TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2009
Career Fairs
These are the dates that we have so far:
Alice High School - Sept. 24 6-8pm
Kingsville High School - Sept. 23 2-4pm in gym
Port Aransas High School - Oct 2 12:51 - This one will actually be held during a careers class.
Sinton High School - Nov 24 - Waiting for more info to come in mail
Flour Bluff High School - March 11 - Waiting for more info to come in mail
MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2009
Natural Family Planning and Physiological Births - by Ann Craigs
Ann has come up with our first real "guest" blog. Thank you Ann! Here it is:
It’s fun to see people’s eyes grow wide when I mention my six physiological births. Four were attended by outsiders and two were assisted by my husband. It’s sad to me however, that when I discuss physiological family planning, people are unaware of what I mean. I learned about natural childbirth from a high school class. I learned about natural family planning from a book.
Not knowing what in the world the title of the book meant, I checked out Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing. It was from La Leche League during the time that I was nursing my first baby. The author, Sheila Kippley, absolutely fascinated me.
Did anyone really space babies like this these days? I almost dismissed the idea; I am a nurse and had never heard of such a thing. Now, skip ahead with me a couple of months. Try to imagine my amazement to discover that my breastfeeding pattern, labeled “ecological breastfeeding” by Kippley, was hormonally keeping my monthly fertility cycles away.
My cute baby nursed frequently day and night. We took a nap together each day, plus delayed solids and liquids until around six months. Since my son hated pacifiers, swings, babysitters and schedules, we avoided them. I nicely went without any menstrual spotting or bleeding for over a year.
Although women breastfeed differently, all these very specific behaviors, named “Seven Standards” by Kippley, usually result in impressive, eco-friendly child spacing. I repeated these special circumstances with all my children. Sheila’s 2008 book, The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding has newer research that should definitely be in nursing school courses. However, the book is written for ordinary moms. I have met many women for years, who are equally pleased with this as I am.
I next learned a broader form of ‘physiological’ family planning. When the breastfeeding infertility stops, I monitor my temperature and cervical signs daily. If not planning a child, we abstain on the fertile days and enjoy marital intimacy on the naturally infertile days. I feel so clean being patch-free, pill-free, shot-free, and latex-free. It’s similar to birthing without drugs, devices, and interventions. I am very respectful of my husband who ‘two-steps’ with me on this. Just as behaviors indicate different stages of labor, so my body signs, jotted down quickly on a chart, indicate my phases of fertility and infertility.
I am indebted to Sheila’s husband, John, as well. This couple just published a slim 2009 book, Natural Family Planning, The Complete Approach. I got a coil-bound version, perfect for home study. In addition to charting, breastfeeding, and special situations, one chapter explains why some use this for moral reasons and another chapter has true stories of how this has improved women’s childbearing years. To preview it, see a free downloadable form at www.nfpandmore.org.
1 COMMENTS:
- Anonymous said...
I had a similar experience to Ann's--learning about ecological breastfeeding and natural family planning through alternative means. I remember mentioning nfp to my doctor before I got married and he dismissed it. I wish that the medical establishment had good data on this method. I would never go back to artificial birth control methods. Natural family planning treats my feminine nature with the dignity it deserves. It treats my marriage with the dignity is deserves.
I have successfully used ecological breastfeeding to postpone my menstrual cycle for up to 15 months. It works to postpone pregnancy and nurtures a beautiful relationship with the new baby. Doctors need to know more about this method and be able to offer more options to their patients.
T Kimmel, mother of 7 and a baby on the way
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2009
STBA Meeting Minutes-
In attendance: Aletha Craft, Ann Craig, RN, Liz Derry, LVN, Mercy Eizenga, LM, Carrie Kimmel, Beth Overton, CPM, LM
Items Discussed:
Articles to be published on the South Texas Birth Advocates (STBA) blog would be added at the discretion of Carrie Kimmel who maintains the blog.
It was requested that all in attendance write an article for the blog.
The group worked on a mission statement. Wording wasn’t decided on, but everyone agreed that it should include that we want to educate and emower women and promote physiological birth.
It was agreed that our main goal is too promote the education of women about physiological birth.
Discussed were ways to achieve this examples were to have viewings of Orgasmic Birth, The Business of Being Born, or other documentaries and doing Career Days in schools and various Health Fairs.
The First viewing of Orgasmic Birth will be held at Aletha’s house on July 14th at 3pm. The location and expense for holding a larger scale viewing was discussed as well.
Aletha would also try to locate information regarding local health fairs.
Mercy’s assignment was to start calling the local high schools and colleges about attending career days were we would have information on becoming midwives, doulas, childbirth eduation instructors, etc.
SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2009
STBA Pictures
SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2009
What is a "physiological birth"?
What do you mean by "physiological birth"? e.g. with no anesthetic drugs/epidural, etc.? without inducing the birth with tocolytic drugs? or do you mean birth in a bathtub? or giving birth in a football player starting position vs. lithotomy position? or something else entirely?
2 COMMENTS:
- LizD said...
I personally think physiological birth implies that a woman is able and enabled to listen to her body during the labor/birth process as completely, with as little intervention, as possible. If that means she walks around during the majority of her labor, moans or screams, slow dances, or sits in one spot, that should be facilitated as best as possible. It is also important for her to do this in whatever location she feels safest.
- Beth Overton, CPM said...
Hey Carrie, I'm going to try and write an article about this question for you. I really prefer the term "physiological" to "natural" because I find that "natural" has TOO broad a meaning these days. It is really sad to me that too many people think "natural" only means the baby was born vaginally and not be c-section. There is NOTHING natural about being strapped to monitors, told to lie still on your back while you are given all kinds of drugs to control YOUR birth. That is NOT natural. But sadly, too many people in our culture don't understand natural birth. So when we use the term "physiological" it makes them think more. :-)
Physiology... The word.
Physiology: The branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.
Physiological adj
-New Oxford American Dictionary
The term physiological comes from two Greek words physis + logia, nature + logic (study, science).
phys·i·ol·o·gy
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin physiologia natural science, from Greek, from physi- + -logia -logy
Date: 1615
1 : a branch of biology that deals with the functions and activities of life or of living matter (as organs, tissues, or cells) and of the physical and chemical phenomena involved — compare anatomy 2 : the organic processes and phenomena of an organism or any of its parts or of a particular bodily process
phys·i·o·log·i·cal
Variant(s): or phys·i·o·log·ic \-jik\
Function: adjective
Date: 1814
FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2009
Aloha Advocates!
3 COMMENTS:
- Beth Overton, CPM said...
I love the new blog! You did a great job. I can't wait to see how it grows over the next few months. Thanks for doing this! ~ Beth
- Liz Derry, LVN said...
I am so excited about this group! I can't wait to have our next meeting. I can really see things changing for the good for women and their families in South Texas.
- Mercy Eizenga, LM said...
You are doing a great job. I love the photos of you.
