Questions on pregnancy

[McDonald]

Hey guys. My wife and I have an unexpected pregnancy. Any things I should be researching or looking into? So far I've read a few books, and am getting ready to read 5 more in the next few weeks.

I'm putting off researching the vaccine thing until this summer. After we get that squared away, then we're gonna research the breast feeding thing/child diet thing. After that, I'll start thinking about education.

Right now, though, I'm looking into things that effect her now. We never eat out. We don't eat any hydrogenated foods. We don't eat many foods where refined sugars are in the top two or three ingredients. Until we finish our research, we are trying to avoid refined sugars and carbs as much as we can. Also, she has been taking 1 women's daily pill, 1 fish oil, and 1 folic acid each day. I looked into prenatal vitamins, but they all are loaded with vitamin A or have hydrogenated crap in them.

Has anyone ever heard any controversies over vitamins/prenatal pills? I looked around, and it doesn't look like there are any.

Have any of you used midwifes or had a kid at home? Although we are reading up and researching every option, our instinct is telling us to use a midwife and do it at home.

-------------------------------------------
[edit] 4/14/09

Thanks for all the replies. Our kid is healthy and due in a few months. We are going with a midwife and doing a home birth. I am not going to get him a SS#. He can get one when he's 18 if he wants. We are going to home school him.

 

[Danke]

I'd continue to look into the different types of vitamins.

For example, I have read to stay away form B-12 unless it is methylcobalamin.

 

[PatriotOne]

Have you checked to see if your water supply is fluoridated?

Fluoride in Drinking Water may Negatively Affect Health of Fetuses and Infants

http://www.naturalnews.com/024855.html

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

NaturalNews) Did you know that fluoride in our water supplies is the only chemical added for a specific medical purpose, i.e. to prevent tooth decay? All other chemicals are added for treatment purposes, to improve the quality and safety of tap water. And an expert has voiced his concerns over the potential negative impact of fluoride in drinking water on the health of fetuses and infants.

Dr Vyvyan Howard is a medical pathologist and toxicologist, and also President of the International Society of Doctors for the Environment. In a short video clip put together by the Fluoride Action Network, he expressed his concern over the use of fluoride in our water supplies.

About Dr Howard

Over the last two to three decades, Dr Howard’s research has centered on the effects of toxic substances on the development of fetuses and infants. This, of course, is a period of life whereby one is particularly vulnerable to certain external effects.

So, how was Dr Howard’s attention first drawn to fluoride? According to him, it was the “very very low levels” of the chemical found in human breast milk. This, he said, is due to a mechanism developed in the course of evolution, specifically for keeping the substance away from developing infants.

“Nature has devised a system for keeping fluoride away from the infant, and we are circumventing that by putting fluoride into drinking water, and I think there are consequences,” he said.

What consequences? According to Dr Howard, fluoride is a developmental toxin. More specifically, it is a neurotoxin, and it may also affect the intelligence of the child. While the evidence may not yet be clear-cut, there do seem to be strong indications.

Further, Dr Howard said that other studies have shown the possible ability of fluoride to affect hormonal systems and endocrine systems. In particular, it can influence thyroid levels, and that can have an impact on the IQ in children who are in the development phase.

When thyroid levels are measured in the mother, being at the upper limit of the normal range of thyroid and being at the lower limit of the normal range brings about a difference in intelligence in the offspring. Where thyroid levels are concerned, we are thus “tinkering with quite a sensitive system”.

About Water Fluoridation

Should fluoride be added to our water supplies? Dr Howard was quite clear about what he felt.

“So, the evidence is out there for us to have to say that we got to be very careful. And my opinion is that there isn’t a satisfactory one dose fits all solution through treating our population via tap water. There are going to be some members of that population which will be more disadvantaged than others, and they will obviously include the fetus and the infant, but at the other end of life, people who have got marginal kidney function will be more susceptible. And therefore, I don’t think, on a precautionary basis, that we should be continuing the fluoridation of drinking water supplies,” he said.

And he had some strong words regarding the authorities who continue adding fluoride to water supplies, too.

“If governments don’t have ways of making sure that people in the areas that are fluoridated who are susceptible, like bottled fed babies, are actually stopped from being exposed in that way, then they have no right, really, to be using a mass medication like this,” he added.

According to the video clip, Dr Howard is one of over 1,750 professionals from various communities - medical, scientific, and environmental - to sign a statement “calling for an end to water fluoridation worldwide”.

Worried about the Teeth?

There may be some of us who are worried about how removing fluoride from our drinking water might affect our teeth. But we may not need to be.

An increasing number of studies have cast doubts on the benefits which water fluoridation can bring to the teeth. According to statistics from the World Health Organization, the tooth decay rates of countries which do not fluoridate their water supplies are just as low, or even lower, than those countries which do.

Further, several studies published since 2000 have reported that there has been no increase in tooth decay rates noted in communities which ended water fluoridation.

And we should also note that, in November 2006, the American Dental Association actually advised parents to avoid giving fluoridated water to babies.

Babies who are exposed to fluoride have a higher risk of getting dental fluorosis, which is a permanent tooth defect arising when fluoride damages the cells which form the teeth.

Fluoride’s benefits result from topical contact with the teeth, and swallowing or ingesting it brings minimal benefit. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fluoride's “predominant effect is posteruptive and topical”. Posteruptive means “occurring or forming after eruption (as of the teeth)”.

Removing Fluoride from Our Water

In fact, ingesting fluoride comes with many health risks. Besides affecting the brain and the thyroid gland, the bones and kidneys can also be negatively impacted.

For those of us who are genuinely concerned about our health, and especially the health of our little ones, removing fluoride from our drinking water is imperative.

Unfortunately, unlike for chlorine, boiling does not do the trick. An installation of a reverse osmosis filter, or carrying out of water distillation, may thus be necessary.

 

[yongrel]

Lesson 1: Ask your doctor, not ronpaulforums.com

The internet does not have a degree in medicine.

 

[McDonald]

After watching "The Fluoride Deception" and monitoring all the threads on RPF about fluoride, we stopped using tap water a year ago. We fill up 5 gallon jugs for $1.25 at the Glacier water stand at Walmart. It explains all the stuff it does to the water (like 7 kinds of processes for removing crap) and one of them is reverse osmosis. If I'm not mistaken, reverse osmosis gets rid of most of the fluoride. Also, we use Tom's Fluoride-free toothpaste.

Although, somebody on here made a good point recently about our skin absorbing it in the shower. Oh well, you do what you can.

 

[McDonald]

Lesson 1: Ask your doctor, not ronpaulforums.com

The internet does not have a degree in medicine.

Thanks for the input. Aside from reading two actual published books (like I stated above), and purchasing 5 more to read over the next few weeks, we have also been rereading the pregnancy sections in our biology books (which we have more than a dozen of, since she was a biology major). We have already met one doctor, and are meeting a midwife in a few weeks.


John Stuart Mill said that if there is one single human out there who disagrees with you, or what "everyone" perceives to be the truth, then you owe it to yourself to consider or research that opinion. He said to do this because you can never be sure you have the truth so long as there is one person out there who disagrees with your perceived truth. I'm not going to hear alternative opinions from institutionalized doctors and hospitals. The point of this thread is to see if there are any ideas or theories on pregnancy that I'm not aware of. If somebody puts one forth, then we will set about researching it vigorously. The point of this thread wasn't to have RPF tell me how to raise my kid. If I put that much stock into online forums, then I'd probably have close to 8,600 posts on this site. So I can guarantee you, Yongrel, that when people reply to me, that my wife and I will spend hours and hours researching to see whether or not it's so. We won't just accept it as fact, and then spend our time blogging about poultry.

 

[PatriotOne]

After watching "The Fluoride Deception" and monitoring all the threads on RPF about fluoride, we stopped using tap water a year ago. We fill up 5 gallon jugs for $1.25 at the Glacier water stand at Walmart. It explains all the stuff it does to the water (like 7 kinds of processes for removing crap) and one of them is reverse osmosis. If I'm not mistaken, reverse osmosis gets rid of most of the fluoride. Also, we use Tom's Fluoride-free toothpaste.

Although, somebody on here made a good point recently about our skin absorbing it in the shower. Oh well, you do what you can.

Bravo! Did you check to see if your community fluoridates? Not all do. Mine doesn't for example. Though it still contains things like chlorine and arsenic so reverse osmossis water is still a good idea for drinking but as far as skin absorbtion for fluoride goes, you may still be okay.

 

[McDonald]

Yeah, I read over the water report for our municipality and there is crap in the water, including fluoride.

 

[PatriotOne]

Teflon coated pans

 

[Roxi]

relax, breath and read everything you can, but don't get yourself freaked out.

stress is the NUMBER ONE cause of problems in a pregnancy, its worse for you then smoking, and is really bad for the baby, and can cause complications.

the folic acid is good, and prenatal vitamins are necessary, make sure you ask for a suplement that contains NATURAL vitamin E... i highly suggest natures way prenatal multi, which won't make her so nauseas (http://www.herbalremedies.com/45130.html)

and keep excercising (her, not you) its really good for the baby and it WILL make labor and delivery much easier

 

[PatriotOne]

Yeah, I read over the water report for our municipality and there is crap in the water, including fluoride.

Just in case having a baby isn't taking up all your time I would add providing the book "The Fluoride Deception" to your local lawmakers and water plant managers.

http://www.fluoridealert.org/action.htm

Take Action!

Write to Congress Today!

Send an Online Message to Congress in support of the Professionals' Statement Calling for an End to Water Fluoridation and a new Congressional Hearing. To send your letter, click here.

Put a Free "FluorideAlert.Org" bumper sticker on your car!

Thanks to the generous support of Maureen Jones, FAN is now offering free bumper stickers. To order your free copies, send an email to Maureen at: [email protected]

Ask Wal-Mart to Stop Selling Fluoridated "Nursery Water" for Infants

On November 9, 2006, the nation's leading fluoride advocate, the American Dental Association (ADA), issued an alert advising parents to avoid fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula. According to the ADA, babies consuming fluoridated water are at high risk for developing dental fluorosis (a tooth defect that can result in staining and sometimes corrosion of enamel). The advice, however, has gone largely unheeded. Nursery Water, the nation's leading fluoridated water for babies still markets its product nationwide at Wal-Mart and other major retailers. Help us stop this unsafe practice by signing this online letter to Wal-Mart.

Write a letter to your local newspaper

Writing a letter to your local newspaper is an invaluable way of informing your community of the health and ethical concerns surrounding water fluoridation. Let the readers of your favorite paper know that there is no need to swallow fluoride; that fluoride is the only chemical added to water that does not treat the water itself; that 98% of western Europe has rejected water fluoridation; that the fluoride chemical used for fluoridation is an unprocessed industrial waste product; that most people are already receiving too much fluoride from their toothpaste and diets; that recent research has linked fluoride to serious health problems including arthritis, hip fracture, alzheimers disease, and cancer; and that readers can learn about the issue for themselves at www.fluoridealert.org.

Ask your local bookstore/library to carry "The Fluoride Deception"

In May of 2004, the much-anticipated book The Fluoride Deception by Chris Bryson was released. The book, published by Seven Stories Press, is an eye-opening, page-turning, and meticulously researched expose of the history and politics of fluoride. A must read for anyone interested in fluoride issues. Order a copy for yourself and request your nearby bookstore/library to order copies as well. (NOTE: Due to shortage of funds, some libraries may not be able to purchase the book. If this is the case in your area, please consider donating a copy to the library. It would certainly be a wonderful contribution to your community.)

Tell your friends and family

There should be no underestimating the power of word-of-mouth communication. Tell your friends and family about what you have learned concerning fluoride. Let them know that the benefits have been greatly exaggerated and the risks ignored; that the vast majority of western Europe has rejected water fluoridation and yet has experienced the same decline in tooth decay as the US; that the scientists and professionals at EPA's Headquarters Union in Washington DC have recently called for a "national moratorium" on fluoridation; and that more than 70 US communities have rejected fluoridation since 1999. Let them also know about the Fluoride Action Network!

Find out if your own community's water is fluoridated

Call up your local water utility or your local Department of Health and ask if your community adds fluoride to the water. If it does fluoridate, write a letter to the paper, tell your friends, start a group, and start thinking of creative and effective ways to inform your community about the unnecessary hazards posed by water fluoridation.


Begin a Ballot Initiative in Your Town

One way of stopping fluoridation in your town is to start a petition drive to get the issue of water fluoridation on the local ballot. For unfluoridated areas, this can be an effective means of ensuring that fluoridation never begins in your area. Sample ballot initiatives -- used successfully by various communities across the United States -- can be accessed online at the following website.

Ask your local grocery stores to provide a non-fluoride toothpaste alternative

Many grocery stores and pharmacies these days only carry fluoridated toothpastes. This in turn deprives many consumers of the choice to not use fluoride.

Ask your local grocery stores and pharmacies to provide a non-fluoride alternative. If the store at first ignores your request, start a customer petition. The more customers a store hears from the greater likelihood they will change their policy.

 

[tangent4ronpaul]

Hey guys. My wife and I have an unexpected pregnancy. Any things I should be researching or looking into? So far I've read a few books, and am getting ready to read 5 more in the next few weeks.

I'm putting off researching the vaccine thing until this summer. After we get that squared away, then we're gonna research the breast feeding thing/child diet thing. After that, I'll start thinking about education.

Right now, though, I'm looking into things that effect her now. We never eat out. We don't eat any hydrogenated foods. We don't eat many foods where refined sugars are in the top two or three ingredients. Until we finish our research, we are trying to avoid refined sugars and carbs as much as we can. Also, she has been taking 1 women's daily pill, 1 fish oil, and 1 folic acid each day. I looked into prenatal vitamins, but they all are loaded with vitamin A or have hydrogenated crap in them.

Has anyone ever heard any controversies over vitamins/prenatal pills? I looked around, and it doesn't look like there are any.

Have any of you used midwifes or had a kid at home? Although we are reading up and researching every option, our instinct is telling us to use a midwife and do it at home.

I would strongly suggest using a Midwife!

Get a copy of "A Book for Midwives" - not only will it help you with a lot of your questions, but as a "just in case" measure - kids can come quick or at times / places where your midwife might not be able to get to you in time - IE: you might have to become the midwife.

http://www.hesperian.org/mm5/mercha..._Code=HB&Product_Code=B090R&Category_Code=ENG

And "Where Women have no Doctor"

http://www.hesperian.org/mm5/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=HB&Screen=PROD&Product_Code=B080

Both these books are available as FREE downloads:

http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download.php


Second, if CPS tries to contact you or knocks on your door - DO NOT TALK TO THEM! These people are the scum of the earth and they are paid a $2,000 bounty for each child they abduct by the federal government. Also, do not believe a word they say. They lie constantly and will use all sorts of scummy tactics to take your child. Anything you say to them WILL be used against you. If they want to inspect your home for safety - tell them to get a warrant! and contact a lawyer. Under no circumstances should you let them into your home. They may show up with a cop - again - no warrant - no entrance. Just in case they do get a warrant (they shouldn't be able to), make sure you have all the bases covered - electrical outlets covered, gate at top and bottom of stairs, no "hazards" - anything sharp or that someone could trip over, an acceptable crib, locking device on medical cabinet, etc. If you have firearms or alcohol in the house - lie to them about it and hide said items. Even if they force their way into an inspection - you are not required to talk to them - but be sure to invite them to LEAVE! Making it clear that you do not want to talk to them and to take anything up with your lawyer. It's really the only way to keep your children if they get interested in you. -- OH - and DO NOT MENTION HOMESCHOOLING! - that would be grounds to treat you as an unfit parent. Deciding on a home birth will also put you in this class in their eyes. At least with a home birth, they can't grab the child at the hospital. These people are in the business of stealing children for the state!

Third, look up homeschooling - some states are very hostile to homeschooling and will want "approved" curriculum - sometimes theirs, periodic state testing and may require teachers credentials. Most states are more laid back. A good work around is to join a homeschooling group that's under the banner of a church school if you live in one of those socialist states.

A very good Homeschooling book is: The Teenage Liberation Handbook; How to quit school and get a real life and education. It's good, even for younger kids. There are others.

Also find out what Homeschooling groups are in your area and talk to them.

hope that helps,

-t

 

[UnReconstructed]

I'll see if I can get my wife to post in this thread. We have 9 kids and she is a wealth of first hand knowledge.

I also don't know that I'd buy the "ask your doctor" crap. Their degree is a government handout for obedience.

 

[tropicangela]

Congratulations

Look into Rainbow Light prenatal vitamins.

Visit the Mothering forum and Mothering website.

I had a home water birth with a midwife and am planning another right now. We've had 2 hospital births as well.

There are different kinds of midwives. Interview a few until you find a good fit.

Consider hiring a doula.

Watch the movies: The Business of Being Born, Orgasmic Birth, The Other Side of the Glass, and Pregnant in America.

Here is a recommended reading list - http://astore.amazon.com/babinblobirsu-20

Best wishes.

 

[lucius]

Start your wife on high DHA fish oil (make sure it is molecularly distilled) for increase IQ in the child. I got mine from here: http://health.xtend-life.com/product/Omega_3_~_DHA_Esters.aspx
If I remember right, it was two softgels twice a day with meals, two bottles of sixty a month from New Zealand.

From the JABFM study below:

"Another study showed sustained increase in intelligence at 4 years of age in children whose mothers were supplemented with fish oil from 18 weeks of pregnancy to 3 months postpartum (LOE-2).45"

Here is the study from The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: Practical Applications of Fish Oil ( -3 Fatty Acids) in Primary Care http://www.jabfm.org/cgi/reprint/18/1/28.pdf

Throw our your Teflon pans, get stainless steel and cast iron.

Get this book by Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD: How to Raise a Healthy Child...In Spite of Your Doctor (ISBN: 0809258080)

Why to go dad!

 

[Eagles' Wings]

What a great guy to be so involved with the health and well being of your wife and baby.

We've found that networking in the immediate community will bring beneficial info and people. If you have a natural food store or local farmers market, I'd hang out there. Many live out a holistic and complimentary lifestyle, respecting humanity and the earth and they love to share their stories.

I'd check with a naturopath or other alternative medical professional to purchase prenatals from them. Supplements in general are not well regulated and I believe its best to buy them from a health professional.

Good to hear that you will be researching vaccines. There is a great website called Vaccine Awareness and there is often a local contact to talk with face to face. We do not vaccinate or give antibiotics.

More to follow I'm sure as we support and encourage you.

Louise

 

[McDonald]

Thanks for all the replies. Our kid is healthy and due in a few months. We are going with a midwife and doing a home birth. I am not going to get him a SS#. He can get one when he's 18 if he wants. We are going to home school him.

 

[smithtg]

I'll see if I can get my wife to post in this thread. We have 9 kids and she is a wealth of first hand knowledge.

I also don't know that I'd buy the "ask your doctor" crap. Their degree is a government handout for obedience.

that is, unless your wife's OBGYN is Ron Paul's daughter (like mine is!) My wife is due in August BTW.

there isnt a day Im not thankful for RP and his fam

 

[JenH88]

Thanks for all the replies. Our kid is healthy and due in a few months. We are going with a midwife and doing a home birth. I am not going to get him a SS#. He can get one when he's 18 if he wants. We are going to home school him.

Aww.Congrats. I just had my 2nd daughter almost a month and a half ago now.. we had ours at home as well, we had originally wanted a midwife but because of the laws binding midwives legally to certain medical practices we wanted to avoid, we ended up having an unassisted birth.. Anyways, I just wanted to say kudos on avoiding the ss#, we too made the same decision with this child, along with forgoing registering the birth at this time.. both of these things can be obtained at a later date if need be, though getting them may be a bit harder, at least our child will have a choice in these life long social contracts.. I sure wish I had been given a choice.. Again kudos on the decision.. most I've known to consider it ended up getting the ss# instead of forgoing the extra tax deduction.. what a world though, when we give our children up into a system of slavery to recoup a few dollars that were wrongfully taken in the first place..

 

[georgiapeach]

Congrats to you both! I am currently expecting #3. I haven't heard anything bad about prenatals, but that of course doesn't mean anything. It's late and I haven't read the replies so I will post more later.
The main thing I want to say is that in my experience, having OB assisted deliveries in a hospital has been a good experience. Neither of my doctors (1st one retired) pushed a bunch of medical intervention on me. The hospital here has a lot of the nifty stuff like birthing balls and big bath tubs that you can use to help with labor, not that I ever used any. It's just nice to know they are there. If you live somewhere that youcan find a midwife then chances are good you also have a wide variety of doctors available. You might find one that suits you, so don't rule that out. My current OB is a DO, not an MD, and they tend to have more faith in the human body to take care of itself than MDs do. In fact she is more like a midwife with a PhD. She had my husband do a lot of the work delivering our son, which was totally awesome. After his crash course in baby-catching he is confident that he could deliver a baby on his own, but then I would miss out on room service. In all seriousness, I have been lucky enough to have uncomplicated deliveries and healthy babies so far, but I wouldn't choose to be far from medical help just in case something went wrong.