To be perfectly honest, I am amazed that parents can know about this information and still choose to not rear-face as long as possible. If someone tells you that something could make the difference between life and death for your child, why wouldn't you do it? Aren't we smart enough to get past the "It won't happen to me" mentality? Oh well. This video explains why we choose to do so.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Why I Breastfeed
Yes, the topic everyone hates to talk about, because God forbid you should insult someone who didn't breastfeed. Any woman who is passionate about breastfeeding knows whether a woman breastfeeds or not these days has very little to do with the Mother, but with the support and resources she has during those first hellish (and blissful) days of her little one's life. Therefore there is no shame or blame needed for any Mother who wanted to breastfeed and couldn't, the blame lies on our society and it's lack of good breastfeeding resources and support.
If I wasn't so darn stubborn I surely would have stopped when Isaac was 3 days old, hadn't stopped screaming practically since birth, I had no milk yet, and on his first doctor visit I was told he had lost a pound and I was "starving" him. I was handed a can of formula and told to supplement, but something in me told me to keep trying. It was not easy. I think harder for me then labor was, but it did eventually get easier, and it has been a truly rewarding experience. Isaac not only survived his "starvation", but thrived, and the greatest reward of all, for both him and I is that he has hardly had more sickness than a runny nose and cough for almost 2 years, and hasn't had to be on antibiotics as of yet. Granted, if he was in daycare, I'm sure it would be a different story, so I count my blessings.
READ THESE 2 PAGES. Best pieces I've read on this issue thus far. Thank you to those who shared them with me!
http://thefeministbreeder.com/when-it-comes-to-breastfeeding-we-cant-handle-the-truth-clean-version/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-bartick/ipeaceful-revolutioni-mot_b_536659.html
If I wasn't so darn stubborn I surely would have stopped when Isaac was 3 days old, hadn't stopped screaming practically since birth, I had no milk yet, and on his first doctor visit I was told he had lost a pound and I was "starving" him. I was handed a can of formula and told to supplement, but something in me told me to keep trying. It was not easy. I think harder for me then labor was, but it did eventually get easier, and it has been a truly rewarding experience. Isaac not only survived his "starvation", but thrived, and the greatest reward of all, for both him and I is that he has hardly had more sickness than a runny nose and cough for almost 2 years, and hasn't had to be on antibiotics as of yet. Granted, if he was in daycare, I'm sure it would be a different story, so I count my blessings.
READ THESE 2 PAGES. Best pieces I've read on this issue thus far. Thank you to those who shared them with me!
http://thefeministbreeder.com/when-it-comes-to-breastfeeding-we-cant-handle-the-truth-clean-version/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-bartick/ipeaceful-revolutioni-mot_b_536659.html
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Why I Had A Homebirth
Preface: This post is the 1st in a series of "Why" posts. I don't feel I need to "defend" choices I make in my life, however, I know some of you wonder why, and usually I'm not articulate enough in person to tell you my reasoning when asked for it.
The link I'm about to share with you is pretty much everything I would ever say about why I had a homebirth (besides what I'm about to say ;). When I was pregnant and got asked the question "Which hospital are you giving birth at?" my stomach would turn to knots as I knew the blank stare of disbelief was about to occur-upon my utterance of "I'm having a homebirth." Following the blank stare would be "WHY?!" No, I didn't do it to be "different", to be "stubborn", or to be "brave." I did it simply because the most important thing to me during birth is my life and that of my child. "Isn't the safest place to birth a baby in a hospital?" No, it is not. Most of the "emergencies" that occur in a hospital were brought on by the interventions/inductions that were never truly needed in the first place. Pregnancy and labor is not a sickness or medical emergency that needs doctors and hospitals and medicines. It is a natural bodily function, as natural as going #2. Yes, really. While there is always exceptions to every case, the vast majority of women can give birth perfectly fine on their own (or with the assistance of a midwife).
I certainly don't feel that I am superior to any other woman on the planet who has given birth in any way she has chosen to do so, so please don't take any of this as an attack of any sort. Every mother cares about her baby and does the best she can with the knowledge she has at the time. I would know ZERO about everything you're about to read if my dear husband hadn't shared with me what someone had shared with him. So I may talk about birth a lot, but that's because my life was changed with the information and hopefully someone else's will be (sorta like the gospel, huh?) I was already more than halfway through my pregnancy, knew hardly anything about what lied ahead for me in the hospital and thought my dear husband was OUT OF HIS MIND if he thought I was going to give birth without an epidural. Well our journey of knowledge and the truth about birth in America began, and we never looked back.
The link is a tad long, but not unbearable, and well worth it in my opinion. :)
http://bringbirthhome.com/home-birth-safety/home-birth-brave-has-nothing-to-do-with-it/
The link I'm about to share with you is pretty much everything I would ever say about why I had a homebirth (besides what I'm about to say ;). When I was pregnant and got asked the question "Which hospital are you giving birth at?" my stomach would turn to knots as I knew the blank stare of disbelief was about to occur-upon my utterance of "I'm having a homebirth." Following the blank stare would be "WHY?!" No, I didn't do it to be "different", to be "stubborn", or to be "brave." I did it simply because the most important thing to me during birth is my life and that of my child. "Isn't the safest place to birth a baby in a hospital?" No, it is not. Most of the "emergencies" that occur in a hospital were brought on by the interventions/inductions that were never truly needed in the first place. Pregnancy and labor is not a sickness or medical emergency that needs doctors and hospitals and medicines. It is a natural bodily function, as natural as going #2. Yes, really. While there is always exceptions to every case, the vast majority of women can give birth perfectly fine on their own (or with the assistance of a midwife).
I certainly don't feel that I am superior to any other woman on the planet who has given birth in any way she has chosen to do so, so please don't take any of this as an attack of any sort. Every mother cares about her baby and does the best she can with the knowledge she has at the time. I would know ZERO about everything you're about to read if my dear husband hadn't shared with me what someone had shared with him. So I may talk about birth a lot, but that's because my life was changed with the information and hopefully someone else's will be (sorta like the gospel, huh?) I was already more than halfway through my pregnancy, knew hardly anything about what lied ahead for me in the hospital and thought my dear husband was OUT OF HIS MIND if he thought I was going to give birth without an epidural. Well our journey of knowledge and the truth about birth in America began, and we never looked back.
The link is a tad long, but not unbearable, and well worth it in my opinion. :)
http://bringbirthhome.com/home-birth-safety/home-birth-brave-has-nothing-to-do-with-it/
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