There are a lot of arguments out there that I'm getting tired of. Not to the point of not involving myself in them, but just make me feel like all I'm doing is hitting repeat on my internal player.
To name a few: to circumcise or not, any breastfeeding arguments, cloth diapering, crying it out, etc.
Apart from myself, I've heard a lot of people who just wish that they would just go AWAY. They are tired of hearing about them, tired of putting in their 2cents or tired of hearing about it in the news.
The trouble is that everyday there is a new parent, somewhere, who is either having a baby or finding themselves to be pregnant. This person, whose world has just been TV, movies, job, dating, eating out, shopping, etc, is suddenly finding themselves in a mindset that they never planned on being in. They are now in charge of choosing things for their child. The overwhelming amount of information out there is now pummeling their brain. Things that they may of once thought right, now have an argument as to why they are wrong or they are being attacked for making a decision of any kind. It's no longer as easy as picking out an outfit. Moms are attacking moms for just about everything.
If the mom looks put together : the child is being abandoned in someway.
If she is bottle feeding : she is attacked for not breastfeeding.
Or vice versa.
This is the simple reason why these arguments will never go away. There are new parents who now have a view of something or think that they have hit onto something big, that has already been argued about long before they came along. It's a hard thought. It doesn't mean that the fight should be over. It just means we need to back out if we are tired of the fight and rest from it. Being on the war front all the time is exhausting and burns us out to the point that we forget why we were fighting in the first place.
Standing up for anything today takes guts and lots of energy. Especially with social media being as it is. People now feel that they can attack and say what ever they wish without feeling a real backlash from it. It's all words and going back to the old rhyme "Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Which, as much as we all wish it wasn't true, it is. There are chatting forums, websites, blogs that are loaded with all sorts of hate filled spite towards someone of opposing views. When did we shed our ability to be civil and why is it so accepted? Why do we think it is OK to bash another parent for their parenting? It is one thing if they are asking for an opinion, but when they are simply stating what they think to be true, who are we to verbally beat them down?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
A History of Breastfeeding in pictures...
I've been in love with pictures of breastfeeding from days gone by. Whether they are paintings or not. I just love the fact that it was so common place for so long. So I've decided to share what I've found.
Enjoy!!
Enjoy!!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Hazel wood
I know you are thinking of a tree right now. This is a hazel wood tree.
But this necklace is why I'm talking about hazel wood. I've known about the benefits of amber for a while. Both of my children have amber teething necklaces which have been shown to alleviate the symptoms of not only teething, but of osteoarthritis joint pain and sore muscles. I had purchased one for myself to help with my Lupus symptoms and was enjoying the results until my daughter broke the clasp when she was pulling on it in a raging fit. I need to get around to fixing it.
When I was online this past winter looking for amber bracelets for my mother in law for Christmas, I stumbled upon an amber/hazel wood necklace. Curious, I googled hazel wood and discovered that it helped out with eczema, cavities, GERD, and acid reflux. The reason being that it helps absorb acids from your body. You need to replace it every 3-6 months to maintain effectiveness. This made my heart jump. My son has horrible eczema on his arms, legs and starting on his face. We use the most sensitive soaps for detergents, body wash, and lotions. Things are almost always scent free. I've tried goats milk products, hydrocortizone creams, calendula lotions, etc. Nothing really seemed to touch it anymore. I had been eyeing a new line we got in at work that was designed to help with eczema. I was worried because nothing in the line was under $10. I want my son to be comfortable, but I wanted to buy him some birthday presents this month more.
So, I was happy to see that hazel wood necklaces with amber beads in them, started at around $14. They also aren't coming from as far away as the amber I have purchased in the past. I love the idea of buying Lithuanian amber, but I have no patience for international shipping. These necklaces are mostly being made in the Quebec province of Canada. I am only 5 hours away from the Canadian border to Quebec. So, I quickly purchased one this past week with lemon amber stones in it. My son has been wearing it since. He was sad to take off his other one and wanted to wear them both at the same time, but he didn't like them all tangled. I told him I would put his amber one on his dresser and if he wanted to wear it to let me know. The nice thing is that it looks more masculine than the amber one did. I've always been slightly offended when people made comments as to why my son was wearing a necklace. I'm hoping to see the effects of it soon. It's hard to not feel bad when your child has bumpy rough skin on their once so soft cheeks.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Tripping downstairs and Arnica gel
This past Tuesday evening, I had the fun and memorable experience of missing the last step on our back porch. I made my ankle do an L and found myself lying in the driveway crying. After a few minutes, I was able to get up and finish bringing in the bags of groceries into the house. After I put them away, I hobbled into the bathroom to observe the damage. My ankle was swelling up to the size of a naval orange. I immediately reached for the Arnica gel, slathered it on and wrapped it in an ace bandage.
The Arnica is the reason I'm writing this. Arnica cream or gel has been a mainstay in my life since I was a child. I can remember my mother pulling out a tube of Arnica and rubbing it daily on any play injuries I had. I have since done the same with my son. There was one day he was playing a game of flopping onto his toddler bed, when he missed the pillow and hit the headboard. His eyebrow was huge and black, yet with the daily treatments of my good ole Arnica, the bruise was gone within a week. I took it orally after I had my daughter and am now in need of a new tube. It's one of those things that I use that people give me looks when I tell them about it. Almost as though I was talking about eating ground up moon rocks. If ground up moon rocks helped heal bruises, I would try it.
The funny bit about Arnica is that if it is ingested in large amounts, it is toxic. There have been studies on the effects of Arnica on osteoarthritis and on bruising. They have resulted with it being favorable enough to continue use.
I personally will never give it up.
The Arnica is the reason I'm writing this. Arnica cream or gel has been a mainstay in my life since I was a child. I can remember my mother pulling out a tube of Arnica and rubbing it daily on any play injuries I had. I have since done the same with my son. There was one day he was playing a game of flopping onto his toddler bed, when he missed the pillow and hit the headboard. His eyebrow was huge and black, yet with the daily treatments of my good ole Arnica, the bruise was gone within a week. I took it orally after I had my daughter and am now in need of a new tube. It's one of those things that I use that people give me looks when I tell them about it. Almost as though I was talking about eating ground up moon rocks. If ground up moon rocks helped heal bruises, I would try it.
The funny bit about Arnica is that if it is ingested in large amounts, it is toxic. There have been studies on the effects of Arnica on osteoarthritis and on bruising. They have resulted with it being favorable enough to continue use.
I personally will never give it up.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Breastfeedings Biggest Myths
Since I joined an online community, I've been enjoying reading different stories and such that other moms have posted. What is really shocking to me is how many myths about breastfeeding there really are out there. Some of them have been passed on through family, others are passed on by Doctors and Nurses, and some by poorly educated lactation consultants. So I've decided to round up some of the biggest myths that I've come across, put them up here and debunk them.
1. You only make what you are able to pump.
This one is so very very wrong. You make much more than you are able to pump. Some mothers are able to pump several ounces and others are only able to pump a few, if any. This is not an indication of how much milk you are making. A breast pump is a marvelous invention, but it has one major drawback compared to how a baby nurses. It doesn't knead the milk ducts in your breast the way a baby does. It only sucks. When a baby nurses it both kneads and sucks. Any mother who doubts her milk production because of what she is able to pump, only needs to nurse her baby after a pumping session. Lean in and listen closely to the sounds your baby is making. You are most likely to hear the sound of swallowing as your baby taps into milk that was not released when pumping.
2. My milk never came in.
Granted there are some women who do have medical conditions and they really do not make milk. This is for the moms who never experience the burning sensation of engorgement from their milk coming in. My only question in return, is if the mother has been nursing their baby this whole time. There are some babies who drink so much that they actually drink everything their mother is making, so the mother never experiences the pain of engorgement. Every baby is different and once again all you have to do is listen to the sounds that baby is making while nursing and whether there are plenty of wet diapers. If there are, than your milk has come in and your baby is simply enjoying it so much and has saved you from engorgement.
3. My Supply is Gone.
This is a hard call to make on your own. There are many mothers who believe because they don't feel "full" all of the time that their supply is gone and that their baby is going to starve. Granted there are times, when baby throws a fit at the breast. This can be for a list of reasons. They are overtired, they are suffering growing pains, or they have gas pains. Sometimes, it is because they have had all that is in your breast and are still hungry. In these situations, the mother needs to drink more hydrating fluids (NO COFFEE or SODA) and continue to put baby to the breast. The more baby is put to the breast, the more milk will be made. The longer the baby is allowed to stay on one side, the more thoroughly the breast will be emptied and the more milk baby will get. The letting down mechanism in the breast works in waves. All the milk is not released at once. As the baby continue to nurses, different muscles squeeze different milk ducts, releasing more milk. If you pay attention you will notice it. Also it goes back to the basics of "Is baby wetting enough? Is baby Gaining?" if the answers are 'YES' than your supply is not gone.
Also, your breasts change feeling when you have been nursing for a while. They go from feeling firm all the time to soft. This simply means that your body has adjusted the supply to meet the demand of your baby. This also gives out the idea that your supply is low. There are supplements that you can take to increase your supply or keep a steady high supply.
-Mother's Milk tea
-Brewers Yeast
-Oatmeal
-Fenugreek tablets
-Lactation cookies
These are but a few that can be ingested to increase milk supply or help with a healthy supply.
4.Nurse for only 10mins on each side.
This is something that hospital lactation consultants say to new mothers, not to create that habit, but to get them used to nursing on each side. After nursing has been established, this trend needs to be adjusted. If you continue this trend, it will actually affect your milk supply. Baby needs to eat on each side until they are sated on that side. The habit of putting baby on the last breast that was nursed on last needs to be started. For example: baby started on the left and finished on the right during the last session. For the next session, baby needs to start on the right and finish on the left. This give each breast the chance to be fully emptied and for a true supply and demand system to function properly.
5 Your baby will starve because the supply does not meet the demand.
This is a lie. This is what mothers say to other mothers to make them give up or not try to nurse. I read a wonderful story about a mother who had only one functional breast and she breastfeed all of her children, including a set of twins. Saying this is like saying that you can only get a glass of water from a faucet. Every time you put baby to breast, you will make more of a milk supply for baby. Every time you turn on the faucet, you get more water out (unless the city shut off the water, but you get the idea.).
There has become this mentality of showing support to mothers who let themselves fail at breastfeeding. They are allowed to think that their half hearted attempt at nursing is ok. They shrug their shoulders and say "At least I tried." The worst part about this trend is that they tell their story to other moms who say they are thinking about nursing, which may make these expectant mothers think "Well it didn't work for them, maybe it won't work for me...". Then when they "fail" at nursing, there is a group of women who pat them on the back and all say "At least you tried." when really, they didn't. They did a half hearted attempt and spent less time and energy on finding a real answer then they did picking out their baby's last outfit. This is the destructive mentality that is out there, breeding and spreading like a wild weed.
1. You only make what you are able to pump.
This one is so very very wrong. You make much more than you are able to pump. Some mothers are able to pump several ounces and others are only able to pump a few, if any. This is not an indication of how much milk you are making. A breast pump is a marvelous invention, but it has one major drawback compared to how a baby nurses. It doesn't knead the milk ducts in your breast the way a baby does. It only sucks. When a baby nurses it both kneads and sucks. Any mother who doubts her milk production because of what she is able to pump, only needs to nurse her baby after a pumping session. Lean in and listen closely to the sounds your baby is making. You are most likely to hear the sound of swallowing as your baby taps into milk that was not released when pumping.
2. My milk never came in.
Granted there are some women who do have medical conditions and they really do not make milk. This is for the moms who never experience the burning sensation of engorgement from their milk coming in. My only question in return, is if the mother has been nursing their baby this whole time. There are some babies who drink so much that they actually drink everything their mother is making, so the mother never experiences the pain of engorgement. Every baby is different and once again all you have to do is listen to the sounds that baby is making while nursing and whether there are plenty of wet diapers. If there are, than your milk has come in and your baby is simply enjoying it so much and has saved you from engorgement.
3. My Supply is Gone.
This is a hard call to make on your own. There are many mothers who believe because they don't feel "full" all of the time that their supply is gone and that their baby is going to starve. Granted there are times, when baby throws a fit at the breast. This can be for a list of reasons. They are overtired, they are suffering growing pains, or they have gas pains. Sometimes, it is because they have had all that is in your breast and are still hungry. In these situations, the mother needs to drink more hydrating fluids (NO COFFEE or SODA) and continue to put baby to the breast. The more baby is put to the breast, the more milk will be made. The longer the baby is allowed to stay on one side, the more thoroughly the breast will be emptied and the more milk baby will get. The letting down mechanism in the breast works in waves. All the milk is not released at once. As the baby continue to nurses, different muscles squeeze different milk ducts, releasing more milk. If you pay attention you will notice it. Also it goes back to the basics of "Is baby wetting enough? Is baby Gaining?" if the answers are 'YES' than your supply is not gone.
Also, your breasts change feeling when you have been nursing for a while. They go from feeling firm all the time to soft. This simply means that your body has adjusted the supply to meet the demand of your baby. This also gives out the idea that your supply is low. There are supplements that you can take to increase your supply or keep a steady high supply.
-Mother's Milk tea
-Brewers Yeast
-Oatmeal
-Fenugreek tablets
-Lactation cookies
These are but a few that can be ingested to increase milk supply or help with a healthy supply.
4.Nurse for only 10mins on each side.
This is something that hospital lactation consultants say to new mothers, not to create that habit, but to get them used to nursing on each side. After nursing has been established, this trend needs to be adjusted. If you continue this trend, it will actually affect your milk supply. Baby needs to eat on each side until they are sated on that side. The habit of putting baby on the last breast that was nursed on last needs to be started. For example: baby started on the left and finished on the right during the last session. For the next session, baby needs to start on the right and finish on the left. This give each breast the chance to be fully emptied and for a true supply and demand system to function properly.
5 Your baby will starve because the supply does not meet the demand.
This is a lie. This is what mothers say to other mothers to make them give up or not try to nurse. I read a wonderful story about a mother who had only one functional breast and she breastfeed all of her children, including a set of twins. Saying this is like saying that you can only get a glass of water from a faucet. Every time you put baby to breast, you will make more of a milk supply for baby. Every time you turn on the faucet, you get more water out (unless the city shut off the water, but you get the idea.).
There has become this mentality of showing support to mothers who let themselves fail at breastfeeding. They are allowed to think that their half hearted attempt at nursing is ok. They shrug their shoulders and say "At least I tried." The worst part about this trend is that they tell their story to other moms who say they are thinking about nursing, which may make these expectant mothers think "Well it didn't work for them, maybe it won't work for me...". Then when they "fail" at nursing, there is a group of women who pat them on the back and all say "At least you tried." when really, they didn't. They did a half hearted attempt and spent less time and energy on finding a real answer then they did picking out their baby's last outfit. This is the destructive mentality that is out there, breeding and spreading like a wild weed.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Doing the Math....
There has been a lot of disturbing news that has reached my ears lately. A lot of numbers about how much families are being affected by the economic crisis and most sadly, how they are reacting to it.
There have been two studies that have recently come out reporting on what parents are doing and how it is affecting their children. The first to come out stated that 1 in 3 families were struggling to buy diapers and that parents were resorting to reusing diapers. They do this by putting just the wet diapers on a radiator or use a hair dryer, to dry up the gel again and then reuse it on their little one.
The second report just came out recently on how 1 in 8 families is watering down formula because they cannot afford to buy formula. This is resulting in the babies suffering from a disorder known as "Failure to Thrive". Meaning baby is not progressing mentally or physically the way it should be.
This is disturbing as a parent. I am grateful and feel very blessed that I have been able to breastfeed both of my children and that my husband has had no qualms with cloth diapering. Yet, as a breastfeeding, cloth diapering mother, I wondered. How much is formula? How much are disposables? I see the prices listed on the shelves at the store, but that doesn't give me any idea of how much it would cost if that were my only option. So, I sat down with a calculator and a pencil and did some math.
This is just a calculator created scale. I am not part of the AAP nor do I know all of the recommendations for formula feeding. Having said that, here we go...
Prices for formula can run between $12.88 - $24.99 depending on the brand you buy. This is for 12.4oz containers that make 90oz of mixed formula. According to what I have read, a baby needs 2.5oz per pound of body weight, per day.
The following is a estimation of prices per MONTH using a baby that starts at 6lbs (newborn) and is 24lbs (1year).
6lbs - 15 oz per day : $64.40 - $124.95
12lbs - 30 oz per day : $128.80 - $249.90
18lbs - 45oz per day : $193.20 - $374.15
24lbs - 60oz per day : $257.60 - $499.10
Now say that baby is drinking those amounts for 3 months, that would make the cost of formula for this baby, for the YEAR : $1932. - $3743.6 .
Now lets add in the average amounts that parents spend on disposables, which we know to be between $1500. - $2000. (for two years).
That makes :$6864. - $11487. for disposable diapers and formula for 2 years.
It's so hard to look at those numbers when you know that you can feed your baby for free and spend as little as $86 to diaper your child from birth to potty training.
Green aside for a moment. Think of this economically. As in "What could you do with a few extra thousand in your wallet each year?" This clarifies why there are government aid programs, such as WIC and why some health insurance companies cover formula. Obviously it is essential when that is the babies only source of nourishment, as the parents have decided that formula feeding is easier.
But when you consider that even though there is government aid out there, parents are still torn between buying diapers and food, formula and utilities.
If every mother was given a breast pump after she had her baby, was taught by a good lactation consultant how to breastfeed and then taught how to pump and store milk. She may never have to buy a ounce of formula. If that same parent put aside the poop fear and used cloth diapers, she would never have to debate between a box of diapers and groceries, clothes for her children, gas for her car. These problems wouldn't be completely gone, but the burden would be lessened.
But....No One makes money off of Breastfeeding and Cloth Diapers the way they do Formula and Disposables.
There have been two studies that have recently come out reporting on what parents are doing and how it is affecting their children. The first to come out stated that 1 in 3 families were struggling to buy diapers and that parents were resorting to reusing diapers. They do this by putting just the wet diapers on a radiator or use a hair dryer, to dry up the gel again and then reuse it on their little one.
The second report just came out recently on how 1 in 8 families is watering down formula because they cannot afford to buy formula. This is resulting in the babies suffering from a disorder known as "Failure to Thrive". Meaning baby is not progressing mentally or physically the way it should be.
This is disturbing as a parent. I am grateful and feel very blessed that I have been able to breastfeed both of my children and that my husband has had no qualms with cloth diapering. Yet, as a breastfeeding, cloth diapering mother, I wondered. How much is formula? How much are disposables? I see the prices listed on the shelves at the store, but that doesn't give me any idea of how much it would cost if that were my only option. So, I sat down with a calculator and a pencil and did some math.
This is just a calculator created scale. I am not part of the AAP nor do I know all of the recommendations for formula feeding. Having said that, here we go...
Prices for formula can run between $12.88 - $24.99 depending on the brand you buy. This is for 12.4oz containers that make 90oz of mixed formula. According to what I have read, a baby needs 2.5oz per pound of body weight, per day.
The following is a estimation of prices per MONTH using a baby that starts at 6lbs (newborn) and is 24lbs (1year).
6lbs - 15 oz per day : $64.40 - $124.95
12lbs - 30 oz per day : $128.80 - $249.90
18lbs - 45oz per day : $193.20 - $374.15
24lbs - 60oz per day : $257.60 - $499.10
Now say that baby is drinking those amounts for 3 months, that would make the cost of formula for this baby, for the YEAR : $1932. - $3743.6 .
Now lets add in the average amounts that parents spend on disposables, which we know to be between $1500. - $2000. (for two years).
That makes :$6864. - $11487. for disposable diapers and formula for 2 years.
It's so hard to look at those numbers when you know that you can feed your baby for free and spend as little as $86 to diaper your child from birth to potty training.
Green aside for a moment. Think of this economically. As in "What could you do with a few extra thousand in your wallet each year?" This clarifies why there are government aid programs, such as WIC and why some health insurance companies cover formula. Obviously it is essential when that is the babies only source of nourishment, as the parents have decided that formula feeding is easier.
But when you consider that even though there is government aid out there, parents are still torn between buying diapers and food, formula and utilities.
If every mother was given a breast pump after she had her baby, was taught by a good lactation consultant how to breastfeed and then taught how to pump and store milk. She may never have to buy a ounce of formula. If that same parent put aside the poop fear and used cloth diapers, she would never have to debate between a box of diapers and groceries, clothes for her children, gas for her car. These problems wouldn't be completely gone, but the burden would be lessened.
But....No One makes money off of Breastfeeding and Cloth Diapers the way they do Formula and Disposables.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
The Twin Dilemma (edited)
Twins have been on my mind a lot lately. No, I'm not pregnant with twins. Though I would be up for the challenge. No, what I've been wondering though is why are so many twin births c-sections? Why are so many twins born so prematurely that they have to stay in the NICU for months? Are all twin pregnancies that cursed?
A study I read stated that 50% of all twins are born via section. According to an side bit I read in 'The Week', twins have been on the rise since 1982. Partly due to IVF and now 1 out of 30 births is a twin birth.
That is astounding.
I understand that there are risks with twins that are not there with a single birth. The mother is more prone to high blood pressure, if they share a placenta there is a risk of deterioration, the position of the twins, etc. But for most twins to be born before 37 weeks is jaw dropping. 37 weeks is usually the magical number that most OB/GYN's want you to wait until having your scheduled section or induction. That seems like a very high risk on the babies part to force them into a world they are not ready for. Do the risks of keeping them inside outweigh the risks of them being born and being in a NICU with oxygen tubes, feeding tubes, UV lamps, incubators, and heaven knows what else? Then there is the issue of the mother herself. If twins run in her family naturally, than she may already be physically capable of carrying twins to term without complications. Yet, if she is a mother who had an IVF done, then there could be a host of things that are now in that kettle along with the complications that occur naturally with twins. We are talking age and health mostly. I'm not saying she shouldn't be trying to have children. I stating that she may not of been physically capable to carry twins.
In a documentary on birth I was watching, there was a statement made that the older the medical book, the more informative it is on how births were attended and how mothers dealt with them. One Doctor wrote of an experience where he was called to help with a birth and when he arrived there were 2 sets of feet hanging out of the mother. He had to discern which ones went together, push one pair of feet back in and then birth them separately. Of course, being the time it was, sections were not common and not practiced. If birthing/carrying twins is that dangerous, did that many mothers/babies die that we didn't know about? What is the mortality rate today? Hopefully there isn't one, but that is almost like hoping the ocean isn't as salty as others have said it to be.
What baffles me greatly, is that I have seen and read natural birth stories of twins being born at home or in a hospital, so it does happen. But not often enough. Everyone is now used to hearing about twins being born and weighing less than 5lbs. That has become accepted as the norm with twins, because of how they are being brought into the world. Yet, when you hear the stories of twins who were allowed to wait until they were ready (due) they come into the world over 5lbs. One story I heard, they were both 8lbs. What a healthy baby should weigh. When a single baby comes into the world at 5lbs or less, everyone worries if the baby is sick, if the mother was ill, or if there were severe complications during the pregnancy. Once you mention they were twins, there is a sudden sigh of relief. "Oh, well that explains it."
How does that explain it? Why is that a relief? The babies still had to spend time in the NICU being treated the same way a single baby that weight would be treated. Why is it OKAY with us? Where did this mindset come from? Is it part of the "Heaven forbid she have to have them vaginally." syndrome that seems to overcome some of us?
I simply cannot understand how our twins must be treated this way and the blas'e mindset that comes with it.
Twins are always premature, they are always small and that is just how it is.
What a sad thing to think and believe.
A study I read stated that 50% of all twins are born via section. According to an side bit I read in 'The Week', twins have been on the rise since 1982. Partly due to IVF and now 1 out of 30 births is a twin birth.
That is astounding.
I understand that there are risks with twins that are not there with a single birth. The mother is more prone to high blood pressure, if they share a placenta there is a risk of deterioration, the position of the twins, etc. But for most twins to be born before 37 weeks is jaw dropping. 37 weeks is usually the magical number that most OB/GYN's want you to wait until having your scheduled section or induction. That seems like a very high risk on the babies part to force them into a world they are not ready for. Do the risks of keeping them inside outweigh the risks of them being born and being in a NICU with oxygen tubes, feeding tubes, UV lamps, incubators, and heaven knows what else? Then there is the issue of the mother herself. If twins run in her family naturally, than she may already be physically capable of carrying twins to term without complications. Yet, if she is a mother who had an IVF done, then there could be a host of things that are now in that kettle along with the complications that occur naturally with twins. We are talking age and health mostly. I'm not saying she shouldn't be trying to have children. I stating that she may not of been physically capable to carry twins.
In a documentary on birth I was watching, there was a statement made that the older the medical book, the more informative it is on how births were attended and how mothers dealt with them. One Doctor wrote of an experience where he was called to help with a birth and when he arrived there were 2 sets of feet hanging out of the mother. He had to discern which ones went together, push one pair of feet back in and then birth them separately. Of course, being the time it was, sections were not common and not practiced. If birthing/carrying twins is that dangerous, did that many mothers/babies die that we didn't know about? What is the mortality rate today? Hopefully there isn't one, but that is almost like hoping the ocean isn't as salty as others have said it to be.
What baffles me greatly, is that I have seen and read natural birth stories of twins being born at home or in a hospital, so it does happen. But not often enough. Everyone is now used to hearing about twins being born and weighing less than 5lbs. That has become accepted as the norm with twins, because of how they are being brought into the world. Yet, when you hear the stories of twins who were allowed to wait until they were ready (due) they come into the world over 5lbs. One story I heard, they were both 8lbs. What a healthy baby should weigh. When a single baby comes into the world at 5lbs or less, everyone worries if the baby is sick, if the mother was ill, or if there were severe complications during the pregnancy. Once you mention they were twins, there is a sudden sigh of relief. "Oh, well that explains it."
How does that explain it? Why is that a relief? The babies still had to spend time in the NICU being treated the same way a single baby that weight would be treated. Why is it OKAY with us? Where did this mindset come from? Is it part of the "Heaven forbid she have to have them vaginally." syndrome that seems to overcome some of us?
I simply cannot understand how our twins must be treated this way and the blas'e mindset that comes with it.
Twins are always premature, they are always small and that is just how it is.
What a sad thing to think and believe.
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