Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Circumcision Vs. Noncircumcision

For example, the term “uncircumcised” suggests that to be circumcised is the norm, the standard. This is an assumption made by a culture that practices circumcision. However, nonreligious infant circumcision is not “normal” in any culture outside of the United States. From a global perspective, to be “uncircumcised” is to be normal, the way males are born, and the way most of the world’s males remain.

This is an excerpt from Circumsion Resource Center.

Our children come to us perfectly. We have no need to alter them.

Do not allow your children 3 years old and under watch TV

After Cliff and I had our first child, we happened upon an article in our local newspaper which discussed the effects of watching television on young minds. The article talked about how children who watch TV while young, in their later years develop ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Since TV is very fast paced, when a young child watches it, it becomes their normal. So in turn they expect life to be fast paced. Life is not fast paced.
We made a point to not allow our children to watch television while a younger sibling was awake. This way it limited television to a very small amount of time.

Pitocin, anyone?

Just another thought on induction of labor. If you are a VBAC patient, take note that (at least as of a couple of years ago in Texas), inserts in packages of Pitocin apparently stated, among other warnings that Pitocin should not be administered "in any condition in which there is a predisposition for uterine rupture, such as previous major surgery on the cervix or uterus including cesarean…"

 

If you are a VBAC patient, the odds are slim that your doctor or nurse will discuss this warning with you should they suggest administering Pitocin to “move things along,” but that shouldn’t keep you from a fair discussion of the pros and cons of using this nasty stuff before you consent to its administration. (OK, so I’m biased).

 

Whether you are a VBAC candidate or not, isn’t it worth asking the question, “Is this really necessary?” or “Is it even really beneficial?” Odds are that an informed discussion that involves considering other options besides a hospital’s stopwatch will lead you to conclude that it is neither necessary nor beneficial in most cases.

Pop Statistics in Legal Studies of VBAC

I am currently working on an annotated bibliography regarding the legal issues surrounding VBAC’s. It is amazing the trends that I have discovered throughout the process!

Consider this – studies have shown (sorry, they’ll have to go uncited at this time. I’m frankly too busy to even be writing this post – but here I am anyway) – ok, where was I – yes, inducing labor in women who have had prior cesarean sections significantly increases the risk of uterine rupture. Significantly.

So, here I am reading cases that involve women suing their physicians because an attempted VBAC ended in uterine rupture and ultimately either killed or left the infant severely handicapped for the rest of their lives. While the specific facts differ in every case, one fact is common to EVERY case I have read. You guessed it – in every single instance the labor was induced. In most of these cases the fact the labor was induced with a woman attempting VBAC is not even discussed as a material factor in the case, yet the very fact of labor induction with a VBAC candidate should present a colorable claim for malpractice in and of itself, IMO.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Bond between Mother and Child; hampered by cesarean section?

I have looked online to see if I could find out any further infomation on this, but was unable to. But my personal thoughts are that it does. In my own experiences it was harder to bond initially with our first born child, which was delivered by C-section. In contrast, our children that I labored at home as long as possible before going to the hospital, I was instantly overwhelmed with love and consideration for them.
I believe there are many factors to this. I feel that the medical staff also plays a role on how you bond with your child. The staff that was present for our daughter were so caring and concerned that I felt confident and reassured that it was easy to feel love for her when she was born.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Breast IS Best!

Breastfeeding Helps Prevent Breast Cancer, Lowers Your Risk
From Pam Stephan,Your Guide to Breast Cancer.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by V.K. Gadi, MD
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Lower Estrogen Exposure
You can lower your risk of developing breast cancer by breastfeeding your baby. And if your baby is a girl, her risk can also be reduced.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Pregnancy before age 30 and breastfeeding reduce a woman's total number of lifetime menstrual cycles, which is thought to be the reason they help lower your risk. The hormone estrogen fuels 80% of all breast cancers. Since pregnancy and lactation reduce your estrogen levels, your risk is decreased each time you are pregnant and while you are nursing your baby.