Women Own Birth
When considering the vitamin K shot for a newborn, it is wise to look at the facts and evidence out there before making a decision. I believe that this, like any standard protocol, must be questioned and understood as fully as possible by the parents.
There is a lot of conflicting information out there about the AAP recommended vitamin K shot at birth.
In today’s society, here in the US, the postaprtum time is one of the most neglected and overlooked part of the childbearing cycle. How often do we, as brand new moms, head back to work within weeks? How often do we think that the perfect gift for a new baby is clothes, when the family might really need some help with their other children or a few meals made?
Did you know that in other cultures and countries, the time after a baby is born is treated so much differently than we treat it here? Here are just a few postpartum practices from around the globe, taken from Robin Lim’s wonderful book, “After the Baby’s Birth.”
Nursing is the best way to feed your baby, and the benefits you will both get from this relationship are numerous! But if you think breastfeeding is a piece of cake, don’t be discouraged when it proves to be harder than it looks. Educate yourself ahead of time by reading books and talking to other nursing moms. Here are just a few pointers to get you started in the right direction-
What is it?
Also called “gestational carbohydrate intolerance”, “abnormal carbohydrate metabolism” or type 3 diabetes, gestational diabetes is a transient condition that occurs and is diagnosed only during pregnancy. The word “diabetes” was used (instead of “glucose intolerance”) so that insurance companies would cover costs. GD is quite different than “true” diabetes (which comes with its own set of risks in pregnancy).
According to Wikipedia, a misconception “happens when a person believes in a concept that is objectively false”. This is the premise of Naomi Wolf’s Misconceptions: Truth, Lies and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood. Wolf brings to the surface many relevant points about how “backwards” we are here in America when it comes to birthing and raising our children.
Katie Silva – Indie Birth Contributor
Miscarriage in our culture is not often discussed openly. Women often pass through the experience of a miscarriage alone or with only her partner. In many cases, there is no ceremony, no special nurturing care afterwards, nor enough support from other women.
Even the word “miscarriage” somehow implies that the woman or her body is at fault somehow and she somehow didn’t carry her child well enough and that the whole thing was a mis-take.
About 7 months ago, I was wandering through a used bookstore when a book literally jumped off the shelf at me: Primal Mothering In a Modern World, by Hygeia Halfmoon. The front cover has a picture of a beautiful family. The mother is topless and breastfeeding her youngest child. I knew that the book was made for me. I bought it without even reading the back cover.
When I got the book home, I was delighted to find that the book was written by a raw foodist, a fruitarian to be exact. Being a raw foodist myself, I was expecting to read a book about raising a raw family. Little did I know I was in for so much more.
What is pregnancy and birth really about?
The answer depends on what culture one is in, what the circumstances are, and who you ask.
Today, in the U.S., I am not quite sure we have kept our connection to the sacred, primal, usually simple process that is being pregnant and giving birth. Mainstream America doesn’t value a mom’s intuition in the process, encourage her to relish each and every moment of her empowerment as a (pregnant) woman. “Rite of passage” is an un-politically correct concept, because women should be able to come by a baby by many means, and pregnancy is no longer considered a special and exalted space.
Raquel Rotnes – Indie Birth Contributor
Birth is one of the greatest transitions in our lives. During pregnancy you plan everything to have the safest experience possible. Whether you give birth at home or in the hospital there are many choices to make. One of your choices is about surroundings. In the process of birth you are more vulnerable and babies are especially sensitive, therefore the energy around you affects you both more. Thus it’s important to make the place you give birth an essential, supportive part of your experience. How can you create a safe environment for the birth transition?
Never have I read a book about birth with which I so closely identify. I need to tell every woman I meet about this book, and I am already considering making it a “required read” for my homebirth clients.
