My niece Evelyn was born Sept. 8 2003 at about 11:00(30?) AM. 7 lb. 10 oz. 21.5"
We went to see her and she is absolutely precious. A beautiful baby.
My Sister had a home birth with a midwife and she said that it was 1000 times better than the hospital experience. She's become very anti-hospital/established practices regarding childbirth breastfeeding etc. For example in the hospital they make you lay flat on your back to deliver but in that positon the vagina slants upwards so you're fighting gravity. (wanted to keep the page small but keep reading for more interresting stuff and links)
They use petosin(sp?) (the contraction drug) in upwards of 85% of births to induce labor instead of letting it happen naturally. My sister had petosin the last time and said that it was horrible. Instead of having regular contractions it was like one huge contraction with some periods of intense contraction which is painful for the woman and very stressful for the baby.
Formula fed babies have weaker immune systems and have on average lower IQ by about 5 points. Breastfeeding is not a an instinctual thing for a mother it's a learned behavior and in our society there's no one to learn from. My sister belongs to the La Leche League which is a group that advocates and educates about breast feeding. It's pretty interresting. When a baby is born they have a sucking reflex and a seeking reflex. Sucking - obvious. Seeking - The baby will seek out by touch and smell. Some nurses tell women that if the baby doesn't find the nipple that the mother should press the baby's head gently to the nipple but then the baby will be confused because you're touching it on the back of the head so it tries to turn around seeking the point of contact instead of the breast. Check out my sister's site for a bunch of awesome links about this kind of stuff.
Posted by slaw at September 9, 2003 12:31 AM | TrackBackFor my first child, I had a midwife delivery at a birthing center, with no medical interventions or drugs. For my second, we had to use the hospital, where I had an epidural, but no pitocin. My vote is DEFINATELY for the the more natural approach. I think it's becoming more widely accepted, and that's a great thing. Good for you for promoting the cause! And congrats on the newest addition to your family.
Posted by: Shannon at September 13, 2003 02:10 PM