Endless Rhetoric and Such....

Bradley Reborn

2010-11-30T08:48:00.001-07:00

Alrighty.....I am SO EXCITED to share about the updating of Bradley!

As you may know, I taught Bradley many years ago. I left because of it's outdated materials and general lack of concern for working with OB's and CNMs.

Well, NO MORE. That has all changed with Bradley Reborn!!! Take a look at their blog....with their new website just days away from being launched!!! On this link below you can see some of their new materials, workbook, etc. as well as participate in the "Hot Topic" discussions for the day.

I will be telling you all more about Bradley Reborn in the days to come!!! :) Big news on the home-front!!!

WWW.BRADLEYREBORN.COM

ENJOY!!!

Vaginal Birth After 3 C-sections

2010-03-04T11:16:00.017-07:00

I met John and Christy about 4 and a half years ago. Their family lived across the street and our kids were instant friends. We both homeschool our kids, eat healthy, love the Lord and love being with our family! Our family has been blessed by these dear friends.

Christy had her first baby by cesarean section, after she "failed to progress" in labor. Her second baby, an attempted VBAC, was induced and although Christy labored to 9 cm, she was given another cesarean. She was also only given a single-layer stitch in her uterus, thus complicating any hope of the next baby being a vaginal birth after c-section.
With her third baby, Christy could not find a supportive attendant for her to VBAC. She had a repeat cesarean section.

6 years after her third child was born, Christy was thrilled to be expecting another child! The Lord was blessing their family with another precious life.

One could say that Christy's VBAC research spanned the course of 10+ years. She was well versed on VBACs and planned to seek out a supportive OBGYN as well as a midwife for this birth. It took a while to interview, scratch off the list and re-interview potential doctors and midwives; but Christy persisted and finally found an OBGYN who believed she could VBAC safely...AND a homebirth midwife with VBAMC experience. Things were coming together!
Despite all the "your going to die..." and "your baby will die..." encouraging words, John and Christy kept their faith. God made her body to birth this baby. She can do it...safely. Their continuing research and education lasted throughout the pregnancy and even into labor. They based their decision on solid facts instead of fear and liability concerns.

I have included many photos from the pregnancy and birth. Some of the pictures I took and some were taken by my cousin Dawn, a fabulous photographer. (i.e. All the really good ones she took!)
Please read the comments from Christy's perspective directly after all the pictures.

The home visit!!!

My two littles loved feeling the baby move.

All the kids wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat.

One of the midwives feeling the baby's position.

John givin Christy some LOVE :)

The day before her due date, Christy started labor.

Early labor on day 1.

A quick family photo in between contractions!!!

The last few hours with a baby belly.

YES. We are all playing Wii :)
What better way to help labor along?!

After a few hours of Wii and hanging out, I went home. Things were slowing down and I was hoping John and Christy could get some sleep.

Day 2, after contractions through the night. They would pick up in time and intensity for a few hours and then slow back down again. Christy (well, ALL of us) ate quite well during labor, thanks to her fabulous mother-in-law who was in the kitchen cooking delicious, authentic Chinese food for days on end!

The bedroom ready for a birth. Beautiful.

Maddie helping get the pool ready.

Things are beginning to get more intense.

Between these two pictures, two and a half days passed. Contractions continued during the night, very intense, and spaced out during the daytime hours.

Day 5 of a start and stop labor.

The first internal exam was on day 5. It revealed a very thin cervix but only about 2cm dilation. There was scar tissue that prevented the cervix from opening. The midwife massaged the tissue and Christy immediately went to 5 cm.

So we turned on some 70s party music ("Dancing Queen") and climbed/danced up and down the stairs.

Christy was AWESOME.

The contractions got very strong and one on top of the other. YEAH.

The midwife checked the cervix again and found that it was still having trouble getting past that scar tissue. After some more massage, Christy hit 7 and then 8cm...and transition.

Ah. The water. Perfect for times such as these.

After several hours in the pool, the midwife checked the cervix again. It had gone down to 5cm. Back on the birth stool for more massage and cervix holding. The contractions during these hours were very long and strong, and Christy was relaxing well.

Hard labor.

Several more hours past. The midwife had Christy begin pushing when her cervix was complete. She was on the birthstool, then in the pool for about 2+hours pushing with all her might.

The midwife had Christy get back on the stool to check her progress. Her cervix had again gone back down to 7 cm.

At this point, Christy had been up laboring for almost 6 days. Although well nourished, she was exhausted. Transition was coming yet again (this would be her THIRD transition during the birth). It was suggested she go into the hospital to her OB and get an epidural. Then she could sleep before having to push again. After some deliberation, this was decided as the plan of action needed. I went with her and John to the hospital, as did the assistant midwife.

A heart wrenching choice to make, even in such circumstances. She had gone WAY beyond the call of duty and her body needed some relief. Pain in labor is one thing, but the suffering of a complicated birth is another

At the hospital we got the BEST nurse. She was so excited for Christy and her VBA3C! The nurse helped get fluids in ASAP so Christy could get an epidural. I must say, she had the best epi I have ever seen. She could move around and feel pressure, but no pain.
Christy's doctor was out of town and the doctor on call was an older gentleman who "never allows VBACs"...he sat at the monitor continuously, giving us such jewels as, "I have to watch every contraction because your uterus could blow at any moment and someone will die". Thankfully, John and Christy are well educated enough to blow off such comments and focus on the task at hand. To the doctors credit, he did "allow" Christy to labor for a while instead of immediately going to the OR. He was far out of his comfort zone.

Transition #3. Back to 91/2 cm! This was right before the epidural.

Aaahhh. Such sweet relief! Just what she needed!

Things went fast from this moment on. Christy was fully dilated and pushing. She could push so well with her contractions and we could see her baby's head!!! The awesome nurse was cheering her on as she pushed with all her might.
She pushed this way for about 20-25 minutes.
At this point the OB came back in the room and checked her cervix. He said she has made zero progress...the baby has not moved down. He said he would give her a few minutes, go get the forceps, and try and get this baby out.
Otherwise, to the OR she will go.
Christy pushed and PUSHED. She was strong and stoic, determined to have this baby vaginally. The baby had moved down to a +1 station!
Dr. Wonderful (I use extreme dripping sarcasm here) walks in with the forceps. He says that this is the last chance...if he cannot get the baby out with forceps, the baby is not coming out. Although not in the birth plan, a vaginal forceps birth is better than a c-section; so John and Christy agree.
The doctor tries to deliver the baby, to no avail.
He takes the forceps out and says that it is time to go to the OR. Nurses that had been in the front of the room flood in to prep Christy. There was little time to digest this turn of events. Just moments before, Christy was being told we could see her baby's head.

They left through the big double doors, headed to the OR for her 4th cesarean. I retreated to the waiting room to process.

Beckett Daniel. A beautiful, healthy baby boy!!!

Christy in recovery, meeting her precious baby boy that she worked so hard for!

John holding Beckett.
I'm thinking he wants Mama :)

Several weeks later, Dawn came over to do some newborn/family pictures:

The girls!

One happy family!!!

Big sis.

Welcome, Baby Beckett.

There is just so much to emotionally and psychologically process after this birth. Here it is, 5 months later, and I still have so many questions, thoughts, and feelings.

What if's abound.

This I know:
Christy made an unpopular choice, but a brave and educated one. She stood for her beliefs and her choices in the face of adversity. She is one of the strongest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and it was an honor to attend her birth. She proved the safety of attempting a vaginal birth after multiple cesareans. After 6 days her uterus was still strong and the baby was perfect.
Being "allowed" a trial of labor after multiple cesareans should be commonplace in our hospitals and homes.

The birth from Christy's perspective.....

“When I look back on my most recent birth experience, I have a lot of mixed emotion. I was desperate to be given the chance to VBAC after three previous cesareans, all of which I was convinced were unnecessary. After the first unnecessary section, a failed VBAC, and then a forced scheduled section, I was determined to be given an opportunity to try again. Unfortunately, I was deemed crazy by the medical community, and ironically, “untouchable” by the homebirth community, based on laws in my state dictating HBACs. Miraculously, my prenatal midwife finally agreed to attend my birth at home. You cannot imagine how thrilled I was to be given an opportunity I had been told was virtually impossible. My hope skyrocketed, and I began dreaming of the wonderful, peaceful birth I would have in my birthpool in my own bedroom. I planned down to the last detail and couldn’t wait for labor to begin.

I will not go into detail about my labor, which was more grueling than I ever imagined (all SIX days of it). To my great disappointment, after so many days of labor, more than 24 hours of which were very intense, I was ultimately transported to the hospital at the suggestion of my midwives. I was incredibly torn about this decision, as it signaled utter defeat and failure in my mind. I was given the chance to labor a bit more in the hospital, pushing for an hour or two (thanks to an angel of a nurse, and despite fierce protestation by the on-call OB), but ultimately gave birth by the cesarean I so desperately wanted to avoid.

My primary struggle is whether or not this fourth cesarean was necessary, and what would have happened had I stayed at home. It brings up questions all over again about the necessity of the first three. While my dear friend (and doula) along with both midwives assure me the decision to transport was the right one, I remain unsure in my own heart. I fear I will always wonder if I gave up, or was once again robbed by the hospital of my dream to deliver a baby vaginally. I still feel pain when I hear stories about other women having successful homebirths. The bottom line, however, is this: Would I trade my labor experience if I had known the outcome ahead of time? Not a chance! Regardless of the outcome and my ensuing struggle, I am so thankful I was given another chance to try.

My message to any woman wondering if she should try to VBAC or HBAC is a resounding YES! I realized from the beginning that I was never guaranteed the outcome I wanted. I am just grateful I had the experience and would encourage anyone else to fight for their right to labor the way they want. Despite the fear tactics you will undoubtedly encounter, and potential overwhelming “odds” against finding a practitioner willing to let you have this experience, don’t give up! It was worth every minute of pain and I would do it all again. “

Revisiting the Past

2009-11-06T23:44:00.000-07:00

I know this will opinion will be opposed by many of my dear friends, but I feel the need to write anyway. It has been weighing on my mind for some time now; and after a frank discussion with my older kids it rekindled the fire within me.

A year or so ago we learned about slavery. The boys were VERY upset and even spend many nights crying for those who were enslaved. They could not understand WHY. "WHY Mom?" Nothing I could say made sense to them (of course). I told them that 'back then' people had different views of other people and cared more about their own comfort and profit than another person's life.

Fast forward till a few weeks ago. We were in the car and the kids heard a commercial on the radio that mentioned the word "abortion". Having never heard it before they began to question. I tentatively answered them with vague definitions until my 2nd, always the bold speaker, asked me why I was not telling them the whole story. I did relent and go into further detail (still holding back a great deal) explaining what it was and why a mom would do it. Kell was shocked. SHOCKED. He asked if these doctors were all in prison. "No sweetheart. They are not. The government says it is legal and okay to abort living babies." Well. That opened the floodgate. Many questions and discussions later my children posed this question:

"What is the difference between slavery long ago and killing a baby"?

I had never thought of these two subjects as being relevant to one another. As I mulled over the answer it seemed to fall into place. The arguments for slavery back in the day are the same arguments we hear for the right to abort a child. One could use the term "slave" or "abortion" interchangeably in the following sentences:

Those who appose slavery/abortion do not have to participate. Only those who feel morally comfortable with their choice should own slaves/have an abortion.

Freeing slaves/having an unwanted child would flood society with social problems. A slave would not know what to do with him/herself and would put undue pressure on society as a whole to care for them. Same with those unwanted babies. They would rather be aborted than to possibly face difficult lives just like a slave feels "safer" being a slave.

Black people are not quite human. Unborn babies are not quite human. (This being the crutch of both issues it is a heinous statement and yet one that is repeated about unborn babies every single day (as it was about slaves) in order to make the crime "okay".)

Economically it is great to have slaves. Economically it is okay to abort and many times the wisest choice.

My kids brought out this comparison and I thought about it and researched it to be able to articulate the glaring similarities. Apparently these things have been debated before; I just had not seen/heard it until my logical, justice searching children mentioned them. They saw the same reasons given for slavery apply to having an abortion.

Will our grandchildren's grandchildren one day be discussing the fallacies of our past and be as horrified of abortion as we are of slavery? Will they question WHY would anyone allow such treatment of another human being simply for their own gain?
I think they will.
I know they will.

the birth of Stella Claire 7 lbs. 9 ounces

2009-10-21T14:48:00.010-06:00

*****UPDATE******
You can watch the professional slideshow of this birth, made by my cousin Dawn by clicking HERE.
Below I tell the story and give a few pictures as well, but none like hers!!!

Ohhhh.....this was just the sweetest birth!

I met Megan several years ago through my cousin Dawn. One of the first things she said to me was, "You are that crazy girl who births at home, aren't you?!"
Guilty as charged.
I liked Megan from that first moment! She speaks her mind, is so in touch with herself and her honesty is SO refreshing. I naturally invited her to see "Business of Being Born" a few years back when it was released, and she actually agreed to go (even knowing I was trying to indoctrinate her! Brave chick!) That movie began to change the way she viewed birth.

Fast forward a few years.....she is expecting a third daughter! We talked throughout the pregnancy and she was toying with the idea of homebirth, but still not sure it was right for her. Around 33 weeks of pregnancy she and Rick decided to take the plunge into the world of homebirth, waterbirth and midwives! Scary....and yet exciting.
She asked me to be her doula and I felt so honored to be a part of this birth.

"Due date".....September 27th. It came and it went.

A week past.

Two weeks past.

Two and a half weeks past.

Megan was beginning to question it all. WHY was this happening? Through her soul searching she found the strength to trust her body and her baby and allow it to happen when/how it was supposed to happen. Each day she found new courage to continue on this path. She was amazing.

At 17 days "post dates" I got the call.....she was hesitant to say it, but she thought things were beginning to happen! I arrived around 9 pm on Wednesday, October 14th to a laboring Megan. Now, she was not so sure it was labor; I think she was in such denial because she was "going to be pregnant forever"!!! We walked around and chatted as her contractions came and went. She dealt with them so well it was hard to tell when they started and stopped!
Laura, the midwife arrived. She was an instant blessing to the house with her wit, knowledge and encouragement.
Megan's labor picked up in intensity with every contraction. We could see that she was well on her way to birth...but she was still not quite so sure. Denial can be a great thing in labor!

Meg would have a very strong contraction and immediately "fall to the floor" in her words. Wherever she happened to be standing when the contraction began she would go to the floor. She commented that it was nice being in your own home and able to do this. A hospital floor would never be so comforting...nor would the idea even cross her mind to lay down there! Rick was there for her every step of the way; encouraging her, loving her and doing some great head/feet massages!

Laura and I also noticed that Megan would have a very strong contraction (even in transition) and then end it with a little "giggle". WHAT? We asked why she would goggle like this being in "pain"......she said, "Because I just cannot believe it is happening and I am doing it"!!! So great!

Megan moved to the pool around transition and remained there until Stella was born. Meg was able to catch her own baby with her own hands and bring her to her chest. Powerful! This is one amazing family that I was privileged to work with!

The baby exam revealed that Stella was NOT 18 days "past due" at all.
On the contrary.
They said the latest gestational age she could be was 39 weeks and 1 day. So what would have happened if Megan had been induced by her OB two and a half weeks ago? Would her body have "worked" or would she have "had" to have a c-section? (if a moms body is not ready, it will not give birth).
Would Stella have had trouble breathing since she would have been 36 1/2 weeks along instead of full term? Would an NICU stay have occurred?
Thankfully the midwives were patient and carefully watched Megan and her baby (through several ultrasounds) and noted that everything looked perfectly normal. They waited until Stella was ready; not just when they were ready.

The midwife has just arrived and is listening to the baby. Megan is in denial that labor has really begun...little did she know that less than 3 hours later she would be holding her daughter!

Active labor

A nice foot massage from the Hubster while chatting with the midwives.

Rick and Megan, relaxing during active labor.

As the mother of 5 sons I just HAD to take pictures of the girlie hats!!! Adorable!!!

The birthing pool set up in Meg's bedroom.

Ahhh.....the pool. Midwives listening to baby and mom relaxing...aaahhhh.

The joys of transition.

Rick was SO awesome during the birth. He supported Megan every minute, even during the hard times.

Sleeping in between pushes.....

This Mama caught her own daughter as she was born!

Falling in love with Stella.

No caption needed....

WHY?

2009-08-31T12:56:00.002-06:00

Why won't hospitals allow a mom to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)?

Why can a mom not push out her breech baby?

HERE is an interview with an OBGYN in California who is under fire for allowing hi clients to do these two things. Read it to see in the window of why hospitals and doctors do what they do...if you dare. A hint: it is not based on safety.

Placenta for dinner?!

2009-07-06T11:18:00.002-06:00

THIS is a hysterical article written by a husband whose wife ate her placenta after it was made into pill form.

A a non-placenta eater, I found this very comical and almost sounding like a good idea.

Almost.

And do not forget to watch the little video clip. This guy cracks me up!!!

Repeat cesarean consent form for an OB

2009-05-25T23:12:00.003-06:00

This is a FABULOUS consent form for an OB to sign if he/she is forcing a mom to undergo major abdominal surgery (cesarean) and not allowing mom to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). FINALLY someone can confront a doc with the risks of such a procedure.
I did not write it. A brilliant lady wrote it and is so generous to share!

A Different Kind of Consent Form
I am so irate at the lack of patient choice and the asinine mentality of doctors here. I am very, very frustrated. So, I thought I would vent some of that frustration by doing something semi-constructive. To that end, I wrote my own consent form. After all, if the doctor wants me to sign theirs, they should sign mine first.

Here 'tis.

I, the undersigned physician, have, in violation of the Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, the Patient Self Determination Act, the ethical guidelines of the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Constitutional Law (the right to privacy and self determination protected by the 1st and 14th amendments), international tort law, and case law (of particular interest "In re A.C.", 1987, "In re Fetus Brown, 689 N.E.2d 397, 400 (Ill. App. Ct. 1997)", and "In re Baby Boy Doe, 632 N.E.2d 326 (Ill. App. Ct. 1994)") and the Patient Rights as determined by this institution, deprived my client,________________, of her right to self determination and her right to bodily integrity by ignoring her repeated refusal for delivery by repeat cesarean section. I acknowledge that by refusing to honor my client's denial of consent, I have not only violated the above laws, but I also affirm that I have used unwarranted and unethical pressure including emotional threats to my client's and her unborn child's life and safety, in my attempts to obtain such consent. I further affirm that I have stressed the risks of vaginal birth after cesarean, but neglected to inform my patient of the risks of delivery by repeat cesarean section. I further affirm that I understand, that should I resort to physical force, including but not limited to physical or chemical restraints to compel my client's cooperation, I will be guilty of criminal battery, which is defined as "any form of non-consensual touching or treatment that occurs in a medical setting".

In compensation for the above violations of my client's rights, I hereby guarantee the following:

a healthy baby, born in perfect condition, with no physical, mental or developmental defecits whatsoever, whether arising from surgery or any other cause

no complications for the infant, including but not limited to: persistent pulmonary hypertension, transient tachypnea of the newborn, respiratory distress syndrome, iatrogenic prematurity, lacerations, or hematoma

a speedy, uncomplicated post-operative recovery for my client. Specifically, I guarantee that my client shall not experience nerve damage, organ damage, hemorrhage (whether sufficient to require transfusion or not), disability or disfigurement, intraoperative or postoperative infection of the wound or surrounding skin and tissues, post partum depression and post partum post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other conditions not listed here.

Signed,

Families share their birth stories...SO GOOD!!!

2009-05-12T17:02:00.001-06:00

Midwifery model of care vs.....the other 'care'

2009-01-21T21:48:00.002-07:00

It must be that moms just DO NOT KNOW. They do not know what they are missing.

HERE is a quick read article written by a mom who has two children. One with a typical, busy OBGYN/CNM practice (ended with a C-section) and the other baby born under the Midwifery Model of Care. Read the difference. You might be pleasantly surprised!

I am working on a post concerning my little poll to the right....but I am having trouble keeping it short, sweet and to the point! So perhaps one day I will actually post my rebuttal.

Article's by Doctors Regarding Birth

2009-01-14T20:58:00.002-07:00

Interesting. Two doctors, two very different points of view.

HERE is a typical MD, dishing on homebirths and 'patients' who want a say in their own medical care. (gasp!) His statement? "I often believe that patients don't have the capabilities to make proper decisions about their clinical options. When the issue is childbirth, excuse me, patients

are often nuts. Just witness the epidemic of home childbirths!"

Don't EVEN get me started on that one.

HERE is a Marsden Wagner, a Perinatologist no less, that world for the WHO (World Health Organization). Read what he is saying about births...and compare. Which guy would YOU like at your birth???

Birth Slideshow

2008-12-23T09:05:00.002-07:00

HERE is a stunning slideshow of a labor/birth by a professional photographer. She really captures the JOY of giving birth!

Beware...you will want to have another baby after seeing this :)

Written by an MD

2008-12-18T15:24:00.001-07:00

"By treating childbirth as a disease, the obstetrician makes his
intervention indispensable. If obstetricians acknowledged the fact that
more than ninety-five percent of births proceed entirely without
complications, more than ninety-five percent of their services would be
recognized as unnecessary. That would mean a lot fewer obstetricians - as
well as healthier families. Instead, what we have is childbirth taking place
in an operating room. Of course, it may not be a bad idea to have all
hospital births occur in an operating room, since hospital births are a lot
more dangerous. Babies born in the hospital are six times more likely to
suffer distress during labor and delivery, eight times more likely to get
caught in the birth canal, four times more likely to need resuscitation,
four times more likely to become infected, and thirty times more likely to
be permanently injured. Their mothers are three times more likely to
hemorrhage."

"Confessions of a Medical Heretic" by Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD

LOVIN this birth story :)

2008-11-28T19:41:00.001-07:00

I loved THIS birth story.

What a woman...doing what she was meant to do.

So much for a 'marginal pelvis' and CPD.

Docs, GIVE US A CHANCE.

Birth Center in DC

2008-09-09T19:00:00.001-06:00

HERE is a wonderful story about a midwife in Washington DC who opened a birth center for low-income moms.

The national infant mortality rate is about 6.8 deaths per 1,000 live births...and in Washington DC the rate is DOUBLE that and 12.2 deaths per 1,000 live births.

There is NO EXCUSE for such a travesty.

So this 81 year old midwife decided to spend more time with her clients and be there for them. So these moms on medicaid (considered 'high risk' just for that and their social status) have been receiving midwifery care for the past 8 years. And what do you know, the infant mortality rate has lowered and the premature baby rate has been sliced in half.

Proof that midwifery care is superior and time spent with clients can make all the difference in whether a child lives or dies.

This midwife is a wonderful example to us all!!!

media

2008-09-09T11:54:00.000-06:00

A News Story here in Paradise about homebirthin...

Interesting...

2008-09-08T15:22:00.004-06:00

...the little poll I have going on the right hand side of this page about homebirth. I cannot wait till it is over and we see how moms are thinking/feeling.

I sincerely DO wonder why more moms do not choose homebirth. SERIOUSLY. So for me this is pretty interesting.

Speaking of birth :)

Let's take a look-see at the newest gadget to hit the hospital market for laboring moms.

As if the internal fetal monitor (a screw put into the baby's head) is not barbaric enough for our baby's head.

As if the vacuum extractor (the name gives the use away) is not barbaric enough for our infant's skull.

As if the forceps (metal salad tongs) are not crushing enough for our baby's fragile brain.

They need to torture mom a bit more here...so they came up with THIS.

As if the episiotomy is not barbaric enough.

As if the countless vaginal exams (some moms refer to them as 'birth rape') are not enough.

WAIT A SEC.

The docs have FOR YEARS defended the hourly vaginal exam. They need to know that information, right? It helps them better manage moms labor, right? I mean, they HAVE to chart it, right?

Well, then why do they feel the need to come up with a 'better' option? Are they admitting that moms hate the exam, that the exam causes more infections, that the exam can give false information, that the exam can break the bag of waters to early, that the exam is NOT going to tell you when the bay is coming....??????? Cause if not, then why would they invent this Birth Track garbage in the first place?

Perhaps they want all the information "given" during the exam WITHOUT having to take the time to come into the hospital, wash the hands, get a glove on, make small talk with the family, torture mom...er, dig into mom to find the cervix and measure dilation, effacement and station.

In other words, they want machines to replace personal care.

AGAIN.

We have seen this with the electronic fetal monitor. Doctors and nurses cannot be bothered to check the baby's heart rate manually so they invent a machine that replaces the need for a human. A machine, might I add, that has TRIPLED the cesarean rate over the past few decades without lowering the infant death rate. (for those of you who may not understand...the EFM has not helped save any babies lives statistically in the past 3 decades. The infant death rate is the same and even HIGHER than before the EFM was introduced)

So many moms have expressed concern and even anger over the fact that the medical staff (doctors, midwives, nurses) care more about the beeping machines than her. They walk in the room mumbling a weak "hello" and their eyes only stay on the paper read out. Does mom even count? Or is she a Womb Pod?

Answer me this:

Is labor only about the cervix?

Do we only "need" to know what the cervix is doing in order to manage birth better? Is that how this new devise will....dare I say the word...HELP?

Or should we try and manage labor at all?

Will it limit the mom's movement, comfort, care and ability to labor uninhibited?

Already mom has a blood pressure cuff on one arm, an IV on the other arm, two straps around her contracting belly or 2 devices inserted into her body (IFM, & pressure cathitar in the uterus) as well as a catheter in her bladder. And if she, like most moms, cannot handle the pain of labor laying on her back totally still (I could not either) she will also have a needle inserted into her back sending much needed pain relief to this poor mom.

So let's limit mom even more. Let's send her the message that her body is broken and she needs to let the 'experts' take over. That she cannot do it. That she is in danger.

And what will happen? We will have an even higher c-section rate. As if a national average of 30%+ is not high enough. (remember, that rate doesn't not parallel a lower infant death rate)

Oh.....and may I say a quick word about inductions??? (Yes! It is my blog!!!)

I hate them. They are from the devil.

Perhaps that will be the subject of my next post...

"Inductions: A moms fastest way to major abdominal surgery" (the the doctors vacation or golf game)

A few changes

2008-08-30T10:14:00.002-06:00

Hey y'all :)

I have made a few changes in the links to the right ------------>

Hopefully that will allow more searching for you self educators out there. I also have a list of links a bit farther down on the right that consist of more random information....birth, homeschool, God, food, etc.

Enjoy this birth video....

VBA3C

-vaginal birth after 3 cesareans-

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

2008-03-24T18:47:00.000-06:00

Article

2007-10-16T16:57:00.000-06:00

Jeannie Babb Taylor: The problem with breastfeeding

10/03/07
Jeannie Babb Taylor

What if doctors discovered a substance so potent, it could prevent
dozens of diseases and even reduce the risk of cancer? What if these
benefits extended not only to those who partake of this amazing
substance, but also those who serve it? If a pharmaceutical company had
developed it, it would be a billion-dollar industry. Breast milk,
though, is free. Without a visible profit stream, it also lacks a
marketing team.

Numerous studies show that breastfeeding reduces cancer risks for both
givers and receivers --- yet the American Cancer Society (ACS) has no
campaign statement on the importance of breastfeeding. One huge study
(147,000 participants) found that American women could cut their breast
cancer risk by 33% by increasing the lifetime average of breastfeeding
from three months to thirty months, which is the worldwide average. The
ACS concluded that significantly increasing breastfeeding duration was
"unrealistic" and instead continues to focus on mammograms, cancer
prevention drugs and other methods that put money in the pockets of
physician groups and pharmaceutical companies.

Although breastfeeding has been shown to reduce sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS) risk by as much as 55%, the National Institute for Child
Health (NICH) invests virtually nothing in breastfeeding education.
Instead, the NICH organized the "Back to Sleep" campaign encouraging
parents to put babies to bed on their backs. The first corporate sponsor
of the Back to Sleep campaign was Gerber, a formula and baby food
manufacturer. Is it any surprise there is no financial backing to
promote breastfeeding as a SIDS prevention tool?

Breastfeeding contributes significantly to child health. According to
the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) breastfeeding is "as important
to preventive pediatric health care as promoting immunizations, car seat
use, and proper infant sleep position." Yet a recent AAP survey found
that 45 percent of pediatricians who responded see formula-feeding and
breast-feeding as equally acceptable. Once again, we can follow the
money to understand this phenomenon. Doctors receive numerous samples,
perks, and gifts from formula companies --- a practice condemned by the
World Health Organization (WHO.)

Formula makers are forced to give lip service to the superiority of
breastfeeding. Yet these companies spend millions of dollars per year
tripping up new mothers. They have inroads at the obstetrician' s office,
the hospitals where babies are born, and the pediatrician' s office.
Formula makers ensure that every mother goes home with a couple of cans
of formula, so it will be available in the middle of the night when the
baby is crying, she is exhausted from lack of sleep and she is
vulnerable to the insecurities American society has pressed on her day
after day. The result? Even though 70% of mothers start breastfeeding,
within a few months the statistics have flipped. Only 11.3% of babies
are still exclusively breastfed at six months.

It is difficult to blame American mothers for the failure to breastfeed,
when everything is stacked against mothers from the start. Unlike women
in most other developed countries, American women receive no paid
maternity leave. Only those on welfare receive a stipend to carry them
through the first months of mothering. Women who support themselves are
forced to return to work, where it is often impossible to bring an
infant, and pumping opportunities may be few and far between, with
unsanitary conditions.

Rep Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) recently introduced the Breastfeeding
Promotion Act of 2007. The bill amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to
protect breastfeeding women from workplace discrimination. It also gives
employers a tax credit of up to $10,000 per year to provide employees
with equipment, dedicated space and consultation for pumping breast
milk. The bill establishes standards for breast pumps, and creates tax
breaks for women who purchase breast pumps in order to maintain employment.

Maloney says, "I have heard many horror stories of women who were fired
for trying to figure out a way to express milk at work. My bill
clarifies the Pregnancy Discrimination Act to protect breastfeeding
under federal civil rights law, ensuring that women cannot be fired or
discriminated against in the workplace for expressing (pumping) milk, or
breastfeeding during breaks or lunch time."

At least the welfare moms have the chance to stay home and breastfeed
--- after all, their babies comprise the most high-risk population of
infants in terms of health problems, asthma, failure to thrive and
learning disabilities. Yet the formula-makers find these mothers, too.
Government programs take away one of the incentives for breastfeeding by
shelling out $600 million per year to put low-income infants on the
bottle. Taxpayers also foot the bill for the increased healthcare cost
of these children.

The U.S. government has certainly been slow to recognize the fountain of
youth. Reagan and the first Bush both refused to ratify the World Health
Organization' s breastfeeding code, designed to protect new mothers from
formula makers' guerilla marketing tactics. The code was not recognized
by the U.S. until Clinton signed it in 1994, and it is still not enforced.

Recently, a handful of individual states sought to enforce the code.
They especially want to stop hospital formula marketing, because once a
baby receives a bottle, the mother and baby are confronted with a whole
host of problems including nipple confusion and inadequate milk supply.
If successful breastfeeding is not established within the first few
days, formula-makers are practically guaranteed a new customer.

In Massachusetts, it was Governor Mitt Romney who struck down a ban on
hospital marketing. Less than two weeks later, Romney announced that he
had secured the construction of a $66 million pharmaceutical plant in
Devens, Massachusetts. The plant is owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb, the
largest formula manufacturer in the world.

Outside the U.S., things are no better. Nestle actually targets babies
in developing countries, where breastfeeding has the greatest potential
for good. Babies are routinely hooked on formula in third world
hospitals and sent home without ever establishing breastfeeding. Back in
the village, families soon discover that the cost of buying formula is
higher than their entire wage.

As a result of Nestle's tactics, sub-Saharan Africa has a breastfeeding
rate of only 32%; Asia, 35%; Indonesia, 39%, Vietnam, 19%, and Thailand,
5%. According to WHO and UNICEF, approximately 1.5 million babies die
each year because they were started on formula instead of breast milk.

American women who breastfeed should expect resistance from a society
that depicts over-sized breasts on magazine covers and billboards, yet
rejects the breast's highest function. Numerous polls show that the
majority of Americans are comfortable seeing women breastfeed in public;
yet, a few shrill voices continue to insist that it is improper.

American women have been harassed or thrown out of libraries,
restaurants and public parks for the simple act of breastfeeding. One
woman was even expelled from a Vermont Delta Freedom flight for
breastfeeding her child, resulting in nurse-ins at Delta counters across
the nation.

Most recently, comedian Bill Maher praised Appleby's for discriminating
against a nursing mother, asserting that women who breastfeed in public
are lazy and narcissistic. Maher's other comments, which are too crude
to be printed in the county paper, illustrate that what bothers some
people about breastfeeding isn't that it is perceived as sexual, but
rather that it is not. Hooters, wet T-shirt contests and Playboy
magazines are just fine with people like Maher, who believe that breasts
are not for babies, but for men.

Although doctors agree that "breast is best," their own licensing board
does not follow their recommendations. Breastfeeding mother and aspiring
doctor Sophie Currier had to sue the National Board of Medical Examiners
for the right to take pumping breaks during her nine-hour licensing
exam. In typical anti-feminist fashion, the judge told Sophie she would
just have to take the exam when her child was older and finished
breastfeeding. She would have lost her residency in clinical pathology
at Massachusetts General Hospital and derailed her career. Sophie
appealed the decision, and won.

The "problem" with breastfeeding is that it lacks a corporate profit
stream. It profits mothers and babies tremendously. It profits families,
the government and taxpayers. The USDA estimates that $3.6 million in
healthcare costs could be saved if more U.S. babies were breastfed.
Unfortunately, nothing much happens in America unless it lines the
pocket of a corporation. WHO cares about breastfeeding, but corporate
America never will.

We live in a culture that despises human bodily fluids --- even as we
feed our children cow's milk and use pregnant mare urine (Premarin) to
balance menopausal hormones. Canadian researchers are even developing
medicines based on genetically- engineered pig semen. The market for
animal fluids continues to grow, because there is a profit stream
associated with it. If formula companies maintain control of doctors and
legislators, a day may come when humans are no longer classified as
mammals. Mammals, after all, are defined as animals that have hair and
suckle their young.

Jeannie Babb Taylor is a local business leader and author. She also
teaches Sunday school, educates her children at home, and engages in
Georgia politics. Jeannie may be contacted at jeannie@babb. com, or you
can leave a public comment on her blog OntheOtherHandColum n.blogspot. com.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

More couples opt for natural births at home

2007-04-07T09:23:00.000-06:00

More couples opt for natural births at home

By Diana North
Correspondent

Published March 11, 2007

Babies are born every day. But birth is far from commonplace to
expectant parents or the people who help them through the challenging-
yet-joyful process of guiding a baby into the world. While doctors in
hospitals deliver the majority of U.S. babies, some parents, such as
Todd Johnson and Stephanie Politte of Friendswood, choose a midwife
to assist their planned homebirth.

The expectant couple are repeat clients of Friendswood resident
Christine Messarra, a certified professional midwife who helped
deliver their 18-month-old daughter, Aryanna. The soon-to-be-born
baby is a girl, already named Aaralyn. Johnson and Politte are
appreciative of the support Messarra provides and confident in their
choice of midwife-assisted homebirth.

"The joy of a midwife is that she is all yours," Politte said. "And
everything is so much more calm."

Although Johnson admits he was "a little bit nervous" about homebirth
initially, he liked being able to be more helpful and involved
throughout Aryanna's birth.

"It feels more special and it feels less clinical," Johnson
said. "It's much more personal because you develop this relationship
with the midwife and she actually comes to the house and spends time."

Midwives have a long and well-respected history and continue to
assist at births all across the world. In Texas, two types of
midwives are legally authorized to practice — certified nurse
midwives and certified professional midwives. While the path to
certification differs, the goal of all midwives is the same — safe
passage for the baby and physical and emotional support for the
mother.

Jackie Griggs of Harris County has been a midwife for 16 years. She
has also trained other area midwives and provides her services to
families in surrounding counties. Griggs said expectant mothers
should read and educate themselves about the benefits of midwife-
assisted birth.

"The personal care you get from midwives makes a real difference,"
Griggs said.

Griggs said there are about 350 certified nurse midwives and 150
certified professional midwives currently authorized to practice in
Texas.

CNMs receive their degree as registered nurses and then complete
graduate work in a midwifery program. CPMs take direct-entry courses
and get hands-on training through apprenticeship. All midwives must
pass the North American Registry of Midwives exam.

The Texas Department of Health Statement for 1990-2000 states, in
part, "that birth with midwives in Texas has always been a
statistically safer option than birth with either a medical doctor or
doctor of osteopathy."

In addition, the American Public Health Association "supports the
expansion of midwifery to improve access to care, increase health
options and improve birth outcomes."

Even so, most physicians are unwilling to provide support services
for midwives attending births at home.

Dr. Larry Milner, an obstetrician and gynecologist with the Bayshore
Medical Center in Pasadena, said he is the only physician on staff
who provides availability-based back-up care for clients of area
midwives doing homebirths. He says insurance and malpractice concerns
are the reason most physicians steer clear.

"I'm here to take care of the complicated cases," Milner said. "Any
trained person can take care of babies in a normal pregnancy."

Milner said the midwives he supports show good judgment and provide a
service to clients willing to weigh the risks that can sometimes be
associated with homebirth. Also, Milner said the midwives he knows
are more thorough and adept at providing counseling and nutritional
information than obstetricians, who are often extremely busy.

Midwife services typically include all prenatal care. The first visit
is a two-way interview with the couple during which the midwife does
a risk assessment, since only low-risk women willing to take charge
of their health make good candidates for homebirth. Basic lab work is
ordered as needed.

Midwives meet with their clients once per month until the woman is 30
weeks pregnant, every other week until 36 weeks and weekly until the
baby is born. Each meeting lasts about one hour and allows midwives
time to establish rapport with the family and address any concerns.

Parents may make visits to a midwife's home or office or even choose
home visits, which are often more convenient for those with children.
Some insurance plans pay for midwifery services.

The onset of labor means a phone call to Messarra during which she
assesses how the client is doing. She provides constant support for
the labor and birth with the help of her apprentice and another
midwife. The women remain on duty until three to four hours after the
baby is born.

While midwives are trained to care for infants, every family is
instructed to have their baby examined by a pediatrician within 48 to
72 hours after the birth. Messarra checks in on new mothers and
babies weekly for the first two weeks and again during the final
visit at six weeks postpartum.

Safety of mother and baby are of utmost concern to parents and birth
service providers. A recent study by the British Medical Journal
followed more than 5,400 low-risk women who had planned homebirths
attended by professional midwives. The study showed substantially
lower rates of interventions when compared to similar low-risk
hospital births.

One difference between hospital births and homebirths is that
midwives rely less on painkilling drugs, which can result in fewer
interventions and complications.

Birthing at home allows women freedom of movement, access to food and
drink and support of loved ones, as well as privacy. Messarra also
provides a large, deep tub of warm water she calls an "Aqua-dural" to
keep laboring mothers as comfortable as possible.

"The secret about childbirth is not that childbirth is painful, it's
that women are strong," Messarra said. "For women who have had
natural childbirth, the euphoria that they feel is so much greater
than the women who have had epidurals because their senses have not
been blocked."

Statistics show planned homebirths also result in far fewer Cesarean
sections, or surgical births. Texas Cesarean rates are at 30.2
percent of all births, according to the Department of State Health
Services. Griggs said that, nationwide, about one in three babies is
born by C- section.

While C-section birth is sometimes necessary, it carries the same
risks associated with any surgery or use of anesthesia. The National
Center for Health Statistics Web site supports the one-in-three ratio
and states, "some health care providers believe that many Cesareans
are medically unnecessary."

Messarra said she thinks midwife-assisted homebirth empowers women by
giving them more choices and allowing them to give birth in a
comfortable and supportive environment.

"It's so gratifying to see a family come together," Messarra
said. "This is really all about them."

A Midwife

2007-03-26T11:40:00.000-06:00

A neat story about a homebirth midwife...there are labor pictures with zero nudity. Neat little clip!!! :)

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~tm322203/Midwife/

I'll Give Birth Anywhere

2006-11-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'll Give Birth Anywhere

I'll Give Birth Anywhere

By Colleen Tolliver
November 15, 2006 | Issue 42•46

Pregnant women today make me sick. With all their whining about maternity leave and pregnancy accommodations, it's no wonder women aren't respected in the workplace—so choosy about where and when they will have a baby. Not me.

I'm a working woman with a busy schedule, but as far as I'm concerned, childbirth is about the experience, not the location. I couldn't be more willing to give birth in the backseat of a speeding taxi, in an elevator stuck between floors, or on an airplane bound for Chicago. No emergency landings necessary, just give me a pillow and an aisle seat and Plooosh! I'll pop that sucker out before we hit cruising altitude.

Slap it, snip it, and pass the pretzels, thank you very much.

The miracle of life doesn't always come in a convenient birthing suite with a bunch of doctors and expensive, sterile equipment. Sometimes it occurs in the midst of empty boxes in the storeroom of a major department store and you just have to roll with the punches, like I did with my daughter Macy. I'd do it all again too, if I were welcome back at that particular mall. Truth be told, part of me wants to feel my cervix dilate to 10 centimeters in a Banana Republic. Upscale.

Maybe it's just my maternal instinct talking, but I wouldn't think twice about giving birth in the back of a freezer truck delivering frozen peas to Montana.

Heck, I'm hard-pressed to come up with somewhere I wouldn't expel an infant from my uterus. Sure I'd like it if my mother were there, but if she doesn't happen to be by my side when my water breaks courtside during the playoffs at the Garden, then so be it. Life is too precious to deny just because I don't feel "comfortable" in a particular Arby's restroom.

Childbirth is a gift from God, whether it happens in a hotel lobby or a gyroscope. And I should know. I've done both.

I know the "norm" is to have your children in some stuffy maternity ward, but I guess I just don't see what all the fuss is about. It seems like so much work to go to the hospital, sign in, and get hooked up to a fetal monitor—who's got the time?

I'm not going to turn into one of those women who calls up her doctor as soon as her contractions start coming every two minutes. I may be pregnant, but I've got a life to live and that means being flexible with the location of my blessed event.

Step out of the line for Space Mountain just because the baby's crowning? Fat chance! My baby will be brought into the world in total darkness in the middle of a loop-de-loop and he or she will be grateful for it.

We're talking about childbirth here, not rocket science. If you can't pull off Cesarean section without running to some bozo with an obstetrics license then you don't deserve to call yourself a mother. My girlfriends talk about their "alternative" deliveries like they deserve a medal. Water birth? Try hot-tub birth with the starting lineup of Philadelphia Flyers and then come talk to me. I'd give birth to twins while waterskiing behind the Staten Island Ferry. No sweat. Who's got the placenta?

So have fun with your stirrups and ice chips. I'll be thinking of you when some production assistant's cleaning up the afterbirth during a coast-to-coast feed of Larry King Live.

I don't need paid time away from work to bear my kids. All I need is a partially empty conference room and an intern who can think on her feet. You'd be surprised how nicely a laptop perches on top of a slowly deflating womb, whether in the office or commuting on the subway. And with these new hands-free phones, I don't even need to miss a call when I'm cutting the umbilical cord.

"Can I put you on hold for a sec? Hello? It's a boy!"

And you know what? If I decide not to have my next child, I will terminate the pregnancy whenever and wherever I choose.

Okay, that article is HYSTERICAL....until the last sentence, of course. Interesting that she can say that, "childbirth is a gift from God" and then later speak of killing her child if she "chooses." Notice that she actually called it a "child"...is killing children legal??? Apparently killing children is not legal outside the womb....but because a child is inside...it makes a difference???? Insanity.

Another needless rise in C-sections

2006-11-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

*sigh*
Another rise in the national C-section rate. Sadly enough, the rate for premature and low birth weight babies has risen as well.
Where are all these babies we are "saving" by performing a cesarean section?!?!?!
Below is a copy from this link:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/
pubs/pubd/hestats/prelimbirths05/prelimbirths05.htm

"The preliminary rate of cesarean delivery rose 4 percent in 2005 to 30.2 percent of all births, another record high for the Nation (Table 4). The cesarean rate declined somewhat during the early and mid-1990s, but has risen 46 percent since 1996 (from 20.7 percent)."

When will the insanity stop?!

Fetal injury more common than expected with cesarean delivery

2006-10-25T08:32:00.000-06:00

Is this "okay?" Is it "okay" with us that this amount (albeit small, but still, 1.1%...around 2,600 babies per year) of babies are injured in a C section? What if these injuries were common in homebirths? Would there be a public outcry to halt homebirths?
If these "needed" C sections were saving lives....if they were saving moms and babies from death, then I can imagine justification for all the birth injuries (and increased maternal death). However, research shows that the increase in C sections has NOT resulted in a better maternal or baby outcome. No less babies dying. No less moms dying.
Again....madness. And "we" allow it. We promote it. We turn our heads when a C section happens outside of an emergency. ("failure to progress...or perform"..."CPD".) What will it take for women to stand up and demand better care??? Studies THIS YEAR have shown us that a mom triples her chance of death by having this surgery....and that babies are injured more often than in a regular birth. What else does it take?

Below is an article from an OBGYN forum I am on. It is from "them"....not us. :)

Fetal injury more common than expected with cesarean delivery
Source: Obstetrics & Gynecology 2006; 108: 885-90

Documenting the incidence of fetal injury in women undergoing cesarean delivery.

Women undergoing cesarean section should be counseled that fetal injury during the procedure is rare, but still occurs at a rate of 1.1 percent, researchers suggest.

James Alexander, from the University of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, USA, and co-base this recommendation on the results of their study in which they recorded the incidence and type of fetal injury in 37,110 women undergoing cesarean delivery.

Of these deliveries, 418 (1.1 percent) had an identified fetal injury, the most common of which was skin laceration, found in 272 (0.7 percent) babies.

The team also discovered that cephalohematoma was present in 88 infants, and that clavicular failure, brachial plexus injury, skull fracture, and facial nerve palsy were relatively common complications of cesarean section, each found in about 10 babies.

These observations suggest that "cesarean delivery does not, in and of itself, prevent major birth trauma," the authors write.

"Although cesarean delivery may play a role in decreasing birth trauma in certain clinical circumstances, it does not eliminate its occurrence," they conclude.

Posted: 19 October 2006

Â© Current Medicine Group 2006

Technology-Intensive Childbirth

2006-10-24T16:45:00.000-06:00

"Technology-Intensive Childbirth Is the Norm for Great Majority of Primarily Healthy Women"

4 in 10 labors were started artificially.
1 in 3 ladies have a C section.

This is madness.

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=175714

Real Beauty

2006-10-17T18:17:00.000-06:00

Below is a link to a short video that Dove put together in a campaign for REAL beauty. It is good to watch to realize what goes into the making of a "model."
Although I do NOT agree with the worldly push towards a "high self esteem" (completely un-Biblical) I do think this is a good clip to watch.

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca/film_fullscreen_evo.html

What's in a Flu Shot?

2006-09-19T15:11:00.000-06:00


Before you get your next (bird) flu shot, watch this short video and make sure it's something you really think you need. hysterical!

Udder Feeding

2006-09-14T09:15:00.000-06:00

C-section triples moms chance of death

2006-08-31T20:43:00.000-06:00

Can I just say, "DUH" before anyone reads this article on this link?!

It states that having a C-section TRIPLES the chance of a mom dying in childbirth...and this is a medical study, not from my tree-hugging midwifery today magazine. :)

Let's see here....

giving birth as God intended and created us to...
or
having major abdominal surgery to have a baby....

and they are shocked at this finding???

And I am SO sure that the doctors are showing moms this study so the mom can make a wise choice for her birth.....yeah.

For the love of Pete.

http://www.medpagetoday.com/OBGYN/Pregnancy/tb/4022

THE "NEW MIRANDA RIGHTS" FOR PARENTS

2006-08-23T19:34:00.000-06:00

This list of rights is for those who choose to send their children off to be indoctrinated by the state.
Enjoy!

Parent or legal guardian; As you enroll your child in our government system of state indoctrination we are required to inform you of your rights...

You have the right to remain silent. Do you understand?

Everything you say and do will be ignored anyway. So don't waste your breath. Do you understand?

You have the right to an attorney. But don't waste your money either. Most judges are on our side. They know how they got elected or appointed. Long live the NEA! Do you understand?

You have no right to due process or privacy. Just bake cookies (no nuts please!) and attend the PTO meetings and we'll get along just fine. Do you understand?

You have no right to object to any material we present to your child. Everything we teach is pursuant to legitimate educational as well as health and welfare interests of the state. Do you understand?

We will use the full power of the court to establish that the interests of the state are more important than your interest as a parent. All at taxpayer expense. (That means you.) Do you understand?

We realize that it may seem awkward to give up control of your child's education. But think about how many more hours in the day you will now be free to pursue your own interests. More importantly, the state is now free teach your child exactly what he needs to do to be a good worker in the global economy.

Congratulations! You have just been liberated from your primary obligation as a parent.

Go in peace.

A “Cross-Eyed” View of Biblical Femininity

2006-08-09T22:10:00.000-06:00

A “Cross-Eyed” View of Biblical Femininity
By Sheree Jacob
June 23, 2006

Woman was God’s idea - His divine creation. From the foundation of the world, God intended man to be fully male and woman to be fully female in order that together they would reflect His image. We are called to be joyfully confident in who we are before God, not based on temporary cultural norms, but founded on permanent facts of creation. John Piper says of God’s intention before the fall: “This is the way God meant it to be before there was any sin in the world: sinless man, full of love, in his tender, strong leadership in relation to woman; and sinless woman, full of love, in her joyful, responsive support for man’s leadership.” Mature femininity isn’t what sin or popular opinion makes of it, but what God willed for it at its best, both in a broad spectrum and as it specifically applies to individuals.

In general, femininity and what it entails has been drowned in a sea of worldly definitions and disdained and neglected with the rise of Feminism. One secular feminist represents the world’s crude view by defining femininity as “…a nostalgic tradition of imposed limitations.” Culture erases the lines of femininity in the name of equality and personal rights. Nearly lost, the beautiful treasure of God’s way of thinking on this subject desperately needs to be recovered. Born feminine because we were created feminine, our understanding of why roles as male and female matter, and what beauty consists of, should flow from a heart bound to the gospel.

What, exactly, is tied up in that word “femininity”? What does it mean to be “biblically feminine”? In order to fully grasp femininity, it’s necessary to have a proper knowledge and recognition of biblical masculinity, for you cannot have the one without the other. Adequately identified by John Piper, “At the heart of mature masculinity is a sense of benevolent responsibility to lead, provide for and protect women in ways appropriate to a man’s differing relationships.” On the flip side, “At the heart of mature femininity is a freeing disposition to affirm, receive and nurture strength and leadership from worthy men in ways appropriate to a woman’s differing relationships.” Dating back to that fateful day in the lush Garden of Eden, feminism’s rebellion was planted by Eve’s refusal to be content with the status quo. By fearing that God didn’t really have her best interests in mind, Eve believed that obedience would exact too high a price. She defied God’s commands. Found instilled in the sinful hearts of women today, Eve’s neglect of God’s ordination has carried through in full-potency. In Titus 2:3-5, there are listed seven virtues of femininity according to God’s calling: loving your husband, loving your children, self-control, purity, working at home, kindness, and submission in marriage. Femininity does not equal being quiet and wearing dresses. Found in God’s calling from the day He created woman, it emanates a heart fully receptive of His plan and expresses itself in the ways He established.

Created fully equal in God’s sight yet with uniquely different roles, male and female were not to be duplicates, but compliments. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’”(Genesis 2:18). Adam didn’t complain of or acknowledge a lack; God declared his aloneness as not good. Douglas Wilson says of God’s intervention: “The man needs the help; the woman needs to help. He is oriented to the task and she is oriented to him.” To lead, provide for and protect is a man’s calling. As defined in the Random House Dictionary, to “lead” is “to guide in direction, course, action, opinion; to command or direct.” In marriage, coming alongside her husband and helping him in the task God’s given him is a woman’s calling, along with loving and raising the next generation. “Help” is defined as “to contribute strength or means to, render assistance to, cooperate effectively with; aid, assist.” The dictionary goes on to say, “Help implies furnishing anything that furthers another’s efforts or relieves his wants or necessities.” Creatively, God intended for masculine weaknesses to emphasize and call forth woman’s strengths, and for feminine weaknesses to highlight and beckon man’s strengths. Each is the perfect compliment that brings to light the strengths in each other. With a disposition to yield to authority and an inclination to follow leadership, women are to exemplify submission. God calls men to exercise loving, gentle, considerate headship and women to submit to that headship in a willing, gentle, respectful way. Woman’s highest calling, her very nature from creation, is to be a helpmate reflecting Christ who came “not to be served, but to serve.”(Matthew 20:28)

As the first generation actually expecting to find happiness in this temporary life on earth, we have sought fulfillment in many things. But perhaps one of the most driving forces is a never-ceasing quest for beauty. Patterned throughout history, women have gone after beauty with a headlong fury, going to ultimate extremes and doing whatever it takes. God has instilled in us an innate desire to look attractive. It’s natural! But today’s media blares a beauty-defining image that is a false standard and a counterfeit message of beauty. In 1 Peter 3:3-4 we find God’s definition of true beauty standing in stark contrast to the definitions of our culture. “Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing – but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.” He calls for something precious. He treasures something worthy. Beauty by cultural standards is merely skin deep and swiftly fading, but God is after the heart; a beauty that will not fade but only grow and deepen as time goes on. “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7). Godly inner-beauty greatly impacts lives and has a lasting effect, while worldly beauty may turn some heads for a brief, momentary impression. Though it stands as a great mystery, inward beauty is puzzlingly evident outwardly, for it is powerful, permanent, eternal, and ultimately damage-resistant. As a sign of surrendered trust, this gentle and quiet spirit that God cherishes understands and acknowledges that God is fully in control. It certainly doesn’t mean being passive or listless, but it isn’t rude, pushy, or harsh. Reflecting what is being cultivated in the heart, appearance either echoes a commitment to Christ or hints at a clinging to the world. Amazingly, we house the Holy Spirit in our very bodies. They are not our own, so we are commanded to honor God with our bodies! Physical beauty, in the end, never delivers as advertised, for “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30).

According to God’s objective, femininity is far more than just acting feminine, but it is a disposition that seeks to find joy in the honored role as a helper. Truly beautiful in God’s eyes and impacting on others, it exemplifies gentleness and surrender to God. Ultimately, the main reason for pursuing biblical femininity is the incredible gospel of Jesus Christ, for our behavior has the power to either discredit or to commend the gospel.

Singleness is a season that is swiftly passing away. It is a gift! Created purposefully by God to live purposefully by His Word, God calls me as a single woman to discover how biblical femininity specifically applies to me in this season. “And the unmarried or betrothed woman is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit. But the married woman is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. I say this for your own benefit, not to lay any restraint upon you, but to promote good order and to secure your undivided devotion to the Lord.” (1Corinthians 7:34-35) In a sense, this is a time of freedom! During this period, there are unique ways I can express biblical femininity, develop my role as helpmate, and seek after that which is essentially beautiful.

Since femininity is a disposition which characterizes the heart, it is not simply a reflex ensued by marriage. In all my relationships as a single, I can seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance to apply a biblical vision of manhood and womanhood and develop a method and demeanor that justifies the God-given unique role of man as leader. God calls us to respond to all those around us as true women of God. Obviously, this is not expressed in the exact same way to all men, but in some shape or form in all my relationships with men. Taking advantage of my dad’s wisdom, I should seek his insight and value his headship over me. By submitting to him, I will learn to respect and defer to a man’s godly leadership. Even though it may appear that single men are unaware of their inerrant need for woman, God is aware! Remembering this truth will protect me from bitterness, complaining, or manipulation – all characters which tarnish the gleam of femininity. If the home is to be my primary place for ministry, isn’t now the time to cultivate a heart for the home? One way to express my femininity is to take an interest in, care for, and reach out to others’ children. Learning from my mom, I can glean much from the great deposit of wisdom and experience God has given her as she has faithfully lived out her calling as wife and mother. To express my femininity currently, I should utilize any chance or opportunity to learn and grow.

Continuously, I need to cultivate a habit of encouraging and making room for godly men to practice servant leadership in my life. Instead of being tempted to resist them in a stiff-necked posture of heart, I should incline toward them. Publicly questioning or sinfully complaining about their actions should be purposefully avoided. If ever it appears that I should attempt to influence a man’s decision or behavior, undeniably it should be done in a way that signals my full support of his leadership. When my heart is soft to the mercies of God and overwhelmed by His love, obedience will be a cheerful sacrifice of gratitude. Not only am I to receive, but I am to nurture and strengthen the resources of masculinity that God has placed in my life. Gladly accepting gentlemanly courtesies respects their kind of strengths. We can pursue righteousness as brothers and sisters side-by-side. Through relationships with godly, worthy men, I can seek ways that enhance my God-given role as companion and helper.

“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” (Romans 12:1) Resolved that I only have one person to please as a single woman, I need to make the Lord the object of my pursuit for beauty. All should be for the eyes of One! God is not going to bless vain pursuits, so I need to replace them with godly ones. Based in the confidence of God’s loving care, Fatherly protection, and irrefutable kindness, a gentle and quiet spirit believes that God is going to be good. Oh that I might reach that place of gentleness that is humbly still in the face of God’s gracious disposal. Worldly passions will utterly mar my beauty. Pursuing thinness solely for the sake of thinness does not honor God; it is self-love and idolatry. Instead, I should develop self-control and strengthen my body for effective service to the Lord. But in order to have any hope of reaching that place, God, by His grace, must purify my motives. Abandoning divided loyalties and idols, I must devote myself wholly to be pure. Consequently, I will find the wonderful hope and freedom by being set free from an idolatrous self-focus. Am I consumed with ministering to others and glorifying God, or with what I see in the mirror? I must refuse to let my perception of that reflection dictate my state of peace and joy. “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31) Recognizing this body is not my own will radically affect how I take care of it. Gratefully receive God’s design. Praise Him for my body. Know it’s for His glory.

Without concerns or distractions, I want to maximize these single years in unhindered devotion to God. From a right understanding of biblical femininity to properly valuing and nurturing godly leadership of men in my life, I can, by God’s grace, seek to develop that mysteriously breathtaking beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Christ is able to make me a woman that defines myself only in Him and His truths, and trusts Him so much that I will do anything for His glory. This unique opportunity of singleness is mine to seize, or mine to squander.

Ever living in the presence of glory, the true woman reflects God’s image in every relationship and circumstance of life. Just as Moses radiated God’s glory after his close encounter with God’s power on Mount Sinai, if we are filled with the living spirit of God, we will radiate His beauty and make the gospel believable. In all behavior we are to adorn the gospel, because our actions will either bring honor to the one, true God, or misrepresent and tarnish His truth. I long to be that polished gold setting that uniquely displays the brilliance of a priceless gem – the Pearl of great price: the gospel. Originating at the cross, having an eternal perspective will free me from things passing away in order that I might eagerly pursue that which will last forever. “All that pleases is but for a moment, all that grieves is but for a moment; nothing is important but that which is eternal.” (Author unknown). Amid a generation that has recklessly abandoned the roots of manhood and womanhood divinely instilled at creation, I must develop a wartime mentality and lifestyle that has a “cross-eyed” view of God’s vision for biblical femininity.

Fried Chicken & The Pope

2006-08-09T21:42:00.000-06:00

After watching sales falling off for three straight months at Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Colonel calls up the Pope and asks for a favor. The Pope says, "What can I do?"

The Colonel says, "I need you to change the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken'. If you do it, I'll donate 10 Million Dollars to the Vatican."

The Pope replies, "I am sorry. That is the Lord's prayer and I can not change the words." So the Colonel hangs up. After another month of dismal sales, the Colonel panics, and calls again.

"Listen your Excellency. I really need your help. I'll donate $50 million dollars if you change the words of the daily prayer from 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken.'" And the Pope responds, "It is very tempting, Colonel Sanders. The church could do a lot of good with that much money. It would help us to support many charities. But, again, I must decline. It is the Lord's prayer, and I can't change the words."

So the Colonel gives up again. After two more months of terrible sales. The Colonel gets desperate. "This is my final offer, your Excellency. If you change the words of the daily prayer from, 'Give us this day our daily bread' to 'Give us this day our daily chicken' I will donate $100 million to the Vatican."

The Pope replies, "Let me get back to you."

So the next day, the Pope calls together all of his bishops and he says, "I have some good news and I have some bad news. The good news is that KFC is going to donate $100 million to the Vatican." The bishops rejoice at the news. Then one asks about the bad news. The Pope replies, "The bad news is that we lost the Wonder Bread account."

Why I Chose NOT To Use A Carseat

2006-08-07T16:15:00.000-06:00

*WHY I CHOOSE NOT TO USE A CAR SEAT*
Author unknown

I refuse to feel guilty for making an educated choice to not put my baby in
a car seat. There are so many militant car seat users in our society and I
am tired of them pushing their beliefs on me. There are lots of reasons I
have made this choice. First of all, I want my husband to be able to drive
him around in his car. He can just sit him on his lap when they go for a
ride. This will help him bond and be closer with our son. I don't want to be
the only one that drives him around. It makes my husband, mother and friends
feel special when they can take him for rides. I will be returning to work in 6 weeks and
I don't want a big old car seat in the back of our luxury car. I never put
my first son in a car seat and he is just fine. I was never in a car seat,
neither was my mother and we are both as healthy as can be. On the other
hand, my sister in law's cousin used a car seat and her child was seriously
injured in a car wreck. My aunt tried to use a car seat and wasn't able to.
She was never able to latch the baby in the seat properly. In fact, my car
is too small for a car seat anyway. What matters most is that my baby is healthy and happy.
When I left the hospital, they told me that I should try to use the car
seat, but if it didn't work out that it was all right to not use it. In
fact, in the diaper bag that I received from the hospital, it has some
information for how to safely ride in the car with my son without a car
seat. I tried for 1 week to use a car seat with my first son and it made
both of us miserable. I told my pediatrician about it, and he said it would
probably be best to not use a car seat anymore. Now he is happy and content
sitting on my lap as we drive. Using a car seat is just so inconvenient! My
privacy is also an issue. Do I want everyone to know when they see my car
that I have a child??? Besides, my children need to learn how to ride in the
car without being in the car seat. I don't want a 3 year old still wanting
to get in his seat! I know that using a car seat has some benefits, but
there are a lot of people out there who don't use them and their kids are
just fine! There are people out there that cannot use a car seat (can't
latch baby in properly, car is too small, doesn't match with the interior).
Using a car seat is a personal choice and nobody's business. As a parent I
have made the decision for what is best for my child. It works best for us
and our child.....and that is all that is important. It's my choice after
all, isn't it??

For all you morons out there, this is a poke at Moms that chose not to breastfeed.....get it????

Baby Got Book

2006-07-28T12:54:00.000-06:00

Okay....I can see I am going to get TONS of flack about this next link...but I had to do it.

Warning:
I do not condone nor recommend anyone watching this video....but in case you do not head my warning, it is hysterical if you know the original "Baby Got Back"

http://www.whiteboydj.com/babygotbook.html

Click on the link and then push the play button...make sure you can hear the volume, but not to loud...Especially if you are at work! Although everyone will see you dancing anyway....

Cesarean Birth

2006-07-21T13:50:00.000-06:00

I have a sweet friend who had her #2 C-section last summer. She desperately wanted a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and she tried her darndest to accomplish that (believe me!!!!!)....but for some reason it did not work out.
She had put together a slideshow of moms that she knows that had had between 1-4 C's...and all who wanted a VBAC. The show is their pregnancies, labors, cesarean births and beautiful babies.

Please read what this mom has to say, and then watch her slideshow. It is a way for her (all the moms) to process their births and heal their empty hearts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIFNemQfe3s

"Yesterday was Liam's birthday and the 3rd anniversary
of my 1st c-section. I still have a hard time
separating the two from each other. One of the
happiest days of my life, one of the worst days of my
life.

As a sort of cathartic project I put together a
slideshow that kind of depicts how I feel about it.
Whenever I listened to the song that is playing on the
slideshow, it would immediately bring me back to my
labor... the lyrics are so fitting about how I feel
about it all.

Empty by the Cranberries

"Something has left my life,
And I don't know where it went to.
Somebody caused me strife,
And it's not what I was seeking.

Didn't you see me, didn't you hear me?
Didn't you see me standing there?
Why did you turn out the lights?
Did you know that I was sleeping?

Say a prayer for me,
Help me to feel the strength I did.
My identity, has it been taken?
Is my heart breaking on me?

All my plans fell through my hands,
They fell through my hands on me.
All my dreams it suddenly seems,
It suddenly seems,
Empty"

My long hard labors ended in "emptiness"... what
should have just been an empty belly became an empty
heart, an empty woman. A feeling of incompleteness.
This slideshow depicts the whole of my experience, the
big hole of my experience.

The pictures are a mix of my labor pics and those
donated by CBAC moms- those who tried for a VBAC and
had it end in another cesarean. It is so
heartwrenching seeing all these moms laboring at home-
going for an HBAC- and having it end in a second (or
fourth in one case!) unwanted cesarean. There is a
smattering of pictures from some moms' first CS in
there as well.

Anyway, I was reading on your blog that your first
child's birthday was recently... and how c-section
could have been in your birth history... so I thought
you might "get" this... "

Pro Breastfeeding TV commercial

2006-07-14T13:07:00.000-06:00

Go to Dr Jay Gordon's website (below) and click on the 20/20 story (scroll down a bit on the right side) about the Pro-Breastfeeding TV ads that were pulled off the air. C-R-A-Z-Y
What is wrong with these people?????????????????????????????????????? SO WHAT if the formula companies are going to lose money....GOOD FOR THEM.
ARG......

http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/index.asp#

Heads of State as Women

2006-07-08T11:50:00.000-06:00

Dr Phil

2006-07-06T15:49:00.000-06:00

I rarely watch TV....and even more rare is me watching a Dr Phil show or an Oprah show....however, it seems that when I do have a lazy afternoon and I flip on the TV and watch one of those shows I am BLOWN AWAY by the stupidity of people! It is so sad to me how awful people can act and treat others and it be considered "okay".

SO today Dr Phil had a guy on his show that was protesting his being forced into fatherhood and all that entails ($500 per month in child support). This guy (I hesitate to use the word Dad or Father) was in a law suit over the fact that he, as a man, is not given the same choices a woman is given when she does not want to become a parent. He says he should not be forced into caring for a child he "accidentally" created and does not want. Do I even need to go into this subject? I mean PLEASE....if you have sex, there is ALWAYS the possibility of conceiving a child. I have done numerous births for moms who have been VERY careful and VERY protected and yet they are pushing out a baby. (ummm....isn't God in control of that anyway?????????). So for him to say he did not make that choice is insane. He says that the mom could have aborted the child, put the child up for adoption or abandoned the child and society would have been fine with that.....but he as the biological father has no choice as to what to do with the child and if he wants to support that child or not. Well, shall we break this down? Okay! :)

God did not intend for us to have sex outside of the marriage relationship. If they had obeyed the rules they would not ever have to worry about having a baby.

Birth control is NEVER 100%. This particular mom was on the Pill. As stated before, I have done births for moms who have been on the pill, used a prophylactic, had an IUD, been on depo, had their tubes tied, had a hubby with a vasectomy.....etc. If you are having sex you are saying you are willing to have a child.

Just because the law states that something is okay does NOT mean that in the eyes of the Lord it is okay. A woman's "choice"of having an abortion is not a choice, it is murder. Just because she technically can lawfully decided to have her child sucked down a sink does not make it right. SO her ability of being able to dispose of a baby does not make it okay for him (the dad) to not take care of the baby he has helped create. (that is this mans argument)

So later in the broadcast I saw a dad who is wanting to have more kids even though the mom is NOT wanting anymore...and a dad who is on strike (on his roof) till his wife gives in and gets the baby out of their room (no kidding). WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE GUYS? It sounds to me like they are being extremely selfish and really only care about themselves and what THEY want. The heart of this issue is pride, arrogance and selfishness. Not that all the moms are 100% correct (except in the baby in the bed thing....HELLOOOOOO....it is proven to be better for the baby to be with mom in the early months than in his/her own crib alone). It sounds to me like these couples have an underling problem here that effects the parenting relationship.....and they need to get that taken care of before anything else going to get any better.

So does this mean that everyday on every Dr Phil show they have some idiot on there who is a jerk...and Dr Phil has to try and sort it out? Poor Dr Phil.

A priest, a Pentecostal preacher and a rabbi

2006-06-15T20:00:00.000-06:00

A priest, a Pentecostal preacher and a rabbi all served as chaplains to students of a university. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop.

One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn't really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear and convert it to their faith. One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment.

They would all go out into the woods where each would find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it.

Seven days later, they're all together in the hospital to discuss their experiences. Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages, goes first."Well," he says, "I went into the woods to find me a bear. And when I found him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation."

Reverend Billy Bob spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and had an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he claimed, "WELL brothers, you KNOW that we don't sprinkle! I went out and I FOUND me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God's HOLY WORD! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took HOLD of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, UP another and DOWN another until we came to a creek. So I quick DUNKED him and BAPTIZED his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus."

They both looked down at the rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV's and monitors running in and out of him. He was in bad shape. The rabbi looks up and says, "Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start."

Breast-Feed or Else

2006-06-15T08:22:00.000-06:00

In today's New York Times.

Breast-Feed or Else

By RONI RABIN

There is no black-box label like that affixed to cans of infant formula or tucked into the corner of magazine advertisements, at least not yet. But that is the unambiguous message of a controversial government public health campaign encouraging new mothers to breast-feed for six months to protect their babies from colds, flu, ear infections, diarrhea and even obesity. In April, the World Health Organization, setting new international bench marks for children's growth, for the first time referred to breast-feeding as the biological norm.

"Just like it's risky to smoke during pregnancy, it's risky not to breast-feed after," said Suzanne Haynes, senior scientific adviser to the Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. "The whole notion of talking about risk is new in this field, but it's the only field of public health, except perhaps physical activity, where there is never talk about the risk."
A two-year national breast-feeding awareness campaign that culminated this spring ran television announcements showing a pregnant woman clutching her belly as she was thrown off a mechanical bull during ladies' night at a bar — and compared the behavior to failing to breast-feed.

"You wouldn't take risks before your baby's born," the advertisement says. "Why start after?"

Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, has proposed requiring warning labels, on cans of infant formula and in advertisements, similar to the those on cigarettes. They would say that the Department of Health and Human services has determined that "breast-feeding is the ideal method of feeding and nurturing infants" or that "breast milk is more beneficial to infants than infant formula."

Child-rearing experts have long pointed to the benefits of breast-feeding. But critics say the new campaign has taken things too far and will make mothers who cannot breast-feed, or choose not to, feel guilty and inadequate.

"I desperately wanted to breast-feed," said Karen Petrone, an associate professor of history at University of Kentucky in Lexington.
When her two babies failed to gain weight and her pediatrician insisted that she supplement her breast milk with formula, Ms. Petrone said, "I felt so guilty."
"I thought I was doing something wrong," she added. "Nobody ever told me that some women just can't produce enough milk."

Moreover, urging women to breast-feed exclusively is a tall order in a country where more than 60 percent of mothers of very young children work, federal law requires large companies to provide only 12 weeks' unpaid maternity leave and lactation leave is unheard of. Only a third of large companies provide a private, secure area where women can express breast milk during the workday, and only 7 percent offer on-site or near-site child care, according to a 2005 national study of employers by the nonprofit Families and Work Institute.
"I'm concerned about the guilt that mothers will feel," said Ellen Galinsky, president of the center. "It's hard enough going back to work."

Public health leaders say the weight of the scientific evidence for breast-feeding has grown so overwhelming that it is appropriate to recast their message to make clear that it is risky not to breast-feed. Ample scientific evidence supports the contention that breast-fed babies are less vulnerable to acute infectious diseases, including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, experts say. Some studies also suggest that breast-fed babies are at lower risk for sudden infant death syndrome and serious chronic diseases later in life, including asthma, diabetes, leukemia and some forms of lymphoma, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Research on premature babies has even found that those given breast milk scored higher on I.Q. tests than those who were bottle-fed.

The goal of a government health initiative called Healthy People 2010 is to get half of all mothers to continue at least some breast-feeding until a baby is 6 months old. Though about 70 percent of new mothers start breast-feeding right after childbirth, just over a third are breast-feeding at 6 months and fewer than 20 percent are exclusively breast-feeding by that time, according to the 2004 National Immunization Survey. Breast-feeding increases with education, income and age; black women are less likely to breast-feed, while Hispanics have higher breast-feeding rates.
For women, breast-feeding can be an emotionally charged issue, and a very personal one. Even its most ardent supporters acknowledge that they have made sacrifices.

"It's a whole lifestyle," said Kymberlie Stefanski, a 34-year-old mother of three from Villa Park, Ill., who has not been apart from her children except for one night when she gave birth. "My life revolves around my kids, basically." Ms. Stefanski quit working when her first child was born almost six years ago, nursed that child until she was 4 years old, and is nursing an infant now.
She said she wanted to reduce the risk of breast cancer for herself and for her three daughters, referring to research indicating that extended breast-feeding may reduce the risk for both mother and daughters.

Scientists who study breast milk almost all speak of it in superlatives. Even the International Formula Council, a trade association, acknowledges that breast-feeding "offers specific child and maternal health benefits" and is the "preferred" method of infant feeding. The American Academy of Pediatrics states in its breast-feeding policy that human breast milk is "uniquely superior for infant feeding."

Dr. Haynes, of the Health and Human Services Department, said, "Our message is that breast milk is the gold standard, and anything less than that is inferior."
Formula "is not equivalent," she went on, adding, "Formula is not the gold standard. It's so far from it, it's not even close."

Formula manufacturers say infant formula is modeled on breast milk and emphasize that it is the only safe alternative recommended by pediatricians for mothers who cannot, or choose not to, breast-feed.

But while formula tastes the same way at every feeding, advocates of breast-feeding say, the smells and flavors of human breast milk change from day to day, from morning to evening, influenced by the mother's diet. Many nutritionists believe that exposing an infant to this bouquet of flavors early on may make for less fussy eaters who are more flexible about trying new foods and more likely to eat a healthy, varied diet.

"I think of human milk not just as food, but as a sophisticated and intricate infant support system that has evolved over millions of years to provide the infant with nutrition, protection and components of information," said Dr. E. Stephen Buescher, a professor of pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, who heads the inflammation section in the school's Center for Pediatric Research.

"It isn't just calories," Dr. Buescher said.

The protection that breast-feeding provides against acute infectious diseases — including meningitis, upper and lower respiratory infections, pneumonia, bowel infections, diarrhea and ear infections — has been among the most extensively studied of its benefits and is well documented, said Dr. Lawrence M. Gartner, chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section.
Breast-fed babies have 50 percent to 95 percent fewer infections than other babies, Dr. Gartner said, adding, "It's pretty dramatic."

One reason for the reduction in the incidence and the severity of infections is the antibodies contained in the mother's milk. "A lot of this has to do with the mother and baby interacting," he explained. "Whatever the baby is exposed to, the mother is exposed to, and the mother will make antibodies within three to four days." The baby absorbs them through breast milk.
Breast milk also protects the baby through other mechanisms. For example, it contains agents that prevent bacteria and viruses from attaching to cells in the baby's body, so the foreign agents are expelled in the stool, Dr. Gartner said.

The protection is not ironclad, so breast-fed babies will often get a mild infection that does not make the baby sick but acts almost like a vaccine. "What we think is that human milk creates an environment where you get your immunity without the cost of an infection, the vomiting and the diarrhea," Dr. Buescher said. "That's a bargain."

Neonatologists are urging the mothers of their tiniest patients to express breast milk because premature and low-birth-weight babies are particularly vulnerable to infections. Studies have found that premature babies who get breast milk are discharged earlier from the hospital and are less likely to develop necrotizing enterocolitis, a potentially deadly disease. Breast milk has also been shown to lift the cognitive development of premature babies, presumably because it contains certain fatty acids that aid brain development.

Experts say it is possible that human breast milk produces permanent changes in the immune system, in a sense "educating" the baby's immune system, Dr. Gartner suggested. That may explain why children who were breast-fed appear to be at lower risk for autoimmune diseases like Crohn's, asthma and juvenile diabetes. Several studies also indicate that breast-fed children are at reduced risk for the cancers lymphoma and leukemia.

Officials with the International Formula Council say there is not enough evidence to prove a relationship between early feeding and serious chronic diseases.
Dr. Myron Peterson, director of medical affairs for Cato Research, a private independent research organization which reviewed the literature on breast-feeding for the council, said that studies have found a link between nursing and health benefits but that they do not prove a causal relationship. "It's like the old statement about the rooster crowing making the sun come up," he said. "If you did an observational study on that, what would you say?" An unpublished report the council commissioned from Cato says "it is not scientifically correct to conclude the lack of exclusive breast-feeding plays a causative role in the development of these diseases."

But scientists are so intrigued about the potential to protect children from juvenile diabetes that a large 10-year multinational study called Trigr (for Trial to Reduce Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in the Genetically at Risk) is under way to find out whether breast-feeding protects at-risk children from developing the disease.
And public health officials, excited about mounting evidence suggesting that children who were breast-fed are at lower risk of being obese, have been promoting breast-feeding as a strategy to combat alarming rates of childhood obesity.

The health benefits of breast-feeding may extend to mothers as well. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, extended breast-feeding reduces the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer. New studies have also found that women who breast-feed face a lower risk of adult-onset or Type 2 diabetes, and they seem to be at lower risk for osteoporosis later in life.

Immediately after childbirth, nursing accelerates healing by reducing the amount of bleeding and causing the uterus to contract more rapidly back to its normal size. Making milk burns up to 500 extra calories a day, so nursing mothers get help shedding extra pounds from pregnancy, experts say, especially if they nurse for an extended period.
Experts say lactation also seems to have a calming effect on the mother, which may be an adaptive mechanism to ease the transition to life with a new baby. Every time a mother nurses, she gets a spike in oxytocin, which may have an antianxiety effect and help promote bonding with the new baby, said Kathryn G. Dewey, a professor of nutrition at the University of California, Davis, and an expert on breast-feeding.

Nursing may even produce a euphoric feeling, she said.

Dr. Michael Kramer, a professor of pediatrics and of epidemiology and biostatistics at McGill University's medical school in Montreal who has been studying the health effects of breast-feeding among infants in Belarus, found a strong protective effect against gastrointestinal illnesses and a lesser protective effect against respiratory infections. Dr. Kramer is still analyzing data on obesity, I.Q., behavior and blood pressure.

"It can't do all of the things that are being claimed for it," Dr. Kramer said, injecting a note of caution into the debate. "But it probably does some of them."

Tarin's Birthday!!!!!!!!

2006-06-08T09:19:00.000-06:00

Today is my sweet Tarin's birthday! Enjoy his birth story! :) Pictures of his party will follow....after we have the party this afternoon!

Kellen was about 6 1/2 months old when I found out I was expecting another baby! Ethan was 3 so it was kinda overwhelming to realize I would have 3 kids under 3 years old. However, Josiah and I were very excited and felt quite blessed by the Lord for such a wonderful gift.

Tarin's pregnancy was....different than my others. First, I had no real due date. I had not had any cycle since before I had Kellen so there was little to go by in that respect. We declined an ultrasound because of the medical problems it can cause with the baby (another post for another day!)....so we decided to wing it altogether. The best we could determine....mid May.
Second............my two older boys both got purtussis (whopping cough) when I was about 12 weeks along with Tarin; so I was obviously concerned with passing it to the baby. The doc assured me that would not happen, but I was still wary. (the whopping cough was LOOOOONG gone by the time Tarin was born....so the doc was right!).

I nursed Kell through the pregnancy (I am a big extended nursing fan so I did not want Kell to miss out on the awesome benefits of nursing even if I was preg again). He did wean himself around month 7 of being pregnant....when he turned 1 year. I remember being at a friends home (Kerri!) at some point in May....chasing Kell around her house and watching Ethan play and thinking...."oh my gosh. HOW will I do this with a little newborn?!" Kell and the new baby would be about 15 months apart. Kell was barely walking, not potty trained and a wild little guy. :) Lord, help me!

The other funny thing about Tarin's pregnancy was that I was 100%....no....150% positive that the baby was a girl. No reason other than my intuition (which we all now know is...faulty). In fact, at his birth, all I had prepared was purple blankets and floral hats for the baby right after the birth. I was just certain "it" was a girl.

Mid may came..................and went. Nothing. Nada. LOTS of contractions.....none that progressed into labor.
Family and friends starting commenting on the massive size I had become. My belly measured 5 cm LARGER that I should have measured. Strangers asked if I was carrying twins. (and after I hit them I SAT on them)....just kidding. :)
I was beginning to feel that "I will be pregnant forever" feeling......and it lasted for 3 more weeks!
Had I been planning a hospital birth I would have been induced around middle of May, just based on my belly measurements alone. (had that happened I would have birthed a 3 week premature baby). Thankfully, my midwife has enough knowledge, experience and wisdom to monitor the baby and just wait and see.
My Grandparents drove over from Texas for the birth....stayed almost 2 weeks...and drove home! AH! This baby was never coming out!

Oh, but he waaaasssssss. God had a plan. He knit Tarin in my womb....He has numbered Tarins' days and knows EXACTLY when Tarin should be born.

My water staring a small leak in the night of the 6th (really, the morning of the 7th) about 2 a.m. As Tarin now says, "Yeah Baby! That's what I talkin about!" I got up and showered then tried to go back to bed. I knew I had a job to do and I wanted all the rest I could get. Later that morning my mom came over and got Ethan and Kellen. We set up the birth pool then Josiah and I went out.....to eat! Roadhouse Grill, baby! It is amazing the FAST service you get when the waitress knows your in labor and is afraid she will deliver that baby on the table. Ummm.....I had a delicious salad, chicken and some of their very high-fat bread....and a ton of water. After lunch we walked around Old Navy....looking at baby clothes (girl, of course). My contraction were sporadic and not intense at all. About 10 minutes apart and painless.
The rest of the day is kinda a blurrrrrr.....I think we went and ate at moms' house for dinner and then Josiah and I went back home. We had a few hours to ourselves before mom brought the boys home and put them to bed.....so we turned on Natalie Cole and danced in the living room. The candlelight and music made it so romantic! I really enjoyed that time I had with Josiah.
Around 11p.m. Claudia came by to se how things were going. My contractions had picked up a bit, but I knew I still had a while to go. Claudia listened to the baby...took vitals and then sat with us to chat. I ate an organic peach yogurt and remember thinking how delicious it was. I had to convince Claudia to go home and I would call when things got more serious. Heck, I was talking and laughing! I still had a while. Reluctantly, Claudia went home to get some sleep. I decided that I should lay down while I still could (I hate laying down in labor....but it was not to intense yet, so I could still be comfortable in bed). Josiah and I went upstairs and I got to sleep in between contractions. After a few hours I noticed that the contractions were getting much closer together and lasting over a minute. I was happy that things were finally picking up! I think it was around 2:30 a.m. or 3:00 a.m. that Josiah called Claudia to come back over. Debbie, her midwife partner, came with her. We also had invited my friend Tracy to video and Kerri to take pictures. My mom was there as well for the kids (who were sound asleep) and pool upkeep as well as moral support. I came downstairs and Claudia checked the baby and then me....I was 7 cm! Woo Hoo! I still felt like I had a while to go....for some reason I "knew" it would be a while longer before we saw this baby. I turned on 3rd Day Worship Album and settled into a pattern of labordancing, squatting, sitting on the birth ball and walking through contractions. I ate an entire apple (I needed the energy for stamina) and drank SO much water.

This went on for hours and hours and hours. The CD I had on repeated itself SO may times! I finally turned it off. My candles were burning out....and daylight was peaking through the windows. I had gotten in the pool at some point to get a little rest but I got out again a little while later. (the birthpool was in my living room floor).

At around 6:50 a.m. Claudia checked and I was still 7-8 cm. I was really tired and just wanted the kid OUT. Up till then labor had been enjoyable and fun, but now I was ready to call it a day and go to sleep! Claudia asked me if I was ready to birth. I said, OF COURSE I was. I could not pull the wool over her eyes...she knew I was mentally not "there" yet. I was stressed about many things....finances, 3 kids under 3 years, WHERE the baby would sleep....etc. I was holding onto "easiness" for as long as I could! I took a few minutes and decided that I was indeed ready to face life...and I was ready to have a new baby. About 2 contractions later I began pushing. At first I laid on the couch to push (why? no idea. I HATED it) and while I ate my banana I decided I wanted to jump in the pool. I got in the water and it was SOOOO nice. I relaxed and allowed my body to push my baby down. I remember that in between pushing contractions all I wanted was COLD water...and lots of it. At some point I drank all the water in my water bottle and it irritated me that "they" could not even keep my water bottle full! I was having a baby! How hard is it to keep water there for me?! I threw my water bottle across the room and demanded more NOW. Needless to say, the baby came very soon after that. :)

I pushed a total of 11 minutes. Josiah was not able to catch the baby this time because he had poison ivy all down his arms. :( He sat behind me, though, holding me up in a flowing/squat in the pool. I remember when Claudia said, "Tiff, the head is born." I was amazed! I reached down and felt his soft little head...his ears, his eyes, nose and mouth. Oh how sweet! Oh how precious! He was so soft! I also realized as I was touching his head that he did not rotate in the manner most babies rotate to allow the shoulders to be born. (by this time I had done over 100 births and knew what was going on). I mentioned this to Claudia (as if she did not already know!) and she told me that it was fine, just stay very loose on my next push and hold my squat. So, the next push, I stayed very loose and she reached a finger under his shoulder and he flew out!
(Remember, at this point I still think this is a girl).

I cried with thankfulness to the Lord and kept saying, "Thank you Jesus for my baby!" He was so very cute! He did not cry much....he just looked around at Josiah and I. I sat in the pool for several minutes talking to the baby before I thought to even look and see what kind of baby we had. I peaked under the towel and started laughing hysterically. It was a boy!!!!!!!!!! I was shocked and so surprised....it was a wonderful moment in my life that I will never forget. What a blessing! We now had 3 sons!

After a few hours just relaxing with our new son I decided I wanted some food and a shower. After that was accomplished Claudia and Debbie did the newborn exam. This baby was a chunk....10 pounds and 8 ounces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And that was the beginning of a beautiful relationship we have with our Tarin Josiah.
Thank you Lord for blessing our family with such a sweet, sensitive, independent, funny, beautiful little boy :)

Did I mention that I felt so good the next day that I was up cleaning the bathroom? Yes, I got yelled at for that one :)

C Section artwork

2006-05-11T17:16:00.000-06:00

Below is a link to a site made by a mom who had 2 C sections...the last one she is very upset about a realizes her mistake. The artwork on the site is quite graphic yet very powerful....she is able to convey thoughts/feelings that other moms have told me about but I never did "grasp" until I saw these pictures. Click on the first picture to enter the site.
Anyway, not something the kiddies will enjoy...and have your tissues ready.
I cannot help but think of my mom when I see these.....she also had 2 C sections and hated it....especially the 2nd one. I grew up seeing her scar and always saying I never wanted one.....

http://www.cesarean-art.com/

How Would YOU Respond?????

2006-04-23T09:34:00.001-06:00

How would you respond in these situations?

1. A preacher and his wife are very, very poor. They already have 14 kids. Now she finds out she’s pregnant with the 15th. They’re living in tremendous poverty. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population, would you consider recommending she get an abortion?

2. The father is sick with sniffles, the mother has TB. Of their four children, the first is blind, the second has died, the third is deaf, the fourth has TB. She finds she’s pregnant again. Given this extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion?

3. A white man raped a 13-year-old black girl and she’s now pregnant. If you were her parents, would you consider recommending abortion?

4. A teenage girl is pregnant. She’s not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the baby, and he’s upset. Would you recommend abortion?

In the first case, you would have killed John Wesley, one of the great evangelists in the 19th century. In the second case, you would have killed Beethoven. In the third case, you would have killed Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer. If you said yes to the fourth case, you would have declared the murder of Jesus Christ!

God is the author of life, and He has givenevery single individual supreme value. Each life—whether inside or outside the womb—should therefore be valued by us. God knows the plans He has for each individual and has written in His book all the days ordained for us before one of them came to be. When we presume to know better than God who should be given life, we are putting ourselves in the place of God and are guilty of idolatry.

How Would YOU Respond?????

2006-04-23T09:34:00.000-06:00

Living Will

2006-04-13T16:58:00.000-06:00

A man and his wife were sitting in the living room and he said to her,
"Just so you know, I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent
on some machine and fluids from a bottle. If that ever happens, just pull
the plug."

His wife got up, unplugged the TV and threw out all of his beer.

New Store!!!

2006-04-12T12:33:00.000-06:00

A New Husbands Store Opens Up

A store that sells new husbands has just opened in New York City, where
a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the
entrance is a description of how the store operates.

You may visit the store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the
attributes of the men increase as the shopper ascends the flights. There
is, however, a catch: you may choose any man from a particular floor, or
you may choose to go up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to
exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband.

On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1
* These men have jobs.

She goes to the second floor where the sign reads:

Floor 2
* These men have jobs and love kids.

Then she goes to the third floor where the sign reads:

Floor 3
* These men have jobs, love kids, and are extremely good
looking.

Wow," she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.
She goes up to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4
* These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous
and help with the housework.
Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly stand it"

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads: .

Floor 5
* These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous,
helps with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the sign
reads:

Floor 6
* You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor.

This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

Oops

2006-04-12T10:31:00.000-06:00

Reason 3,872 I have my babies at home ;)
This is a true story...funny now!

A man comes into the ER and yells, "My wife's going to have her baby in the cab!" I grabbed my stuff, rushed out to the cab, lifted the lady's dress, and began to take off her underwear. Suddenly I noticed that there were several cabs, and I was in the wrong one. --Dr. Mark MacDonald, San Antonio, TX

My Trip To Mexico

2006-04-10T08:21:00.000-06:00

David M. Bresnahan
April 1, 2006
NewsWithViews.com

Dear President Bush:

I'm about to plan a little trip with my family and extended family,and I would like to ask you to assist me. I'm going to walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico and I need to make a few arrangements. I know you can help with this.

I plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here. So, would you mind telling your buddy, President Vicente Fox, that I'm on my way over? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:

1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. All government forms need to be printed in English.
4. I want my kids to be taught by English-speaking teachers.
5. Schools need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my kids to see the American flag flying on the top of the flag pole at their school with the Mexican flag flying lower down.
7. Please plan to feed my kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do not plan to have any car insurance, and I won't make any effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from Pres. Fox to leave me alone, please be sure that all police officers speak English.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my house top, put flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, and don't enforce any labor laws or tax laws.
13. Please tell all the people in the country to be extremely nice and never say a critical word about me, or about the strain I might place on their paychecks since their taxes will fund all of my requests.

I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all the people who come to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that Pres. Fox won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely. However, if he gives you any trouble, just invite him to go quail hunting with your V.P.

Thank you so much for your kind help.

Sincerely,

David M. Bresnahan

The Plane Trip

2006-03-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Three old black ladies were preparing for their
first plane flight.

The first lady said, "I don't know bout y'all, but
I'm gonna wear me some hot pink panties on dis
flight."

"Why you gonna wear dat?" the other two asked.

The first replied, "Cause, if dat plane goes down
and I'm out dere laying butt-up in a corn field, dey
gonna find me first."

The second lady says, "Well, I'm gonna wear me some
fluorescent orange
panties."

"Why you gonna wear dem?" the others asked.

The second lady answered: "Cause if dat plane goes
down and I'm floating
butt-up in the ocean, dey can see me first."

The third old lady says, "Well, I'm not going to
wear any panties at all."

"What, no panties?!" the others said in disbelief.

"Dat's right," says the third lady. "I'm not wearing
any panties, cause if dat plane goes down, the first
thing they always looks for is da black box."

My Last Post......

2006-03-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say this will be my last post.

Things have been a bit tough today and life is getting
shorter and shorter every day. I want to take time and
smell the roses. So I am going to quit posting jokes....
and travel full time with a biker gang to see the country
and enjoy life while I still can. Don't worry about me - they
Are all like really nice people. It has been nice posting for
you!!!!!!!!!!!!

Below is a picture of my new biker gang......see y'all later! :)

Pizza Anyone???????

2006-03-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

Estate Planning

2006-03-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

A woman's husband dies. He had $30,000 to his name.

After everything is done at the funeral home and cemetery, she tells her closest friend that there is none of the $30,000 left.

The friend says, "How can that be?"

The widow says, "Well, the funeral cost was $6,500. And, of course, I made donation to the church - that was $500. I spent another $500 for the wake, food and drinks, you know. The rest went for the memorial stone."

The friend says, "$22,500 for the memorial stone? My Gosh, how big is it?"

The widow says, "Three carats....."

Vaccine issues

2006-03-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hummmm.....interesting. You mean to tell me that the government was aware that mercury in vaccines could cause autism....and did NOTHING about it? Wow. There's a shock.

http://www.milforddailynews.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=87552

Milford Daily News, MA
Tuesday, March 7, 2006

Report: Government knew of autism link
By Jon Brodkin

Eight years before the U.S. government decided to remove mercury from most
childhood vaccines, federal health officials were already receiving reports
linking vaccinations to new cases of autism.

Starting in 1991 after the government set up a database to record
adverse reactions to vaccines, doctors, parents and others reported
frightening responses to inoculations in children subsequently diagnosed
with autism.

Vaccinated children exhibited severe brain damage, high-pitched "hyena"
laughs and screams, drunken behavior, senseless babbling, infantile spasms
and seizures, "bug-eyed" looks, and the complete loss of abilities like
toilet training and language, according to the Vaccine Adverse Events
Reporting System (VAERS).

There were 83 such reports from across the country before the government
asked vaccine manufacturers in 1999 to remove thimerosal -- a preservative
containing mercury.

The government still denies that toxic mercury injected into infants
caused a huge increase in autism prevalence, but parents say federal
officials did not act upon reports linking vaccines to autism quickly
enough.

"My stomach twisted and turned," Acton parent Jeannie Meijer wrote in an
e-mail after reading the reports. "It's tough to think that if people had
been paying more attention, or been more honest, the autism epidemic may not
have happened and my son may have been spared. Really tough."

The 83 autism reports in the 1990s in VAERS were submitted as evidence
in a Texas court case that ended last year.

Government officials say the VAERS database cannot be used to draw
conclusions about autism because it records reports from anyone, whether
they be doctors, patients or lawyers. But government officials relied on
VAERS data when it suspended a rotavirus vaccine in 1999 after just 15
reports linking it to infant bowel obstruction.

VAERS had already recorded 15 reports linking vaccines to autism by
1994.

"Why would the governmental agencies charged with ensuring a safe
vaccine supply ignore so many reports and continue to put millions of
children at risk, including both of our sons?" asked Jared Hansen, a
Framingham parent of two autistic boys. "Who benefits from the silence?"

Hansen and his wife, Marjorie, filed one of 4,700 claims pending in a
national vaccine court alleging that thimerosal in vaccines caused their
children to be autistic. The cases, which are being heard in a single
proceeding, are expected to be resolved in about three years. Meanwhile, the
Massachusetts Legislature is considering a proposal to ban thimerosal in the
state.

After hearing government officials spend years denying any connection
between vaccines and autism, the Hansens found it disturbing to read the
VAERS reports from long before mercury was removed from infant shots.

"It was actually pretty emotional," Jared said. "My wife was crying
about it....There's so much of it that's familiar. You read through it,
there's a real pattern that emerges. It's disturbing to think this was all
before my sons were exposed."

Federal health officials deny the VAERS reports should have spurred
earlier action on mercury in vaccines. The VAERS data "in and of itself is
not a strong signal," said Glen Nowak, spokesman for the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.

"It's not a database that was ever designed to track the incidence or
prevalence of any disease or disorder," Nowak said.

In the case of the rotavirus vaccine, there was evidence from clinical
trials suggesting it may cause bowel obstruction in some infants even before
the vaccine hit the market, Nowak said. Therefore, health officials were on
the lookout for adverse events related to the rotavirus vaccine, but did not
look for patterns the VAERS database might have shown in autism reporting.

The VAERS autism reports also did not mention the mercury preservative
specifically, Nowak said. But he did not deny that the government knew
mercury -- a neurotoxin -- was present in vaccines.

While the rotavirus vaccine is now off the market, the U.S. Public
Health Service in 1999 asked -- but did not require -- manufacturers to
remove mercury from vaccines. Thimerosal was phased out of most infant shots
over several years, but it is still widely used in flu shots routinely given
to babies and pregnant women.

Research investigating a potential link between vaccines and autism was
spurred by huge increases in the disease's prevalence observed in the 1990s
after the government more than doubled the amount of mercury infants were
being given through vaccines.

An Institute of Medicine report in 2004 found no link between autism and
thimerosal. "There were five very solid epidemiologic studies (we looked
at). All of them came down on the side of no association between thimerosal
and autism," said Dr. Marie McCormick, a Harvard professor who was chairman
of the IOM committee.

But a confidential CDC study in 2000 actually found that children were
2.5 times more likely to develop autism when they receive 62.5 micrograms of
mercury from vaccines at 3 months of age. The study was uncovered by an
advocacy group under the Freedom of Information Act.

"They're on record saying there's no effect from thimerosal, it's
completely safe, even though their own internal studies show it's harmful,"
said researcher David Geier.

Children injected with 62.5 micrograms of mercury in a single day, as
many were, were given a dose 129 times higher than a federal safety limit,
Geier said.

Last week, Geier and his father, Dr. Mark Geier, reported that an
analysis of VAERS and two other databases shows that new autism diagnoses
have declined since thimerosal was removed from most childhood vaccines, a
finding supportive of an autism-vaccine connection.

Parents and researchers who believe thimerosal causes autism say the
government should have identified this possibility years ago when they began
receiving reports from doctors and families.

CDC officials argue that the VAERS database is not reliable in part
because it is influenced by media reporting on certain diseases. The media
influence may be seen in nearly 800 autism reports filed since 2000.

But the 83 reports in the 1990s came before the topic received
widespread media coverage, and likely represent just a fraction of autism
cases caused by thimerosal, advocates said.

Andy Waters, an attorney who submitted the reports as evidence in the
Texas court case, decided to use data only from the 1990s because "I didn't
want it to be an artifact of the press."

Waters' case alleging that a child became autistic because of thimerosal
was dismissed after he failed to prove the preservative harmed the specific
child. But Texas Judge T. John Ward's ruling states that the court could not
dismiss a general link between pediatric vaccines and autism.

The VAERS database, while not definitive proof of harm caused by
thimerosal, provides parents a chilling reminder of their own struggles.
Jeannie Meijer watched her son Matthew, born in 2000, develop normally until
he was 18 months old. Then, like many other children who received

mercury-containing vaccines, Matthew regressed until the only word he could
say was "mama."

The federal database includes reports of autistic children with
encephalopathy, literally a disease that alters brain function or structure.
An Illinois boy suffered a major seizure eight hours after a vaccine,
resulting in permanent brain damage.

Another autistic child lost the ability to play and began acting deaf.
One girl less than a year old developed spasms lasting 15 minutes just hours
after a vaccination. Another repeatedly banged his head and still another
was hospitalized with "full-blown" seizures.

Bobbie Manning, who has a 10-year-old son with autism, said on the day
his son was born he was given a dose of mercury in a Hepatitis B vaccine
that would be considered safe under federal guidelines only if he had
weighed 550 pounds.

Manning, vice president of A-CHAMP, a New York-based parents' advocacy
group, was shocked when she began learning about mercury's presence in
vaccines.

"I thought to myself, if I gave my child thimerosal, I'd be going to
jail," she said.

Are you a Democrat, Republican or Southern Republican?

2006-03-07T10:38:00.000-07:00

Are you a Democrat, Republican or Southern Republican?

Here is a little test that will help you decide.

The answer can be found by posing the following question:

You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small
children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the
corner, locks eyes with you, screams 0bscenities, praises Allah, raises the
knife, and charges at you. You are carrying an H&K USP .40 (or substitute
your favorite pistol here) and you are an expert shot. You have mere
seconds before he reaches you and your family.

What do you do?

Democrat's Answer:

Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!

Does the man look poor! Or oppressed?

Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?

Could we run away?

What does my wife think?

What about the kids?

Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?

What does the law say about this situation?

Does the pistol have appropriate safety built into it?

Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?

Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?

Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me, If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?

Should I call 9-1-1 ?

Why is this street so deserted?

We need to raise taxes, have a paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.

This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few
days and try to come to a consensus.

Republican's Answer:

BANG!

Southern Republican's Answer:

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! click...(sounds of reloading). BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! Click.

Daughter: "Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or
Hollow Points?

Son: Git-r-Dun Pop! Can I shoot the next one!

Wife: You ain't taking that to the Taxidermist!

Try This Out....

2006-03-01T12:08:00.000-07:00

When the Proverb was written about the wife and mom..."She does not eat the bread of idleness..." I doubt this game was invented :)

Try it out....if you can last 18 seconds than you are smart....22 seconds than you are a phenomenon. Apparently they use this while training jet pilots. Ummm.....I just lost mine and the whole crew's life.
Oops.
See link below....

http://tinyurl.com/56t9u

Words Women Use

2006-03-01T12:01:00.000-07:00

FINE
This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

FIVE MINUTES
If she is getting dressed, this is half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given 5 more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

NOTHING
This is the calm before the storm. This means "something," and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'Nothing' usually end in "Fine"

GO AHEAD
This is a dare, not permission. Don't do it.

LOUD SIGH
This is not actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A "Loud Sigh" means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you over "Nothing"

THAT'S OKAY
This is one of the most dangerous statements that a woman can make to a man. "That's Okay" means that she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

THANKS
A woman is thanking you. Do not question it or faint. Just say you're welcome.

A Must Read Article

2006-02-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy reading/hearing truth from John Mac Arthur? Maybe not as much as my brother (HA!), but I do admire and love learning about God's word from him. Here is an article that is a must read for every Christian struggling with the "legalistic" side of living...more importantly, the gray area of life. Entertainment, music, drink, clothing, etc. The Bible does not specificly have a list of okay's and NOT okay's for many things....however, as John points out, there are passages in scripture that do address our daily living. What about if I believe strongly in doing/not doing one particular thing....and another Christian I know believes the opposite? Does that make me right...or wrong? Well, that is (thankfully) not for me to decide (unless blatant sin). Anyway....read the article and enjoy :)

Don't Waste Your Cancer

2006-02-22T13:56:00.000-07:00

Don't Waste Your Cancer

February 15, 2006 — Fresh Words Edition

By John Piper

I write this on the eve of prostate surgery. I believe in God’s power to heal—by miracle and by medicine. I believe it is right and good to pray for both kinds of healing. Cancer is not wasted when it is healed by God. He gets the glory and that is why cancer exists. So not to pray for healing may waste your cancer. But healing is not God’s plan for everyone. And there are many other ways to waste your cancer. I am praying for myself and for you that we will not waste this pain.

1. You will waste your cancer if you do not believe it is designed for you by God.
It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate. So when he strikes Job with boils (Job 2:7), Job attributes it ultimately to God (2:10) and the inspired writer agrees: “They . . . comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (Job 42:11). If you don’t believe your cancer is designed for you by God, you will waste it.

2. You will waste your cancer if you believe it is a curse and not a gift.
“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “There is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel” (Numbers 23:23). “The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).

3. You will waste your cancer if you seek comfort from your odds rather than from God.
The design of God in your cancer is not to train you in the rationalistic, human calculation of odds. The world gets comfort from their odds. Not Christians. Some count their chariots (percentages of survival) and some count their horses (side effects of treatment), but we trust in the name of the Lord our God (Psalm 20:7). God’s design is clear from 2 Corinthians 1:9, “We felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” The aim of God in your cancer (among a thousand other good things) is to knock props out from under our hearts so that we rely utterly on him.

4. You will waste your cancer if you refuse to think about death.
We will all die, if Jesus postpones his return. Not to think about what it will be like to leave this life and meet God is folly. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, “It is better to go to the house of mourning [a funeral] than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.” How can you lay it to heart if you won’t think about it? Psalm 90:12 says, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Numbering your days means thinking about how few there are and that they will end. How will you get a heart of wisdom if you refuse to think about this? What a waste, if we do not think about death.

5. You will waste your cancer if you think that “beating” cancer means staying alive rather than cherishing Christ.
Satan’s and God’s designs in your cancer are not the same. Satan designs to destroy your love for Christ. God designs to deepen your love for Christ. Cancer does not win if you die. It wins if you fail to cherish Christ. God’s design is to wean you off the breast of the world and feast you on the sufficiency of Christ. It is meant to help you say and feel, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” And to know that therefore, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 3:8; 1:21).

6. You will waste your cancer if you spend too much time reading about cancer and not enough time reading about God.
It is not wrong to know about cancer. Ignorance is not a virtue. But the lure to know more and more and the lack of zeal to know God more and more is symptomatic of unbelief. Cancer is meant to waken us to the reality of God. It is meant to put feeling and force behind the command, “Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord” (Hosea 6:3). It is meant to waken us to the truth of Daniel 11:32, “The people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” It is meant to make unshakable, indestructible oak trees out of us: “His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers” (Psalm 1:2). What a waste of cancer if we read day and night about cancer and not about God.

7. You will waste your cancer if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepen your relationships with manifest affection.
When Epaphroditus brought the gifts to Paul sent by the Philippian church he became ill and almost died. Paul tells the Philippians, “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill” (Philippians 2:26-27). What an amazing response! It does not say they were distressed that he was ill, but that he was distressed because they heard he was ill. That is the kind of heart God is aiming to create with cancer: a deeply affectionate, caring heart for people. Don’t waste your cancer by retreating into yourself.

8. You will waste your cancer if you grieve as those who have no hope.
Paul used this phrase in relation to those whose loved ones had died: “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). There is a grief at death. Even for the believer who dies, there is temporary loss—loss of body, and loss of loved ones here, and loss of earthly ministry. But the grief is different—it is permeated with hope. “We would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Don’t waste your cancer grieving as those who don’t have this hope.

9. You will waste your cancer if you treat sin as casually as before.
Are your besetting sins as attractive as they were before you had cancer? If so you are wasting your cancer. Cancer is designed to destroy the appetite for sin. Pride, greed, lust, hatred, unforgiveness, impatience, laziness, procrastination—all these are the adversaries that cancer is meant to attack. Don’t just think of battling against cancer. Also think of battling with cancer. All these things are worse enemies than cancer. Don’t waste the power of cancer to crush these foes. Let the presence of eternity make the sins of time look as futile as they really are. “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” (Luke 9:25).

10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ.
Christians are never anywhere by divine accident. There are reasons for why we wind up where we do. Consider what Jesus said about painful, unplanned circumstances: “They will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be your opportunity to bear witness” (Luke 21:12 -13). So it is with cancer. This will be an opportunity to bear witness. Christ is infinitely worthy. Here is a golden opportunity to show that he is worth more than life. Don’t waste it.

Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Public, government run schools....from an insider

2006-02-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

Below is a short article my mom wrote about her experience last week teaching in a public highschool. This highschool is in a nice, well-to-do section of town (in Ga). As you read her comments, keep in mind that she taught for years in the public school system (government run schools) in the 70's before her first angelic child came into the world (ummm, that would be me!). She is no stranger to the system....but she was appalled at how far gone things have gotten in the past few years. enjoy :)

I would like to say that this is an URGENT NOTICE to tell all parents of kid's in government schools screaming "get them out asap!".....but I don't think they are listening. We'll see. Friday last I substituted at a local high school in Woodstock, Georgia. Now, please don't think that I'm just in shock because maybe I've never been in schools before. My degree is in education. Secondary. I've taught in Middle Schools, High Schools, Elementary Schools, a few Private Schools (and even in my own Homeschool!). I have substituted for YEARS. That's not new to me. I worked with an organization three years ago where we went in the roughest schools in Cobb County teaching a Character curriculum. Even then I was not afraid (though I was outnumbered racially about 10 to 1) and even had gang members in my class. But Friday was a real eye-opener. Okay...I have been out of the classroom three years. But when my husband & I taught way back in 1975 we decided then that we would NEVER send our kids to public school.....and I had no idea that things would be this bad. So let me tell you about last Friday: I taught 6 classes of Algebra. In that amount of time I heard the "F" word OUT LOUD IN CLASS more times than I can count. That, mixed with all the other various curse words, flew out of mouths with NO hesitation whatsoever. It was their daily language. They weren't angry. This was normal conversation for them. I saw everything from physical simulation of sex to open physical "show of affection" (hugging, kissing, ETC.) in the halls. There was a total lack of respect...for each other....for themselves....for life in general. For three of the class periods I was joined by another teacher (male) in the classroom (it was a team-teaching situation) and when he called a student down for some mis-behavior, the student responded, "Dont' talk to me that way!" The saddest observation all day was the over-all lack of conscience....lack of caring about anything at all....lack of "life" in the empty eyes staring into space. Today someone asked me, "Why aren't their parents doing something about these kids?" Probably their parents are drug-dealers, that's why... so what do they care? Or maybe their parents are very much like you and me. One male teacher agreed with everything I have just shared above and added, "Cross these kids and they had just soon slash your tires...or your throat!" I don't pretend to have the answer to all of this. In fact, what I have is a QUESTION: Where are YOUR priorities? Is your having and keeping a job, Mom, such a priority that you MUST keep your kids in government school? Are you soothing your own conscience by saying, "Well, the schools that my kids attend are NOT LIKE THAT!"....or, "My kids have the BEST teachers in the state....I know their classrooms aren't like that!" Who are you fooling? Do you really believe that your child is going to turn out differently while living in the midst of this holocaust on an every day basis? Do you think that one or two (or a dozen) good teachers can make up for this kind of environment? (By the way, the teachers know better than that.....they know what this environment is doing to "good kids.") We decided back in the 70's that this was not the place for our kids (and things were "mild" compared to what I witnessed this past week.) What decision will YOU make that will give your child a chance?

Another funny :)

2006-02-15T21:10:00.000-07:00

You may need to enlarge by clicking on the picture....

HA HA HA H AH AH H AH AH HA!

2006-02-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

C-sections and VBAC's

2006-02-15T14:22:00.000-07:00

Below is a excerpt from an article regarding C-sections and VBAC's (vaginal birth after cesarean). This being a soapbox of mine, I thought it interesting to post. The fact that the C rate in the USA is higher now than EVER before....and yet there is NO better outcome in babies says a lot...and says very loudly....MOST C-section are unnecessary and dangerous....having a C triples your rate of death and complications.

Why should VBAC work in America? American obstetrics doesn't work! What can you even begin to say about a country with an American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) conference entitled "Promoting Medically Unnecessary Cesarean Sections"? We rank 24th in the world: 23 other countries have better birth outcomes than we do. And the countries with the best outcomes use midwives and encourage out-of-hospital births. Many obstetricians didn't understand certain aspects of successful VBACÂexcellent nutrition, the absence of fear, the importance of the energy in the birth room, and faith in the birth process. Many of them told women they had to have their babies by 40 weeks, or they would be induced. Since more and more women were having/demanding VBACs, that was where the money was, and doctors began to get more comfortable with the idea. For doctors, VBACs equaled more time with less money, less power and less control. OBs who were attending VBACs were merely "baby catchers"Âsomething any ol' midwife could do; performing surgery was lucrative and awe-inspiring. They could schedule cesareans at a time that was convenient for them, instead of possibly being disturbed in the middle of the night. They couldn't understand what was so important about a vaginal birth, and they oftentimes used scare tactics to get women toÂagree to schedule a repeat cesarean. They accused women who wanted normal deliveries of compromising the health and well-being of their babies for their own aggrandizement and at the expense of their babies. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. ÂThe more comfortable they became with VBAC, the more risks they began to take. Before, no one ever induced a VBAC woman, and certainly no one every used Pitocin, but now, Pitocin was used frequently. There has been an increase in uterine rupture with the advent of induction and Pitocin. I find it incomprehensible and wicked that instead of understanding how obstetrical directives create problems and decrease the safety of VBAC, obstetricians in the United States believe that the danger is inherent within VBAC. In fact, it has come to our attention that instead of taking the time to suture the incised uterus in layers, doctors have been taught a "short cut" technique that uses only one layer. This method compromises the integrity of the scar and predisposes a woman to greater incidence of uterine rupture. So now they can tell you with a straight face that VBAC is dangerous: they are making it so. ÂLife has risks. Not everyone who plans a VBAC will have one, and not everyone who has one will have a perfect experience. Some women who desperately want VBACs end up with repeat cesareans. But after almost 30 years of researching, writing, counseling and teaching cesarean prevention and VBAC, I know that most women can have safe, gentle, sacred, delicious VBAC births, and that they are safer than repeat cesareans. It is a travesty that the majority of sections and repeat sections are unnecessary. It is a tremendous sadness when women have been so indoctrinated with fear about birth that they choose numbness and technology to "get the baby out" rather than their own power and efforts. Â Nancy Wainer, excerpted from "A Butcher's Dozen," Midwifery Today Issue 57

PMS Jewelry

2006-02-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring the other day so he would be able to monitor my moods.

We've discovered that when I'm in a good mood, it turns green.

When I'm in a bad mood, it leaves a big $#%$#@% red mark on his forehead.

Maybe next time he'll buy me a diamond.

Boycott???

2006-02-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

I just read through a blog about all this boycotting and such of godless TV, companies...etc. Great post....read it here. Below is a small quote from him....very thought provoking and convicting. His point is well taken....what do we expect non-Christians to do? And this could really usher in a great post on politics and the Christians involvement.....but I can go with that later. ;)

"Sinners cannot be reformed, they must be re-born. Therefore, society cannot be reformed, it must be re-born one sinner at a time.

Let's stop this silly protesting and start proclaiming instead."

Romans 1:16 (KJV) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Happy Birthday Kellen!!!

2006-01-30T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (January 29th) was my little Kello-Mello's birthday. He is 6!!!!
(I am posting pictures and such on the Flammily blog)

Yesterday I was reminded of his birth and what a blessing it was for us!
Below is Kellen's birth story....

Kellen Micah Flamm 1-29-00 Kellen was "due" on the 19-20th of January. I figured he would be late because 1.) most babies are 2.) my first son (Ethan) was about 2 weeks late. On the night of the 27th I was home alone watching the state of the Union address....given by, none other, Bill Clinton. I remember being disgusted with the guy and what he said. I went to the restroom and noticed that there seemed to be some fluid leakage going on...but I dismissed it and thought nothing more about it. Josiah and Ethan came home and we went to bed. I awoke early, as usual, to go to the bathroom. At that point in pregnancy your bladder is basically non-existent. As I was accomplishing the task of hobbling to the potty I noticed that my water had started leaking. (a "leak" is a bit different than a "break"....but has the same meaning....labor soon!)I woke up Josiah and told him what was going on, then I jumped in the shower. I figured it would be a while since I was having zero contractions and Ethan's birth had taken 2 days. I tried to go back to bed and get some rest after I showered, and I think I slept a few more hours. When we all got up the next morning (Jan 28th) I called my midwife and gave her an update, then called my mom. Josiah, Mom and I decided to go to the mall! Nothing like shopping in labor. :) We walked around the mall for quite a while, just hanging out. I was trying to get contractions started by walking and staying active. We kept walking past a store with a lady as the sales person. Finally, about our 21st trip by the lady asked mom what was going on. Mom told her my water was leaking and I was in labor. I thought the lady would flip out!! Apparently she was not acquainted with natural birth. Ha! After a while my mom took Ethan home for a nap and Josiah and I went out to lunch. I ate SO much food...I was starving and I knew I would need the energy for later. That afternoon at home was calm and relaxed. Contractions had finally started and Josiah was setting up the birthing pool and getting everything ready. I was keeping my midwife up to date on my slow progress and Mom and Ethan were just hanging out. I remember watching "The Rosie Show" and eating Reeses Bits! (AH! NOT good labor food!) I had planned on having my friend Tracy at the birth to video, my friend Diana to observe and my friend Karen to do pictures and help Mom with Ethan. Karen was driving from Florida, and her and her hubby Ryan made it in record time!!! ;) I was SO glad they made it for the birth. That evening things were progressing. We called the midwife over. She got there and set up her stuff and just hung out with us. I was beginning to want some privacy so Josiah and I stayed in our room upstairs while everyone else partied downstairs. I found out later they watched Ethan's birth video and made some sort of BAD smelling food! Ha! Claudia, my wonderful midwife, came upstairs about once every hour or so to check on the baby's heartbeat and see if I needed anything. Basically all I wanted was some water and Josiah. We "labordanced" our way through labor. It was very romantic and enjoyable. Around 10:30 p.m. (ish) I decided to come downstairs and get into the birthpool. I wanted to wait as long as possible before I got in so that the warm water so it could be the greatest benefit at the hardest part of labor. Everyone was at my house at that point and we laughed and joked around between contractions. Ethan thought I was SO funny with the noises I was making!!! He kept saying "Baby"! We turned on some relaxing music and lit a TON of candles. There were no lights on, just candles. I sat on the birthing stool and walked around the room and ate a bit before I got in the water. Claudia suggested that she check to see how for dilated I was...I was in MAJOR denial about being in labor, and was sure I was only 2cm!!!! She checked and I was 7-8 cm and ready for that pool! I was beginning to feel like I was sick of this whole thing and wanted it over. Sinking into the warm water made a 100% difference. I was now completely relaxed and able to cope/work with the contractions. Immediately transition began and I was along for the ride. It lasted a good 20-25 minutes. I felt like I was on the back of a speeding train....hanging on for dear life! But Josiah was there helping me through as was my midwife and friends. I finally recognized that my body was starting to push. Pushing feels much better, so I was very happy about that! Claudia checked and said I was almost completely dilated but I had a small cervical lip in the way. She attempted to hold the cervix while I pushed, but that was SO SO painful! I told her I could not handle that, so she stopped. She suggested that I try and hold it myself....so I did! Some might find this weird/odd or even gross, but I found it WAY less painful and quite empowering. After a push or two I felt the baby's head slowly move down into the birth canal. The cervix was gone and nothing was holding this little one back! I sat up a bit more and felt him move down. It was just so wonderful to feel his head slip out...and then feel the little nose, mouth and ears! A baby's head is the softest thing you have ever felt...and to feel that as your are giving birth was amazing. In one full push the baby was born into the water! Josiah and I caught our little bundle of joy and lifted him to my chest. He was looking around and let out a small cry..."thank you Jesus! Thank you for my baby"! (that was all I could say) Josiah and I held our little one for a few minutes before I realized I wanted to know what I had! (Josiah had found out the sex during the pregnancy but I chose not to) "It's a boy"!!!!!!!!!! Ethan was right there when Kellen was born and he came right over to my side of the pool to touch him. Ethan told him his name, how old he was and even sang him the Baby Song he made up for the occasion!!! I think we sat in the pool for about 45 minutes before I wanted to get up and in the shower. Kell was born at 12:45 a.m. on the 29th of January. We got out and went upstairs and I showered and cleaned up while everyone else started laundry, made food and cleaned up. After my WONDERFUL shower I got in my bed and the midwives did the baby exam. He weighed only 9 pounds 8 ounces!!! (This was nice considering Ethan weighed 10 pounds!) After all that was done, Josiah and I tucked Kellen into bed with us and went to sleep. My midwives and friends actually got STUCK at our home because a gigantic ice storm had struck during labor....so they all spent the night. I was fun waking up the next morning with a beautiful new baby and having breakfast with my friends, mom and midwife.

Pregnant with Kellen...this was a few days before his birth. Ethan loved feeling him move in my belly.

Moments after Kellen was born!!!

Ethan holding Kellen about an hour after he was born.

Little Kell at 5 months old.

a chapter from "Holiness" by JC Ryle

2006-01-27T13:54:00.000-07:00

A Woman to Be Remembered

"Remember Lot’s wife." (Luke 17:32).

There are few warnings in Scripture more solemn than that which heads this page. The Lord Jesus Christ says to us, "Remember Lot’s wife."

Lot’s wife was a professor of religion; her husband was a "righteous man" (2 Pet. 2:8). She left Sodom with him on the day when Sodom was destroyed; she looked back toward the city from behind her husband, against God’s express command; she was struck dead at once and turned into a pillar of salt. And the Lord Jesus Christ holds her up as a beacon to His church; He says, "Remember Lot’s wife."

It is a solemn warning, when we think of the person Jesus names. He does not bid us remember Abraham or Isaac or Jacob or Sarah or Hannah or Ruth. No, He singles out one whose soul was lost forever. He cries to us, "Remember Lot’s wife."

It is a solemn warning, when we consider the subject Jesus is upon. He is speaking of His own second coming to judge the world; He is describing the dreadful state of unreadiness in which many will be found. The last days are on His mind when He says, "Remember Lot’s wife."

It is a solemn warning, when we think of the person who gives it. The Lord Jesus is full of love, mercy and compassion; He is one who will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax. He could weep over unbelieving Jerusalem and pray for the men that crucified Him; yet even He thinks it good to remind us of lost souls. Even He says, "Remember Lot’s wife."

It is a solemn warning, when we think of the people to whom it was first given. The Lord Jesus was speaking to His disciples; He was not addressing the scribes and Pharisees, who hated Him, but Peter, James and John and many others who loved Him; yet even to them He thinks it good to address a caution. Even to them He says, "Remember Lot’s wife."

It is a solemn warning, when we consider the manner in which it was given. He does not merely say, "Beware of following, take heed of imitating, do not be like Lot’s wife." He uses a different word: He says, "Remember." He speaks as if we were all in danger of forgetting the subject; He stirs up our lazy memories; He bids us keep the case before our minds. He cries, "Remember Lot’s wife."

I propose to examine the lessons which Lot’s wife is meant to teach us. I am sure that her history is full of useful instruction to the church. The last days are upon us; the second coming of the Lord Jesus draws near; the danger of worldliness is yearly increasing in the church. Let us be provided with safeguards and antidotes against the disease that is around us and, not least, let us become familiar with the story of Lot’s wife.

Let us consider now the religious privileges Lot’s wife enjoyed, the particular sin she committed, and the judgement which God inflicted upon her.

1. The religious privileges which Lot’s wife enjoyed

In the days of Abraham and Lot, true saving religion was scarce upon earth: there were no Bibles, no ministers, no churches, no tracts, no missionaries. The knowledge of God was confined to a few favored families; the greater part of the inhabitants of the world were living in darkness, ignorance, superstition and sin. Not one in a hundred perhaps had such good example, such spiritual society, such clear knowledge, such plain warnings as Lot’s wife. Compared with millions of her fellow creatures in her time, Lot’s wife was a favored woman.

She had a godly man for her husband; she had Abraham, the father of the faithful, for her uncle by marriage. The faith, the knowledge and the prayers of these two righteous men could have been no secret to her. It is impossible that she could have dwelt in tents with them for any length of time without knowing whose they were and whom they served. Religion with them was no mere formal business; it was the ruling principle of their lives and the mainspring of all their actions. All this Lot’s wife must have seen and known. This was no small privilege.

When Abram first received the promises, it is probable Lot’s wife was there. When he built his altar by his tent between Hai and Bethel, it is probable she was there. When her husband was taken captive by Chedorlaomer and delivered by God’s interference, she was there. When Melchizedek, king of Salem, came forth to meet Abraham with bread and wine, she was there. When the angels came to Sodom and warned her husband to flee, she saw them; when they took them by the hand and led them out of the city, she was one of those whom they helped to escape. Once more, I say, these were no small privileges.

Yet what good effect had all these privileges on the heart of Lot’s wife? None at all. Notwithstanding all her opportunities and means of grace, notwithstanding all her special warnings and messages from heaven, she lived and died graceless, godless, impenitent and unbelieving. The eyes of her understanding were never opened; her conscience was never really aroused and quickened; her will was never really brought into a state of obedience to God; her affections were never really set upon things above. The form of religion which she had was kept up for fashion’s sake and not from feeling; it was a cloak worn for the sake of pleasing her company, but not from any sense of its value. She did as others did around her in Lot’s house; she conformed to her husband’s ways; she made no opposition to his religion; she allowed herself to be passively towed along in his wake; but all this time her heart was wrong in the sight of God. The world was in her heart, and her heart was in the world. In this state she lived, and in this state she died.

In all this there is much to be learned: I see a lesson here which is of the deepest importance in the present day. You live in times when there are many people just like Lot’s wife; come and hear the lesson which her case is meant to teach.

Learn, then, that the mere possession of religious privileges will save no one’s soul. You may have spiritual advantages of every description; you may live in the full sunshine of the richest opportunities and means of grace; you may enjoy the best of preaching and the choicest instruction; you may dwell in the midst of light, knowledge, holiness and good company. All this may be, and yet you yourself may remain unconverted, and at last be lost forever.

I dare say this doctrine sounds hard to some readers. I know that many fancy they want nothing but religious privileges in order to become decided Christians. They are not what they ought to be at present, they allow; but their position is so hard, they plead, and their difficulties are so many. Give them a godly husband or a godly wife, give them godly companions, or a godly master, give them the preaching of the gospel, give them privileges, and then they would walk with God.

It is all a mistake. It is an entire delusion. It requires something more than privileges to save souls. Joab was David’s captain; Gehazi was Elisha’s servant; Demas was Paul’s companion; Judas Iscariot was Christ’s disciple, and Lot had a worldly unbelieving wife. These all died in their sins. They went down to the pit in spite of knowledge, warnings and opportunities; and they all teach us that it is not privileges alone that men need. They need the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Let us value religious privileges, but let us not rest entirely upon them. Let us desire to have the benefit of them in all our movements in life, but let us not put them in the place of Christ. Let us use them thankfully if God grants them to us, but let us take care that they produce some fruit in our heart and life. If they do not do good, they often do positive harm: they sear the conscience, they increase responsibility, they aggravate condemnation. The same fire which melts the wax hardens the clay; the same sun which makes the living tree grow dries up the dead tree and prepares it for burning. Nothing so hardens the heart of man as a barren familiarity with sacred things. Once more I say, it is not privileges alone which make people Christians, but the grace of the Holy Spirit. Without that no man will ever be saved.

I ask the members of evangelical congregations in the present day to mark well what I am saying. You go to Mr. A’s, or Mr. B’s church; you think him an excellent preacher; you delight in his sermons; you cannot hear anyone else with the same comfort; you have learned many things since you attended his ministry; you consider it a great privilege to be one of his hearers! All this is very good. It is a privilege. I should be thankful if ministers like yours were multiplied a thousandfold. But after all, what have you got in your heart? Have you yet received the Holy Spirit? If not, you are no better than Lot’s wife.

I ask the servants of religious families to mark well what I am saying. It is a great privilege to live in a house where the fear of God reigns. It is a privilege to hear family prayers morning and evening, to hear the Word of God regularly expounded, to have a quiet Sunday, and to be able always to go to church. These are the things that you ought to seek after when you try to get a situation; these are the things which make a really good place. High wages and light work will never make up for a constant round of worldliness, Sabbath–breaking and sin. But take heed that you do not rest content with these things; do not suppose because you have all these spiritual advantages that you will of course go to heaven. You must have grace in your own heart, as well as attend family prayers. If not, you are at present no better than Lot’s wife.

I ask the children of religious parents to mark well what I am saying. It is the highest privilege to be the child of a godly father and mother and to be brought up in the midst of many prayers. It is a blessed thing indeed to be taught the gospel from our earliest infancy and to hear of sin and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and holiness and heaven from the first moment we can remember anything. But, oh, take heed that you do not remain barren and unfruitful in the sunshine of all these privileges; beware lest your heart remains hard, impenitent and worldly, notwithstanding the many advantages you enjoy. You cannot enter the kingdom of God on the credit of your parents’ religion. You must eat the bread of life for yourself and have the witness of the Spirit in your own heart. You must have repentance of your own, faith of your own and sanctification of your own. If not, you are no better than Lot’s wife.

I pray God that all professing Christians in these days may lay these things to heart. May we never forget that privileges alone cannot save us. Light and knowledge and faithful preaching and abundant means of grace and the company of holy people are all great blessings and advantages. Happy are those who have them! But, after all, there is one thing without which privileges are useless: that one thing is the grace of the Holy Spirit. Lot’s wife had many privileges; but Lot’s wife had no grace.

2. The sin which Lot’s wife committed

The history of the sin which Lot’s wife committed is given by the Holy Spirit in few and simple words: "She looked back from behind her husband, and she became a pillar of salt." We are told no more than this. There is a naked solemnity about the history. The sum and substance of her transgression lies in these three words: "She looked back."

Does that sin seem small in the eyes of any reader of this message? Does the fault of Lot’s wife appear a trifling one to be visited with such a punishment? This is the feeling, I dare say, that rises in some hearts. Give me your attention while I reason with you on the subject. There was far more in that look than strikes you at first sight: it implied far more than it expressed. Listen, and you shall hear.

a. That look was a little thing, but it revealed the true character of Lot’s wife. Little things will often show the state of a man’s mind even better than great ones, and little symptoms are often the signs of deadly and incurable diseases. The apple that Eve ate was a little thing, but it proved that she had fallen from innocence and become a sinner. A crack in an arch seems a little thing; but it proves that the foundation is giving way, and the whole fabric is unsafe. A little cough in a morning seems an unimportant ailment; but it is often an evidence of failing in the constitution and leads on to decline, consumption and death. A straw may show which way the wind blows, and one look may show the rotten condition of a sinner’s heart (Matt. 5:28).

b. That look was a little thing, but it told of disobedience in Lot’s wife. The command of the angel was straight and unmistakable: "Look not behind you" (Gen. 19:17). This command Lot’s wife refused to obey. But the Holy Spirit says that "to obey is better than sacrifice," and that "rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft" (1 Sam. 15:22, 23). When God speaks plainly by His Word, or by His messengers, man’s duty is clear.

c. That look was a little thing, but it told of proud unbelief in Lot’s wife. She seemed to doubt whether God was really going to destroy Sodom: she appeared not to believe there was any danger or any need for such a hasty flight. But without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The moment a man begins to think he knows better than God and that God does not mean anything when He threatens, his soul is in great danger. When we cannot see the reason of God’s dealings, our duty is to hold our peace and believe.

d. That look was a little thing, but it told of secret love of the world in Lot’s wife. Her heart was in Sodom, though her body was outside. She had left her affections behind when she fled from her home. Her eye turned to the place where her treasure was, as the compass needle turns to the pole. And this was the crowning point of her sin. "The friendship of the world is enmity with God" (James 4:4). "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).

This aspect of our subject deserves special attention; let us focus our minds and hearts upon it. I believe it to be the part to which the Lord Jesus particularly intends to direct us. I believe He would have us observe that Lot’s wife was lost by looking back to the world. Her profession was at one time fair and specious, but she never really gave up the world. She seemed at one time in the road to safety, but even then the lowest and deepest thoughts of her heart were for the world. The immense danger of worldliness is the grand lesson which the Lord Jesus means us to learn. Oh, that we may all have an eye to see and a heart to understand!

I believe there never was a time when warnings against worldliness were so much needed by the church of Christ as they are at the present day. Every age is said to have its own peculiar epidemic disease; the epidemic disease to which the souls of Christians are liable just now is the love of the world. It is a pestilence that walks in darkness and a sickness that destroys at noonday. It "has cast down many wounded; yes, many strong men have been wounded by it." I would sincerely raise a warning voice and try to arouse the slumbering consciences of all who make a profession of religion. I would sincerely cry aloud, "Remember the sin of Lot’s wife." She was no murderess, no adulteress, no thief; but she was a professor of religion, and she looked back.

There are thousands of baptized people in our churches who are proof against immorality and infidelity and yet fall victims to the love of the world. There are thousands who run well for a season and seem to bid fair to reach heaven, but by and by give up the race and turn their backs on Christ altogether. And what has stopped them? Have they found the Bible not true? Have they found the Lord Jesus fail to keep His word? No, not at all. But they have caught the epidemic disease: they are infected with the love of this world. I appeal to every true–hearted evangelical minister who reads this message: I ask him to look around his congregation. I appeal to every old–established Christian: I ask him to look around the circle of his acquaintance. I am sure that I am speaking the truth. I am sure that it is high time to remember the sin of Lot’s wife.

a. How many children of religious families begin well and end ill! In the days of their childhood they seem full of religion. They can repeat texts and hymns in abundance; they have spiritual feelings and convictions of sin; they profess love to the Lord Jesus and desires after heaven; they take pleasure in going to church and hearing sermons; they say things which are treasured up by their fond parents as indications of grace; they do things which make relations say, "What manner of child will this be?" But, alas, how often their goodness vanishes like the morning cloud and like the dew that passes away! The boy becomes a young man and cares for nothing but amusements, field sports, reveling and excess. The girl becomes a young woman and cares for nothing but dress, gay company, novel reading and excitement. Where is the spirituality which once appeared to promise so fair? It is all gone; it is buried; it is overflowed by the love of the world. They walk in the steps of Lot’s wife. They look back.

b. How many married people do well in religion, to all appearance, until their children begin to grow up, and then they fall away! In the early years of their married life they seem to follow Christ diligently and to witness a good confession. They regularly attend the preaching of the gospel; they are fruitful in good works; they are never seen in vain and dissipated society. Their faith and practice are both sound, and walk hand in hand. But, alas, how often a spiritual blight comes over the household when a young family begins to grow up, and sons and daughters have to be brought forward in life. A leaven of worldliness begins to appear in their habits, dress, entertainments and employment of time. They are no longer strict about the company they keep and the places they visit. Where is the decided line of separation which they once observed? Where is the unswerving abstinence from worldly amusements which once marked their course? It is all forgotten. It is all laid aside, like an old almanac. A change has come over them: the spirit of the world has taken possession of their hearts. They walk in the steps of Lot’s wife. They look back.

c. How many young women seem to love decided religion until they are twenty or twenty–one and then lose all! Up to this time of their life their conduct in religious matters is all that could be desired. They keep up habits of private prayer; they read their Bibles diligently; they visit the poor, when they have opportunity; they teach in Sunday schools, when there is an opening; they minister to the temporal and spiritual wants of the poor; they like religious friends; they love to talk on religious subjects; they write letters full of religious expressions and religious experience. But, alas, how often they prove unstable as water and are ruined by the love of the world! Little by little they fall away and lose their first love. Little by little the "things seen" push out of their minds the "things unseen" and, like the plague of locusts, eat up every green thing in their souls. Step by step they go back from the decided position they once took up. They cease to be jealous about sound doctrine; they pretend to find out that it is "uncharitable" to think one person has more religion than another; they discover it is "exclusive" to attempt any separation from the customs of society. By and by they give their affections to some man who makes no pretense to decided religion. At last they end by giving up the last remnant of their own Christianity and becoming thorough children of the world. They walk in the steps of Lot’s wife. They look back.

d. How many communicants in our churches were at one time zealous and earnest professors and have now become torpid, formal and cold! Time was when none seemed so much alive in religion as they were; none were so diligent in their attendance on the means of grace; none were so anxious to promote the cause of the gospel and so ready for every good work; none were so thankful for spiritual instruction; none were apparently so desirous to grow in grace. But now, alas, everything seems altered! The "love of other things" has taken possession of their hearts and choked the good seed of the Word. The money of the world, the rewards of the world, the literature of the world, the honors of the world have now the first place in their affections. Talk to them, and you will find no response about spiritual things. Mark their daily conduct, and you will see no zeal about the kingdom of God. A religion they have indeed, but it is living religion no more. The spring of their former Christianity is dried up and gone; the fire of the spiritual machine is quenched and cold; earth has put out the flame which once burned so brightly. They have walked in the steps of Lot’s wife. They have looked back.

e. How many clergymen work hard in their profession for a few years and then become lazy and indolent from the love of this present world! At the outset of their ministry they seem willing to spend and be spent for Christ; they are instant in season and out of season; their preaching is lively and their churches are filled. Their congregations are well looked after; cottage lectures, prayer meetings, house–to–house visitation are their weekly delight. But, alas, how often after "beginning in the Spirit" they end "in the flesh" and, like Samson, are shorn of their strength in the lap of that Delilah, the world! They are preferred to some rich living; they marry a worldly wife; they are puffed up with pride and neglect study and prayer. A nipping frost cuts off the spiritual blossoms which once bade so fair. Their preaching loses its unction and power; their weekday work becomes less and less; the society they mix in becomes less select; the tone of their conversation becomes more earthly. They cease to disregard the opinion of man; they imbibe a morbid fear of "extreme views," and are filled with a cautious dread of giving offense. And at last the man who at one time seemed likely to be a real successor of the apostles and a good soldier of Christ settles down on his lees as a clerical gardener, farmer, or diner out, by whom nobody is offended and nobody is saved. His church becomes half empty; his influence dwindles away; the world has bound him hand and foot. He has walked in the steps of Lot’s wife. He has looked back.

It is sad to write of these things, but it is far more sad to see them. It is sad to observe how professing Christians can blind their consciences by specious arguments on this subject and can defend positive worldliness by talking of the "duties of their station," the "courtesies of life" and the necessity of having a "cheerful religion."

It is sad to see how many a gallant ship launches forth on the voyage of life with every prospect of success and, springing this leak of worldliness, goes down with all her freight in full view of the harbor of safety. It is saddest of all to observe how many flatter themselves it is all right with their souls when it is all wrong, by reason of this love of the world. Gray hairs are here and there upon them, and they know it not. They began with Jacob and David and Peter, and they are likely to end with Esau and Saul and Judas Iscariot. They began with Ruth and Hannah and Mary and Persis, and they are likely to end with Lot’s wife.

Beware of a half–hearted religion. Beware of following Christ from any secondary motive, to please relations and friends, to keep in with the custom of the place or family in which you reside, to appear respectable and have the reputation of being religious. Follow Christ for His own sake, if you follow Him at all. Be thorough, be real, be honest, be sound, be whole–hearted. If you have any religion at all, let your religion be real. See that you do not sin the sin of Lot’s wife.

Beware of ever supposing that you may go too far in religion and of secretly trying to keep in with the world. I want no reader of this message to become a hermit, a monk or a nun: I wish everyone to do his real duty in that state of life to which he is called. But I do urge on every professing Christian who wishes to be happy the immense importance of making no compromise between God and the world. Do not try to drive a hard bargain, as if you wanted to give Christ as little of your heart as possible, and to keep as much as possible of the things of this life. Beware lest you overreach yourself and end by losing all. Love Christ with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. Seek first the kingdom of God and believe that then all other things shall be added to you. Take heed that you do not prove a copy of the character John Bunyan draws, Mr. Facing–both–ways. For your happiness’ sake, for your usefulness’ sake, for your safety’s sake, for your soul’s sake, beware of the sin of Lot’s wife. Oh, it is a solemn saying of our Lord Jesus: "No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).

3. The judgment which God inflicted upon her

The Scripture describes the end of Lot’s wife in few and simple words. It is written that "she looked back and became a pillar of salt." A miracle was wrought to execute God’s judgment on this guilty woman. The same almighty hand which first gave her life took that life away in the twinkling of an eye. From living flesh and blood, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

That was a fearful end for a soul to come lo! To die at any time is a solemn thing. To die amid kind friends and relations, to die calmly and quietly in one’s bed, to die with the prayers of godly men still sounding in your ears, to die with a good hope through grace in the full Assurance of salvation, leaning on the Lord Jesus, buoyed up by gospel promises, to die even so, I say, is a serious business. But to die suddenly and in a moment, in the very act of sin, to die in full health and strength, to die by the direct interposition of an angry God—this is fearful indeed. Yet this was the end of Lot’s wife. I cannot blame the Prayer Book litany, as some do, for retaining this petition: "From sudden death, good Lord, deliver us."

That was a hopeless end for a soul to come lo! There are cases where one hopes, as it were, against hope, about the souls of those we see go down to the grave. We try to persuade ourselves that our poor departed brother or sister may have repented unto salvation at the last moment and laid hold on the hem of Christ’s garment at the eleventh hour. We call to mind God’s mercies; we remember the Spirit’s power; we think on the case of the penitent thief; we whisper to ourselves that saving work may have gone on even on that dying bed which the dying person had not strength to tell. But there is an end of all such hopes when a person is suddenly cut down in the very act of sin. Charity itself can say nothing when the soul has been summoned away in the very midst of wickedness, without even a moment’s time for thought or prayer. Such was the end of Lot’s wife. It was a hopeless end. She went to hell.

But it is good for us all to mark these things. It is good to be reminded that God can punish sharply those who sin willfully and that great privileges misused bring down great wrath on the soul. Pharaoh saw all the miracles which Moses worked; Korah, Dathan and Abiram had heard God speaking from Mount Sinai; Hophni and Phinehas were sons of God’s high priest; Saul lived in the full light of Samuel’s ministry; Ahab was often warned by Elijah the prophet; Absalom enjoyed the privilege of being one of David’s children; Belshazzar had Daniel the prophet hard by his door; Ananias and Sapphira joined the church in the days when the apostles were working miracles; Judas Iscariot was a chosen companion of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But they all sinned with a high hand against light and knowledge, and they were all suddenly destroyed without remedy. They had no time or space for repentance. As they lived, so they died; as they were, they hurried away to meet God. They went with all their sins upon them, unpardoned, unrenewed and utterly unfit for heaven. And being dead they yet speak. They tell us, like Lot’s wife, that it is a perilous thing to sin against light, that God hates sin, and that there is a hell.

I feel constrained to speak freely to my readers on the subject of hell. Suffer me to use the opportunity which the end of Lot’s wife affords. I believe the time is come when it is a positive duty to speak plainly about the reality and eternity of hell. A flood of false doctrine has lately broken in upon us. Men are beginning to tell us that God is too merciful to punish souls forever, that there is a love of God lower even than hell, and that all mankind, however wicked and ungodly some of them may be, will sooner or later be saved. We are invited to leave the old paths of apostolic Christianity. We are told that the views of our fathers about hell, and the devil, and punishment, are obsolete and old–fashioned. We are to embrace what is called a "kinder theology" and treat hell as a pagan fable or a bugbear to frighten children and fools. Against such false teaching I desire, for one, to protest. Painful, sorrowful, distressing as the controversy may be, we must not blink it or refuse to look the subject in the face. I, for one, am resolved to maintain the old position, and to assert the reality and eternity of hell.

Believe me, this is no mere speculative question. It is not to be classed with disputes about liturgies and church government. It is not to be ranked with mysterious problems, like the meaning of Ezekiel’s temple or the symbols of Revelation. It is a question which lies at the very foundation of the whole gospel. The moral attributes of God, His justice, His holiness, His purity, are all involved in it. The necessity of personal faith in Christ, and the sanctification of the Spirit, are all at stake. Once let the old doctrine about hell be overthrown, and the whole system of Christianity is unsettled, unscrewed, unpinned and thrown into disorder.

Believe me, the question is not one in which we are obliged to fall back on the theories and inventions of man. The Scripture has spoken plainly and fully on the subject of hell. I hold it to be impossible to deal honestly with the Bible and to avoid the conclusions to which it will lead us on this point. If words mean anything, there is such a place as hell. If texts are to be interpreted fairly, there are those who will be cast into it. If language has any sense belonging to it, hell is forever. I believe that the man who finds arguments for evading the evidence of the Bible on this question has arrived at a state of mind in which reasoning is useless. For my own part, it seems just as easy to argue that we do not exist, as to argue that the Bible does not teach the reality and eternity of hell.

a. Settle it firmly in your mind that the same Bible which teaches that God in mercy and compassion sent Christ to die for sinners does also teach that God hates sin and must, from His very nature, punish all who cleave to sin or refuse the salvation He has provided. The very same chapter which declares, "God so loved the world," declares also, that "the wrath of God abides" on the unbeliever (John 3:16, 36). The very same gospel which is launched into the earth with the blessed tidings, "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved," proclaims in the same breath, "He that believes not shall be damned" (Mark 16:16).

b. Settle it firmly in your mind that God has given us proof upon proof in the Bible that He will punish the hardened and unbelieving and that He can take vengeance on His enemies, as well as show mercy on the penitent. The drowning of the old world by the flood, the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah, the overthrow of Pharaoh and all his host in the Red Sea, the judgment on Korah, Dathan and Abiram, the utter destruction of the seven nations of Canaan—all teach the same dreadful truth. They are all given to us as beacons and signs and warnings, that we may not provoke God. They are all meant to lift up the corner of the curtain which hangs over things to come and to remind us that there is such a thing as the wrath of God. They all tell us plainly that "the wicked shall be turned into hell" (Ps. 9:17).

c. Settle it firmly in your mind that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has spoken most plainly about the reality and eternity of hell. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus contains things which should make men tremble. But it does not stand alone. No lips have used so many words to express the awfulness of hell, as the lips of Him who spoke as never man spoke, and who said, "The word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s which sent Me" (John 14:24). Hell, hell fire, the damnation of hell, eternal damnation, the resurrection of damnation, everlasting fire, the place of torment, destruction, outer darkness, the worm that never dies, the fire that is not quenched, the place of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, everlasting punishment—these, these are the words which the Lord Jesus Christ Himself employs. Away with the miserable nonsense which people talk in this day, who tell us that the ministers of the gospel should never speak of hell! They only show their own ignorance, or their own dishonesty, when they talk in such a manner. No man can honestly read the four Gospels and fail to see that he who would follow the example of Christ must speak of hell.

d. Settle it, lastly, in your mind that the comforting ideas which the Scripture gives us of heaven are at an end, if we once deny the reality or eternity of hell. Is there no future separate abode for those who die wicked and ungodly? Are all men after death to be mingled together in one confused multitude? Why, then, heaven will be no heaven at all! It is utterly impossible for two to dwell happily together except they be agreed. Is there to be a time when the term of hell and punishment will be over? Are the wicked after ages of misery to be admitted into heaven? Why, then, the need of the sanctification of the Spirit is cast aside and despised! I read that men can be sanctified and made meet for heaven on earth; I read nothing of any sanctification in hell. Away with such baseless and unscriptural theories! The eternity of hell is as clearly affirmed in the Bible as the eternity of heaven. Once allow that hell is not eternal, and you may as well say that God and heaven are not eternal. The same Greek word which is used in the expression "everlasting punishment" is the word that is used by the Lord Jesus in the expression "life eternal," and by Paul, in the expression "everlasting God" (Matt. 25:46; Rom. 16:26).

I know that all this sounds dreadful in many ears. I do not wonder. But the only question we have to settle is this: "Is it scriptural?" Is it true? I maintain firmly that it is so; and I maintain that professing Christians ought to be often reminded that they may be lost and go to hell.

I know that it is easy to deny all plain teaching about hell and to make it odious by invidious names. I have often heard of "narrow–minded views," and "old–fashioned notions," and "brimstone theology," and the like. I have often been told that "broad" views are wanted in the present day. I wish to be as broad as the Bible, neither less nor more. I say that he is the narrow–minded theologian who pares down such parts of the Bible as the natural heart dislikes and rejects any portion of the counsel of God.

God knows that I never speak of hell without pain and sorrow. I would gladly offer the salvation of the gospel to the very chief of sinners. I would willingly say to the vilest and most profligate of mankind on his deathbed, "Repent, and believe on Jesus, and you shall be saved." But God forbid that I should ever keep back from mortal man that Scripture reveals a hell as well as heaven and that the gospel teaches that men may be lost as well as saved. The watchman who keeps silence when he sees a fire is guilty of gross neglect; the doctor who tells us we are getting well when we are dying is a false friend; and the minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.

Where is the charity of keeping back any portion of God’s truth? He is the kindest friend who tells me the whole extent of my danger. Where is the use of hiding the future from the impenitent and the ungodly? Surely it is like helping the devil if we do not tell them plainly that, "The soul that sins shall surely die." Who knows but the wretched carelessness of many baptized people arises from this, that they have never been told plainly of hell? Who can tell but thousands might be converted if ministers would urge them more faithfully to flee from the wrath to come? Verily, I fear we are many of us guilty in this matter; there is a morbid tenderness among us which is not the tenderness of Christ. We have spoken of mercy, but not of judgment; we have preached many sermons about heaven, but few about hell; we have been carried away by the wretched fear of being thought "low, vulgar and fanatical." We have forgotten that He who judges us is the Lord and that the man who teaches the same doctrine that Christ taught cannot be wrong.

If you would ever be a healthy scriptural Christian, I entreat you to give hell a place in your theology. Establish it in your mind as a fixed principle that God is a God of judgment, as well as of mercy, and that the same everlasting counsels which laid the foundation of the bliss of heaven have also laid the foundation of the misery of hell. Keep in full view of your mind that all who die unpardoned and unrenewed are utterly unfit for the presence of God and must be lost forever. They are not capable of enjoying heaven; they could not be happy there. They must go to their own place: and that place is hell. Oh, it is a great thing in these days of unbelief to believe the whole Bible!

If you would ever be a healthy and scriptural Christian, I entreat you to beware of any ministry which does not plainly teach the reality and eternity of hell. Such a ministry may be soothing and pleasant, but it is far more likely to lull you to sleep than to lead you to Christ or build you up in the faith. It is impossible to leave out any portion of God’s truth without spoiling the whole. That preaching is sadly defective which dwells exclusively on the mercies of God and the joys of heaven and never sets forth the terrors of the Lord and the miseries of hell. It may be popular, but it is not scriptural; it may amuse and gratify, but it will not save. Give me the preaching which keeps back nothing that God has revealed. You may call it stern and harsh; you may tell us that to frighten people is not the way to do them good. But you are forgetting that the grand object of the gospel is to persuade men to "flee from the wrath to come," and that it is vain to expect men to flee unless they are afraid. Well would it be for many professing Christians if they were more afraid about their souls than they now are!

If you desire to be a healthy Christian, consider often what your own end will be. Will it be happiness, or will it be misery? Will it be the death of the righteous, or will it be a death without hope, like that of Lot’s wife? You cannot live always; there must be an end one day. The last sermon will one day be heard; the last prayer will one day be prayed; the last chapter in the Bible will one day be read; meaning, wishing, hoping, intending, resolving, doubting, hesitating—all will at length be over. You will have to leave this world and to stand before a holy God. Oh, that you would be wise! Oh, that you would consider your latter end!

You cannot trifle forever: a time will come when you must be serious. You cannot put off your soul’s concerns forever: a day will come when you must have a reckoning with God. You cannot be always singing and dancing and eating and drinking and dressing and reading and laughing and jesting and scheming and planning and moneymaking. The summer insects cannot always sport in the sunshine. The cold chilly evening will come at last and stop their sport forever. So will it be with you. You may put off religion now and refuse the counsel of God’s ministers, but the cool of the day is drawing on when God will come down to speak with you. And what will your end be? Will it be a hopeless one, like that of Lot’s wife?

I beseech you, by the mercies of God, to look this question fairly in the face. I entreat you not to stifle conscience by vague hopes of God’s mercy, while your heart cleaves to the world. I implore you not to drown convictions by childish fancies about God’s love, while your daily ways and habits show plainly that "the love of the Father is not in you." There is mercy in God, like a river, but it is for the penitent believer in Christ Jesus. There is a love in God toward sinners which is unspeakable and unsearchable, but it is for those who hear Christ’s voice and follow Him. Seek to have an interest in that love. Break off every known sin; come out boldly from the world; cry mightily to God in prayer; cast yourself wholly and unreservedly on the Lord Jesus for time and eternity; lay aside every weight. Cling to nothing, however dear, which interferes with your soul’s salvation; give up everything, however precious, which comes between you and heaven. This old shipwrecked world is fast sinking beneath your feet; the one thing needful is to have a place in the lifeboat and get safe to shore. Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. Whatever happens to your house and property, see that you make sure of heaven. Oh, better a million times be laughed at and thought extreme in this world, than go down to hell from the midst of the congregation, and end like Lot’s wife!

Let me address the reader particularly here, so I may impress a few salient questions upon your conscience. You have seen the history of Lot’s wife—her privileges, her sin and her end. You have been told of the uselessness of privileges without the gift of the Holy Spirit, of the danger of worldliness and of the reality of hell. Suffer me to wind up all by a few direct appeals to your own heart. In a day of so much light and knowledge and profession, I desire to set up a beacon to preserve souls from shipwreck. I would sincerely moor a buoy in the channel of all spiritual voyagers and paint upon it, "Remember Lot’s wife."

a. Are you careless about the second advent of Christ? Alas, many are! They live like the men of Sodom and the men of Noah’s day: they eat and drink and plant and build and marry and are given in marriage and behave as if Christ was never going to return. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

b. Are you lukewarm, and cold in your Christianity? Alas, many are! They try to serve two masters: they labor to keep friends both with God and mammon. They strive to be a kind of spiritual bat, neither one thing nor the other: not quite a thoroughgoing Christian, but not quite men of the world. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

c. Are you halting between two opinions and disposed to go back to the world? Alas, many are! They are afraid of the cross; they secretly dislike the trouble and reproach of decided religion. They are weary of the wilderness and the manna and would sincerely return to Egypt if they could. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

d. Are you secretly cherishing some besetting sin? Alas, many are! They go far in a profession of religion; they do many things that are right and are very like the people of God. But there is always some darling evil habit which they cannot tear from their heart. Hidden worldliness or covetousness or lust sticks to them like their skin. They are willing to see all their idols broken but this one. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

e. Are you trifling with little sins? Alas many are! They hold the great essential doctrines of the gospel. They keep clear of all gross profligacy or open breach of God’s law, but they are painfully careless about little inconsistencies and painfully ready to make excuses for them. "It is only a little temper, or a little levity, or a little thoughtlessness, or a little forgetfulness," they tell us; "God does not take account of such little matters. We are none of us perfect; God will never require it." If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

f. Are you resting on religious privileges? Alas, many do! They enjoy the opportunity of hearing the gospel regularly preached and of attending many ordinances and means of grace, and they settle down on their lees. They seem to be "rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17), while they have neither faith, nor grace, nor spiritual–mindedness, nor fitness for heaven. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

g. Are you trusting to your religious knowledge? Alas, many do! They are not ignorant, as other men: they know the difference between true doctrine and false. They can dispute, they can reason, they can argue, they can quote texts; but all this time they are not converted, and they are yet dead in trespasses and sins. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

h. Are you making some profession of religion and yet clinging to the world? Alas, many do! They aim at being thought Christians. They like the credit of being serious, steady, proper, regular church–going people; yet all the while their dress, their tastes, their companions, their entertainments tell plainly they are of the world. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

i. Are you trusting that you will have a deathbed repentance? Alas, many do so! They know they are not what they ought to be: they are not yet born again and fit to die. But they flatter themselves that, when their last illness comes, they shall have time to repent and lay hold on Christ and go out of the world pardoned, sanctified and meet for heaven. They forget that people often die very suddenly and that, as they live, they generally die. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

j. Do you belong to an evangelical congregation? Many do and, alas, go no further! They hear the truth Sunday after Sunday and remain as hard as the nether millstone. Sermon after sermon sounds in their ears. Month after month they are invited to repent, to believe, to come to Christ and to be saved. Year after year passes away, and they are not changed. They keep their seat under the teaching of a favorite minister, and they also keep their favorite sins. If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot’s wife."

Oh, may these solemn words of our Lord Jesus Christ be deeply engraved on all our hearts! May they awaken us when we feel sleepy, revive us when we feel dead, sharpen us when we feel dull, warm us when we feel cold! May they prove a spur to quicken us when we are falling back and a bridle to check us when we are turning aside! May they be a shield to defend us when Satan casts a subtle temptation at our heart and a sword to fight with, when he says boldly, "Give up Christ, come back to the world, and follow me!" Oh, may we say in such hours of trial, "Soul, remember your Savior’s warning! Soul, soul, have you forgotten His words? Soul, soul, remember Lot’s wife!"

Poem for Nursing Moms

2006-01-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

So, in case you didn't know, I am a HUGE advocate for breastfeeding!
(oh! I just said the "B" word!!!)
Below is a sweet poem about nursing moms....enjoy! :)

Dr. Seuss for Nursing Moms

Would you nurse her in the park?
Would you nurse him in the dark?
Would you nurse him with a Boppy?
And when your boobs are feeling floppy?

I would nurse him in the park,
I would nurse her in the dark.
I'd nurse with or without a Boppy.
Floppy boobs will never stop me.

Can you nurse with your seat belt on?
Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?
Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,
I will nurse her `till she's full!

Can you nurse and make some soup?
Can you nurse and feed the group?
It makes her healthy strong and smart,
Mommy's milk is the best start!

Would you nurse him at the game?
Would you nurse her in the rain?
In front of those who dare complain?
I would nurse him at the game.
I would nurse her in the rain.

As for those who protest lactation,
I have the perfect explanation.
Mommy's milk is tailor made
It's the perfect food, you need no aid.

Some may scoff and some may wriggle,
Avert their eyes or even giggle.
To those who can be cruel and rude,
Remind them breast's the perfect food!

I would never scoff or giggle,
Roll my eyes or even wiggle!
I would not be so crass or crude,
I KNOW that this milk's the perfect food!

We make the amount we need,
The perfect temp for every feed.
There's no compare to milk from breast-
The perfect food, above the rest.

Those sweet nursing smiles are oh so sweet,
Mommy's milk is such a treat.
Human milk just can't be beat.

I will nurse, in any case,
On the street or in your face.
I will not let my baby cry,
I'll meet her needs, I'll always try.
It's not about what's good for you,
It's best for babies, through and through.

I will nurse her in my home,
I will nurse her when I roam.
Leave me be lads and ma'am.
I will nurse her, Mom I am.

Welcome

2006-01-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Endless Rhetoric blog....a place where I can feely give my opinion and receive positive feedback! Well, sometimes......

This is a place where I will write small "essays" on things of interest....politics, parenting, homeschooling, homebirthing, healthy living, religion....etc. You know....all the things that I want other people to know! Ha! You know I love ya.... :)

If you disagree, comments are welcome. We can discuss anything, and at times, agree to disagree. I would also like to know if anyone has a particularly great subject to write on. So gear up for some fun!