cool blogs have pictures and people that regular post! So, I am not there yet. I just can’t carve out the time lately. That’s ok, not that anybody reads this anyways, it is really just for my own release.

Not much going on lately. I went to my first birth since my son was born a few weeks ago. Just an awesome beautiful waterbirth!!!! God, our bodies just rock! It was good to see how well my son did with me being gone, too. He just turned two, and while to wasn’t totally smooth, it went WAY better than I thought it would. Whew!! This fall I shall begin apprenticing full time with a fairly busy midwife, so he is just going to get better at being away from me. Wow, he got big so fast!

I had often thought about becoming a CBE or a doula….but I just don’t think I could do either very effectively. I find it very hard to support women who have a perfectly healthy pregnancy and choose to walk into the hospital to give birth. Don’t get me wrong, I acknowledge that there is a time and place for hospitals and OBs, but I seriously don’t think more than 5% of births need them. Maybe even less. But, in this country, it is less than 5% who have homebirths, while the majority of the 95% remaining births take place in hospitals. I think this is criminal. And, firstly, we need to start with the next generation to change things. I acknowledge that come women do feel safer giving birth in the hospital, but they weren’t born feeling that way…it is our culture who has taught them to feel that way. Most teenage girls are terrified of the whole process of birth. No wonder they are convinced they want the epidural long before they are even in labor!

Ok, I feel like I am going off on a tangent. sorry.

I feel so frustrated when I hear moms sharing their martyr birth stories, or about how their baby almost died, thank GOD they weren’t at home! ……

So, something that I am reading more and more about is the use of oxygen in resuscitation of newborns. Very interesting stuff! There isn’t really any research that shows that 100% oxygen is better than room air for resuscitation and in fact, some research to show that 100% oxygen can actually cause DAMAGE!!!! This is just mind-blowing to me! I just heard an old conference tape by Dr. John Stevenson. He has NEVER carried oxygen equipment with him to homebirths, he doesn’t think it is necessary. Huh! I know some midwives who would NEVER attend a birth without it!

I used to think that the midwifery community was all fuzzy and warm and supportive of one another….but the more I become involved in it, the more I see that there are people who are VERY different from others and often tension between them that is so very palpable. Like this oxygen topic…talk about some strong opinions! But, to me, it does just make sense that room air would be best, esp considering how tiny the babies organs are, and how toxic oxygen can be when the tissues are OVERLY saturated.

Once again, our bodies just simply ROCK!