BabyLady Memoirs

News!

2008-07-16T12:52:00.001-05:00

The Great Sling GiveAway!

2008-07-03T13:26:00.002-05:00

Check out the contest at Along for the Ride
Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Am I broken?

2008-06-16T13:28:00.002-05:00

I'm just so sad right now. I'm worried my body isn't working right... I just finished up what would be the second cycle after the D&C, more technically the first since I'm not sure you can count the D&C as the start of a cycle but it did appear I ovulated... anyway I only had a 10 day luteal phase and a 25 day cycle! Normally I have a 13-15 day LP and a 30-32 day cycle. The miscarriage was most likely due to a lack of progestrone and that is also what will cause a short luteal phase (the luteal phase is the time between the release of the egg and the period, this is the time that if a baby is going to be made it will, 10 days is generally not enough time for an egg to implant)
I just don't understand why, all of a sudden, my body doesn't know what it's doing!?!? Will I struggle to get pregnant? Will I be able to carry a baby? What is going on?!? I just want to cry. I've never had a problem getting pregnant, I've had great pregnancies and wonderful births, is this all going to change for me?
Am I old? (33) is it the water? (constantly getting notices of it's problems)Have I had too many pregnancies? (nahhh!) What am I supposed to do?
I just don't know where to go from here. I desperately want to get pregnant, I'm dieing to have new life growing within me, a new baby at my breast... I suppose most don't understand this desire, especially from a woman that already has 6 children. But it's there and it's ever so strong, pulling at my heart, twisting up my gut, bringing forth the tears.
We don't have insurance so a simple little blood draw isn't all that simple, but I think that's where I want to start. Having my progesterone tested this cycle...

Student Midwife

2008-05-30T00:05:00.003-05:00

I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever stop being a student midwife. The more I learn the more I realize I don't know.

I've decided to drop AAMI. I'm not happy with some of the ways Carla has handled things, but more importantly I'm not happy with the curriculum. It's a lot of busy work, things that I really don't think are needed, like writing a Childbirth education workbook for your clients. There are so many great books out there, I can see evaluating several and choosing one you would recommend but writing an entire one??!! Some of these authors have spent years doing that! Why reinvent the wheel. I also feel like the add-ons for the Philomath are not nearly worth what she's charging for them. I paid for the Great Start-4 and am disappointed with the AEU's. The fetoscope one asks for the four ways to hear heart tones and then gives you a chart to record them. Hardly what I would call educational. The 4 year study calendar is printed calendar pages, anybody could create one themselves, I was hoping for something with goal planning and such on it. I haven't requested the NARM study questions yet so I can't comment on those.

So on my preceptors recommendation I'm going through "Becoming a Midwife" by Carolyn Steiger. Much more realistic IMO and things that will actually be useful to my clients and my education. I started on the skills checklist and realized I really need to start using a fetoscope during prenatals. I also want to order a pinard horn. I'd love to find a beautiful hard wood one that was hand crafted, I'm such a sentimental.

I'm struggling with my preceptor. I feel like she's not wanting to call me for births, now maybe they've all just been fast lately, but I don't know... I'm sure it's my own insecurities. I need to talk to her about when she calls me. It seems she doesn't call until after she gets there and decides if I have enough time to make it. I'd rather she called when they called her, especially if they call and put her on alert. I just don't know how to bring it up, I'm so incredibly afraid of offending her, there are no other options for me here. Don't get me wrong, she's far from tyrannical and I agree with how she practices (mostly)so in the grand scheme of things she's great and I couldn't have found a better preceptor. I'm just not sure how to tell her I need more direct teaching and I want to see more births.

I don't feel like I'm learning anything new, but I also don't feel like I'm doing very well at perfecting my clinical skills. I think I've got blood pressure down, but I still struggle with hearing it over the movement of the tubes and such especially if mom is talking and moving her hand. I'm having difficulty with fundal height on many women, especially the fluffy, newly pregnant ones and I haven't memorized FHT chart so I'm always looking like a fool with that.

Gas is getting insane, and it's a 160 miles round trip for every clinic day and then where ever the birth is. I'm sure this has alot to do with why my preceptor doesn't call me, it seems a waste of gas to drive up there to miss a birth. I don't know what to do.

I can't believe I voted for this man/ DNA testing

2008-05-19T14:03:00.003-05:00

Bush Signs Bill To Take All Newborns’ DNA

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Friday, May 2, 2008

President Bush last week signed into law a bill which will see the federal government begin to screen the DNA of all newborn babies in the U.S. within six months, a move critics have described as the first step towards the establishment of a national DNA database.

This actually has been going on for a number of years, though I've been unable to find out just how many, it varies by state. This bill just makes it legal.
The newborn DNA will be collected through the PKU screening offered by all 50 states. In many states it's "required". With a simple heel stick and enough blood to fill 5 tiny circles on a piece of paper the United States Government (and I suppose any peoples they deem worthy) will have a full index of your child's Genetic makeup. Beyond just their DNA they have all the identifying information to go with it, parents name, social security numbers etc. All they need for tracking anyone, anywhere.

The concerns I have are numerous! To begin with

Dec 13, 2007: This bill passed in the Senate by Unanimous Consent. A record of each representative's position was not kept.
Apr 8, 2008: This bill passed in the House of Representatives by voice vote. A record of each representative's position was not kept.

so we can't see how our Representatives voted on this, why should this be kept secret? I'm really interested to know how our presidential hopefuls voted! If anyone has information on this please comment!

Then there is

Establish a national list of genetic conditions for which newborns and children are to be tested.

This sounds benign at first glance, but could this lead to genetic testing for "conditions" that are merely race related? I'm thinking Hilter would have loved a genetic test to determine the "pure race"

Establish protocols for the linking and sharing of genetic test results nationwide.

Who exactly are we sharing this information with? And what are they going to do with it?

Build surveillance systems for tracking the health status and health outcomes of individuals diagnosed at birth with a genetic defect or trait.

Is this surveillance mandatory or voluntary? What happens if a parent chooses unconventional methods of treatment? Will the government intervene??

Use the newborn screening program as an opportunity for government agencies to identify, list, and study "secondary conditions" of individuals and their families.

So genetic testing of anything and everything they think would be interesting, without your consent!

I wonder if Bush would have signed this 4 years ago, when he was up for re-election? Given Bush's stance on stem cell research I would think he'd be a little less likely to endorse genetic testing. I guess you just never can tell, can ya'?

Ron Paul had this to say before the U.S. House of Representatives:

"I cannot support legislation, no matter how much I sympathize with the legislation’s stated goals, that exceed the Constitutional limitations on federal power or in any way threatens the liberty of the American people. Since S. 1858 violates the Constitution, and may have untended consequences that will weaken the American health care system and further erode medical privacy, I must oppose it.

S. 1858 gives the federal bureaucracy the authority to develop a model newborn screening program. Madame Speaker the federal government lacks both the constitutional authority and the competence to develop a newborn screening program adequate for a nation as large and diverse as the United States. …

Those of us in the medical profession should be particularly concerned about policies allowing government officials and state-favored interests to access our medical records without our consent … My review of S. 1858 indicates the drafters of the legislation made no effort to ensure these newborn screening programs do not violate the privacy rights of parents and children"

I'd like to point out that Hillary Clinton was a co-sponsor of this bill...

At what point do we stop? When do we as Americans stand up and say enough is enough!

I demand my privacy

I demand my freedom

I demand the right to raise my children as I see fit

I demand the right to spend my money as I see fit

I demand the ability to refuse government intervention

What are we doing? We're like sheep going to slaughter. We bury our heads in the sand and just assume that "they" have our best interest at heart. WAKE UP PEOPLE! Your grandma isn't an elected official, they don't all love and care for you and are just wanting to see you become the best person possible. They all have their own agendas and most of them include $$

Acceptance

2008-03-21T12:02:00.003-05:00

I think I'm finally at a place of acceptance. Yes, losing the baby still hurts but I'm not crying constantly and I have a sense of peace.
I went for an ultrasound Tuesday. It showed an endometrium layer of 10.1mm, normal is about 5mm and a pocket of fluid with tissue that measured about 5mm. So Wednesday I took 1000mg each of Black and Blue Cohosh and 2 cups of Pennyroyal tea. I fully expected some major cramping and heavy bleeding. Instead my cervix closed up and my bleeding halted! Who'd have thunk it?!

I got my charm today from My Forever Child. It made me cry, but in a good kinda of way. I miss the baby I never had but I'm okay with it. I know my child is with Jesus and never suffered any of Earth's great pain. I know that someday I'll see and hold my baby and I know that I will eventually have another baby I can hold.

I'm so greatful for friends and a dh that allowed me to greive, that expected me to grieve. No one ever said "it's probably for the best", no one ever thought it was "time to get over it". No, they just supported me, asked me how I was and what they could do and allowed me the space to do what I needed. I really appreciate that and I think it helped me greive and move on. I get depressed easily and this had great potential to debilitate me for months or longer, but it hasn't and now I think of my baby and get a little smile as I imagine what she/he may have been like.

My heart still aches for a baby I can hold, but it has for a long time now. I don't know that it ever won't ache, even when I'm old and grey and my womb has long closed down. I just love being pregnant and having babies, and now I'll get to hold one when I get to heaven.

I don't have any wonderful, profound words of wisdom on dealing with a miscarriage, just allow yourself to hurt, to cry, to love. Eventually the tears will run out, the love will overflow and the hurt will lessen.

Izzy

2008-03-17T14:11:00.005-05:00

I found out I was pregnant Feb 18th. I told my husband and children Feb 20th... I went to my husbands office with a very good friend and we blew up 30 or so balloons and a giant 40" #7. On the wall we hung paper cutout that spelled BABY, a sign with a "Congratulations" and crepe paper streamer of rattles. He got to the office and thought someone had used it for a party or something. I don't think it took him long though to put all the pieces together.
That afternoon the statue I sent to the kids came. I bought the Willow Tree Angel of Mine figure I had it mailed to them from "God". CJ got it pretty quick and they were all so happy. Of course all of them expressed hope in having a girl.

On March 6th, after a long hard hospital transfer, I started spotting, dark brown and only there when I wiped. I went through all I knew and called M for reassurance. She told me it could very well be from spending 10+ hours on my feet on hard concrete hospital floors. Friday I was still spotting and it was getting heavier. I decided to go in for a blood draw, my HCG was 656, normal for this stage of pregnancy is a minimum of 1056. Saturday morning I started to bleed heavy and have some cramping. I had been planning a shopping trip with D for sometime for her birthday so I got to try to suck it up and deal with miscarrying while shopping in Dallas and trying to have a good time with my daughter. I think I did pretty good. Of course I cried a ton Friday night after I got the numbers and I think that helped.

Tuesday is prenatal clinic. I've never had such a hard day. It was so emotionally draining to try to smile and be my usual chipper self while measuring bellies and listening to heart tones. We had one woman who is 11 weeks and we couldn't find heart tones. It's not unusual to not be able to hear them at this point in pregnancy, but it was heart wrenching for me. I cried the whole drive home.

We told the kids last night. I don't think they completely get it, but at least it's out.

I'm still spotting and trying to figure out when I should get concerned. I'm also still getting positive pregnancy tests. I really just want this to be over so I can move on.

I decided to call the baby Izzy, since I don't know the gender, it would be for Isabelle or Isaac.
I ordered this charm from www.myforeverchild.com
and found this great poem on that site as well

Precious Little One
I`m just a precious little one who didn`t make it there.
I went straight to be with Jesus,
but I`m waiting for you here.
Many dwelling here where I live,
waited years to enter in.
Struggled through a world of sorow,
a world marred with pain and sin.
Thank you for the life you gave me,
it was brief but don`t complain.
I have all Heaven`s Glory,
suffered none of earth`s great pain.
Thank you for the name you gave me.
I`d have loved to bring it fame.
But if I`d lingered in earth`s shadows,
I would have suffered just the same.
So sweet family-don`t you sorrow.
Wipe those tears and chase the gloom.
I went straight to Jesus` arms
from my loving Mother`s womb.
~Author Unknown

Births Update

2008-03-14T14:10:00.003-05:00

This is going to be long, you've been warned!

I only got called to two January births...

A, young, first baby, lives an equal distance from me as she does from Margarett, so when she suspected labor I (the lackey) got called to see how she was doing. (In M's defense she thought I was closer) I get there and she tells me her water broke. She's working through contractions, seemingly difficult ones, so after a bit I checked her, she's a fingertip and not at all effaced and baby is still floating very high. I suggest she try Benaydral to get some sleep, she opted for Valarian root capsules. I left about an hour later with her and her hubby sleeping. The next day Anne and I go out there after clinic and find that she's still contracting pretty hard, but she's not making any progress. After verifying that her water was broke the decision was made that she should go to the hospital, OU was chosen after her doctor told her that he'd section her right away if she came to the local hospital. Anne went with her to the hospital and I went home. She got Pit. and IV antibiotics and had a healthy baby boy on her hands and knees the next afternoon.

J, also young, also first baby. We barely made it to J's birth and I love to tell the reason why! She called Margarett when labor started but assured her she wasn't needed yet. M talked to her a couple of times and each time J said she didn't need her yet. Well after we got there and Anne caught the baby 5 mins after we walked in the door, we asked J why she didn't call \us to come sooner and she said "I kept waiting for it to get horrible" Oh how I love that!! She had heard such horror stories that she thought for sure labor couldn't be as easy as it was for her. She had a healthy boy, at home, on the birth stool. She had a small tear that we decided to just leave alone.

February....

M, another young first time mom birthing at the center showed up a 3 with a whole entourage. We fully expected her to take all night so I brought with me a whole host of things to do. Well M apparently is more comfortable with her family than we expected and went from 4 to 8 in an hour! She spent about an hour on the birth stool but she was just beautiful. It all went really well and she had a gorgeous baby girl.

S, second baby, they chose to not find out gender She labored so beautifully! She came to the center a little early, but they wanted to settle in and get comfy. I got called around 5am. She labored slow but handled it beautifully. She would sway and breathe with each contraction and laugh and chat between them. She really was having a good time and though it took about 12 hours it was wonderful. She labored in the pool for a bit and just stretched out and laid there like she was on a tropical vacation. Then her water broke and with it came a small trickle of blood. Almost immediately she felt a very strong urge to push, she came up out of the water and we sat her on the birth stool. Heart tones were irregular and slow. She pushed hard for two or three pushes and out came her baby girl, very bloody, a little limp but all in all well. Then the blood started. It just poured out of her, like she was peeing it into the bag under the stool. I threw pads on the bed and Anne told her we needed her to lay down *NOW*. She didn't think anything was wrong and never felt light headed or anything. 3 droppers of Shepard's purse later and lots of fundal massage and she finally slowed to a reasonable amount. Within an hour her bleeding was nearly non existent.

March so far...
Marie, another young first time mom, she was very excited and optimistic about a homebirth. She called Margarett early Tues morning as contractions had started. We talked to her again around 11:30 when her water broke and there was meconium in it. We headed out right away, got there and she's a 1 with light to moderate mec. We encouraged her to get some sleep, she was obviously exhausted and having a hard time. We left to find a pool and took our time, hoping she would get a couple hours of sleep. When we got back around 3 she was still a 1, baby was still high, still a good bit of mec and heart tones were flat. By 4 we had made the decision to transfer. Baby's heart tones just were not responding and it just didn't feel good. So we went to OU where they essentially did nothing for 7hrs!! I stayed with her through the night. They didn't want to give her pitocin because of baby's heart tones, even though she was making very little progress (she dilated to a 3 by 11:30, 24hrs after her water broke) she desperately wanted and epidural as she couldn't sleep and couldn't deal with being in bed and not making any progress. They didn't want to give her an epidural for fear that her contractions would peter out. So she laid there and beg for pain relief they wouldn't give her and cried about the little progress she was making. It was heart wrenching, I felt so bad for her and helped her through the contractions as best I could. They finally gave her an epidural at 8am and I left at 9 since she was sound asleep and I needed some rest myself.
At 11:30 she called, they had decided to do a c-section. Baby's heart tones never got better, neither did the mec. There are so many things I think this hospital should have done that they didn't. I love that it is generally a non-interventive hospital, but in this case, intervention was exactly what we needed. I'm glad she had a healthy baby girl and in the end everything worked out for her.

The Big New Years date

2008-01-27T00:54:00.000-06:00

okay, so I left off saying I'd post about our new years date...

As you can imagine with six kids getting a night out with my husband is a rarity. Compounded by the fact that we have no family in the area and I couldn't possibly impose 6 kids on friends who only have 3. So we have not been out on a date for 2 years! yes that's right folks two whole years. So, we thought we'd take advantage of the fact that my in-laws were coming to town and we had to be in Dallas the following day to pick up my oldest from the airport.

What a fabulous night!! We stayed at the Raddison DFW South the room was huge, with a seating area and king size bed. Clean and quite and well we'll just leav it at that ;)
Dinner was at the the Palomino and I have to say I've never had such a perfect restaurant outing. The service was friendly and personal. The food was outstanding! Nathan had a sirloin that was topped with this fantastic herb butter, it was delicious. I had a fillet mignon on a Gorgonzola cheese bed, even cooked to a medium well it just melted in your mouth, beautifully seasoned, juicy and cooked to perfection. Dessert was the kicker, we ordered a lave cake, it was so much more than the lava cakes I've had elsewhere. This was truly fudgy in the middle, not just filled with a sauce and it came with a plate of sides, vanilla bean ice cream, strawberries, and espresso sauce, my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It was by far the best dinner I've ever had and I would strongly recommend this place!!
After dinner we walked around the downtown area, tried on cowboy hats, bought salt water taffy and enjoyed the people watching. Then we headed over to the Comedy Sportz club. This place is very similar in style to "Who's Line is it Anyway" but much cleaner. It was really funny and we had a fabulous time. It certainly is family friendly as they bill it to be. It was so nice to get away and not have to worry about the kids or pregnant mamas. We're looking at when we could possibly plan the next get away! Anyone wanna babysit?

The holidaze

2008-01-06T20:01:00.001-06:00

Whew! Glad that's over!
December is usually pretty busy for me, I tend to make it that way, but adding in the apprenticeship and busy soon escalates to crazy.

I decided I wanted the bathroom re-tiled before my in-laws came for Christmas on the 2nd, and of course putting in new tile means new paint! Our bathroom before was wallpapered in a stripe with navy, forest green, cranberry and white. It looked nicer than it sounds, the counter is cranberry and the tile is gray marble. The tile was never sealed and I wasn't aware that was necessary so after 4yrs with 4 boys using it daily you can imagine what it looked like, much less the lingering odor that never seemed to wash away.

I found a warm clay colored tile with hints of burnt sienna and pumpkin in it. I went with a pumpkin color for the walls and it looks totally different, very warm. But painting with 6 kids in the house is near impossible much less trying to do tile so the tile isn't finished. In fact the toilet was re-installed a mere 15 min before my husbands parents and sister arrived! Talk about pressure!

Heaven sent had 3 ladies due in December, one went early in late November and one went Christmas eve and one Christmas Day! Margarett, bless her heart, didn't call me for the Christmas birth as I would have just pulled in my drive when she got called and it was 3.5 hrs from me so I probably wouldn't have made it anyway and I would have been dog tired when I got there. I also had one doula client who was planning a hospital birth in Lawton.

Our Christmas eve baby went well.... S was planning a center birth, so when she called thinking this was the real deal Margarett called me right away, around noon. Margarett was trying to help Anne clean and move so she was already tired and I hope, glad she had an apprentice to labor sit. I got there just before S, when she got in she was a 3 maybe a 4. Not terribly encouraging to a mama who was ready to be done four weeks ago, but she was sure this was it and she wanted to stay. I stayed with her while Margarett went back to try to get Anne's house livable in time for Christmas. S had her sister and a good friend with her. She was in good spirits for most of the labor, laughing and telling jokes between contractions. They watched movies and talked and I got a ton of cleaning done. S spent some time on the birth ball and then the tub. She asked me to check her and I thought she was a 5 but still pretty high, I don't think Margarett or Anne was very happy with me doing that, but she just seemed to really need assurance that she was indeed getting somewhere.
She walked around, rocked on the ball some more and then threw up, that's when things changed. She got a little more serious and started to concentrate more on the contractions. And she found her rhythm and ritual. With each contraction she would lean on the ball, put her head down and sway her hips. She was quiet during the contractions though she complained between them. It was a little like Jekyll and Hyde. During her contractions she seemed so peaceful and serene, as if she was enjoying them. Between contractions she complained about how uncomfortable she was and how long this was taking. I think she just wanted to be done and holding her baby. Well it wasn't much longer and she was. She got back in the tub for awhile and when Margarett got there she got out and got on the bed within an hour her 10lb baby boy was born. I stayed at the center until they left, and cleaned up the laundry and trash and headed home.

Dec 22nd my doula client tried a natural induction, she chose to take some herbs and homepathic and I applied some acupressure... nothing happened. I went home and checked on her periodically over the next couple of days. So on her due date, because no one ever goes on their due date, the husband and I decided to take the kids to the Omniplex and the OKC Downtown festivities. We took two vehicles just in case, and it's a good thing we did. Towards the end of the evening, right after we got hot cocoa to warm us up before going home, A called, B's husband, to let me know they had gone to the hospital to get checked and she was about a 4 but they seemed to have forgotten about them. B was really struggling with the contractions so A got a speed class in Doula 101. He did great!! He helped her to relax and let go and by the time I got there (2hours after their call) she was doing really well, a little too well some might say. When I got to the floor and asked for her the nurse seemed confused, apparently they really had forgot about her, even though at last check she was 5cm they never admitted her, so she was in their "receiving" room, a large room with three beds separated by curtains and one bathroom. I got in the room and B was laying in bed, fairly well relaxed for a first time mom giving birth in a hospital. She would chant "open, open" during contractions, earlier on the phone, she was saying "ow ow ow" with each one I suggested A start saying open and suggest her to do it as well as it's a much more positive thought than ow. She would curl her toes and squeeze the sheet but otherwise was doing okay, I tried to help her relax through two contractions and then she needed to use the bathroom. Once there she had a ton of bloody show and lost a large amount of mucous, I thought "great, this show is really on the road!" We worked through about 5 contractions coming about 4mins apart and lasting just under a minute when she started to grunt. I thought it was way to early to start grunting, I mean she's a first time mom and has been laboring actively for only about 2 hours. She said it was burning and I kept watching her vagina, looking to see the swelling that usually accompanies the burning, there was none but she kept grunting. We talked about pushing against an incomplete cervix and I had her pant with her head back to try to keep from pushing, when I seen her belly bear down even though her chin was up I asked if she wanted me to check her. Sure enough there was a head, less than an inch inside the vagina. I sent her husband to the nurses station to tell them we needed a real room now. -I struggled for just a moment with whether or not I should have her moved and alert the staff. I knew that 10 more minutes of sitting on the pot and she'd have a baby in her arms, no risk of epsiotomy, no policies to argue, just a healthy baby and mama. The reasonable, responsible person won out.- The nurses dashed in as A had told them she was crowning. The first nurse in couldn't check her on the toilet and wanted her to lay down on a sheet on the floor! I convinced her that she could check her standing up and she agreed, we needed to move her now! They put her in a wheel chair and we raced down the hall to a room. The nurse said she had an anterior lip, I don't think that's possible with how far down the canal the head was, but who am I to argue. We panted through about 4 more contractions and then she was given the go ahead to push. I think it was about 4 good pushes later and we had a 6.14lb baby girl.
There was an argument over an IV (yes less than 10min till baby and they wanted to start a bag of water), the doctor cut the cord and suctioned before giving the baby to mom then proceeded to pull the placenta out and do a bi-manual exam. I think she'll consider a homebirth for the next one.

Wow this got really long so I'll tell you about the long awaited new year's date in another post.

The test continues....

2007-12-01T21:53:00.000-06:00

Friday was apparently a continuation of our earlier testing of my husband and the midwifery lifestyle...

My husband manages the developer team for his company, it's a small team and we decided that we would very much like to show our appreciation for the great work they do and the friendships that he has there. So I planned a delicious Christmas luncheon party, I had a full menu, ham, twice baked potatoes, spinach salad, homemade rolls.... the works, even a fabulously creamy, rich pumpkin cheese cake. I had purchased these beautiful plates with a very artistic reindeer on them, decorated in plum, evergreen and gold. I had plum napkins, gold colored flatware, I made beautiful centerpieces, I fully expected this to be "an affair to remember"....

I got up at 7am Friday morning so I could get the ham in the roaster and the rolls started after staying up until 2:30 to get the cheesecake finished. Margarett called at 8:11 am. She has her own ring tone so I knew from across the house who it was. My heart sank and lept at the same time. I knew she would only have been calling at that time of day if someone was in labor, but I also knew that meant my party was down the drain. I hesitantly answered the phone, hoping against hope that she just wanted to chat, but no, C was in labor.

I called to my husband, who was trying to find clothes for the kids, with a slight smile and a lilt to my head and sheepishly told him "I need to go to a birth." He asked what I thought we should do about the party, we couldn't really re-schedule because of projects his developers would be doing taking them away from the office, so it was kind of a now or never deal. I told him I thought he could handle it, I was of course lying through my teeth, but that's okay, it's what he need to hear! I started running through the list of finale preparation (thankfully I had precooked much of the meal) listing off dishes he would need for serving, where he would find serving utensils, how the table should look, I could see his mind trying to juggle all the information and make sense of the foreign language I was speaking to him. I assured him he could call me if he need me.

I ran out the door at 8:43, I had a two and a half hour drive ahead of me, I partially hoped that Maragarett would call around Chickasha and tell me I missed it not to bother, I could at least then make the party and ensure that it was as spectacular as I had planned. She didn't call, so I called Nathan to see how things were going. He was late getting the kids to the babysitter and sounded like he'd been put through the ringer. He was trying to keep the delicate dance I had started going, getting all the food timed right so nothing was sitting cold and nothing got forgotten. Considering he'd never done this before he was doing pretty good.

I walked in the door of C's house at 10:50 and found her on the birth stool, Margarett perched in front of her like a child waiting for the gumball to drop from the machine she has just put a quarter in. Anne was to her right not quite as enraptured by what was going on as Margarett seemed to be. They both smiled and I sat down on Margarett's left.

At this point I’m not sure how long C had been laboring or how long she’d been pushing. She sat on the birth stool at the foot of her bed, her head lopped from side to side as it laid against her husbands chest, she breathed heavy and was obviously exhausted. Her husband D sat directly behind her, his eyes shined bright, he was tired but the excitement just beamed from him. You would think he was the little boy getting the Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas.

We went on like this for nearly two hours. We tried flexing her hips which required Anne and I to act as stirrups. Oh let me tell you that was fun! At one point I had C’s foot high up on my shoulder with her mother in law standing behind me to keep me from toppling over! C had amazing strength, when she switched positions so one leg was higher than the other and her foot was resting on my thigh I thought for sure the pressure would cause my skin to just release and her foot to go straight through to the floor. Anne and I held feet and thighs, whispered and shouted words of encouragement. Margarett tried to help her understand just where and how to push, her Mother prayed over her through each contraction, C humpfed, yelled and moaned. It was anything but a quiet serene birth. Baby Boy J slowly emerged from his mother’s womb starting at 12:42, it took a full minute (maybe two) to get the whole body out. J is a chubby little boy weighing in at 8lbs 12oz, he has the biggest cheeks and square shoulders, it’s no wonder C had such a hard time pushing him out.

I managed to call my husband, he had tried to call twice while I was assisting. He pulled it off! They were eating when I called, of course the table cloth, glitter, center pieces and beautiful arrangements didn’t happen but they all enjoyed great food and lovely conversation and Nathan saved a piece of Pumpkin Cheese Cake for me.

It wasn’t a long labor by any means, just inconvenient timing, something that is a reality of the midwife. Sacrifices have to be made by the whole family and in this case sacrifices (though small and in reality unknown) were made by my husbands staff. It made me think how many times will I have to cancel a dinner engagement at the last minute, or how many weddings I may have to dash out of? The life of a midwife is unpredictable, and unstable, I’m already finding myself telling friends “I’ll be there if no one is in labor”

Teaching Gender Bending in schools??!!

2007-11-28T11:53:00.001-06:00

World Net Daily
This just blows my mind! What exactly do these schools think they are accomplishing by promoting cross-dressing? How can this be at all beneficial for the kids? I just don't understand... I'm glad to see an outraged response from parents but something more public would have been good.

Thanks Jan

2007-11-21T23:41:00.000-06:00

One Birth, One Woman at a Time I was reading this article, it's one I chose to comment on for my studies with AAMI I was inspired, Jan is such a wise woman, full of inspiration and support. This article is a wonderful reminder of why we do what we do. I’ve recently had a string of “bad” births, epidural and vacuum assist, 2 c-sections, and my preceptor had to call child protective services on a mother who refused to take her failure to thrive baby into the hospital. With all this I sat back and wondered what am I doing? What’s the point? But as Jan pointed out, I have changed people’s lives, even these women who had less than ideal circumstances, their lives, their ideas about birth were changed. Their family’s ideas were changed and I even think I made an impression on a nurse or two.
It’s hard to keep going when you feel like you’re stumbling along. But I look up from the dirt I’ve fallen into and I see the light in a woman’s eyes who sees something new, who has hope for something better and I have strength to pick myself up, dust myself off and get on with my work. This is the work God has for me, I often feel like He’s trusted me with too much, I can’t possibly live up to it, and then I’m reminded I don’t have to do it alone, I have all my sisters in birth working along side me. Together we can create a better world for the motherbaby dyad.

What am I doing here anyway?

2007-11-14T16:53:00.000-06:00

I got a call Wednesday about noon, my client was on her way to the hospital. She'd been contracting most of the night, though no recognizable patterns and she felt she wanted to be checked, her water broke just before she called me. I met her at Comanche County around 1:30. They had been checked in, she had her hep lock and had been checked. She was 5cm and 100% effaced. I really expected this to go pretty quick. Her doctor was sick so we were left with the back up, Dr Leep, who's bedside manor is equivalent to a drill sergeant at boot camp. She made no requests or suggestions, but demands and expectations. She let my client know right away that she was on a clock and she needed to get going on having the baby or she would be sectioned.

We walked, squatted and climbed stairs the next several hours through many contractions. S did a fantastic job, I was so impressed with how well she worked through each contraction, never really anticipating the next or getting ahead of herself. She did great. So when the nurse announced her complete at 10:30 I thought "great!! we'll have a baby in no time". Around 11:00 the nurse found some late decels and suggested more active pushing. S pushed for 2 hours when Dr Leep came in and said she was 6cm! I find this so hard to believe, I mean the nurse had her fingers in there directing her where to push, how could she not have felt her swell?? The Dr suggested an epidural and pitocin. S had asked for pitocin, hoping that it would pick her contractions up and give her more to push with. She tried the pitocin without the epidural and she just couldn't not push. She was tired, had been laboring for 24 or more hours and I think the mental blow of backing up to 6cm was more than she could take, she requested a c-section.

A healthy baby girl was born at 5:02 am Thursday November 8th at 41wks 1day weighing 6lb 14oz.

I cried when I went to get the nurse after S asked for the section. I feel like I somehow failed them, like I didn't provide them with enough support, or something. I wondered why I am doing this. My goal has always been to provide women with the knowledge they need to make decisions, to support families through the process of labor and to change the perceptions and status quo of labor and birth. I don't feel like I'm making any change, in fact I feel like maybe I'm making things worse. How can I affect change when my moms keep getting all these interventions? What am I doing here anyway?

This is a test........ a test of the midwife family system

2007-11-02T13:43:00.000-05:00

It all started Tuesday morning around 2:00 am (yes I was still awake) when I discovered my 3yr had a fever, about 102. I went back to bed and got up around 7:15, I needed to leave by 8 to get to clinic in time. Shortly before leaving I realized my 5yr was also running a fever. I looked at my husband and said "sorry", he smiled and assured me it would be fine.
Clinic went well, everyone was running a bit early. Around, 4:00 D called and said she was having contractions 3 mins apart. I thought this was great! I wouldn't have to make the drive back up, how convenient. Well, D was only a 2 but convinced something was going on, they went to walk the mall and I went to get some errands ran. Around 10 they decided not much was going on and they were going to go home. I decided I was tired and had some work I needed to catch up on, so rather than make the drive down I'd just stay the night at the center. I got to bed around 1am and even though my alarm went off at 8 I didn't get up till 10. By the time I got cleaned up and food I needed to head down to Lawton for my doula client. I was to go with her to meet her doctor and discuss induction. Her appointment ended up being 2 hours because the doctor wanted a stress test done. Half way through her appointment Margarrett called to let me know D's water broke. So after I finished with my client I called home and asked my husband if he was sure that midwifery was the path I as supposed to be on. LOL After letting him know I would be in the city most of the night he told me to have fun. He also informed me that all six of the kids were now sick and he was too.
I get up to the birth center just a few minutes before D & K. They get in and get settled and I could tell we were in for a long night. D says her contractions are really close and really intense but after talking with her for 20 mins. I didn't notice a single contraction. I called Anne to let her know they were here and she asked to call if anything changed but otherwise she'd be there in a bit, (she really wanted to take her kids trick or treating)An hour or so later D mentions a slightly green discharge, she's still not having contractions. Her pressure was up slightly and she was spilling a tad of protein. I called Anne to update her and she got there about an hour later. D had fresh mec and still no contractions. We discussed options and choose to go with herbal and homeopathic inducers, monitor the baby (who had great tones), the mec and mom's temp. Everything went great and we eventually got a good labor pattern established. A tiny baby boy was born at 2:49 am. Much earlier than I anticipated! His actual birth was amazingly quick, there was a silver dollar amount of head visible and I was trying to give Anne gel for perineum support when all of a sudden there was baby! He literally just flew out!

Baby had some retractions and some grunting, Anne gave him oxygen (though his color was great) and it reduced considerably in the next hour.(For more info on this look up Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn). Mom also seemed to have a little trouble, she was getting big clots that she was having trouble expelling and it was really hurting her back. When we finally got her up she was light headed and felt faint in the bathroom. Amazingly she only had two little tears.

Baby boy weighed in at 5lbs exactly, he had a few markers of being post dates and few of being early. He looked premature and had very little fat on him, but mom had spent her whole pregnancy vomiting so it's not entirely surprising.

Everyone left around 6 and I went to bed, fitfully sleeping till 11ish. I woke up nauseous, I think Anne's kids may have passed on their virus. So after, showering getting food, cleaning up and running to the store for things we needed at home I got back to the house Thursday evening about 6pm. I went to bed at 7 and got up Friday at noon. The house wasn't even much of a mess and the kids were all still alive. So I guess we (as a family) can do this. If they can get along fine with everyone being sick and mom gone for 3 days in a row, I think we passed the test.

My first birth as an apprentice

2007-10-18T14:08:00.000-05:00

can you say "perma-grin"?!
It was a very fast labor. Anne called around 8:30 to tell me K had called and she was going to check on her. So I got my bagged packed, she called back at 9:10 and I was out the door by 9:25. When I arrived K was crowning!! I walked into a whirlwind of excitement, it was great! Baby Girl K was born at 10:48 (about 5 mins after I got there)weight 9lbs even! Her previous c-section was for Cephalo-pelvic disproportion HA! 14.25" head, 15" chest!! This mama's body ROCKS!! and she was beaming!
It's so great to be a part of that!!

Ruby Lead Lips

2007-10-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, not that long ago, women applied lead laced powder to their faces and necks to give them a pale complexion. At the time we didn't know the dangers of lead and many women died very young from lead poisoning as a result. But two hundred years later we know better, right?? Scientists far and wide agree on the dangers of lead, the FDA has regulated that food products can not contain more than .1 ppm lead to keep children safe from lead poisoning, the health department regularly screens for lead poisoning and you can even get government assistance to have lead paint and pipes replaced in your home. So everyone agree lead is dangerous. Well, apparently everyone but Dior Addict, L'Oreal, and Cover Girl.

In a recent study put out by the Environmental Working Group 61% of the 33 brands of red lipstick they tested for lead contained detectable levels of lead, with levels ranging from 0.03 to 0.65 ppm. None of these lipsticks listed lead as an ingredient. One-third of the tested lipsticks exceeded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's 0.1 ppm limit for lead in candy.(Sidenote: the FDA does not regulate cosmetics)
Among the top brands testing positive for lead were:
-L'Oreal Colour Riche "True Red" – 0.65 ppm
-L'Oreal Colour Riche "Classic Wine" – 0.58 ppm
-Cover Girl Incredifull Lipcolor "Maximum Red" – 0.56 ppm
-Dior Addict "Positive Red" – 0.21 ppm

Lead is a proven neurotoxin, it causes brain damage that can present as learning, language and behavioral problems, lowered IQ, and increased aggression. Pregnant women need to be especially careful, as lead pass the placenta barrier and can be extremely damaging for a developing baby. Lead has also been linked to infertility and miscarriage.

"Lead builds up in the body over time and lead-containing lipstick applied several times a day, every day, can add up to significant exposure levels. The latest studies show there is no safe level of lead exposure," said Mark Mitchell, M.D., MPH, president, Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice.

Glamour magazine’s June 2002 “Beauty Quickie Tip” repeats a commonly quoted statistic, “Women inadvertently (but harmlessly) eat about 4 lbs of lipstick”
in a lifetime.Science shows that no level of lead is “harmless.”

So while everyone is up in arms over the toys from China and their lead content, who is crying FOUL to the cosmetic industry with their MADE IN THE USA lead products??!!

The symptoms of lead poisoning may include:

* Irritability
* Aggressive behavior
* Low appetite and energy
* Difficulty sleeping
* Headaches
* Reduced sensations
* Loss of previous developmental skills (in young children)
* Anemia
* Constipation
* Abdominal pain and cramping (usually the first sign of a high, toxic dose of lead poison)
* Very high levels may cause vomiting, staggering gait, muscle weakness, seizures, or coma

post script: I looked through the complete list of companies with lead in their lipstick and I was flabbergasted to see Burts Bees in their report, this company touts it's self as 99% natural. Their website says this "To us, achieving The Greater Good means creating a world where people have the information and tools they need to make the highest ethical choices and do the best for themselves, their family and the environment. That's no short order, but it is attainable. We've started with a strong and on-going commitment to a set values and activities that support the well-being of people and our planet."
There will likely be more on this later as I investigate them being bought by AEA investors....
if you're as pissed about this as I am write to
John Replogle
633 Davis Drive 600
Morrisville, NC 27560-6884

Po Box 13489
Durham, NC 27709-3489

(919) 998-5200

If you can find an email address for John Replogle President & CEO, Tony Quartararo Executive VP of Operations or Jesus Osuna Director of Manufacturing I would appreciate a heads up.
Get the full PDF report at A Poison Kiss

I serve an Awesome God!!

2007-10-04T16:44:00.000-05:00

I'm just ready to burst today! It's all hit me, just how Gracious my God is. I was so worried when we moved here that I would never find a preceptor, or a good friend. God has blessed me with both. My friend is the sweetest, we're both busy and it's hard to get together, but I know she genuinely cares about me and is excited for me. My preceptor is great, we think a lot alike and get along well. I'm glad I don't have to worry about "unlearning" anything.

God has provided my husband with a fantastic job, fabulous people, and they are so flexible and understanding.

And last, but certainly not least, God has given me resources to deal with the PPD/thyroid issues... yes, I'm taking an herbal med for it, but I was at a lost, I didn't know what to do and God brought the help I needed. I'm amazed at how "normal" I'm feeling now.

I've been near tears a couple times today at just how gracious God has been to me, a loving, supportive husband, good friends, good health, and now my dreams coming true! He has truly lifted me out of the ashes and blessed me beyond belief!

First day jitters

2007-10-03T20:26:00.000-05:00

It was almost like the first day of school. That anxious, worry, dread feeling. You know what I'm talking about, you're so excited and anxious to get started you could pee yourself, but at the same time you're so worried you're going to look like a fool and say something stupid you could vomit.

I have a tendency to dominate conversations and say too much. Offer my opinion when no body asked for it and interject when I really need to keep quite; so my prayer the whole hour and a half drive was that I would keep my mouth shut! I think I did pretty well.

I got there a few minutes late and M was already with a client. I walked in and she introduced me and handed me a chart! Thankfully their prenatal charts are pretty straight forward and it wasn't too hard to figure out what went where.

I got to meet some neat ladies who hopefully I'll be able to be at their birth and I got to talk to M a bunch. She's so sweet and she loves to talk!! I'm so incredibly greatful for this opportunity, I was crying like a pageant winner this afternoon as I realized how long I've been waiting for this and that it is FINALLY HAPPENING!!!!!!!! It's a little overwhelming, to think that I'm finally doing something actually productive towards my goal of midwife. I'm just so happy!!

It's happening... or... plans change

2007-10-01T15:51:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my first day as an apprentice!!
I am so excited I could scream! I'll be working with Magarett Scott and Anne Coffee at Heaven Sent Births in OKC. They seem to embody the hands off-mother's choice approach I want to follow.

This is an obvious deviation from my previous plan of doing it all through MLL. Nathan just doesn't think it's a realistic endeavor for us to move for a year. I see his concerns and at his suggestion talked to Anne and Magarett about apprenticeship.

I'm so nervous. First, I have this thing about what I really want being taken from me, secondly I'm so afraid of looking stupid! I know I have a lot to learn, but it's always been hard for me to admit my short comings. I hope they don't think I'm a crazy nit wit!

Oh my gosh, what do I wear?? lol ;)

Gardisal... again

2007-09-20T23:49:00.000-05:00

Life Site
Life site is reporting on the Gardisal push into Canada, they have more stats on the adverse reactions and deaths, but I've gone over that and try not to repeat myself.

So what about this article has piqued my interest you ask?

A competing HPV vaccine, Glaxo Smith Kline's Cervarix, is set to hit the market in January 2008. As more children are vaccinated with Gardasil, fewer will be able to later receive the necessary repeat boosters of a competing, incompatible vaccine.

So wait a minute... incompatible vaccine What happens if you get a booster with this incompatible vaccine? I mean we're already seeing severe adverse reactions and deaths what's going to happen to these girls in 5yrs if they accidentally get a booster of the incompatible vaccine

Why do parents allow their children to be subjects in a science experiment?

Get outside if you're planning to get pregnat!

2007-09-20T23:12:00.000-05:00

A recent study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism showed a link between low serum levels of Vit.D early in pregnancy and an increase in the risk of having toxemia later in the pregnancy.

"Low vitamin D early in pregnancy was associated with a five-fold increase in the odds of preeclampsia," said Dr. Bodnar, who also is an assistant investigator at the university-affiliated Magee-Womens Research Institute (MWRI). "Data showed this increase risk persisted even after adjusting for other known risk factors such as race, ethnicity and pre-pregnancy body weight. Also troubling was the fact that many of the women reported taking prenatal vitamins, which typically contain 200 to 400 International Units of vitamin D," she said.

It's interesting to note that these women were taking prenatal vitamins with vitamin D in them, however the study doesn't mention how much time these women spent outside. From wikipedia

Vitamin D2 is derived from fungal and plant sources, and is not produced by the human body. Vitamin D3 is derived from animal sources and is made in the skin when 7-dehydrocholesterol reacts with UVB ultraviolet light at wavelengths between 270–290 nm. These wavelengths are present in sunlight at sea level when the sun is more than 45° above the horizon, or when the UV index is greater than 3. At this solar elevation, which occurs daily within the tropics, daily during the spring and summer seasons in temperate regions, and almost never within the arctic circles, adequate amounts of vitamin D3 can be made in the skin only after ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back without sunscreen. With longer exposure to UVB rays, an equilibrium is achieved in the skin, and the vitamin simply degrades as fast as it is generated.

In most mammals, including humans, D3 is more effective than D2 at increasing the levels of vitamin D hormone in circulation; D3 is at least 3-fold, and likely closer to 10-fold, more potent than D2. However, in some species, such as rats, vitamin D2 is more effective than D3. Both vitamin D2 and D3 are used for human nutritional supplementation, and pharmaceutical forms include calcitriol (1alpha, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol), doxercalciferol and calcipotriene.

So sunshine without the use of sunscreen is very important to proper vitamin D balance. This goes into another rant of mine on the over usage of sunscreens, but that's for another day.
Vitamin D is fat soluble so you can ingest too much, so taking a supplement isn't really the answer. The answer is to get off your butt and go outside for a walk! Spend a little time in the sun!

I want to be sure to point out that newborns get their vitamin D stores directly from their mother, so a mom deficient in vitamin D is going to have a baby deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D is very important to bone health. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to Rickets, Osteomalacia, and Osteoporosis.

Designer Babies?

2007-09-20T21:39:00.000-05:00

Homeschool and Etc.: Extra Toe? Mild Disease? Let's Kill the Kid!
MSNBC article
Thank you Mrs. C for bringing this story to our attention. Oddly enough it doesn't really surprise me that people are aborting babies after being told their child has a genetic disorder, even if that disorder is treatable. Our society no longer values children, they are "accessories" something to complete the picture. An imperfect one would be like a blemish on a super model!

What does surprise me is this

"The interesting thing is, as a genetic community this has been going on and we haven't looked back to see the consequences of putting these screening programs into place,"

hello??!! What in the world??? You put into place screening programs and never bother to see what is happening as a result of those programs?! Where did you get your degree? a Cracker Jack box?? I mean come on... isn't it just a normal part of science to look at the data?! As scientists weren't you even curious??!!

Before I leave you I must comment on this particular point of the article

"The question parents ask is why were they ever screened and then they are faced with a difficult dilemma," she said. "Here the problem is medically instigated."

Yes, to some point it is medically instigated, but parents need to be responsible for their own health care!! Instead of just doing as you're told ASK QUESTIONS! Ask your doctor why each and every test is being performed! Question the need of the results! Inquire about the accuracy of these tests and search your heart for the answer of what you'll do with the results.

ORGASMIO

2007-09-20T19:18:00.000-05:00

This is HILARIOUS! Now let me warn you my very conservative friends, this mentions penis, orgasm and sperm...

Orgasmio

Mrs. Lynn Baptisti Richards and Dr. Harlan Sparer have done an awesome parody of a hospital birth experience and everything leading up to it. This is great and I hope many men will read it!!

Insanity=Money Hungry

2007-09-19T09:22:00.000-05:00

Should I really be surprised? Are there any people involved pharmaceuticals that are actually in it to help the people? Apparently Merck is not one of them. Their recent exploit you ask? Gardasil for BOYS! You'll recall that Merck developed Gardasil as an HPV vaccine and marketed it toward young girls. They were recommending all girls over the age of 11 to be vaccinated. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus that *can* cause cervical cancer. Of course the vaccine is only targeted at 4 of the more than 100 strains of the virus, and yet it still costs approximately $400! Now let me refresh your memory further, back in February Governor Perry, of Texas, created an executive order mandating all middle school girls be vaccinated with Gardasil prior entering school. Is it just a coincidence that Gardasil's lobbyist was Perry's former chief of staff?? Thankfully the Senate was smart enough to overturn this executive order. However Texas was the first of many states that would struggle over the idea of making this vaccine mandatory.

Let me get off on a little bunny trail here... I wonder why the need to make it mandatory? I mean parents are aware the vaccine is available if they want it they can get it. Does the Governor (and other states that considered making it mandatory) really think that parents are not capable of making decisions for their children?

So back to the boys... It would appear that Merck has found another marketing angle. Remember these shots cost $400 each and it current is only useful for half of the market, think of all the potential dollars not tapped into by limiting the usefulness to only girls.
Now you might say "but boys can't get cervical cancer?!""can they?" No boys can't get cervical cancer, but apparently they can get throat cancer if they perform oral sex on a girl that is already infected.

last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University confirmed that infection with HPV via oral sex is by far the leading cause of throat cancer, which strikes 11,000 American men and women each year.

11,000!! Current US population: 301,139,947 so 0.00365% of the whole United States will get throat cancer of which HPV is ONE cause (tobacco and alcohol are thought to be major contributors as well, but big business would never allow them to be outlawed) so because 1 in 27376 of the American public may get cancer from HPV we're going to expose millions of little boys to toxins and possible adverse reactions associated with this vaccine for what? a possible preventative to one of them? Merck is still unsure of how long the vaccine works, as of right now they are suggesting a 5yr booster.

So what is the cost of all of this? Well I haven't found the numbers for boys so lets look at the girls...

In 2004, there were 10,500 new cases of cervical cancer.
About 70 % of these cases, or 7350 were associated with the virus targeted by Gardasil.
Two million girls (estimate) are born each year.
2,000,000 divided by 7350 = 272

IF the vaccine works, (Highly Unlikely),
and IF it prevents all of the targeted cervical cancer cases (7350), (Impossible),
and IF the year 2004 rate of new cervical cancer cases remained constant, (rather than continuing the established 35 year decline...)
THEN 272 girls [or more] must be vaccinated at a cost of $300 to $500 each to prevent one case of cervical cancer. Estimated cost = $81,600 to $136,000 per case of cancer prevented. Cervical cancer is virtually 100% preventable by lifestyle factors and can usually be treated for one fourth the estimated "vaccine preventable" cost. Add the estimated cost per case prevented to the cost of treating the other diseases caused by this vaccine and you will readily appreciate why we urge you to strive for immunity through diet and other lifestyle factors. In addition, the concept of vaccinating 272 nine year old girls to prevent one case of disease which occurs 31-46 years later when the girls become women 40 to 55 years in age seems like a story which should begin, "Once upon a time, the wagon of the snake oil salesman was seen approaching ..."

www.vaclib.org

So WHY are we pushing a drug that has had 385 adverse reaction reports in 6 months? Out of the 385 individual GARDASIL adverse event reports made to VAERS, two-thirds required additional medical care and about one-third of all reports were for children 16-years-old and under, with nearly 25 percent of those children having received simultaneously one or more of the 18 vaccines that Merck did not study in combination with GARDASIL. Money, that's why. You do the math approximately 4 million children born each year at an average of $400 per vaccine... That's several really nice houses, yachts, cars..... aren't our children worth more than that?

an interesting post script