Refusing to be told NO! I like KNOW Better

Naughty Baby Still Knows How to Be Born!

Recently, one of my favorite bloggers, Mrs. Birthing Without Fear posted this lovely message on Facebook.


DO NOT let anyone...friend, family, care provider....tell you that you can't VBAC. That is not their choice. If they do not believe in you, your body and birth, they do not belong anywhere near your birth. They don't deserve the honor of witnessing your VBAC! Find people who will feel blessed to be involved in such an empowering experience with you! Your body was and is meant to birth YOUR babies!!! ♥ ~Mrs. BWF


Ah! Such lovely words my heart hath hardly heard (<---alliteration win!) . I can't imagine better medical advice to give out on the Internet. We as womyn SHOULD turn away from our heath care providers in droves and finally take our bodies back. We need to hold this moment as our own and never allow something like placenta previa or even a placental abruption stop you from the birth you want!

Current Mrs. BWF has a blog up about making the choice between a Midwife Assisted Birth or going Unassisted (and to be a real womyn those are your only options!)

Go on over and tell Mrs. BWF that Mama Tao and her crew support her 100%

An Introduction to Delayed Warming

By Mother X

Since the birth of my son, Crescendo in January, many moms have asked why I chose for him to come earthside outside in the cold. I chuckle, and explain to the ignorant ones that I practice birth the way nature intended - in nature. It is a proven, documented fact that 99.99% of ALL species give birth outside, whether or not it is cold!

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Your_cat_is_pregnant_and_she_sleeps_outside_where_will_she_give_birth

Inside the igloo/family birth hut my life partner Zeb built, the temperature was quite warm actually, about 65 degrees Fahrenheit. After Cresendo arrived, Zeb placed him on my chest, and asked our other child Alpha to go get a blanket. After all, babies need blankets right? That’s what we’ve always been taught, right? Even my dear, sweet Zeb was ignorant of the new knowledge that is spreading like an out of control wildfire on the internet. That is - Delayed Warming.

I told them that this is a practice that was invented - *by men* to separate mamas from their newborns. Think about it. How else is the doctor going to avoid getting scratched by the baby when he tries to tie it down to inject it with poisonous, toxinous vaccines! They ruthlessly tear the babe from mama’s breast and wrap it in foreign material so unlike the natural water environment of the womb. Furthermore, this seriously damages the mama baby bond at the worst possible moment. It is a scientific FACT that babies who are separated from their mothers early on grow up to be seriously messed up. Want proof?
WARNING: TRIGGERS!!

http://whyfiles.org/087mother/4.html

Delayed Warming is starting to catch on - even among mainstream midwives, like Dr. Rixa Freeze. She demonstrates the technique perfectly, and gives her life partner an education when he DARED try to interrupt this bonding by toweling the baby off. See at 14:30, where Rixa explains to her poor uneducated, life partner that toweling a baby will cause the water to evaporate! If a towel causes the water to evaporate, what will a full - on blanket do? Ask yourself if this hospital based practice is what you really want for your family at the beginning of a young life! See for yourself the scientific information starting at around 14:30:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Zgb7AL7kFbg#t=728s


HOW TO DO IT:

As I mentioned, I feel all births should happen outside, under shelter, but a breeze should be allowed to waft over the baby. The breeze invigorates the baby, and refreshes you after your intense birth orgasm. For me, this welcoming earthside breeze also had the added benefit of ensuring my Italian mother-in-law never speaks to me again.

I do understand that not everyone can give their baby the gift of a natural birth under the stars, although it DOES make me sad - but some mamas feel like they are important too, and if that’s what you’ve been led to believe, you too can experience Delayed Warming. You’ll need a birthing pool. Don’t be ashamed, even Rixa, who is soo not ignorant and has done her research - used one. After the labor, many women have found that the water has cooled, which is perfect for Delayed Warming. Also, the blessed bodily life-giving material in the pool has warming properties. Especially if you’ve recently eaten the organic hot peppers recommended to jump start labor!

http://thepoopjourney.blogspot.com/2009/04/happiness-is-warm-poop.html

Now, simply relax an enjoy your baby - this is your big day! The baby will stay warm enough as long as the umbilical cord is attached. You can delay warming until YOU decide the time is right, not when some doctor says so!

Other Ways to Birth--Conjoined Twins: A Lesson in Culture

Chang and Eng Bunker were born vaginally and at home

I know you are not going to want to hear this ladies, but I am going to advocate for Midwifes on this one--and no you don't have to have a medwife! A Direct Entry Midwife or a CPM will do just fine. The main reason is because you will need someone there to manipulate your vagina and everyone knows we can't really do that ourselves.

But lets start at the beginning, shall we?

NATURE is all knowing--but she is not always kind. If you find yourself , for whatever reason, carrying conjoined twins, just know that NATURE has a plan and a place for you and your little genetic mutations!

Depending on the position of the babies and the exact location of there conjoinment, a c-section is not always necessary. And lets be honest--would we all not prefer to come out of a lovely yoni instead of having our safe space violated by a knife and some latex gloves?
In another example for 1493, we see a set of twins who were also born vaginally and at home. can you imagine the width of these twins mother's yoni! She must have been an exceptional woman!

Conjoined twins were being spat forth from yonis as early as 1492

Simply because NATURE has destined you two children to be attached for life does not mean that you can't have the beautiful and NATURAL birth experience you want! One would think that with conjoined twins it would be all down hill from that point anyway.

Poll #2 Results

There must be something strange going on here.  The poll results are in and I have to admit that I am baffled at the results of this last poll. It seems that a large portion of my readers actually went to an OBGYN with their first birth???

There are several reasons this scientific data could come out this way.
1) Many of us did not have Internet with our first births, therefor we were uneducated on the subject of birth.
2) And the more likely possibility is that Mama Tao has been infiltrated by hacks who come here merely to mess up my polls!

I see you out there, stopping by and thinking to yourselves "Oh, Mama Tao just wants others to agree with her skewed views of birth!" I know you are there and I am giving you the digital finger!

As for the REAL results of the poll, six of my readers went with a medwife and were assuredly birth raped. Eight of you went with a home birth midwife and were more than likely birth raped.

Perhaps the best news is that a whole dozen of us had the good Internet education needed to have a unassisted labor!! This is very exciting news and further proves my point that childbirth belongs in the hands of Mothers and Fathers!
Thanks for playing along!!

Ask Mama Tao- Birthing Pod Cast

Dear Mama Tao:

Although the home birth of my little Abednego a month ago was spiritually redemptive, having suffered unnecessarily through Rape-of-Birth-Experience with the hospital extractions of the first two (as you made me see!  Hugz!), I seek something even more empowering with my next birth experience.  So I have decided to accelerate my journey toward Birth Goddessdom by live-blogging and web-casting this time (we're TTC already!).  

I envision myself deep in a primeval forest in the light of a full moon, surrounded by chanting Buddhist monks and the dulcet sounds of Enya wafting through the trees, while the world witnesses the most intimate moment of my life with collective bated breath.  Plus I will make sure the camera only catches me from my good side.  It will doubtless go far in making up for the inadequacies of my first two births! I'm tearing up just thinking about it!

Because my pelvis shape always seems to prolong baby's descent (simply variations of normal and nothing repositioning won't solve), I will probably labor a good ten days or more, which will provide plenty of time for the web-cast to go viral.  Perhaps even "Dr." She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (manipulative shrew!) will write about it, driving even more traffic my way.  That way scores of womyn will see how blissful and empowering birth is, provided one makes the right choices, surrounds oneself only with positive support, Trusts Birth (TM), and realizes that this is what our bodies are MADE for!

Do you have any suggestions for elements I might add to my performance?  And what should I do to prepare myself for the inevitable insults hurled my way by the sheeple who don't believe in evidence-based care?

((((((((((((Me))))))))))))))))))

Bunnies and Flowers

Dear Bunnies and Flowers,

As Richard Gere sang in "Chicago" I think you should "give ‘em the old razzle dazzle". Some of the best elements of stage work include costumes and lighting.

Anything sparkly will surely gain the attention of the sheeple and those who are already birthing goddesses. I highly suggest you and your birthing partner visit your local thrift store and buy up all the glittery and colorful clothes you can find. Audiences are always awed by multiple costume changes so see if you can work a few in.

Perhaps you and your husband can also find some cheap colored lighting gels to hold up in from of your lamps. Setting the mood will be a huge part of the performance. Try changing the colors to match your pain filled screams. Red should be saved for the actual moment of birth as it will wash out the hemorrhaging!

Finally, if you find you are in the mood before you deliver, try to work in a few Ginger and Fred style tap dances--you can even make up lyrics to go along with what you are doing!

Best of Luck to you! I know you you'll be a star! Send us the link when you get your pod cast started.

~Mama Tao~

Ask Mama Tao-Dairy Birth

Dear Mama Tao,
My friend recently had a "dairy birth" which of course as you know consists of giving birth in a bathtub full of raw cow’s milk, can you please explain its benefits & how it differs from a water birth?

Writer,

This is a refreshing question. Originally started in 1879 by our very own Ida Mae Gherkin, the Dairy Birth or Milky Way was created as a way for midwifes to seen the exact color and texture of the fluids rushing out of the mother during a water birth. In most cases, water tends to dilute the leakage. Ida found a milk bath during labor to be helpful.

Over the years hundreds of studies have been done on the subject and none of them came back positive. We chose to be free and not listen to their “logic”.

It is a totally made up fact that a milk bath during labor will make you and your babies skin as soft as an angles! Also, milk is easier to clear out of babies lungs when they come out of the vagina and nearly drown after hitting a liquid instead of air.

It can take up to 100 gallons (or 300 quarts for you metric speaking folks) to fill up the average birth pool, then there is the question of heating the milk. For my milk bath I used the method pictured below:

Finally, the best plus to a Dairy Birth is that everything is totally eatable after! You waste almost none of the placenta in the process and it milk is only filled with your families germs! No big deal. After my birth we scooped up the milk and made stocks, cheese and butter with it! Yum Yum!

Open Letter to my 'Detachment Parenting' Mother on How She Ruined My Birthing

Dear Mom,

I used to think it was normal and acceptable what you were doing to me. My entire childhood, I thought I was *lucky*, even. Every weekend, when you sent me to my grandparents to stay with them overnight, I thought it was so great. Other kids were jealous because they didn't see their grandparents so much, and my grandmother was always baking homemade cookies and pies. Grandad made apple cider for us and taught me how to climb the trees in their expansive backyard. I felt I was the luckiest kid ever.

But then I became a mother myself. I look deep into those cloudy grey-blue eyes of my sweet daughter, and I know, deep into the core of my heart, I could never, ever leave her the way you left me. Every weekend, just sending me off like a castaway rag. Here I had thought I was just meant to be enjoying time with my grandparents, but now it's obvious to me that you just didn't want me around. And even though I didn't consciously realize that until now, I must have subconsciously known it.

It's the only explanation.

If I had been loved properly, if I had been attached, if I had had a real mom… then I would never have made the decision to get an epidural during my goddess-making. Here I was, preparing to bring my daughter earthside, in an event that should have connected me with all women across space and time in a holy harmonic symphony of moaning, and I couldn't feel anything below my waist. Why? Because I didn't want to be in "pain." Because the pain I carry with me every single day, the pain in my heart from not feeling your love, the pain of knowing I am just a castaway rag to you, is already too much. To also feel the "pain" of power surges must have seemed too much for me. I put myself and my own feelings ahead of my sweet daughter, and asked for spinal intrusion.

I will never get that moment back. I will never be able to give Skymoonflower the birth she deserves. And it's all because of you.

Needless to say, she will not be eating your homemade cookies every weekend. She will be home with ME where I can shower her with the unconditional love I never knew until her imperfect entrance into the world.

With eternal disgust,
Nectar Jones

Ask Mama Tao

Dear Mother Tao
 
I read this on one of the most busy, respected and authoritative natural
parent sites, our "bible in progress" if you will..
 
"I wondered if there were spirits by my side, like angels or guides.
Sure enough, just like my son's birth, they were there, I sensed this
deeply, and I made sure by asking a question. "Am I progressing?" "Yes"
came the firm, loud reply in my energy field. I felt guided and
supported. On top of that, my hips started swaying in a motion that
wasn't done consciously by my mind. When I was kneeling over my bed, my
hips started moving in a figure 8 or infinity pattern, much like belly
dancing. When I realized this, my trust in the process deepened
immensely. I knew this was my body's way of helping the baby along and
my body was responding intuitively to it with no help on "my" part. The
words "dolphin energy" popped in my head and I felt the presence of
dolphins for a moment, raising my vibrational energy, basically helping
me feel joyful and at one with the process." 
 http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1302359/isabella-violeta-is-here
 
 
DOLPHIN ENERGY!?!! I though to myself, oh wow how cool is that, but it
crossed my mind that as a vegan i should not be stealing energy from
another living being.
 
What do you think ?
 
and can you be quick cos i am pregnant and need to get my birth plan
down in good time so I can tell the baby my wishes so s\he can do it right.
 
Altriotgurl

Sounds like you have really done your research, Altriogurl!

You are right about the dolphin energy going strong especially during labor. Believe it or not, Human Labor is one of dolphin’s favorite things! They loved sending their energy out to you

Have you thought about a dolphin assisted birth? It's very much like a UC but you got out into the middle of open water to deliver instead of staying home.

You place yourself out in the middle of the ocean and wait for the Dolphins, (or whatever else is out there and can smell blood) to show up.

I assure you there is nothing sweeter than bleeding in open water with a sharp toothed, carnivorous, intelligent mammal while simultaneously personifying it down to a meak and gentle creature that “smiles” all the time.

Good luck with you energy, and TRUST BIRTH!

You CAN Deliver That Transverse Baby!

For most women, us birthing Goddesses aside, a transverse presenting baby (like Pictured above) means the end of the road for Homebirth Unassisted or even vaginally. Well no more, Mama!

Many people don’t know this but anyone can deliver a baby transverse!! Babies are terribly flexible and can contort themselves into many positions with very little damage (or at least less damage than it would cause you or I if we tried!)!

Most babies are more than capable of bending over backwards and touching their head to their heels!  Plus, it’s actually very lucky to be born belly button first, especially if you do so under the Scorpion sign!!

And even under the worst case scenario, you baby might end up in a wheelchair, but at least you won’t have to worry about your bond being ruined by a hospital cesarean!  It’s conviction over quality here , people!

So next time you OB or med-wife tells you that the baby is laying sideways and won’t come out that way, you just remember to TRUST BIRTH? After all, what did women do with transvers babies before Doctors??  I’d almost be willing to bet it never happened and is related to toxins in the environment!

Being Calm

Many of you know that I am 47 weeks pregnant with my 7^th child and am planning my 6^th unassisted homebirth. These last few weeks have been stressful for me because I have been receiving many harmful and negative stories from all of you out there. Things like “I can’t believe your STILL pregnant” and “ Your baby’s Probably dead!” and “Holy Shit! What the hell is wrong with you!!?”

I just need to be in a calm place now and not one filled with your judgy ass comment! So what if my  baby is almost two months overdue? If you Med-wives and nags out there really just need to leave me to my idealist Zen!

I don’t want to hear any more of your nasty comments ladies—Mama Tao  is calm!

Guest Blog: Why I’m UCing My Quadruplets:

I’ve always known I was meant to be a mom, so I was devastated when I learned that I had a condition that made it unlikely that I could ever conceive. Thanks to modern medicine and IVF, though, I’m now happily pregnant...with quadruplets. I’d never really thought much about the birth part of the equation beforehand, but now that I’ve educated myself (there is just SO much great information out there on the internet!) I realize that I owe it to myself and my babies to go au natural. I mean, now that they’re in there, I can totally trust my body to do exactly what it’s made to do!! Unfortunately, my MFMs were really unsupportive. They keep telling me that I have a greater “chance” of giving birth prematurely and that premature babies need special care and that I should schedule an c-section (extraction) to make sure they could be born safely, blah blah blah. So I fired them!! At first, I found this CPM who seemed really awesome and was SO excited about catching quads (she made me promise she could post pictures on her blog), but she keeps wanting to interfere with my NORMAL birth by taking my temperature and measuring my fundal height, and using a Doppler (who knows what THAT might do to them) to monitor their heartbeat, so I think I’m going to fire her, too.

I am so frustrated. Why? Because care providers are so worried about their licenses and following the law and making sure things are properly documented and done according to some arbitrary standard. Really? Women have been giving birth for thousands of years perfectly well before these nincompoops decided to create themselves a job and interfere. I am finally realizing that the only way I am going to have an empowering birth is to birth unassisted. Am I on some sort of mission to become a UC mom? No. Do I tell other moms to UC? No. It is the situation I am in and not being able to find the right support that is leading me to conclude that the only person I can depend on in this situation is myself.

My body wouldn’t have let the IVF make four babies (Gasp! The horror!) if it wasn’t ready to birth them. But the medical profession assumes that my body must be broken. I’m “high risk,” so I must need interventions. My babies and I must be monitored at all times to make sure my placenta isn’t covering my cervix or something. This is what obstetrics is…managing and interfering with NORMAL birth.

You might be thinking, “She should go with that midwife.” Someone that is ‘with woman’. Not even all midwives are supportive of multiple births at home because of their own fears. Luckily there are some great midwives who really do trust birth. There’s one big problem. Even the best of midwives who are licensed are subjected to following the laws. *eyeroll* Let me give you an example in my pregnancy RIGHT NOW.

The midwife I mentioned before and I talked about what would happen if I went into labor before 36 weeks, which is pretty likely with a higher order multiple pregnancy. Right now I am 34 weeks, and plenty of people are shocked that I’ve made it this far . We were really open with one another and she told me she wanted to monitor the babies and make sure they were OK, to which I said I understood. So, here I am at 34 weeks and she’s like, “OK mama, I need to listen to those babies’ heartbeat or you’re going to have to go UC.” She doesn’t want to pressure me, but what does it come down to? She has to cover her ass. I understand. I am not angry with her. But I cried. Why? This is interfering with my birth. I do not feel the need for monitoring. I just *know* that my babies and I are going to be perfectly fine in the end. Can that be respected at the same time as another woman (midwife) supporting me? No. Because of laws.
I did not cry for me though. I cried because of the awful spectical birth has become. It’s WAY bigger than me. Sure, it’s annoying that this happened and that I’m being FORCED to choose a UC, but I can handle me. It’s the big picture I have issues with. I cried for all the other women who can not get the support they need or deserve. I cried because of how many women are subjected to interventions because they might be carrying more than one or two babies in their womb. I cried because it’s JUST BIRTH and women should just be able to support each other in birthing without interventions, licensing, laws and the government telling midwives who they can and can not support and women where and how they can and can not birth. Think about it. How twisted is this?!

What can I do? What can we do? It will only change with WOMEN DECIDING TO CHANGE IT. We have to stop being frightened of birth, stop being frightened of something we have been perfectly designed to do. We have to stop being victims. You hired your midwife or your OB and you can fire them!! There are great OB’s and midwives out there and we need to seek them out. Stop making excuses and do whatever it takes to have an empowering birth! It’s YOUR body, YOUR birth, and YOUR baby. It won’t change until YOU do. And THAT is why I’m giving my babies the gift of UC.

River Raintree is a regular on NPRs "Mama Hour" and lives in Nevada with her husband and soon to be quads!