Did a mom REALLY loose her baby due to refusal to consent to a cesarean?

When I last blogged on this topic, I said in the comments:

Right now I’m not willing to string the appellate court as far up a pole as many people are doing… Continue Reading…

Vaccination Worries - Second in a Series

As I explained in my first post of this series, I am writing in response to an article that came out in a health organization’s newsletter.  The original article was just one page long, but I’m afraid I have MUCH more than one page to say in response to it.  The article was written in a “Q&A” format, with a small side bar box with a few “interesting facts.”  In this post, I’ll address the first Q&A in the article.  I will continue to answer them, then move on to the “interesting facts,” which will each have their own post of response.

Question 1:  Haven’t whooping cough, measles, and mumps been wiped out?  Continue Reading…

A Woman’s Right to Refuse Cesarean

When I teach my classes I always tell my students that they have the right to refuse any medical intervention, even if doing so endangers them or their baby.  I often point out that there is no situation where one person is required to have surgery to protect the health of another, which is essentially what many cesareans boil down to–a woman having a surgery that she likely does not need, but her baby might need.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m very much pro-life.  I wouldn’t encourage any woman in labor to endanger her baby–and I truly believe that most women would not endanger their baby.  But so often, Continue Reading…

Labor Induction - Dinner and a Date

One of my friends is past her due date…wondering when her baby will come…so I thought I’d revive this blog post I wrote about 2.5 years ago.

So often when I talk to women in the last weeks of pregnancy, what I hear is a recollection of all the “natural” methods they have tried to induce labor. And frankly, I find this disturbing.

I have to admit, the most after my due date that I’ve gone with any of my 5 pregnancies was 2 days…and I was in denial that I was in labor when it started because Continue Reading…

Vaccination Worries - First in a Series

Recently I received a copy of a local hospital network’s “Healthy You” magazine.  I usually find articles of interest in it–some that I agree with, some that I passionately disagree with.  This particular issue had one of the latter type.

My husband and I have chosen to partially vaccinate our children.  This is not a decision that we have come to easily.  Actually, our first daughter is nearly fully vaccinated–the only vaccine she has not gotten on schedule is Chicken Pox.  When she was an infant a vaccine for RSV was recalled because it was suspected of causing a condition called bowel intussusception–when the bowel folds on itself, causing a blockage.  Ironically, though our daughter had not received the vaccine, Continue Reading…

Pit to Distress…Does it Really Happen?

The blog-o-sphere is buzzing right now about a practice called “Pit to Distress.”  Apparently Keyboard Revolutionary started it all with her post, which was quickly followed by Unnecesarean the same day.  Now both of these blogs are written by “lay women”–that is, “JUST” moms, not medical professionals.  So I was quite happy to see one of my favorite L&D nurse blogs jump into the fray–Nursing Birth.  The Nursing Birth piece should be required reading for ANY woman who is planning a hospital birth, so that she doesn’t let this happen to her.

Pitocin seems to be almost synonomous with hospital labors anymore. I wonder how many women who labor actually manage to get through without using it at some point. One client I had switched OB practices because she had been informed that when she arrived at the hospital in active labor she would be put on Pitocin. No waiting to see how labor was progressing and if it was really needed…it was just the policy of this practice to use Pitocin on all laboring women. Medical staff will often explain away any concerns with the use of Pitocin by saying that it is just a synthetic form of the same hormone that your body produces. Which is true. But that doesn’t mean that putting it into an IV is the same as letting your body produce it!

I’ve seen some “interesting” things happen with Pitocin in my doula experience. 

• One mom was induced with Pitocin, Continue Reading…

  Posted 1 year, 1 month ago at 12:50 am.

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Summer 2009 Class Schedule is up!

I just posted my class schedule for the summer, going into early fall.  To view it, please go here:  http://knittedinthewomb.com/wp/?p=61

Happy Independence Day–for Newborn Boys

Circumstraint Board

Circumcision in the land of the free, home of the brave…its a touchy topic!

Here in America most men are circumcised–in contrast to the rest of the world where at least 80% of men are not circumcised.  While groups opposed to circumcision say that circumcision rates have declined to the point that it is now 50/50 with babies born in America today, I certainly don’t see that in my area.  I know very few parents other than my clients who leave their sons intact.

Recently I came across a rather unique arguement in favor of circumcision.  I asked an expectant couple why they were planning to circumcise, and they gave some of the usual answers:  so he’ll look like dad, and for hygeine. 

I chuckled and quickly answered Continue Reading…