birth which takes place without the aid, assistance, or presence of a medical or birth professional.
2. Is that legal?
Yes. As a woman has the right to kill her unborn child, she also has the right to choose how she births her beloved child. It is her full right to refuse medical care.
3. Isn’t that irresponsible?
No. The position of unassisted birthers (UCer’s) is typically that pregnancy and birth are not medical events. They are biological functions which are usually only complicated by outside efforts to control them.
4. What about prenatal care?
Some women find OBs or midwives to give them prenatal care for their own reassurance, protection, or to have a friendly back-up should a transfer become necessary. Some women tell of their plans to homebirth, some don’t. Most women do at least some (if not all) of the testing done at an office for themselves in the privacy of their own home. Some choose to eat healthy and otherwise take care of themselves and forgo the stress brought on by tests of any sort.
5. But what if (insert horrible outcome here)?!
Okay, I’m game. What if that happened? Have you ever really thought about the question? Have you asked yourself how that might come about? How would it be handled in a hospital or by a midwife? Are you or your spouse physically able to accomplish that same task? By and large, most “complications” are not very complex. Of those that are, you would have fair warning from your body that things were awry in time to get yourself to the hospital for help.
6. I’ve got a friend who’s a doula. If she came would it still be a UC? What if my husband happens to be an OB?
While some die-hard UCer’s say that birthing solo is truly the only way to be free of anyone else’s impact, most will agree that the presence of your spouse or friend does not necessitate intervention. If you are in control, being guided by your body and not being affected by those around you - that is UC!
7. Can UC happen in a hospital?
Technically, yes. Realistically, no. Babies have been born before doctors were able to make it into the room. Obviously noone was assisting. There is, however, a paradigm that I’m currently unable to put into words that goes along with UC, and is just not possible in a hospital or birth center setting.
8. Where can I learn more?
You can learn more through the pages of this website, the forums found under “Mom’s Corner”, and the books, email rings, and other sites listed under “Links” in the menu.
http://www.christianuc.com/uc/faqs.php
Great link on Unassisted Childbirth.
Homeschool Legal Defense Association Website
http://www.hslda.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1
Homeschool Legal Defense Association
Failing Grade: Bill and Melinda Gates’s Mission
Failing Grade: Bill and Melinda Gates’s Mission
Just 20 years ago, American students were among the best in the world, routinely coming in first in test results. Now, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, students in the richest country on earth are in 24th place in math. That’s behind Canada, Germany, France, Korea…but also smaller, poorer countries like Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.
With a net worth of about $51 billion, Microsoft founder and world’s richest man, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda (two of Time magazine’s “Persons of the Year” in 2005), are determined to use their fortune to change the crisis in American schools. Through their influential Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, they are trying to revolutionize an education system that, if it were a business, Bill says, “would be bankrupt.”
Melinda adds that this is not an isolated problem of poverty. “This is affecting all schools,” she says. “Kids are falling through the cracks and nobody notices it. That to me is what’s wrong with the school system.”
Bill and Melinda point to an obsolete education—built for the industrial age, not the digital age—as a keystone to the problem. The Gates Foundation pointedly asks, “What good is it for kids to graduate in 2006 from a school system that was designed for 1956?”
In this out-of-date structure, Bill says that some students do not value their own education. “Millions of kids are dropping out,” Bill says. “Of minorities, half drop out. Overall it’s about a third.”
When a student drops out, they are apt to find themselves in serious trouble. “There won’t be jobs for those kids,” Bill says. “It’s a bad thing for them. It’s a bad thing for the country.” Bill and Melinda say America’s standing in the world will slip with an undereducated workforce.
The problem extends beyond students who drop out. Those who stay in school are losing ground, too. “Of kids who are going to college, more than 40 percent are doing remedial work,” Melinda says. “All these kids are dropping out, [but] the ones making it through are not even prepared for college.”
From Schools in America: What Bill and Melinda Gates want you to know. A 2 part Oprah special.
To order this special: http://tapesandtranscripts.oprah.com/product.aspx?ProductID=444178
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200604/tows_past_20060411.jhtml
The “Secret”
The “Secret”
by Ray G. Behm, Jr DDS
The SECRET to HEALTHY GUMS or
HOW to KEEP YOUR TEETH for the REST of YOUR LIFE!
Over 90% of all gum and teeth problems begin BETWEEN the teeth. If you don’t believe it, I dare you to run a piece of floss between any two molars (back teeth) and see what you pull out. Notice how it smells! Decide for yourself if you want that in your mouth!
There are two stages of gum care: therapeutic (treatment, repair which occurs before the next stage) and maintenance (maintaining wellness or maintaining that which you have repaired). If you have any doubts as to your condition then you should consult with a professional to help you determine the magnitude of your problem.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if your gums are puffy, red and bleeding, this can mean infection is present; and then you will know you are probably in the therapeutic stage.
The SECRET was developed to enable a person efficiently and inexpensively improve the condition of their own gums no matter what the condition. This system improves redness, swelling and bleeding of the gums, and minimizes the need for surgery. We said improve and minimize because this system should improve all but the worst areas in the mouth. The bottom line is, as long as you are able to break up the formation of the plaque and bacteria that forms around the teeth and gums once every 24-hours, you can better control your own gum condition at home (if you don’t, or can’t, break up the accumulation every 24 hours, you need to consult with a dentist who may recommend gum surgery or a method to prevent need for surgery).
This system is for those who want to take the responsibility to eliminate the disease process themselves, and obtain a fresh start with their gums and teeth. So, care about yourself and read on.
The STORY of DENTAL DISEASE
Around each one of your teeth there is a natural space between the gum and the tooth. The depth of this space is important. If it’s too deep, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and disease. Disease is diagnosed by redness, swelling, bleeding, odor and pocket depth. The presence or absence of gum disease is a reflection of an individual’s ability to withstand the negative influences of improper teeth care, daily eating, drinking, and even by the content of one’s own saliva.
Resistance to gum and tooth problems consists of one’s habits and lifestyle along with genetic inheritance.
Habits and lifestyle are, of course, the easiest of these influences to control. The good news is that habits and lifestyle can win over genetic deficiency in most cases.
Our main focus is on the space between the gum and the tooth, which extends all the way around the tooth. This is similar to a trough or rain gutter around a roof. In dentistry this space is called the sulcus.
Perhaps you’ve seen weeds growing out of a rain gutter. They look a little out of place, don’t they? Well, the reason they’re growing there is because there is nutrition and a favorable environment for them to grow. A similar thing occurs in the sulcus. The more space, the more it will support the growth of life that shouldn’t be there, as this is a warm, wet, no oxygen environment with lots of food that’s already been chewed!
It takes only about 24 hours for the bacterial deposit to form into colonies around the teeth and gums. When these bacterial colonies build up they become stronger. It just so happens that when life is left to breed in the sulcus for more than seven to ten days, it can form bacterial organisms (called anaerobic) that don’t like oxygen. In fact, they require NO oxygen to live. They are very happy to live in this warm, dark, wet environment that lacks oxygen.
The by-products (waste or excrement) of this bacteria is toxic or poisonous to our body. The natural reaction of the body is to separate itself from these poisons through the inflammatory process (which an immune system response of the body), which results in bleeding, swelling and redness of your gums. This is your body’s way of trying to heal itself. However, if the bleeding, swelling and redness do not clear up after a reasonable amount of time the bone around the teeth are affected. That’s why teeth are eventually lost – starting with even minor gum problems: the body needs some help to repair the situation.
If you had a swollen place on your arm that was red and bleeding, wouldn’t you be concerned? If you had a place on your lip that was swollen, smelled and was bleeding, wouldn’t you want to spend some time to fix it? If you think you have a problem with your gums, then you probably do. It only becomes a further problem if you ignore it and don’t change your habits. The SECRET was designed to help people who don’t want to ignore the problem and who want to help themselves. The SECRET will help you change your habits to ones which promote healthy gums and teeth.
To control dental disease it is necessary to break up and remove the colonies of bacteria from around the sulcus and teeth area once every 24 hours by alkalizing and oxygenating this area.
To do this requires more than just brushing your teeth. You must stimulate the gum tissue to increase the flow of blood (which brings nutrition and oxygen to that area). Stimulating the gum area also removes waste from the tissue.
You don’t have to do this to all your teeth and gums, only the ones you want to keep! And we hope you want to keep all your teeth.
Please note: This remedy for your gums works best when preceded by a thorough, professional dental cleaning which removes hardened plaque (tartar or calculus) from your teeth. If a prior cleaning is not possible, it is still beneficial to follow this program, but results may vary and may take longer to achieve.
“The SECRET” REVEALED
There are three main instruments (along with some options if your budget allows) to be used as part of your home remedy. All three instruments are to be used as therapeutic as well as maintenance tools. Plus a “healthy gum recipe,” which is The SECRET that makes it all work. The SECRET is the combined use of all or part of all these that create health – the signs and symptoms are gone.
Tool #1 - THE BRUSH: The first instrument is a toothbrush - a child’s small, soft, three-rowed brush (we suggest Butler’s #114, Garfield, which is available at our office). You are going to use this brush to apply the following Secret recipe to your gums.
HEALTHY GUM “SECRET” RECIPE:
The Secret consists of both DRY AND WET ingredients.
Dry ingredients:
• Baking Soda (sodium bicarbonate) – either regular or pharmaceutical grade (available at our office). If you are sensitive to sodium, then use potassium bicarbonate. AlkaMax is a good substitute.
Plus ONE of the following:
• Bio-Salt (available at our office), or
• Himalayan salt, or
• Celtic salt, or
• Regular table salt, or
• Parkelp, a granulated kelp, available in a package or bulk at health food stores, or
• Sodium-free (potassium) salt for salt restricted diets.
Combine your dry ingredients in a small jar with a lid:
• three (3) parts Baking Soda
and
• one (1) part salt
Shake this dry mixture to blend well. Keep this dry mixture in your bathroom. You will be using this every day.
When you’re ready to apply the SECRET RECIPE, pour between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of this DRY mixture from the container into your palm.
Wet ingredient: Liquid will be added to the dry mixture in your hand to create a paste each time you’re ready to do “The Secret.”
For liquid, you can use either:
• Colloidal Silver - safe if you still have mercury amalgam fillings, or
• Hydrogen peroxide - only if you have no metal (mercury/amalgam) fillings in your mouth, or
• Aloe Vera
Adding such products as Amazon Herb’s Una de Gato (a natural antioxidant) will help too.
Drop a bit of the liquid into the dry mixture in your palm to create a thick paste. You will learn from experience on how much of your RECIPE to use.
Again, the key items are Baking Soda, Salt, Hydrogen Peroxide (or Colloidal Silver if you have metal amalgam fillings).
a. Load a bunch of the mixture onto the soft brush. Angle the brush 45 degrees to where the tooth meets the gum (the sulcus junction).
b. Push the loaded brush as far as you can into the area where the tooth meets the gum (sulcus). Do not cause yourself pain.
c. Use a vibrating motion (very small wiggling motion) so that the bristles that are forced into the sulcus remain there as you vibrate. It’s an agitating type of motion. Do not use wide circular motions like scrubbing a floor or washing a window. Repeat this action as you move along the gum line for three to five seconds at each spot on both the cheek and tongue side. As you apply more of The SECRET mixture to the brush, be sure to continue where you left off on the gum line. Repeat this procedure until you have completed both upper and lower gum lines. Whenever necessary spit out the mixture and saliva. There is no need to rinse afterwards, unless you want to.
The soft brush is the applicator/loading instrument that is used to get the recipe into the sulcus. The recipe does the work, not the brush; the brush forces the recipe into the sulcus.
Doing the above on a gradient approach will obtain healing in the sulcus. Do it once a day until you can gradually increase to twice a day. When you are able to do it twice a day for two weeks in a row, your gums should have become very tough (this is good) and should have a pink-white color (this is also good).
The healthy gum recipe creates an environment in and around your teeth in which the harmful bacteria can’t live (they can’t stand oxygen and/or silver water). The recipe neutralizes the acid environment in the sulcus (which is created from the waste products of the bacteria). These harmful bacteria don’t like the alkaline, or neutral, environment created by the salt, baking soda, colloidal silver and/or hydrogen peroxide.
Tool #2 - The BUTLER RUBBER TIP STIMULATOR:
The second instrument you need to improve your gums is the Butler Rubber Tip Gum Stimulator.
It will be much more efficient using the Rubber Tip after you can brush twice a day with the recipe above your gums are then tough and a pink-white color. This would minimally be two weeks after you start this program.
Do not begin using the Rubber Tip until you can brush twice a day with the recipe above and your gums are now tough and a pink-white color. This would minimally be two weeks after you start this program.
The rubber tip is used to shrink the swelling around the teeth. This swelling redness, bleeding, odor, etc. is referred to as periodontal disease. Periodontal refers to ‘existing around gums and teeth.’ Use the rubber tip on both the cheek and tongue side with maximal contact of the rubber in the triangular portion of the gum between the teeth.
This instrument serves the same purpose as the muscles do in your body. You are literally exercising your gums. Here’s how it works. Blood carries food to the cells and takes waste away from these same cells. Without the muscles, the blood would merely pool in the body because of gravity. As you exercise the gums, nutrients and blood are carried to the gums and then away from the gums creating strong circulation and therefore good, healthy, long-living tissue.
It’s true that the heart (a muscle) is the main pump for this system, but in no way can it do the complete job. The muscles play a major part in helping to carry nutrients and remove waste. This is why it’s important to stay physically fit if you want to live a long life. Staying physically fit means keeping one’s muscles toned so they can apply pressure and thus motion to the blood vessels that carry the supplies to, and the waste away from, the cells.
So, when a person has the symptoms of diseased gum tissue, it generally means that he is not getting enough food to, or waste from, the gum tissue. For disease to be present, this lack of circulation has been present for a long time.
It is known that the gums have an extreme power to rebound back to health within a few short weeks, if regular and proper attention is given to them. That is why the rubber tip is one of the keys to The Secret.
How to use The RUBBER TIP:
a. Push the rubber tip in between the teeth – straight in – at the triangular piece of gum between the teeth, so that it slides up on top of this gum triangle.
b. Push down (lower teeth) or up (upper teeth) as hard as you can, within reason. Do not cause yourself pain. Some discomfort may be felt, however.
You’ll notice that the tip of the stimulator is at an angle. This is so that you can lay the half inch of the tip against the flesh between the teeth. Lay the rubber tip against the gum so that all of the rubber part is against it and stimulate. You’re not just putting the tip end between the teeth. THIS IS A VERY KEY POINT. Then gently massage the V-shaped gum area with the tip.
NOTE: Imagine rubbing a small spot on your arm for a minute or two. It will get red, after you quit. What you have done is brought blood to that area. That is what you want to do with the rubber tip.
c. Then, gently massage the V-shaped gum area with the tip. Push the rubber tip up, down or sideways left and right, circular for (10) ten seconds. Do this on the inside and outside of the row of teeth, wherever there is gum that lies between your teeth.
Move to your next tooth and begin the stimulating process again. If you still have all your teeth, you would have 60 places to rub (inside and out). So 60 x 10 seconds is 600 seconds, or at least 10 minutes of treatment time.
Now, before you decide that this is too much time, realize that after you learn how to do this, it could easily be done while reading, watching TV, while being driven in a car (we suggest you only do this in front of close friends) or after your evening meal. Time does not have to be your enemy. Be creative in finding the time to improve your dental health.
Note: To take a few minutes each day to properly care for your teeth and gums will save you many hours in a dentist’s chair.
Tool #3 DENTAL FLOSS (DENTAL TAPE, RIBBON or STRING):
The third instrument is dental floss, also known as tape or ribbon.
The reason flossing is the third instrument recommended (and not the first) is that flossing is not therapy, it’s a maintenance procedure. The brush, along with the recipe and rubber tip, provides therapeutic healing. By the time you get to using floss, you are healed and can now maintain that health.
With regard to flossing, the thicker the string, the more surface area that can contact the interior of the sulcus - this results in a more thorough cleaning. It’s true that you can break up and remove a lot of the bacterial colonies with the brush, but nothing gets in between the teeth like dental floss, it’s just a mechanical fact.
Here’s how to floss:
a. Pull out 30 inches of floss. Wind most of that around the middle finger of one hand, and the tail-end around the middle finger of the other hand
b. Pinch the string between the thumb and index finger of both hands, leaving one to two inches in between. As you floss, continually unroll a one to two inch span of clean string from the finger that has the most string over to the middle finger of the other hand. Be willing to waste a few feet of floss so that you can practice.
c. Use your thumbs to direct the string between the upper teeth. Use your index fingers to direct the string between the lower teeth. The key to the whole process is the ability to use the index fingers and thumbs to manipulate the string into a C shape halfway around the tooth so that it maximally contacts the outline of the sulcus between the teeth. The string must go beneath the gums and as deep into the sulcus as possible while still not cutting the gums.
It does indeed take some practice. As you are flossing, notice there’s a squeaky sound. This is good, it means they are getting clean. Don’t hesitate to ask your dentist or dental hygienist to show you how to floss effectively. There’s no substitute for a hands-on demonstration.
OPTIONAL INFORMATION:
WATER IRRIGATION
This step is recommended. If you cannot afford to add this step into the program, do not let it stop you from experiencing the benefits of the first three steps.
The fourth instrument we recommend is the HydroFloss, a hydromagnetic oral irrigator or a Viajet oral irrigator that can drastically inhibit the formation of plaque (thick sticky substance caused by leftover food particles and bacteria) and tartar (hard yellowish substance). As time goes by, plaque, if not removed, turns into tartar. Oral irrigation rinses away bacteria with the force of its stream/pulse of water.
Whether brushing and/or flossing, you will not thoroughly clean pockets of 4 mm (millimeter) or more. A toothbrush is not designed to clean anything more than 1-3 mm, which is a normal healthy gum condition. Therefore the Hydrofloss or ViaJet is necessary to reach those pocket areas that cannot be maintained with the toothbrush and floss alone.
TIPS and TRICKS
Apply these remedies on a slow gradient—take a step-by-step approach, both in the application of the information and intensity of force used with the instruments. You’ll know that you are using the instruments too forcefully if your gums still hurt five or ten minutes after you finish, or if the next day you can’t brush, or you can’t use the rubber tip or floss in a particular area because it hurts too much. In this case, use the instruments more gently – drop back a couple of notches of force.
Expect your gums to bleed mildly for at least the first week or two while you are following this program. After about ten days this bleeding should cease, as the pockets will close and form a seal in the sulcus and stop leaking blood. The stronger the seal, the greater the barrier to prevent the spreading of bacteria and toxins into your bloodstream. So, you see, improving your dental health may improve your overall physical health.
You now know the steps to acquiring healthy gums, along with maintaining them. After a little practice your gums will acquire a certain feel and you’ll learn how to fully utilize these instruments on both sides of all the teeth in your mouth. With a high degree of expertise, your control and use of these tools will become almost an art form.
The baking soda will turn the gums a white-ish color, then they will turn gradually a very white pink as they toughen up!
You now know the steps to acquiring healthy gums, along with maintaining them. After a little practice your gums will acquire a certain feel and you’ll learn how to fully utilize these instruments on both sides of all the teeth in your mouth. With a high degree of expertise, your control and use of these tools will become almost an art form.
The purpose of applying these techniques is to reduce (shrink) the depth of the sulcus in the therapeutic phase, so that later, when you’re in the maintenance phase, you can thoroughly clean your teeth and gums on a daily basis with ease. If the pocket depth is not adequately reduced to enable you to remove accumulation once every 24 hours, you will definitely not be able to control your dental disease by yourself and should seek professional care.
But, with this system, you’ll begin to see real shrinkage. The key point is that if your situation can be handled, it will be handled. If your condition is too advanced, you will need to seek professional care. The only one who can determine this is your dentist. Unfortunately, in some cases, there is no substitute for periodontal surgery if the patient wants to obtain a fresh start and full pocket elimination.
It’s up to you. You’ve heard it before. But in the end, it’s up to you to look, listen, and feel and then implement those habits and lifestyle changes that can keep you healthy. Who cares the most about your health? Of course, it’s that person who looks back at you in the mirror every morning.
Here’s to saving your teeth through healthy gums and acquiring the best of physical health.
If you wish to have healthier gums, then START!!
Natural Remedies during Pregnancy FAQ Link
http://www.childbirth.org/articles/remedy.html A great link for FAQ about Natural remedies during pregnancy for numerous pregnancy complaints, including: Nausea, Heartburn, Headaches, and many others.
Herbal Allies for Pregnancy Problems
Herbal Allies for Pregnancy Problems
By Susun Weed
Wise women believe that most of the problems of pregnancy can be prevented by attention to nutrition. Morning sickness and mood swings are connected to low blood sugar; backaches and severe labor pains often result from insufficient calcium; varicose veins, hemorrhoids, constipation, skin discoloration and anemia are evidence of lack of specific nutrients; preeclampsia, the most severe problem of pregnancy, is a form of acute malnutrition. Excellent nutrition includes pure water, controlled breath, abundant light, loving and respectful relationships, beauty and harmony in daily life, joyous thoughts and vital foodstuffs.
During pregnancy nutrients are required to create the cells needed to form two extra pounds of uterine muscle, the nerves, bones, organs, muscles, glands and skin of the fetus, several pounds of amniotic fluid, a placenta and a 50 percent increase in blood volume. In addition, extra kidney and liver cells are needed to process the waste of’ two beings instead of one.
Wild foods and organically grown produce, grains and herbs are the best source of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients needed during pregnancy. All the better if the expectant mother can get out and gather her own herbs: stretching, bending, breathing, moving, touching the earth, taking time to talk with the plants and to open herself to their spiritual world.
TONICS DURING PREGNANCY
Wise women have recommended herbal tonics for childbearing for thousands of years. These herbs are empirically safe and notably effective. Tonic herbs improve general health by balancing and sustaining energy flow and focus in the body.
Tonics allay annoyances and prevent major problems. They can boost the supply of vital minerals and vitamins, increase energy and improve uterine tone. Some uterine tonics are contraindicated during pregnancy or are restricted to the last few weeks of pregnancy.
The tonics indicated for pregnancy need to be used regularly; a tonic is to the cells much as exercise is to the muscles: not much use when done erratically. Of course even occasional use of tonics during pregnancy will be of benefit, since they do contain nourishing factors. Better benefit will come from using them 5 times a week or more.
Some simple suggestions to get into the habit of’ using tonics: pregnant women could replace the morning cup of coffee with a rich Nettle infusion. Or she could brew up some raspberry leaf tea and put it in the refrigerator to drink instead of soda, wine, or beer. Wild greens can be added to the diet. Women in many cultures have used the following herbs for centuries to have a healthier pregnancy.
RED RASPBERRY LEAVES
Brewed as a tea or as an infusion, raspberry is the best known, most widely used, and safest of all uterine and pregnancy tonic herbs. It contains fragrine, an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself.
Most of the benefits ascribed to regular use of Raspberry tea through pregnancy are traced to the nourishing source of vitamins and minerals found in this plant and to the strengthening power of fragrine - an alkaloid which gives tone to the muscles of the pelvic region, including the uterus itself. Of special note are the rich concentration of vitamin C, the presence of vitamin E and the easily assimilated calcium and iron. Raspberry leaves also contain vitamins A and B complex and many minerals, including phosphorous and potassium.
The benefits of drinking a raspberry leaf brew before and throughout pregnancy include:
~ Increasing fertility in both men and women. Raspberry leaf is an excellent fertility herb when combined with Red Clover.
~ Preventing miscarriage and hemorrhage. Raspberry leaf tones the uterus and helps prevent miscarriage and postpartum hemorrhage from a relaxed or atonic uterus.
~ Easing of morning sickness. Many attest to raspberry leaves’ gentle relief of nausea and stomach distress throughout pregnancy.
~ Reducing pain during labor and after birth. By toning the muscles used during labor and delivery, Raspberry leaf eliminates many of the reasons for a painful delivery and prolonged recovery. It does not, however, counter the pain of pelvic dilation.
~ Assisting in the production of plentiful breast milk. The high mineral content of Raspberry leaf assist in milk production, but its astringency may counter that for some women.
~ Providing a safe and speedy pariuntion. Raspberry leaf works to encourage the uterus to let go and function without tension. It does not strengthen contractions, but does allow the contracting uterus to work more effectively and so may make the birth easier and faster.
NETTLE LEAVES
Less well known as a pregnancy tonic but deserving a kinder reputation and use, Urtica is one of the finest nourishing tonics known. It is reputed to have more chlorophyll than any other herb. The list of vitamins and minerals in this herb includes nearly every one known to necessary for human health and growth.
Vitamins A, C, D and K, calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron and sulphur are particularly abundant in nettles. The infusion is a dark green color approaching black. The taste is deep and rich. If you are blessed with a nettle patch near you, use the fresh plant as a pot herb in the spring.
Some pregnant women alternate weeks of nettle and raspberry brews; others drink raspberry until the last month and then switch to nettles to insure large amounts of vitamin K in the blood before birth.
The benefits of drinking nettle infusion before and throughout pregnancy include:
~ Aiding the kidneys. Nettle infusions were instrumental in rebuilding the kidneys of a woman who was told she would have to be put on a dialysis machine. Since the kidneys must cleanse 150 percent of the normal blood supply for most of the pregnancy, nettle’s ability to nourish and strengthen them is of major importance. Any accumulation of minerals in the kidneys, such as gravel or stones, is gently loosened, dissolved and eliminated by the consistent use of nettle infusions.
~ Increasing fertility in women and men.
~ Nourishing mother and fetus.
~ Easing leg cramps and other spasms.
~ Diminishing pain during and after birth. The high calcium content, which is readily assimilated, helps diminish muscle pains in the uterus, in the legs and elsewhere.
~ Preventing hemorrhage after birth. Nettle is a superb source of vitamin K, and increases available hemoglobin, both of which decrease the likelihood of postpartum hemorrhage. Fresh Nettle Juice, in teaspoon doses, slows postpartum bleeding.
~ Reducing hemorrhoids. Nettle’s mild astringency and general nourishing action tightens and strengthens blood vessels, helps maintain arterial elasticity and improves venous resilience.
~ Increasing the richness and amount of breast milk.
CALCIUM
Of course calcium is a mineral, not an herbal tonic, but it is so important during pregnancy and throughout our woman lives that I consider it a tonic. Lack of adequate calcium during pregnancy is associated with muscle cramps, backache, high blood pressure, intense labor and afterbirth pains, osteoporosis, tooth problems, and preeclampsia.
Calcium assimilation is governed by exercise, stress, acidity during digestion, availability of’ Vitamin C, A and especially D, and availability of magnesium and phosphorous in the body and the diet. Getting 1000 to 2000 mg of calcium every day is not hard with the help of Wise Woman herbs:
~ The best food sources of calcium are fish dairy products, but there is controversy about the assimilability of calcium from pasteurized, homogenized milk. My preferred food sources include goat milk and goat cheese, salmon, sardines, mackerel, seaweed (especially kelp), sesame salt (gomasio), tahini and dark leafy greens Such as turnip tops, beet greens and kale.
~ There are roughly 2(X) grams of’ calcium in two ounces of nuts (excluding peanuts), one ounce of dried seaweed, two ounces of carob powder, one ounce of cheese, half a cup of cooked greens, (kale, collards and especially dandelion) half a cup of milk, three eggs, four ounces of fish, or one tablespoon of molasses.
~ Most wild greens are exceptionally rich in calcium arid the factors need for calcium absorption and use. lambs quarters, mallow, galinsoga, shepherd’s purse, knotweed, bidens, amaranth and dandelion leaves all supply more calcium per 100 grams than does milk.
~ Bones soaked in apple cider vinegar release their calcium into the acidic vinegar. A tablespoon of this vinegar in a glass of water supplies needed calcium and relieves morning sickness too.
~ Many fruits are rich in calcium (though not as rich as the above foods). Dried dates, figs raisins, prunes, papaya and elderberries are the best source.
~ Raspberry leaf infusion contains calcium in its most assimilable form. Assimilation is further enhanced by the presence of phosphorous and vitamins A and C in the raspberry leaves.
~ Fresh parsley and watercress are available in most grocery stores year round. They are both good sources of many minerals and vitamins, including calcium, phosphorous, vitamin A and vitamin C.
~ Nettle Infusion supplies calcium and phosphorous, vitamin A and the vital vitamin D, in a readily assimilable form.
~ Foods that are thought to interfere with absorption of calcium should be avoided: spinach, chocolate, rhubarb and brewer’s yeast.
~ Do not use bone meal or oyster shell tablets as sources of supplemental calcium. They have been found to be high in lead, mercury, cadmium and other toxic metals.
TONICS TO USE WITH CAUTION
Squaw Vine (Mitchella repens), Blue Cohosh (Caulophyflum thalicotroides), and Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) all should be avoided until the last 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. Even then, they should be used only when indicated, and under the supervision of someone experienced in their use. Some midwives report that the Cohoshes must be used together (not interchangeably). Others have reported premature labor when Blue Cohosh was taken in combination with Pennyroyal. False Unicorn Root (Helonias dioica), Dong Quai (Angelica spp.) and PN6 capsules are considered too strong for use during pregnancy.
I harvest the flowering stalks when they are fully formed; and I am careful to use the cultivated garden comfrey, which grows very tall and has purplish, pinkish, bluish flowers. I avoid wild comfrey which stays rather small, even when flowering, and has cream-colored, white, or yellowish flowers.
Some people feel that comfrey is not safe to use during pregnancy. Some people feel comfrey is not safe to use internally at all. I disagree. The roots of comfrey do contain compounds that are best avoided during pregnancy. (As do all parts of the wild plant.) In fact, I rarely use comfrey root because of the possibility of liver congestion, and I strongly caution those who have had hepatitis, chemotherapy, or alcohol problems to strictly avoid comfrey root. Yet even these people can benefit from use of comfrey leaf infusions.
* Another important herbal ally for women over forty who desire a child is chaste tree (Vitex agnus-casti). It has been used in Africa and parts of Europe for several thousand years to discourage the male libido. In women, the effects seem to be the opposite! It may also be a fertility enhancer. Most importantly, chaste tree is a strengthening tonic for the pituitary gland, the master control gland for the endocrine system. Daily use of the tincture of the berries (1 dropperful/1 ml 2-3 times daily) had been shown to increase progesterone–the hormone of pregnancy–and luteinizing hormone–which promotes conception. Because it can lower prolactin levels, chaste tree is best discontinues during the last trimester of pregnancy.
* Dong quai (Angelica sinensis) is not recommended for women over forty. In general, this herb promotes blood flow to the uterus and surrounding tissues. This can promote the growth of fibroids and increase the risk of post-partum hemorrhage. Ginger is a better warming tonic; motherwort is better at relieving pain; and raspberry is better at preparing the uterus for birth.
Technology in Birth: First Do No Harm
A woman in Iowa was recently referred to a university hospital during her labor because of possible complications. There, it was decided that a cesarean section should be done. After the surgery was completed and the woman was resting post-operatively in her hospital room, she went into shock and died. An autopsy showed that during the cesarean section the surgeon had accidentally nicked the woman’s aorta, the biggest artery in the body, leading to internal hemorrhage, shock and death.
Cesarean section can save the life of the mother or her baby. Cesarean section can also kill a mother or her baby. How can this be? Because every single procedure or technology used during pregnancy and birth carries risks, both for mother and baby. The decision to use technology is a judgment call—it may make things either better or worse.
We are living in the age of technology. Ever since we succeeded in going to the moon, we have believed that technology can do everything to solve all of our problems. So it should come as no surprise that doctors and hospitals are using more and more technology on pregnant and birthing women. Has it solved all the problems that can arise during birth? Hardly. Let’s look at the recent track record.
Has the recent increasing use of technology during pregnancy and birth resulted in fewer damaged or dead babies? In the United States there has been no decrease in the past 30 years in the number of babies with cerebral palsy. The biggest killer of newborn babies is a birth weight that is too low, but the number of too-small babies born has not decreased the past 20 years. The number of babies who die while still in the womb has not decreased in more than a decade. While the past 10 years has seen a slight drop in the number of babies who die during their first week after birth, the scientific data suggest an increase in the number of babies who survive the first week but have permanent brain damage.
Is the increasing use of technology saving the lives of more pregnant and birthing women? In the United States the scientific data show no decrease during the past 10 years in the number of women who die around the time of birth (maternal mortality). In fact, recent data suggest a frightening increase in the number of women dying during pregnancy and birth in the United States. So it may be that the increase in the use of birth technologies is not only not saving more women’s lives but it is also killing more women. This possibility has a reasonable scientific explanation: cesarean section and epidural anesthesia have both been used more and more in this country and we know that both cesarean section and epidural block can result in death.
We should not be surprised with the recent poor track record of high-tech birth. For many decades in the middle of the 20th century the number of babies dying around the time of birth was decreasing. This was due not to medical advances but mainly to such social advances as less severe poverty, better nutrition and better housing. Most important, the decrease in mortality was due to family planning, resulting in fewer women with many pregnancies and births. Medical care also was responsible for some of the decreasing mortality of babies, not because of high-tech interventions but because of basic medical advances, such as the discovery of antibiotics and the ability to give safe blood transfusions. There has never been any scientific evidence that high-tech interventions such as the routine use of electronic fetal monitoring during labor decrease the mortality rate of babies.
What this means is that putting yourself in the hands of a high-tech doctor and a high-tech hospital does not guarantee you the safest birth. You must yourself take responsibility for your own birth, including the decision to have technology used on you and your baby. Remember, technology is not good or bad. How technology is used can be good or bad. Airplanes can be used to carry you to visit your family or can be used to drop bombs on women and children. How technology is used on you during pregnancy and birth is of great importance because it can help you and your baby or harm you and your baby.
By Marsden Wagner, MD
For the rest of the article go to:
http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/technologyinbirth.asp
Women ’should have labour choice’
Women ’should have labour choice’
Women in England and Wales should be able to choose where they give birth, NHS advisers suggest.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence proposed women should get a choice of home, hospital or midwife-led units for labour.
The draft plans also said they should get good advice about the risks and benefits of each option.
They say hospital births may be a safer option, but midwives said this was only needed if there were complications.
Remember that the woman is in fact running a marathon when she’s in labour
Louise Silverton, of the Royal College of Midwives
And Health Minister Ivan Lewis told the BBC he believed the evidence that hospital was safer than home was “flimsy”.
He said: “We believe that we have to trust and respect women, give them the information then allow them to make the best choice for themselves.”
The government has promised more choice by 2009, but campaigners say many women are left with little choice in reality.
They blame staff shortages and lack of money.
The proposals by NICE, which will now be consulted on, could take several years to be implemented by the NHS.
Among the recommendations are choice of where and how women give birth.
Pain relief
They said pain relief should be offered where available and women should not be left alone during labour.
It also urged NHS chiefs to make the experience more pleasant by encouraging women to immerse themselves in water during the early stages of labour and to be able to play music of their choice.
NICE also wants to see a national surveillance project to allow proper comparisons on safety and cost effectiveness of different settings.
NICE deputy chief executive Andrea Sutcliffe said: “The evidence we have tells us that giving birth has never been safer than it is today.
The problem in all too many areas is that women have little option but to give birth in hospital
Mary Newburn, of the National Childbirth Trust
“Overall, less than one baby per 1,000 will die during or shortly after birth. Our primary concern is to make birth as normal as possible.”
The recommendation comes after the government made a manifesto commitment to give women choice of where they give birth and what pain relief they use by 2009.
But the Royal College of Midwives has said care was being undermined by a shortage of midwives.
The college said another 10,000 are needed on top of the 40,000 currently working in the NHS.
Labour
Louise Silverton, from the college, also took issue with the idea that it was safer to give birth in a hospital.
She said home birth was a better option for the 60%-70% of women who experienced no complications during labour.
“Remember that the woman is in fact running a marathon when she’s in labour.
“She needs to be fed, needs to be able to move, and needs to be in control of the situation.
“In our hospitals today which are very medicalised - many women don’t find that a conducive environment for labour.”
The National Childbirth Trust said financial pressures in the health service - it is facing a deficit of over £500m - had meant many NHS trusts had closed midwife-led birth centres.
Just 3% of women give birth at home despite over one in 10 saying they would like to.
Mary Newburn, the National Childbirth Trust’s head of policy research, said: “The problem in all too many areas is that women have little option but to give birth in hospital.
“We welcome the recommendations, but it needs to be matched by action on the ground.”
A Department of Health spokeswoman said the government has “turned a corner” over midwife staff numbers and was well on its way to meeting the 2009 target.
But she added: “The way that vision will be delivered will be decided locally.”