Whole For The Holidays

Swiped this image from HERE.

So I'm not sure why, exactly, but it seems to me that this time of year there are a lot of babies being born.  Maybe it's the spring mating season thing?  I don't know, and I don't pretend to really care why.  The thing I do care about is that during the "holiday season", we're all ready wracked with enough insanity, before we add to it the babies.  

With every pregnancy announcement and upcoming birth, those of us who call ourselves "intactivists" just get STRESSED RIGHT FREAKIN' OUT.  I swear, I have an ulcer.

Nothing says "Happy Holidays" like knowing that people you've spoken to about circumcision a dozen times (at LEAST) over the last several months, very likely just had their newly born son circumcised.  And it's not as though they didn't know the facts.  If they ignored the sea of information I gave them, the decision to cut him would have been completely based on the husband's insecurity with his own genitals.  ("What's wrong with being circumcised?  I'm circumcised!  And my son will be too!")

What really GETS to me about this time of year when it comes to circumcision is that these adults are thinking of all of the super cute little outfits they're going to buy for their son.  They're thinking of the gifts that they'll have for him under the tree.  And they'll be spending two months flipping through flyers and websites, looking for that perfect gift for themselves.  'Tis the season for giving (and receiving), right?

I have this "crazy" idea.  How about instead of worrying about which Christmas sweater you're going to buy your son, you just leave your him with the foreskin his body was meant to have, and call it even.  It'll save you $24.99, and save him a lifetime of living with your idea of what his genitals "should" look like.

How about you just forgo the circumstraint, the tearing, the screaming, the trauma... 

How about you just love your son for the person he is, without thinking that his penis was made so horribly wrong that it must be "fixed" before he goes home from the hospital because, *GASP*, what if someone was to see it intact?!  The HORROR!!!

How about this holiday season, you leave your son's penis alone.  Give him the gift of a whole, intact body. Your son's "package" came perfectly wrapped, exactly as it was designed to be. It's a gift that keeps on giving all throughout his life, and one that he'll never grow out of.  (Which is more than I can say about that ugly sweater...)

Christmas sweater...see what I mean?!
(Swiped image from HERE.)

If you need more information, here are some links.  

www.WholeNetwork.org
www.Dr.Momma.org
www.SavingSons.org
www.4Eric.org
www.IntactAmerica.org
www.CIRP.org
www.NoCirc.org
www.circumcision.org


Also, if you have any questions and need someone to talk to, please, email me, chewygranolamomma@yahoo.ca
or send me a message via my Facebook page.  (LINK HERE.)

What You Don't Know About Your Cervix Can Ruin Your Birth

WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOUR CERVIX CAN RUIN YOUR BIRTH

http://www.birthologie.com/birth/what-you-dont-know-about-your-cervix/

INVESTMENT

How enviously I watched the rose bush bear her bud ~

Such an easy, Lovely birth.

And at that moment I wished the sweet myth were true ~

That I could pluck you, my child, from some green vine

But now as you breathe, through flesh that was mine

Gently in the small circle of my arms, I see the wisdom of investment

The easy gift is easy to forget.

But what is bought with coin of pain ~

Is dearly kept

~ Carol Lynn Pearson, Reprinted from Beginnings

WHAT!? WHERE?

Most women have no clue what their cervix is, where it is, its function or even what it looks like. Well, here’s where it is:

And it looks like this (much like the head of a penis):

The first time I learned about basic reproductive anatomy, I was pregnant with my first child, and the only thing I really learned about the cervix is that it was at the bottom of my uterus (liking my cervix to the opening of a balloon and my uterus was the balloon part waiting to expand), and was supposed to dilate to from 0 to 10 during labor. It was also supposed to thin out (efface) and go from what is like the tip of my nose to the web of skin between my index finger and thumb…melt away kind of like a lifesaver. And that my cervix might need to be checked during labor to asses its progress.

But that was it. It wasn’t until I was well into being a childbirth educator and a doula did I find out some other things about the cervix. Things that would change how I forever approach supporting women in labor and birth.

CERVIX MYTH #1: 10 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER

No, it is not. Did you know that you can dilate past 10? What?! Now what are we all supposed to do? That sounds horrific! It IS horrific, right?

Not really. Not any more so than dilating to 10 is. I dilated well beyond 10 cm with my last birth, where my baby’s head measured at a whooping 14.75 cm. That’s right, I dilated almost to 15 cm. And guess what, I lived. And guess what, too….it didn’t hurt any more than my other births where I dilated to just 10. So, just because you are 10 cm doesn’t necessarily mean you are ready to push. If you do not feel the urge to push at 10 cm and are instructed to do so, you will force the cervix open “against its will” and bruise the cervix. And if you have an epidural and don’t feel the urge, you are at even higher risk of injuring yourself.

CERVIX MYTH #2: YOUR CERVIX DILATES IN A NICE, NEAT CIRCLE

Your cervix does not dilate in a nice, neat circle like all the dilation model depict. It actually opens like an ellipse as depicted here

Source: MidwifeThinking.com

“It opens from the back to the front like an ellipse. The os (opening) is found tucked at the back of the vagina in early labour and opens forward. At some point in labour almost every woman will have an anterior lip (meaning the top of the cervix isn’t completely dilated) because this is the last part of the cervix to be pulled up over the baby’s head. Whether this lip is detected depends on whether/when a vaginal examination is performed. A posterior lip is almost unheard of because this part of the cervix disappears first. Or rather it becomes difficult to reach with fingers first.”

CERVIX MYTH #3: VAGINAL EXAMS DO NOT HARM THE CERVIX AND/OR HINDER DILATION

Midwife Carla Hartley at Ancient Art Midwifery puts it this way:

“The cervix is not meant to be touched, there is an inflammation response from the foreign material (glove) as well as the pressure, and a hormonal response. It may be confusing to the body that while it is trying to empty the uterus there is interference from the cervix being touched and manipulated in a way that it is not meant to have to deal with. VAGINAL EXAMS ARE NOT PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ARE AN INTERRUPTION TO THE NATURAL PROCESS OF BIRTH.

Here is the thing about pushing….DON’T….your body knows how to eject a baby without your help….it is a reflex. Don’t even expect an urge…..expect a sensation of your body taking over in a big way, getting that baby out…..as it is DESIGNED to do…

I talk a lot about digital and verbal abuse in labor and vaginal exams are an example of digital abuse.

Midwives [and OB's and nurses] who think vaginal exams are a good thing or necessary do not have sufficient education or they have not kept up with emerging science that proves that birth is safer if left alone. Hanzoffa, hanzoutta, mouthshutta midwifery is the safest.”

CERVIX MYTH #4: YOUR CERVIX IS DIFFERENT AND ISOLATED FROM ALL OTHER BODY PARTS

Ina May Gaskin, the mother of modern midwifery, has coined a term called “The Sphincter Law”. The Sphincter Law states:

Your sphincters (including your excretory, cervical and vaginal) are responsible for releasing your baby into this world. If your sphincters are tight you may not progress, and you will probably experience more pain.

So what exactly is Ina May’s “Sphincter Law”?

1. Excretory, cervical (your cervix), and vaginal sphincters function best in an atmosphere of intimacy and privacy. For example, a bathroom with a locking door or a bedroom where interruption is unlikely or impossible.

2. These sphincters cannot be opened at will and do not respond well to commands such as push or relax!

3. When a person’s sphincter is in the process of opening, it may suddenly close down if that person becomes upset, frightened, humiliated, or self conscious. Why? High levels of adrenaline in the bloodstream do not favor (sometimes, they actually prevent) the opening of sphincters. This inhibition factors is one important reason why women in traditional societies may have mostly chosen women, except in extraordinary circumstances, to attend them in labor and birth.

4. The state of relaxation of the mouth and jaw is directly correlated to the ability of the cervix, the vagina, and the anus to open to full capacity

Did you catch that? In other words,

Open Mouth=Open Cervix

Open Throat=Open Vagina

It is near impossible to birth effectively with tightly pursed lips and a closed off throat. Go ahead, try it right now….when you relax your jaw, open your mouth and open your throat, your bottoms automatically relaxes and sinks into your chair. Ina May talks about the benefits of kissing, and keeping the lips and mouth lose and open. Kissing also releases oxytocin adn other love hormones that raise your pain tolerance level and speeds labor along.

Please enjoy this short video of Ina May talking about The Sphincter Law

(source: MidwifeThinking.com)

This comes as no surprise to me. As someone who had two births that were COMPLETELY different from eachother, I know all too well how hard it is for your cervix to open when you have someone constantly standing over you, checking your cervix every hour on the hour, hurting you by stretching something that isn't ready to be stretched, talking non-stop with the other nurse in the room...

I know all too well the difference between being allowed to labor how ever you are comfortable, in darkness, in peace, with minimal intervention, and being in an environment that is setting you up for failure. I know that when I was in labor with my twins, I didn't WANT them to be born yet (they were 10 weeks premature), but the entire experience of labor was much more peaceful than the labor of my third child. Even when my son was crowning, my pain level was no more than a 6 or 7 (out of 10). With the baby, my pain level was at a 10 for hours before I gave in and got the epidural.

This is something everyone should know about, whether you have children already, whether you're pregnant now, or whether you're planning a baby in the future. Every woman should go in knowing all the information, so that she can stand up for herself and get the birth experience she wants and deserves.

Why Giving The Flu Vaccine During Pregnancy Doesn't Make Any Sense

http://www.mercola.com/2006/jul/11/why_giving_the_flu_vaccine_during_...
The CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP)
recommends flu vaccination during all trimesters of pregnancy.


However, according to a report published in the Journal of American
Physicians and Surgeons, this recommendation is unjustified, unwise,
and should be withdrawn.


Citing ACIP's own sources, as well as current literature, the report
based its conclusions on the following findings:
Flu infection is rarely a threat during normal pregnancy.
There is no "convincing evidence" that the flu vaccination is
effective during pregnancy.
Studies have not adequately assessed the risk of flu vaccination
during pregnancy.
Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative present in most flu vaccines,
has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, in
humans.
Thimerosal has been linked to a number of animal reproductive
toxicities including teratogenicity, mutagenicity and fetal death.


The ACIP maintains that flu vaccinations are necessary because
influenza is more serious during pregnancy than at other times, yet
they cite only two scientific papers to support this statement.


The report concluded that since routine administration of flu vaccine
during pregnancy is ill-advised and not supported by scientific
literature, and use of thimerosal during pregnancy should be
contraindicated, the ACIP's policy recommendation should be withdrawn.


Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Summer 2006, Vol. 11, No.
2: 41-47 (Free Full-Text PDF)


Dr. Mercola's Comment:


Tragically, the influenza vaccine is now universally recommended in
the United States during all trimesters of pregnancy.


I am very grateful to the American Association of Physicians and
Surgeons (AAPS) for publishing this comprehensive review. If you have
any interest in this topic I would encourage you to review the
full-text PDF that they graciously made available for free.


The AAPS is the only professional organization I pay to belong to. I
have been a member for nearly 20 years. Membership is limited to
physicians and medical students, and I would encourage all who qualify
to consider joining this group, which is one of the loudest voices for
medical freedom in the United States.


Flu vaccines are still loaded with mercury and this will invariably
contribute to brain injury in many of the children whose mothers
receive this vaccine. This is particularly tragic because there is
just no logical reason for mothers to receive this vaccine, other than
the obvious one -- to have the drug companies increase their
bottom-line profits.


The decision to vaccinate pregnant women was based on two weak studies
that in no way support this recommendation. When you carefully analyze
the first you will find that the pregnant moms did not transfer the
flu infection to their babies.


The stinker here is that the government used the fact that there were
significant differences in complications between vaccinated and
unvaccinated pregnant women. But what were the complications? Was it
something potentially fatal like pneumonia?


No, it was merely symptoms like chest pain and other minor issues,
which could have even been related to a strong immune response
providing permanent authentic immunity to the infection. So the drug
companies and the government manipulated the results to justify the
use of this vaccine in pregnant women.


If you review the only other study used to justify this recommendation
you will find it also had similar methodology flaws.


Then there is the whole issue of whether or not this unnecessary
vaccine even works during pregnancy. The projection was one to two
women per 1,000 would be prevented from being hospitalized, but the
projections are not supported by the current scientific literature as
many other studies show that this vaccine does not work.


The primary reason for the confusion is that the researchers
frequently fail to factor in important socioeconomic factors that are
the primary reason many people develop complications from the flu.


Additionally, most symptoms of the flu are not even caused by the flu
virus, which would clearly make the vaccine worthless in these
scenarios.


So if all the vaccines did were cause unnecessary expenses, that would
be good enough reason to stop using them. However, there is a stack of
evidence that strongly supports that the mercury used in nearly all
flu vaccines is clearly associated with brain injury in children that
are born to vaccinated mothers.


Amazingly, a vaccine manufacturer, Lilly, even notes on its package
insert that the mercury they use as a preservative is "known to cause
birth defects and other reproductive harm."


So once again we have another dramatic example of how the evil
marketing geniuses put a deceptive spin on it and are able to
manipulate government policy -- not for the protection of the citizens
it is supposed to serve, but for its true masters, the multi-national
drug corporations.